INKTOBER 2024- Success or Failure?

Reflecting on Inktober 2024

Inktober 2024 is long over, and I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the challenge. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete all 31 days. I’ll admit, I’m a bit disappointed in myself. It was especially hard to watch the days go by while other artists were hitting their daily deadlines, long after I had thrown in the towel. Despite this, I don’t consider the overall experience a failure.

A Bit of Context

For many years, I dreaded inking traditionally. I found it extremely frustrating and tedious. Smearing ink, spilling ink, shaky lines—hours wasted when a beautifully penciled drawing would get ruined by sloppy line work. It got to the point where I would only ink over a blueline copy of my pencils, but even then, I lacked confidence. Eventually, I started avoiding the issue altogether by working digitally.

I have nothing against digital work. In fact, many of my favorite artists—Jorge Jiménez, Mitch Gerads, Greg Smallwood—work almost exclusively in digital. Even most traditional artists will often use Procreate for their layouts. It’s a powerful tool that offers real artistic freedom. The problem for me was that, while I enjoy digital illustration, I realized I had been using it as a crutch due to a fear of ‘messing up’ and a toxic level of perfectionism.

A few months ago, I decided I was tired of avoiding the problem. I still do most of my penciling on my iPad (using Clip Studio Paint), but the final pass on the pencils and the inking are done the old-fashioned way. For many artists, especially seasoned ones, inking traditionally is no big deal. But for me, it’s been a huge step forward in my artistic journey. It didn’t happen overnight, but little by little, I’ve gained more confidence and control over inking traditionally.

Inktober 2024: A Test of Growth

Fast forward to October, and Inktober was the perfect opportunity to test myself. During the first week, I spent hours on each piece. One after another, I felt my confidence grow—until I almost forgot I was ever scared of inking. In fact, I even started to enjoy it. I’ve never completed so many finished inked illustrations in such a short time frame, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. Next year my goal will be to go the distance and complete all 31 days, until then, facing my artistic fears and embracing a medium I once dreaded was a victory in itself.

I look forward to a day when I can sling ink like Tom Mandrake, Danny Earls, Matteo Scalera, Daniel Warren Johnson, and so many others. Until then, I’ll keep practicing and not let the fear of failure hold me back.

— Tyler Lenaz
11/16/24