While for many, October acts as a transition month between summer and winter, for some members of the art world, it’s one of the most exciting times of the year. Inktober, a seemingly simple art challenge created by artist Jake Parker, has taken the creative community by storm in recent years. The procedure is straightforward: an official list of 31 words is issued in the weeks leading up to October. Artists and illustrators must then produce one drawing based on the assigned word of the day, with ink being the only medium allowed, hence its title, then publishing it on social media with the appropriate hashtags.
Several Maltese illustrators have put ink to paper to attempt this challenge over the years, but the common comment that seems to unite the community is that the commitment and determination required is deceptive! Despite the difficulties, Maltese artist Daniella Attard, or as she is known online @ielladoodle, thinks that the push it gives artists to practise a medium which is not their go-to choice is part of what makes it so much fun. Daniella’s advice: “the important thing is to add more drawing time to the day when you’re honing a medium you don’t use as often.”
Daniella’s interest in art stems from her early teenage years. Her fascination with cartoons and online gaming saw her start sketching and after hours upon hours spent drawing, experimenting with different mediums and perfecting techniques, she is now employed as an illustrator and designer with Cartoon Network Europe.
This year marks Daniella’s third attempt at Inktober. Daniella’s process is relatively straightforward when working on the challenge. “The first step is to hash out a small thumbnail sketch to plan composition and rough shapes,” she explains, adding that she follows this up with a more detailed pencil drawing. The final step involves going over the line art in ink and topping it off with “a solid ink or tonal wash.”
She freely admits that as in previous years, she has only managed 50-75% of the challenge – an outcome which she is happy about. “October is always my busiest work month,” she reveals, adding that other commitments such as “preparing for exhibitions, several comicon events in the UK and Malta (which peak in October/November time), and her day job” make it difficult to complete the challenge due to time restraints.
However, a definite perk is being exposed to a variety of different drawings submitted on a daily basis throughout the month. Seeing this, Daniella admits that it "really motivates me to try the challenge and complete as much of it as I can." Ultimately, it's not so much about the end-goal as the journey!