Good evening, lovely readers!
I’m delighted to announce that, for the first year since attempting the challenge, I have successfully completed Inktober!
For those of you who have never heard of it, Inktober is a simple concept- one sketch or artwork must be completed for every day of October, in an ink based medium… Whether it be an inky painting or even just a biro sketch, the whole idea is to keep up artistic momentum throughout the month, and to perhaps take the opportunity to dabble in a new medium. Inktober is called a challenge for a reason, though- it’s tricky to do a drawing every day on top of everything else that’s going on in life, particularly one that you’re proud of and happy to share with the world! I’ve struggled in the past but this year I was adamant that I would finish the challenge, with 31 drawings I was really happy with.
After going to an exhibition of Quentin Blake’s work earlier this year in Cardiff Museum, it’s been at the back of my mind to try working with bottled ink and a scratchy pen again. When I was younger I was very interested in calligraphy, receiving a small kit as a birthday present with a fine-nibbed fancy pen, different coloured bottled inks and smooth parchment paper. As I was searching for materials to use in this challenge, I came across them again at the back of my shelf, and decided it was high time for them to shine once more!
I think that part of the reason that I’ve struggled in the past is because I was always trying to think of a separate theme every day- after a couple of weeks, to keep spewing out an entire concept from scratch every day, AND complete all the other work I wanted and needed to get done, AND keep up with everything else always got a little too much for me to handle, so I would abandon the challenge.
This year, I decided on a different approach to make it work- to decide on, and stick to one theme that could run throughout, to transform it into a project I was really immersed in. Those who have followed my work over time will recognise my passion for nature and natural history, (many of my more recent characters and projects centring around animals) and I was very keen for this challenge to follow suit. In the end, I decided to spend this October exploring the characters of our best-loved British wildlife; my favourites can be found below! (The full 31 drawing-long shebang can be found here, in the album of “Inktober 2016”.)
After this challenge had just ended, I had another opportunity to study the character of some Great British wildlife in the flesh, when I had the exciting privilege to meet a young wood mouse. My partner’s father is a talented photographer who also delights in natural subjects, and he had come across this young mouse one rainy, cold evening thinking it was dead… When he noticed it breathing, however, he brought it inside to the vivarium he often photographs caterpillars in to keep it warm and safe while it recovered (and take some pictures, of course!) He was convinced it was fairly young as it was very tame, and more inquisitive than anxious about human presence. A once in a lifetime opportunity for drawing- I was sat only inches away from the little creature as it gazed at me through huge, blackberry pip eyes. After a couple of trips back to its little nest of dry leaves to squiggle around, the mouse sat so still I was able to do a full colour sketch on the spot… In fact, it was so relaxed that it started to fall asleep!
You never know where you’ll find your next little source of inspiration, never shut your eyes or ears to the possibilities!
The AutumnHobbit
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