Jake Parker's Inktober since 2009.

Inktober is a celebration and challenge of drawing in ink mediums. Also it is to take up the challenge of creating ink drawings every day or once a week or something in the month of October.


This year I remembered to look and participate in what others are doing for INKtober instead of looking at all massive compiled drawings at the end of the month. The art work is impressive from a vast scale of artists to novice to professionals and people who rarely use traditional mediums as well.

Check out #Inktober to see what people are up to. Its baffling in an awesome way.

 Recently I have been getting back into illustration marker work. Illustration markers is one of those mediums like watercolor that people don't really want to touch because its a one hit go. Once you place something down its permanent and any attempt to get rid of the placed marks makes a bigger mess that is quite noticeable.

The payoff of using illustration markers is the bright vibrant and sometimes translucent effect it gives off. Also it is like playing a puzzle game where you have to strategically think about all the strokes you are gonna make before it is placed.

Personally I like to use pen & nib for inking. Copic and sakura multiliners are nice but if I use them,
 I have to use the different pens for the widths because I cannot twist and swoop my wrist naturally to create clean fluid lines. I use them for touchups and have collected them. If I use the Copic multi-liners I love the SP version. The barrel is made of stainless steel and has a nice feel to them.

Also I add the pencil grip thing on the pen holder because it is fairly thin the crow nibs I like to use. 

Tip- When one uses alcohol or water based markers to prep  your work use waterproof ink and or india ink. It is permanent and does not make the paper or your material bleed. In the long run it can ruin your supplies. So be careful.

On the right eye notice that smudge, The ink was wet and it spread this is
what causes the dark marks on your markers at times.

This is an example of something functional but it can drag misc. ink at times. At the very tip the dark spot is caused by bad ink being laid down.

I'm not the best inker  but have an idea what the standard or above that is. I am improving.


So what I do I have a printout of my drawing I want to ink. Tape it to some nice paper I want to ink on and use a light box to trace the drawing.

When you ink it is a wet medium so if you are right handed start from left to right. If you are left handed right to left. Last thing you want is your hand dragging in fresh ink all over your new work!

This is when your nib has no ink and have to dip for more ink.

  This is a full reservoir too over saturated it will cause messes!

Everyone has their preferences on their tools and materials and how they handle them. Generally when you draw in any medium never tightly grip your medium. It makes you tense and your strokes will not be fluid. Drawing is the extension of your whole arm as well. In the long term you can get carpal tunnel griping your mediums too tight. One time someone said anytime you are holding like your brush or something lightly and gently hold your medium light enough if someone tapped you it knocks right out of your hand.

So have fun and draw something!

 My workspace. Makes me want to work!

I've talked to some people and some saw it some didn't and others were obstructed by clouds.
Others didn't read the maps right. I might not be able to read a road map but I can read a star map. I would've been a great sailor back in the day...
So if you missed the Lunar eclipse which at its full only lasted a few hours. Don't panic there is the internet.

The Paseo: I was hyped about it initially but it was a success in some aspects and not so impressive in other parts. Its a relatively new thing so it has growing room. The turn out was astronomical but the art show had a good amount of foot traffic but more people were focused on the light show. To keep up with the Christmas analogy it was like all the flashy stuff is nice in all but the true meaning of Christmas and the event is the art show.

There was a spider installation and there was a Dj on top. I hated what they were playing so I didn't stick around to that for long. I'm not afraid to leave people behind.

Mine is the dark piece in the right hand corner.

I am part of the Taos Society of Portrait Artists. On Saturday mornings we get together and draw from life and draw a variety of people's portraits. So last Saturday as part of the Fall Arts Show in Taos we did a demonstration of what we normally do in front a crowd in the Guadalupe Gym where the Select show was held at.

I haven't drawn in public as much in a long time yet alone not in front of a crowd! Since I was in the back of the group there were a few people who stood behind and also got really close when I was drawing! I actually didn't freeze and get terribly nervous since I was in concentration focus mode. There were some really brave people that weaved in our group and talked to the more talkative artists.

I've done a couple of these graphite drawings and then later I'll apply fixative and do an oil painting.



Also watch out and take a peek at Inktober. Its fantastic and its barely week 1.