Musing about Art Challenges

[Lady_T_Musings]

Yo It's Lady T. and I wanna chat about art challenges bc I'm feeling mighty accomplished this day!

First off, yattah!!! I finished the Hiveworks Micro Comic Summer Challenge and going to upload the 4 pages weekly on Tapas with text and on my socials the art alone while I get back to work on my main comic! If you're interested in the results you can check it out below for the full story or on my Tumblr or Twitter for the comic art alone.

When I heard about the #microcomicsummer challenge I was immediately drawn to it and started working on ideas right away. I'm usually more hesitant about doing challenges that I know will take major investment and anything dealing with comics is that, but 4 pages in three months was totally manageable for me even with my main comic and side hustles.

Working on Faye Date let me experiment and explore more of the world I've crafted that normally only exists in my codex or in passing in my main comic. I stay making illustrations and short stories to go with them based on the inhabitants of the world of Magos, so making a mini comic should have been like the next most logical step... but I hadn't done that. This challenge was the inspo I needed to just go on and do it and I'm glad I peeped it when I did.

I think I get stuck in the mindset of if I'm making a comic it has to be at least 12 pages, even though that ain't true, and stories aren't regulated by such strict confines when sometimes a little says a lot or just what it needs to. It's one of those things I knew, but like didn't really connect the dots as being something to just do till I saw the challenge and was like...Oh, this got me a lil excited...hmm...lemme try this out. So I did and just let myself be creative and enjoyed the process and I had a lot of fun just trying things out. Doing this challenge gave me a boost of endorphins I didn't know I needed until it was done and like Y'all. Jeeze I really love making art, telling stories, smashing them together, and making comics

If I'm as organized next year as I am this year then I will defiantly partake in this challenge again ! It's been a lovely creative outlet with limited stakes that let me experiment and explore the other characters and stories that exist outside of my main comic without detracting me too much from my main comic goals. I'm all about the journey and this is one I defo would like to repeat

Question: Have you ever worked on an art challenge? If so which one/s, what was your takeaway (if any) from it/them? Is it one you would do/have repeated? Feel free to share work from the challenge you are talking about too

TLDR: Micro Comic Summer got me hyped and inspired! So happy I took the time to do the challenge and just let myself enjoy the process and experiment . Have you ever participated in any art challenges? If so which one/s and what was your take away if any from it/them? Would you do it/them again? Feel free to show a piece/s from a challenge you enjoyed or want to dish on :).

Read Faye Date | Tapas Web Comics

[kaetana]

Congrats on completing the challenge! I definitely think those sorts of events can be really great and inspirational, since they push you to try new things when you're working within the bounds of the challenge rather than doing whatever you might do typically. I might have to try that one next year...definitely similar to you in that I'm used to thinking of comics as much longer stories, so keeping within 4 pages would be really interesting!

The only major art challenge I've done was Inktober (back in 2018, so that was before there were some issues that came to light with the event organizer). I was in the process of planning my comic, and having the challenge to sit down and draw something every day for 31 days was actually really helpful for me in building artistic routines. I have a tendency if I only have an hour of free time to be like "that's not enough time to get started on drawing", but because I had to just find time whenever I could to work on that day's Inktober prompt, it actually helped me become a lot faster and more flexible (and also sliiiiightly less of a perfectionist lol).

It's been a few years but here's a few of the drawings from the event that I'm still pretty fond of:

Day 25 - Prickly

Day 6 - Drooling

Day 31 - Slice

[TheLemmaLlama]

I personally can't really bring myself to do art challenges unless I already have ideas that I wanted to do anyways that fit the theme I've never had much trouble with feeling like my comic should be a certain length or otherwise being stuck in a rut, so I guess I just don't really need them ... I can see how they'd be fun and helpful for someone who ticks differently though :]

[vapidink]

I've done Drawtober twice, but didn't finish either time, lol. It was still fun to do a couple prompts and I liked that there wasn't as much pressure as with Inktober. The thing I enjoyed was trying out new things and styles and coming up with art to go with each prompt. I'll probably try it again this year!

[igneriss]

I love art challenges. I sometimes find it very hard to motivate myself to draw, and making it a challenge somehow makes it easier

I participated few times in inktober, and I think I managed to complete the whole month 2 or 3 times last time I did a serie of drawings with the same characters, and I would love to draw their story as a comic one day

I also took part in a monthly theme challenge that was ongoing for few years in one of dA groups. It was fun, and helped me motivate myself to draw at least one illustration a month I would usually draw my OCs there, but still within the theme. This one was for a month with 'health' theme and it's a scene from one of warhammer campaigns I played when I was young and beautiful

Another challenge- about a year or two ago, with my friends we did a 'draw this again' challenges for a whole year, redrawing one illustration per month. In January we would redraw a drawing that we drew 12 years ago, in February- 11 years ago, etc. I unfortunately didn't complete the whole challenge, stopped in October I guess, but it still was really fun and my favourite illustrations from that year come from this challenge

(here's the old version: click)

Currently with friends we have a challenge of sketching our OCs in poses from photos of our family & friends. It's about 2-5 photos a week, and it's really fun c:

I also took part in challenges like March of Robots and Mermay, but did only few drawings. I can't keep up with daily challenges

[Lady_T_Musings]

Oh why thank you !! They really can be a neat way to just do something different! Inktober was the first art challenge I took part in and I really enjoyed it (and yeah the sus stuff about the organizer came out and that really was a wet blanket). Now there are so many different ones in October, but I haven't completed another monthly challenge since my time before the last inktober, though I did get real close in World Water Color Month about 2 years back :3.

