Ink Drawings
In 2016, I participated in Inktober for the first time, creating one ink drawing a day for the month of October; I ignore the official prompts in favor of abstract drawings. It has become a tradition I look forward to every year. Each installment has its own theme and a set of rules/limitations to follow for the duration.
2019
Inktober Year 4: All marks were made with just sumi ink and extra slim cotton swabs (that I purchased on whim from Muji). Also, and for the first time, I introduced a digital component into the series, scanning each drawing and using Photoshop to add color and create multi-layered patterns.
2018
Inktober Year 3: this one remains my favorite, from both a process and final product stand point. Each drawing was made with a different non-traditional brush, including a silicon baster, false eyelashes, synthetic doll hair, a ball of twine, various sponges, feathers, pom poms, and a toothbrush, to name a few. I never had a clue what a mark would look like, and how a drawing would unfold until it was done. I almost considered making this my final installment, because I did not think it could be topped, but then I reminded myself that the point of these drawings is not to outdo, it is simply to do.
2017
Inktober Year 2: I will always be proud of the over-the-top ambitiousness of my sophomore effort, with weeks of research, planning and testing before the meticulous execution. For 31 days, I worked through a full spectrum of colors. In rainbow order. Using plant-based inks. THAT I MADE. I’m not sure where the inspiration came from - I remember it as being one of those moments where seemingly out-of-the-blue a fully-formed vision reveals itself, and all that’s left to do is figure out how to make it happen.
2016
Inktober Year 1: believe it or not, at this time making marks with ink and a brush was totally new to me. My workflow was almost entirely digital, but I was itching to get back to the tactile world. Constraints are helpful guardrails when you are in unfamiliar territory, so I limited myself to a few materials—sumi ink and water, three brushes in varying sizes, and mixed media paper. By day ten, I was convinced I was out of ideas, but I pep-talked myself into finishing the experiment. Looking back, I can't help laughing when I recall how impossible the task felt at the time (probably because I was in grad school, so anything extra, no matter how minor, felt impossible). The pleasure and satisfaction of watching my collection of drawings grow each day, even if I wasn’t in love with all of them, really made an impression on me, and I have completed at least a dozen daily series (ranging from 30 to 100 days) since then.
