Drawlloween: 31 drawings, 31 days

Junior Sola Nagaoki shows her artistic abilities with this sketch she posted online for last year’s Inktober.

October is a time for Halloween tricks and treats. But for artists, it’s a time to get inspired and showcase their talents through an online challenge called Drawlloween.

Drawlloween, also known as InkTober, happens throughout the month of October. Through this challenge, artists worldwide follow a list of daily challenges indicating what they should draw. Most are completed in black ink, while others might utilize colored markers.

Students from Sacred Hearts Academy participate in the annual Inktober celebration.

“I like to participate because I want to get into the habit of drawing something everyday,” junior Grace Francisco said. “My goal is to make it through an entire month and post a drawing every day of October.”

This year’s prompt includes themes such as: Fast, Worried, Relax, Surprise, Wreck and many more. Participants usually post to social media sites and hashtag their artwork with the tag #inktober.

Junior Sola Nagaoki took part in the activity last year.

“I had more time (to draw) last year, but this year, (I’m not as) consistent,” she said. “If you do (participate in Inktober) you get to see the growth in your art and will be able to look back on it.”

Each year, creator Jake Parker posts new prompts and pen recommendations. Parker is a successful artist working for companies like, Marvel, Blue Sky Studios, Disney Animation and Warner Brothers Animation.

According to the InkTober website, Parker created InkTober in 2009 as “a challenge to improve (his) inking skills and develop positive drawing habits.” It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.

To learn more about InkTober, visit inktober.com.