Inktober 2020 days 1-5

It’s the fifth year in a row I’m doing Inktober. Rules are simple: A different prompt every day. Use ink. Enjoy. Learn new techniques, or not.

Some choose to not use any prompt. I prefer to, because I would not know what to draw most days. Some create their own prompts, or follow different thematic prompts. I prefer to stick to those proposed by Inktober creator Jake Parker because I find it easier.

I was ambivalent at first and nearly did not participate this year, but the day before, Virginie G. nudged me and another artist she follows, and I sensed she needed not to be alone doing it. I was in.

It’s the second year I’ve been using some of the supplies from my monthly Sketchbox subscription, except the Pentel Brushpen, which I have had for decades. Without further ado, here are the first five:

Day 1: “Fish”

Cartoon drawing of a little blond girl dressed in pink standing on a fish and surrounded by lost of other fish looking at her.

Studio Ghibli inspired piece. Done using a sepia ink drawing pen from Kuretake Zig, and Uni Emott pens in pink-red and yellow.

Day 2: “Wisp”

Black and grey ink drawing of the Disney movie character Hades smiling and burning.

A Disney character: Hades. I used a grey ink cartoonist brush pen from Kuretake Zig, and my beloved black ink Brushpen by Pentel.

Day 3: “Bulky”

Black and sepia ink drawing of an elephant sitting on a boulder

Awkward big baby elephant sitting on a rock. I used a fine brush dipped in walnut ink, and a Pentel black ink Brushpen.

Day 4: “Radio”

Black ink drawing of a vintage radio

The prompt didn’t inspire my very much. I looked for radio images in DuckDuckGo and copied the first vintage radio I found, using a 0.05 mm black ink Graphik line maker from Derwent.

Day 5: “Blade”

Black ink drawing of two skates shaving ice

My first thought of course was to draw a samurai. I love samurais! I’ve drawn dozens of them but never drew ice skates before. Using negative space for the cloud of ice was a challenge and it would have been much better in graphite, pencil or charcoal. But it’s neither graphitober, penciltober nor charcoaltober. It’s Inktober, so I used a 0.05 mm black ink Graphik line maker from Derwent, and a Pentel Brushpen to fill the larger black areas.

Art: Cranes on pine tree (+ time-lapse)

I made a simpler version of “two cranes on a pine tree” which I drew for a friend last year.

I used black, grey and ink brush pens, drew on a watercolour postcard, and painted a gold outline with a thin brush and liquid gold ink.

Black, grey and red ink drawing of two cranes on a pine tree branch

Time-lapse

22-second time-lapse of my hand drawing in black, grey and red ink two cranes on a pine tree branch

Art: (larger) Crane (+ time-lapse)

I made another ink drawing of a crane after some Chinese brushwork piece by artist Nanrae.

On a taupe toned paper I used a black ink brush pen, my Kuretake Light Grey and Geranium Red BrushWriters, and applied gold paint with a brush.

Finally, I went back to the piece afterwards to paint the body of the crane with a white ink Kuretake brushpen.

I gave the framed piece to Shadi.

Black, grey, white and red ink drawing on taupe toned paper of a Japanese crane standing between some reed and an old tree with red blossoms.

Time-lapse

21-second time-lapse of my two hands making with Black, grey, white and red ink drawing on taupe toned paper a Japanese crane standing between some reed and an old tree with red blossoms.

Art: Crane (+ time-lapse)

This is an ink drawing of a crane after some Chinese brushwork piece by artist Nanrae.

I used a black ink brush pen, my Kuretake Light Grey and Geranium Red BrushWriters, and applied gold paint with a brush.

Black, grey and red ink drawing of a Japanese crane standing between some reed and an old tree with red blossoms.

Time-lapse

32-second time-lapse of my hand drawing with black, grey and red ink a Japanese crane standing between some reed and an old tree with red blossoms.