art – KNWBOOKS

I did InkTober 2022. Now, I’m not an artist or anything, but I do enjoy graphic design, and anything that involves creativity is interesting to me. I’ve done some digital art here and there, and after a friend told me about the drawing challenge, I decided to take it up.

About InkTober

InkTober is a challenge that promotes creativity, consistency, and fun. It’s sort of like the NaNoWriMo for artists, but it’s a much easier challenge that is more relaxed. You can customize the challenge to how you want to do it, as there are many options.

draw whatever you want OR follow the official prompt list
use ink and paper (which is the traditional way) OR draw on a computer (slash use whatever medium you want)
draw one thing every day for 31 days OR draw 31 drawings over the course of October

Really, the point of the challenge is to allow people to explore drawing and have fun. The rules are meant to be bent, and the official InkTober prompt list changes every year, so things never get boring.

My InkTober Experience

I chose to do InkTober following these rules:

Follow the official 2022 InkTober prompt list—I wasn’t super strict with myself, but I drew things inspired by the prompt words
Draw digitally—I use my computer and mouse pad.
Create one drawing every day—Over the course of October, I created 31 drawings
Post my drawings on Pinterest to share with others—You can see everything I drew and the descriptions for each piece. Posting on social media kind of held me accountable.

How It Went

I did stay up a few nights real late to complete drawings, but other than that, InkTober 2022 was fairly relaxed for me. I found the challenge enjoyable. I got to draw things I wouldn’t have otherwise, explore realms of art I don’t usually traverse, and find subjects and vibes I didn’t know I liked. A few of my favorite digital art pieces have come out of InkTober. Check out the video below to see everything I made.

Summary

I enjoyed InkTober. This was my first time doing it, and I found it to be more casual/relaxed than I’d first imagined it would be. Will I be doing it again next year? Maybe. It depends on what I’m doing then, but I’m leaning towards yes.

Did you do InkTober? What do you think of this challenge? Tell me in the comments below, and until next time, happy reading!

Knitting and crocheting are my two main hobbies besides writing. I love making clothes, but I also like making cute things to give away as gifts. Let’s see my top picks from everything I’ve made in the past 12 months.

This sweater is my favorite thing I’ve made. I crocheted it using a variable pattern, while changing the design to have the asymmetrical look. I don’t usually wear purple or pink, but this was something fun to try out. (The pattern is based on Staycoolnyc’s Racer Sweatshirt.) I think this took me one and a half weeks of non-stop crocheting to finish. This sweater is so comfy and squishy, and I feel like I’m wearing a blanket when I put it on.

Crochet sushi…honestly one of my proudest crochet moments.

After finding this on Pinterest (yes, I seem to find all my inspiration there), I had to make this set. Besides, Christmas was coming up, and our friends have younger kids who love play food. And they love sushi. What better match?

And THEN I realized just how long something this intricate takes to crochet. It wasn’t too long, but I was on a Christmas-crocheting rampage. It probably took a week.

The sushi were based on pre-made patterns, while I created the tray on my own. (I know it’s difficult to see in the lighting.) Following the pattern exactly for one of the rice bases, I ended up with crocheted balls that our cats enjoy batting around.

You might recognize this dress. I made a bunch of granny squares and ended up crocheting too many. The extras turned into the granny square drawstring pouches I’m selling on my shop. Meanwhile, the other squares became this dress. I didn’t follow a pattern for the dress (just for the squares), so it took some experimenting to come up with the finished design.

Anyone else think these slippers look like the cod from Minecraft? Just me? Maybe it’s those strappy-thingies that make up the top of the slipper. They kind of look like fish gills.

Anyway, after finding this really cool pattern on Pinterest, I had to crochet these slippers. I really like how they turned out, and I recently made a sparkly black pair.

These scrubbies and the lip balm I make are two items I use every day. This is the only sponge I ever use. I love it because it foams up well, scrubs off particles easily, and gets in small crevices. One of these typically lasts me half a year.

I recently crocheted this hooded cowl based off of a pattern I found on Pinterest. I learned a few new stitches making this, and it was a lot of fun to crochet. I’m excited for colder weather so I can wear it.

Honorable Mentions

This baby blanket is knit from two types of acrylic yarn. The design is asymmetrical due to me running out of one color, but it still looks cool. This took me about a year to make.

I made these fingerless gloves and a cowl out of a very pretty, multi-colored, metallic yarn. The finished result was extremely stretchy and beautiful.

I didn’t make these sheep, so that’s why they’re in the “honorable mentions” section. Aiden (my 16-year-old brother) crocheted these from yarn I gave him. They are absolutely adorable, and using blue was a cool idea in my opinion.

I know lip balm doesn’t count, but out of all the things I’ve made, this is my favorite. I am unbiased when I say it is the best lip balm I’ve ever used.

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap! What hobbies do you enjoy? Would you try crocheting? If you have an opinion as to which of these items is your favorite, tell me what it is and why in the comments below!

Tag: art

I Did InkTober