Fashionable Friday: Inktober

This week, though I am a day or two late, I wanted to use the Inktober theme for Fashionable Friday. And why am I late? Because I am also participating in Inktober, of course so I am spending my spare minutes actually drawing instead of dawdling on the computer!

The goal of Inktober is to develop a positive drawing habit and challenge oneself to use ink — which, to me, means making a commitment to your drawing. We all doodle in pencil but there is a certain level of commitment to your drawing if you apply ink to it, be it ballpoint, fountain pen, rollerball, gel, marker, dip pen, brush pen, whatever… seeing those solid inked lines means committing to that drawing in some way.

I’ve included some of my favorite inky supplies as well as some tools I am dreaming of adding to my collection (I’m looking at you, Lamy Accent Brilliant with the gold nib!). If you are just getting started with drawing and Inktober is your jump start, I definitely recommend having good drawing paper like the Stillman & Birn Epsilon which feature smooth paper versus the Alpha series that has a bit more tooth. You’ll want to have good graphite pencils like the TWSBI mechanical pencil in 0.7mm as well as a wood-cased pencil like the Prismacolor Col-Erase in Vermillion (or Light Blue) which does not smudge and is good for roughing out your drawing before inking it up. If you plan on inking with permanent inks like Liquitex Acrylic inks or PlatinumCarbon Black, you might want to invest in a good nib holder and nibs like the e + m holder shown. If you’re doing your Inktober challenge with more of a calligraphy focus, the nib holder might be a good option as well as the Lamy Joy with a calligraphy nib or the Pilot Parallel modified with the folded nib tip.

Or maybe you prefer inking with a simple fountain pen like a Lamy Joy or just a trusty gel pen like the Pilot Hi-Tec C? Or using a paint brush like the Princeton synthetic squirrel watercolor brushes that are both reasonably priced and well-crafted?

Just because the challenge is called “Inktober” does not mean you can’t also add color so why not try out some of those Copic Sketch Markers, watercolor brush markers or add some color with colored pencils or watercolors? You can add in highlights with the Uni-Ball Signo Angelic White Gel pen too.

The goal is to challenge yourself… are you afraid to add ink, color, go big, add detail, draw outside, show your friends or the world that you draw?Whatever it is, its time to get out of our comfort zone. Now go forth! Draw! We will all have our good days and our bad days and we will cheer each other on through all of it.

• TWSBI Precision RT Pipe Pencil 0.7mm Matte Silver $25 (via Anderson Pens)
• Lamy Joy Calligraphy Fountain Pen $28 (via Pen Chalet)
• Trusco Trunk Medium Tool Box $15 (via Fresh Stock Japan)
• Liquitex Professional Acrylic Ink 35 colors available, starting at $5.03 per bottle (via Dick Blick)
• Palomino Blackwing Long Point Sharpener $7.40 (via Anderson Pens)
• e + m Artist Nib Penholder in Black $9.50 nibs are also available (via Anderson Pens)
• Princeton Neptune Synthetic Squirrel Brushes starting at $3.65 (via Dick Blick)
• Lamy Accent Brilliant fountain pen € 195 (via Fontoplumo)
• Render K Mini in Black Anodized starting at $60 (via Karas Kustoms)
• Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Pen – 0.3 mm in black $3.30 (via JetPens)
• Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Pen – 0.4 mm in black $3.30 (via JetPens)
• Sakura Foam Eraser W 100 $1.65 (via JetPens)
• Stillman & Birn Epsilon Hardbound Sketchbook (5.5″ x 8.5″) $18.50 (via JetPens)
• Prismacolor Col-Erase Colored Pencil in Vermillion $1.10 (via JetPens)
• Platinum Carbon Black Ink (60ml Bottle) $20 (via Anderson Pens)
• Uni-ball Signo Angelic White Gel Pen in 0.7 mm $2 (via JetPens)
• Pilot Parallel 6.0mm Modified Folded Nib Fountain Pen $24.95 (via Goldspot Pens)

If you need inspiration to motivate you, here are the official prompts for this year’s Inktober as well as the hastags to use on social media.

If you want more prompt ideas, these are the recommended prompts from Ink Journal which you could use instead of, or interchangeably with, the official Inktober prompts. And, of course, you can make up your own themes, prompts or ideas for the month of October.

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And, if you want to play along with Art Supply Posse Inktoberists, add the hashtag #ASPink to your images as well on Instagram.