The Benefits of Inktober and Why To Participate This Fall

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What is Inktober?

Inktober is a month-long challenge during October where you complete one ink drawing every single day. There’s an official prompt list with a single word for each day of the month. The Inktober challenge began in 2009 by artist Jake Parker as a way to improve his inking skills, create positive drawing habits, and boost creativity. Since then, it has grown into an annual event enjoyed by participants worldwide who share their drawings on social media with the hashtag: #inktober. It’s really simple to join in – just grab a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen, and you’re ready to go! (Learn more about Inktober by visiting the official site.)

How Inktober Builds Family Culture

If you’ve read my posts about the importance of reading aloud and cultivating a love of learning, you already know that building family culture is very important to me. Shared experiences strengthen family ties, and Inktober is a wonderful way to do that. By everyone focusing on a single prompt, it creates family unity – and that’s a very good thing! 

Some years we don’t like the official prompts. Maybe the words are too hard to draw or too vague or too boring. When that’s the case we make alternative prompt lists which is a lot of fun. The goal here is consistency and camaraderie over perfection, so feel free to switch it up! A good way to do this is to come up with a theme and have everyone take turns choosing a word that fits. Or write random words on small slips of paper and draw them out of a hat to create your word list. Last year we did the “hat method,” and even though it was completely random, our list ended up feeling surprisingly cohesive!

The most important thing is everyone participating – together.

Start A Fun Tradition

If this is your first Inktober, I recommend getting everyone in your family an art journal and a variety of pens. If you’re already doing nature study or another type of art regularly, you can use the same sketchbook for your Inktober drawings. Either way, don’t worry about details during the first year – just jump right in and start the creative process. 

By the second year, you’ll know what to expect and can plan ahead – maybe buying different pens, specialty paper, or brainstorming prompts in advance. In our home, there’s an air of anticipation leading up to the first day of October. We all emphasize how we can’t believe it’s that time of year already, and wasn’t the last Inktober just the other day? It’s a fun staple to return to each autumn, and the children look forward to it every year.

Learn New Things Together

Art has always been a priority in our homeschool, so our children are comfortable with it and expect it. But what if art isn’t your strength – or your children don’t enjoy it? Well, to that I’d say, “Do it anyway!” Learning something new often feels uncomfortable at first. I’ve seen families who “weren’t artistic” end up thriving simply because they kept showing up and trying. Over time, even reluctant kids often discover they enjoy art. And in the end, they gain confidence and skill.

Inktober Improves Drawing Skills 

The best way to get better at something is to just do the thing – consistently! Besides creating positive drawing habits, the practice of doing a daily drawing for an entire month will make you a better artist. 

There is also much variety to be had regardless of the kind of ink you choose, and never underestimate the power of personal interpretation. One of my favorite things about Inktober is seeing how my children each interpret the words on the prompt list. Of all the many artistic benefits Inktober has to offer, that might be my favorite. Seeing how an abstract idea translates to a concrete image on paper is so fun!

If blank pages and the permanence of ink are intimidating, a good idea is to start with a pencil under-drawing. That way you can sketch, erase, and get things just right before committing to the medium of ink. I always draw in pencil first. Maybe someday I’ll have the confidence and skill to start with black ink, but today is not that day. 

I think the spirit of the challenge is to first foster creativity, consistency, and camaraderie, and the actual method is secondary to that. For instance, if your children really love painting then create your drawings with watercolor or acrylic instead of ink. Even charcoal, oil pastels, or colored pencils would be nice. I’ve also seen some really lovely works of art in black ink with just a splash of color for emphasis or to highlight a particular detail. If you want to keep the “ink” in Inktober, then try experimenting with line width or different tones by using fountain pens or fine liners. Really, the possibilities are endless!

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Practice Accountability With Daily Drawing

Another benefit of Inktober is built-in accountability. Some family members are self-motivated and diligent to complete the daily challenges. Others might forget, get busy, or run out of ideas. Well, the ones that finish are so good to remind the rest of us that we need to catch up. Or at least start. Or at the very least think of something. All jokes aside, sharing your Inktober drawings at the end of the day is a great way to stay inspired and see how each person tackled the same word in their own way. We are all working toward the same goal after all, and are here to encourage each other along the way. 

Develop Self-Discipline Through Inktober

This is a big one for me because it’s something I struggle with and am always wanting to improve. Really the hardest part of Inktober isn’t the drawing itself—it’s showing up every single day for an entire month.

The best way to succeed is to set aside a regular time each day. It’s so much easier to fit art into your day when you include it in your daily schedule. Maybe it’s during morning time, after lunch, or in the evening after everything has settled down. Younger children usually enjoy drawing together, while older ones may prefer sketching independently when inspiration strikes. Either way, the daily rhythm helps make it doable.

Final Thoughts On The Inktober Drawing Challenge

Wherever you are in your art journey, Inktober is a wonderful way to build creativity, discipline, and family connection during October. There is no wrong way to participate, and whether you finish all 31 drawings or just a handful, you’ll have new skills, fun memories, and a sketchbook full of art to look back on.

So grab your pens, pick a prompt, and join in this fall!

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