In 2009, Jake Parker, a comic book creator and illustrator, created Inktober, a celebration of ink drawings, mostly via social media throughout October. On the Inktober official website, daily prompts for the ideas are posted; for example, the first few days of October’s words were poisonous, tranquil, and roasted. Artists (and those just having fun with a writing utensil) around the school are participating, and anyone interested is invited to interpret the predecided words of inspiration to create an ink drawing and share it on any social media with the tags #inktober and #inktober2018. Inktober has partnered with SVSlearn.com and Sktchy, two resources that allow participants in Inktober to have access to more affordable courses in how to draw with ink, with ink artists Vin Ganapathy, Gunhild Hope, and Patrick Hochstenbach.

The website offers information on which ink pens, brushes, paper, and utensils are best to use and start with for both experienced artists and beginners. Inktober’s partnership with Artsnacks.co offers (currently sold-out) merchandise and material packages for purchase by Inktober supporters. Jake Parker’s motivation behind beginning Inktober was to unite the art community and those interested in ink drawings together. Artists on social media flood the Internet with galleries of their inspired work. Tips for Inktober, according to Creative Bloq, an art and design inspiration blog, include browsing the hashtags every day, inking from left to right (or right to left, if you’re left-handed, so as to avoid smudging), and to pick a theme for drawings if you’re stuck. Students all over the school are a part of this community and are currently in the process of creating 31 drawings in 31 days in hopes of improving their creativity and expressing themselves. But anybody can participate, as long as they have a pen and a little bit of imagination.