INKTOBER 2026
It’s that time of year again!
In studio, color swatching for Inktober - Photos by Aidan Freund
Every year, in the month of October, I participate in this daily art challenge. The Inktober challenge, originally created by artist Jake Parker, has grown exponentially over the years. Artists all over the world participate, and I look forward to it every year. It may sounds strange, but the challenge of Inktober is a phenomenal tool for my art practice.
The goal is to complete a piece of art every day, using a prompt list for each associated day to inspire your piece. Naturally, this creates some very specific restrictions that I have to work within. Orson Welles famously said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations”.
Restrictions and challenges fosters creativity and for me - nothing is more inspiring than a creative problem I need to solve.
The Creative Problems of Inktober
Time - It is important to work quick in order to complete a piece each day
Size - These paintings have to be small to meet my turnaround schedule. However, painting small changes the kind of painting you can make.
A Shared Concept - I need to develop a creative concept that is wide enough to create 31 paintings, inspired by different prompts, that are varied from each other. However the paintings need to fit together and visually work as a completed collection of art.
Color - What colors am I gonna use? Is it going to be a set palette before hand, or will every color be available as my heart desires??
Burnout - It can be challenging to show up and paint every day. It takes energy, inspiration and focus. It is important to prep and set out a game plan to avoid burnout!
Social Media - So many artists participate in Inktober and one of the best parts is sharing our art on social media. I discover so many new artists during October and get to make so many new friends. However, it does mean scanning, photographing and posting on a daily basis :I
These challenges foster such creativity within me. It’s an opportunity to experiment, to grow- and I always walk away a better artist for it.
Follow me on instagram to see what I create for Inktober 2026
“Jake 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.”
In studio rearranging for Inktober - Photos by Aidan Freund