October is here and that means it is time for Inktober! Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are about to be filled with ink drawings of all kinds. Washes, crow-quill, brush, pen, sumi, sharpie and more. All are welcome.
The full Inktober experience means posting one drawing a day for the entire month of October. I realize this post is going up the 2nd of October, but it is alright. Post two drawings today, use the #inktober tag and jump in!
Inktober was started in 2009 by talented Jake Parker and it has taken off to be part of the illustration/pop culture community. It is a lot of fun and is also a great example of using social media to start a movement.
On Instagram there are as of right now 484,000+ posts tagged with Inktober. There are hundreds of thousands of posts on Twitter and Facebook as well from past years and this year is off to a strong start. Go do a search and you can find some real treasures.
For some inspiration, here are some wonderful ink drawings from the past masters.
The Amazing Gibson Girl – Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson
Arthur Rackham
Franklin Booth
Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham
Edwin Austin Abbey
Edwin Austin Abbey
Edwin Austin Abbey
So go pick up your favorite ink pen or brush and get inking.
Here is my humble day one inking (I really shouldn’t post one after all of the above drawings)
Howard began his career working in the video game industry. After 13 years working as a texture artist, concept artist and then art director, he left to pursue illustration. He has worked for clients such as Blizzard, Upper Deck, Wizards of the Coast, Electronic Arts, NCSoft, The Greenwich Workshop and Paizo Publishing.
He was a finalist in the Art Renewal Center 2011 - 2012 Salon in the figurative category, won an honorable mention in the Oil Painters of America 2011 Online Showcase and a Merit Award in the Springville 2011 Spring Salon. His work can also be found in various years of the Spectrum annual and was nominated for a Chesley Award in 2011.
He is very passionate about learning, studying the great artists and techniques of the past, particularly Caravaggio, Bloch, Bouguereau and Waterhouse.
When not painting or drawing Howard loves spending time with his wife and three kids, cooking, and trying to bake the perfect loaf of bread.
Mikkion15 Types of CompositionYour unique style and boundless creativity are truly inspiring! Eagerly await your next work! waiting for your next article.
Wrong, you should post after all the above drawings. Never devalue your art!
Franklin Booth! I have that piece on my wall. It is perfect.
Can't think of pen and ink without thinking of Virgil Finlay too.
Joseph Clement Coll!
Roy G. Krenkel; joining the name drop parade!
GORGEOUS blowup of a Coll drawing!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zMsg9U8UoyM/SgEUh_0cJCI/AAAAAAAADbA/ww5XrVovDCA/s1600-h/Coll+002a.jpg
Yep. I also have a suspicion that most of those drawings weren't being done on a one-per-day basis. 😉 Lovely work!