Goodness I totally feel you on feeling what time you have isn't enough to get art done, but like when you sit down and start, you'd be surprised what you can get done with some want, motivation, and crunch. Forming a habit is a wonderful takeaway from participating in an art challenge and totally a needed quality when making comics for the long haul XD.

Ohh I'm digging your interpretations of the word prompts. It looks like you got to experiment with things you know as an artist and display them in a variety of ways. From color to composition elements it's really cool to see them used in these three pieces. I'm a sucker for a pretty person with flowers around them and even more into thorns . The eerie and dark atmosphere of drool is perfect for fright and the tense body language of the characters adds to the things are not ok here( vibe. My what big wet pointy teeth. And Slice being an action pose using a hidden figure is just alluring and dangerous! bet the drool folks wish they had some slice with them XD.

[Lady_T_Musings]

Get it Llama ! You have an incredibly fluid way of working and it's pretty baller to know you can create a story through fluid impressions and body language while not being confined to a structure that doesn't apply to you and just making the story you are trying to tell.

I'm always in awe of the different approaches and similar paths we as comic creators take to reach our goals. It's just so dang neat

[Lady_T_Musings]

Ahhh I love the spirit of Halloween and the lively spooks in these pics! They have a lovely range from being playful and fun to regal and eerie! Even though you didn't do all the prompts, it's lovely that you were able to do some and it looks like had fun going about it.

Yeah I totally felt like I was failing at challenges if I missed a day, but that's totally not the feelings one needs harboring when trying to make some art. Getting the chance to do something a lil different, maybe learn something new about how you do things, and the journey is where it's at

[Lady_T_Musings]

Ayee a challenge fan haha

Like I totally feel that. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the stuff I want to draw and a challenge can be a neat way for me to sort ideas and just start somewhere. There is something a wee bit magical about the feeling of motivation one can get when participating. Art challenges often make me feel closer to the art community that I love. I'm the type that totally feeds off of having other creative people around me making stuff too, and since I mostly stay away from folks these virusy days, challenges have been a neat way for me to get them creative nom noms on.

Ahh lookit them cuties being casual at the top!!

Ohhh That's so cool! That would be so neat to be able to look over a challenge that a close group has been doing for years! LOL this scene is so chaotic and beautiful. I literally cracked up looking at the blonde with the dagger peaking out looking like "Hey how ya doing, oh yeah meet my lil stabby-stab." HAHAHAH You wildin' talking about those days like that XD.

Gawsh, revisiting my youthful art indiscretions to redraw them is something I actually haven't done but feel like at this point I should have by now, lol. Ohhh being under this blood-red sky and eerie moon is a total mood. This is a pretty fantastic piece with exquisite detail. I can see why it's a fav Yooo talk about growth from then to when you last redid that pic

Yeah, as accomplished as I felt about doing 31 days of inks in inktober, it was mad intense and I like having room to breahe with my structures.

[SynergyEclipse]

Congratulations on completing that challenge! A lot of challenges have been tempting, but I’ve declined some because I was concerned about taking time away from my main work because of the investment, but joining one can pay off!

The first challenge I did was part of a Tapas winter special in 2016.

The others I did were Inktober 2017, Inktober 2018, a Tapas Christmas-themed challenge for 2018, Mermay in 2019 (though I only made two drawings for that one ), JOKETOBER 2020 and Huevember 2020. The 2016 challenge was the only one I was able to complete because I usually took too long on the daily drawings, but they were all fun! They were chances to explore different styles in techniques when I usually have to stick with one.

JOKETOBER had some of the funniest prompts, and Huevember was a great opportunity to practice different color palettes.

Although I could get only two drawings for Mermay 2019, it sparked ideas for a mermaid AU! That one took too long because I could've gotten carried away trying to research fish symbolism for each of the characters for a daily drawing challenge!

Some from JOKETOBER:

Prompt: "Discount Armor" (I thought it was "Cardboard armor" before I checked again!)

Prompt: “Bad haircut”

Some from Huevember:

Starting with the Inktober 2018 challenge, I started writing short stories to go with the drawings to build on character details and the lore of my main story. Many of the drawings featured characters who didn’t appear as much so they could get more screen time and development!

[Lady_T_Musings]

TYTYTY!

Ok then Eclipse! you been dabbling all up in the art challenge arena haha yassssss

I never knew Joketober was a thing, and like now I'm super curious hahaa! The faces alone on these entries got a giggleout of me XD. Ahhhh your Huevember entries are so freaking beautiful! I love the style experiments and fun had here! And them backgrounds, ok then show off and show out, loving the style experiments! Limited color pallets just make such easy harmony and there are so many combinations to play with! I keep meaning to do Huevember, at least a few days worth anyway.

Ah inspo from a challenge that got you hyped to do something with your main works is pretty baller. Even if it got overruled, the idea to do it though is a nice thought to have and pull on at a later date if you'd like :D.

Mnnn Yiissss using illustrations and short stories to give some love to side characters is my jam!! Love that you are being able to explore more of your creations through this path too!

[SynergyEclipse]

Thank you so much!

Trying out different limited color palettes is fun! I’d want to try Huevember again this year to try some more!

I was introduced to Joketober through this thread!: https://forums.tapas.io/t/joketober-drawing-challenge/48573

When I looked back at it, realized that the prompt I called “Cardboard armor” was actually “Discount armor”! I checked the hashtag that was used, but I didn’t see anything past 2020. I’m not sure if it continued past then, but I hope it’ll continue for this year, or that there’ll be another challenge with silly prompts.

[oshirockingham]

Ahh, thanks again for fun at joketober

[Lady_T_Musings]

Ahhh I love that prompt list! Goodness, that does look like a ton of fun XD!!

[system]

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