Inktober: A Community Gallery

October is also Inktober, a month-long event where artists challenge themselves to create an ink drawing a day for 31 days and share their work using the hashtag #Inktober. We asked members of our Cloth Paper Scissors community to show us what they were working on, and we received some amazing artwork!

First up is Sara Branson, who says she usually sketches during her lunch hour (what a great use of the time!). Sara says, “I like to keep my supplies minimal and portable. I’ve been using a Kuretake Zig Memory System Writer with permanent pigment ink and a small metal watercolor palette with a water brush.”

inktober
Art by Sara Branson

There’s so much about Sara’s art that we love—the expressiveness, the details created with the pen, the use of color and shading, and the shaped pages in her sketchbook. “I’ve been a spectator every year during Inktober,” she says. This year she was in a craft store when a small Stillman & Birn sketchbook caught her eye. “I bought it and decided that I was participating in Inktober this year with this sketchbook. It was small enough that I could just make small sketches without being overwhelmed. I also like the challenge of using the official prompt list. It helps stretch my imagination when seeing all the different sketches everyone makes for the same word. I am really enjoying it.”

inktober
Art by Sara Branson

Kimberly Kane chose Futakuchi-onna as her subject matter. She explains that this yokai, or supernatural being from Japanese folklore, “is a woman who does not eat much and then grows a ravenous mouth on the back of her head. Her hair becomes tentacle-like and can grab food for the second mouth.”

inktober
Art by Kimberly Kane

The compelling artwork demands a second look—and then a third and fourth. She created it by starting with a light pencil sketch. That was erased, and a brush and India ink were used to create the figure. Kim used a Sakura Pigma Micron pen for the dress pattern, and created the artwork in a Global Art Materials watercolor journal. We love the use of two kinds of ink—perfect for Inktober.

Inktober is what motivated Kimberly to return to her love of art. “I drew a lot when I was young (I was an art student at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City), but art gradually fell by the wayside over the years. I wanted to get back into it, so when a friend and fellow high school classmate posted on Facebook about Inktober, it sounded like a fun way to jump back in.”

We were stunned to find out that Dawn Vollaro used humble ballpoint pens to create these vivid drawings. Or, as she put it, “dollar store cheapo ballpoint pens.” Drawn from life, the sketches have incredible energy and drama.

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Art by Dawn Vollaro

Dawn’s inspiration was the Summer 2017 issue of Drawing magazine, the Ball Point Issue. “I doodled with those pens while taking notes in school, but I never considered creating fine art with them,” she says. “This issue was an absolute revelation. So, when I heard about Inktober through various online groups as well as the art supply subscription service ArtSnacks, I was inspired to give ballpoint pens a go! I am loving it!”

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Art by Dawn Vollaro

Agnes Tirrito created this beautiful cardinal in a watercolor paper journal she made by hand specifically for her Inktober artwork. “I’m filling this journal with some prompts,” she said, “but mostly with images or words that resonate me with me now.” This cardinal, created with red ink and dip pen, definitely resonates with us.

A fellow artist got Agnes involved with Inktober: “Tammy Garcia hosts the art site Daisy Yellow, and I have taken part in her Index-Card-a-Day challenge for the past five years.” Agnes adds, “A daily immersion in art brings joy! Allowing myself a few minutes of art play each day refocuses me and brings new ideas to the forefront of my mind. I am teaching a workshop on art journaling this month for my hometown’s regional art center, so this daily dip into ink also helped me prepare for that event.”

Art by Agnes Tirrito
Art by Agnes Tirrito

We hope that these Inktober pieces inspired you! If you haven’t started the Inktober challenge, it’s not too late to start. There are no midterms, no check-ins—just you and your creativity. See what a daily challenge can do for your art practice. If you need even more inspiration, we’ve got some items that may do the trick.

We’re also doing some fantastic Inktober giveaways on the Cloth Paper Scissors Facebook page! Head over on Thursday, October 19th for all the details!

Inktober was created by Jake Parker. “Inktober” and its logo are trademarks of JP Creative LLC, and are used with permission. For more information, go to inktober.com.

Create watercolor postcards with background textures and Zen doodle patterns in the video In Zen Doodle Postcards: Mixed-Media Texture Techniques with Sandrine Pelissier.
Stop worrying about perfection and discover how much fun you can have creating unique lettering with a dip pen in Lettering Lessons Volume 8: Using a Dip Pen in Non-Traditional Ways by Pam Garrison.
Learn to sketch on the spot using a variety of mediums and techniques in Artist’s Sketchbook: Exercises and Techniques for Sketching on the Spot by Cathy Johnson.

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