Is inktober worth it? To you?

[MGComics]

Hello, everyone!

So I was considering doing inktober this year...

But you may be in similar situations to mine, where you have your comics read by your dear readers, maybe even yt channel, school, work, etc

Do you think you will have the time? Do you think it's worth it?

Obviously, gaining followers and attention to your beloved comics is also the goal, right? But is it worth it?

I also consider myself more of a digital artist because I always lean to one side on traditional drawings >-<

But obviously, I would do it in a traditional way even If it's much harder for me in that unique sense...
SO it can be sth that makes me spend tooo much daily time and I don't want to fail my comic readers (anymore lol)

If you don't know already it was created by Jake Parker
It's a challenge over October on which you should post on social media (specially Instagram) an inked drawing daily ^^

What are your thoughts?

[punkarsenic]

for me, its not really worth it bc i have my comic and i study art full time, so i dont need an event to get me working. esp bc i like. really love ink, and work with it all the time

i mulled over the idea of doing inktober this year as a series of exercises in character design, but decided i really just dont have the time for it.

i might do something weekly, or just post some of my prints from college (its ink!) and capitalise on the hashtag

[feardeer]

I don't think I can ever really commit fully to these month long challenges, as there are too many other things I'd rather spend my energy on. But you can still participate for a few days here and there throughout the month and get some of the perks without going full-bore.

[Klaustasya]

I personally just use inktober when i don't know what to draw and i want to practise, like "okay, let me check an inktober prompt list..." and pick random days xD i can't take it seriously because...it's like being a fish in the sea, no point in fully doing an inktober in my opinion, so i just use it as a secondary excuse to draw stuff when i'm in low-art period.

[Luminosophy]

I do studies all year round, and I started drawing traditionally with ink a long time ago, and just use the digital equivalent everyday. On the side I dabble with calligraphy pens for handwriting as well. I don't personally feel a need for it.

[Kittosaurus]

I think every artist should try Inktober at least once! I have done it three times and it has been a great experience for me! I even created a coloring book from my first year which was a really cool experience.

It is a much debated topic but you don't necessarily have to do inktober traditionally - you can do a digital inktober as well - though I know there are purist who will disagree with me!

You definitely need to go in with a theme - or a prompt list as you will probably burn out of ideas by the first week if you don't!

Sadly I won't have time to do the full 30 days this year.. but I am definitely planning on still doing a few ink drawing in honor of it!

[imiogri]

If you think it sounds fun, then go ahead! You really don't need to commit to the entire month, you can just give it a go and then leave it, no shame in doing so. Even before I started my comic I struggled to keep up with inktober, and now with my comic I really can't make it this year. I personally learned a lot during inktober, but it's different for everyone.

[joannekwan]

I like it because it forces me to keep up with my traditional skills. Since I don't do art studies and whatnot anymore, it's a good challenge to deny myself the undo command and transformation tools.

PLUS it gives me stuff to sell at the end of it haha.

[LittleMissDevil]

While I very much like the concept of Inktober, I never find the time for it. I already draw traditionally which means my comic pages take a long time to color properly. I would love to improve my skills with ink, but fully commiting to this challenge would take to much time off my other projects. I always have a long list of side projects going on, my dayjob and I'm trying to maintain at least a little bit of social interaction. So Inktober would probably just burn me out.

But I think it is a fun thing and participating in trends always can help you get some exposure. So there are a lot of positives to Inktober and you don't have to draw every day. Sure it is a great practice to do so, but if you can only do one drawing per week that's also good and still practice ^^

[A-weird-girler]

I don't think it's worth it. I need to study to take the admission exam if I don't want to be rejected from medical school again

[hisstidine]

I think it's fun to do in a low pressure way. I don't expect to draw every prompt, but I'd like to try for half, even if they're very simple drawings. I think it's fun to try the challenge and share art for the community aspects, but I don't think it's worth stressing out about it.

[c0ldw1nter]

Never bothered to check what that is until now. First thoughts: no, for several reasons. Posting daily means the quality won't be all that good, considering you've other things on your agenda. I'd rather use that time to improve on my main work, which usually includes inking anyway. And if lots of other people are gonna be doing it, instagram is going to be littered with medium quality works that no one really notices, and individual drawings will get drowned. Not sure where the secret to getting exposure is yet, but this doesn't seem to be it.

[MGComics]

@Kittosaurus @Clauxx @feardeer @LittleMissDevil @hisstidine
I love your advice, only doing it a while and not stressing too much If I don't finish...
Also avoiding burnout should never be understimated

@punkarsenic @A-weird-girler Yep, you definitely sound like you've got big priorities that can't allow time for this challenge :s But good luck on your studies, both artistic and for you @A-weird-girler You can nail that medical exam!!

@joannekwan Oh! So cool! Do you sell your sketchbook?

@c0ldw1nter Hmm it might just be it! Maybe it's when people have reached a certain quality level. And yep, our own comics I do agree those are more important

Thank you for sharing your advice, everyone! ^^
(I hope I didn't miss anyone but still read everything, thanks!

[joannekwan]

I sell the originals! I think I'll make a pdf of the ones this year, since I'm working with a clearer theme.
I'm going to do #anthroinktober

[A-weird-girler]

I'm not so sure since that's what led me to be rejected in the first place.

[potatogirl]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[MGComics]

Sounds so interesting! Where can we purchase them?

Through tumblr? (I will create an acc I guess XD)

Idk If I will be able, but I really get inspired by ink work <3

[joannekwan]

I sell my stuff through Gumroad!
I still have some of my inktobers from last year that you can see if you scroll all the way down~

[Rhonder]

I did it for the first time last year, thought it was pretty fun~ as others have said I think it really depends on how much is on your plate outside of the challenge and how seriously you take it. If you have tons of other stuff going on, it's not really worth. But if you have time for it and approach it casually I think it can be fun

I do admit to falling into the pitfall that @c0ldw1nter theorized about, where a fair portion of the images I drew last year were either quick sketches or just mid-to-low quality. Some days I just didn't have time to do something nice lol. Completed all 31 days, but some pictures I completed over 2 days or were just "throwaway doodles".

Even so, going to tackle it again this year! Ballpoint pen is actually my favorite doodling medium anyways xD

[Shanny8]

Currently- no. I'm usually busy working on my comic every October, and dont have any extra time to work on Inktober.