Participating in Drawtober or a creative inking/drawing challenge can be a fantastic way to boost your skills and creativity! As co-founder of Tucson InkWorks I have participated in a good handful of creative challenges over the years. In this note, I have curated a list of what I learned and how to make the most of it.
Let's dive in, shall we?!
- Choose Your Challenge Theme/Prompts: Find a specific theme that excites you, or create your own theme (like animals, nature, characters, our fav: cacti, etc.). Keep them handy. If you’re creating your own, jot down a list of ideas for each day to stay organized. Tucson Inkworks, Drawtober and Melissa Yee have great challenge prompt lists every year!
- Gather Supplies: Prepare your drawing materials—sketchbooks, pencils, pens, markers, watercolors, or digital tools. Having everything ready will reduce barriers to starting. Shop local as much as possible but if you need an alternative check out Blick.com
- Set a Schedule: Dedicate a specific time each day for your drawing. Consistency helps build the habit. This could literally be 5min. doodles, 10-20min. sketches or 60 min+ illustrations. You can schedule daily, a few times a week or once a week. You’re in control of this schedule!
- Keep It Simple: Don’t stress about perfection. Focus on expressing your ideas and improving your skills rather than creating masterpieces every time.
- Take a Class & Experiment: Use the challenge to explore different styles, techniques, or mediums. Step out of your comfort zone! If you're interested in a specific medium, workshops are a great way to explore and learn. Personal drop here but I also teach online workshops with the Tucson Botanical Gardens focusing on drawing, ink and watercolor. You can find a list of our upcoming classes here!
- Document Your Progress: Share your drawings on social media or in a sketchbook. It’s motivating to look back and see how far you’ve come. If you are sharing on social media, try not to feel pressure to post every day. This can create anxiety around comparison and FOMO which will affect your moral. Remember, you’re doing this for you!
- Engage with Others: Join online communities like &gallery, Inkworks Tucson or social media groups related to the challenge. Sharing your work and getting feedback can be encouraging.
- Reflect: At the end of each week, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned and how your style has evolved. As you see reflect on your progress, you’ll notice the skill set growing. If you feel that you don’t see improvement, try not to get discouraged and give it a few weeks after the challenge is over. Let it be and when you come back to it, you may notice how great you did along with changes you can make to improve your skill set.
- Celebrate Your Achievements: At the end of the challenge, treat yourself! Whether it’s a small reward or a new art supply, celebrate your commitment and growth. You can also submit your work to a community gallery show like the one Tucson InkWorks puts on with &Gallery. It’s a benefit show with a great cause: UA ArtWorks, an outreach program housed in the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona, Department of Family & Community Medicine.
My last thought, and I tell all my students this, is Give yourself permission to play and enjoy the process. Practice truly makes progress.
I hope this helps you lean in and let your creativity flow. Happy ink and drawing season!
Sending all the creative joy your way,
Adela, Madre de Cacti Oasis
PS. It's worth noting that if you start the challenge and for some reason don't complete the challenge, take a moment to reflect on why. Sometimes we overload our schedule, other times our health or health of loved ones can affect our time, just note that there can and will be life events that will cause interruptions which is just part of being human. It's okay to appreciate what you got to do rather than waste energy feeling ashamed of not completing a challenge. You still showed up for yourself and that is a win.