Inktober 2017 - Week One

I'm taking part in the Inktober challenge this year, for the first time. It's been around for a few years, and I've wanted to do it before, but something's always come in between. Usually holidays. Which, of course, is a nice thing, like last year, when I spent the first week of October in art retreat in Scotland (I can't believe that that was already a year ago!), and the second relaxing in lovely Dorset. But this year, there's nothing on in October, my holiday is already over, and it's high time to get back into a regular drawing habit.

I decided to start a new sketchbook for the challenge. I went through my (far too big) stack of new sketchbooks and found a Strathmore one, about A5 size, with thick mixed media paper that should take bottled ink and ink washes, and with enough pages for 31 double spread, should I decided to do that. To prepare for the challenge, I did a warm up page on the last day of September.

Front/Warm up page: Pens

Day 1: Pens

Day 2: Dip pens, brush, inks

Day 3: Pen

Day 4: Brushpens

Day 5: Dip pen and ink

Day 6: Dip pen and ink

Day 7: Dip pen, ink, pen

Some thoughts on the first week:

• It's good to try out something completely different
• Sometimes it takes a LOT longer than you thought it might, and it's perfectly okay if you don't finish it in time
• Some inks just don't work very well on (certain) paper. It's worth taking a bit of time to try out what works and what doesn't
• Bottled fountain pen inks make lovely washes
• Even if it looks like rubbish at one stage, don't give up but keep working until it starts coming together. It usually does
• Some days, it just doesn't work, and that's fine. Just splash some ink on a page play around instead
• Dip pens are great to draw with, it's fun trying out the different nibs and inks
•  Finishing a drawing, then scanning and posting it every day is had work, and sometimes it might just be too much
• My scanner is driving me mad, it tries to scan individual images instead of just the entire page, and I don't know how to change that
• The most important thing is to draw, and to have fun