2017 was actually my 2nd attempt at Inktober (a 31 day drawing challenge started by illustrator Jake Parker) but my first time actually being able to successfully complete it.

Here are some things I learned from completing a 30 day challenge:

1. Have accountability
I made my challenge public by announcing it and posting all my posts on Instagram. Knowing that I made my intention public, held me accountable for actually sticking to the challenge and having to showcase something every day!

2. Have all your tools and materials ready
Attempting to draw everyday takes a lot of time and when the tip of my one brush pens started to split, I’d to go out to grab another one. During any other time, heading to the art store to buy a pen would be a fun excursion, but when you are scrambling to find time to finish a drawing and running on very little sleep, anything that diverts time from actually making art is a huge waste of time. So stock on up art supplies and materials before hand!

3. Pre-brainstorm Ideas
Try to have as many concepts and ideas ready to go before the challenge starts. When I was in the midst of Inktober, so much of my time everyday was spent thinking about what to draw. Thankfully there were a handful of daily prompt lists that I could peruse and look for something that interested me. If I had, however, my own list of concepts, more time could have been spent on the execution of each drawing and probably more sleep time, too!

Interestingly, Fran Meneses (aka Frannerd) just posted a video discussing tips for successfully completing 30 day challenges. Some of our ideas overlap!

Despite getting sick while attempting this challenge, I went in just wanting to draw every day with no expectations of what I wanted to get out of it. So while my number one goal was just to finish the challenge, I came out of it with a whole new painting style and series! Inktober was a hard but definitely invaluable experience, that I’d love to try again one day.