Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared with you the second and final part of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
This week, I'm changing things up a bit. October is on the horizon somehow; I don't know where the year went. October is probably my favorite month of the year. The temperatures are starting to cool off, and the leaves are starting to change color. And, best of all: It's Spooky Season!
By now you should be aware that I like stuff on the spooky side. So, it can't be a surprise that favorite holiday is Halloween - always has been always will be. I like to celebrate it in many different ways: decorating, eating, passing out candy, dressing up, trick-or-treating and Inktober.
Inktober
What's Inktober, you may ask? Well, I'll tell ya, but first let me tell you how I discovered Inktober. During my second year of college, I took an art class. In said art class, we were learning how to use traditional pen and ink to create depth, shadow, texture, etc. I really fell in love with ink art after that. Even after we moved on in class, I wanted to practice with ink. My only problem was I had never been good at coming up with concepts by myself.
I lack the inspiration; I never know what to draw. So, like anyone else, I go to the internet and try and search for inspiration. Lucky for me, it was October, and this thing called Inktober was going on across the web. Now, I get to the explanation. Inktober, in its classic form, is a month-long art challenge to develop and improve your artistic skills and share your work with others.
According to the Inktober website, "Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year."
I jumped at the chance to participate! It was really fun, exciting and new; something I'd never tried before. I liked it so much that I continue to do it every year when October rolls around. This year, I've decided to share it with you! I'll be completing as many of the Inktober prompts as I possibly can and share them here. But, that's not all!
I want you to participate too! Anyone can do it, young and old! And, guess what? Our top three favorite Inktober subscriber submissions will each get $10.00 and free candy! (Because of course, it's Halloween!) They'll also be published in the November 6 edition of the Clark County Courier.
(Website) Inktober rules:
1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want).
2) Post it**
3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2024
4) Repeat
Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. What ever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you're consistent the better.
That's it! Now, go make something beautiful!
**Post it on any social media account you want or just post it on your refrigerator. The point is to share your art with someone.
If we get enough submissions, I'll open it up to voting in office and online! So, please participate! We'd all love to see your art! Submit them through Facebook (either tag us @ Clark County Courier or send them to us through a message), email them to us (clarkcountycourier@gmail.com) or drop them off with us at our office!
Now, get to work! And, good luck to all of you!
Here are some of my favorite Inktober creations of the past four years:
