Susan Chiang

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My First Inktober Sketchbook Tour

Susan Chiang

This year I decided at the very last minute (the night before) to participate in Inktober for the first time ever.

If you don’t know about Inktober, here’s what it is (straight from the website):

What is Inktober?

Inktober is a month-long art challenge created by artist Jake Parker that is focused on improving skill and developing positive drawing habits. Every day for the month of October anyone participating in the Inktober challenge creates an ink drawing and posts it online. Remember to use the hashtags #inktober and #inktober2019 if you want your art to be seen by everyone.

My Approach to Inktober 2019

Technically Inktober drawings are done entirely in ink, but many people personalize the challenge and make it their own. I believe it’s more about the act of creating consistently with the goal of challenging ourselves and improve our skills so I decided to participate in my own way.

I decided on ink and watercolor washes every day for 31 days. The subjects would vary but all fall under the larger category of “built” things like buildings, doors, bridges.

I have been wanting to practice ink sketches with watercolor, so this was a great reason to actually dedicate some time to it!


My Inktober Process

Part of me is still surprised I managed to keep up with it all month. The majority of the time I would paint the day’s sketch at night after the baby was asleep. The sketches would range from 20-40 minutes. Below are my steps:

  1. Find reference photo by following what inspired me

  2. Rough pencil sketch

  3. Ink with waterproof fountain pen

  4. Watercolor wash

The next day I would photograph the painting in daylight and post to Instagram! I even made a hashtag (#susaninktober2019) so I could easily find the posts in the future.

Out of 31 days, I only skipped 2 nights of painting. The next day I decided I would “make up” for it by doing a two-page spread. (You’ll be able to see them in the gallery below!)

My Inktober Supplies

 Here is a list of the supplies I used throughout the project:
(Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you)

My Inktober 2019 Sketches

 My Inktober VIDEO Sketchbook Tour

I hope you enjoyed my first ever sketchbook tour!

As always, thank you for reading,
Susan