Inktober 2023 Days 1-10

Another year has passed and Inktober is upon us. I must admit I have been looking forward to this drawing challenge; I actually began thinking about it in August. In a very real way, it’s giving me something meaningful and challenging to pull my mind away from illness and the constant problem-solving that it requires. 

Last year, I used Furry Little Peach’s prompt list (Peachtober) and enjoyed it immensely. This year though I felt a greater pull towards the official Inktober prompt list. The main differences between these two lists are that Peachtober is mostly nouns whereas Inktober includes adjectives and verbs which, to me, are more challenging to draw. And this year, I felt up to the challenge. 

So, on the 1st of September when the Inktober prompt list was revealed, I went through it eagerly with the expectation that the prompts would generate giant sparks of inspiration. But, no, I came up blank. 

So I put it aside and tried again the next day. And slowly, the ideas crept up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and revealed themselves, some in their entirety, and others in wisps and whispers.

I was originally going to draw a woman who sells dreams but I came upon an image a of cat sleeping in a posture of pure abandon and wondered, hmm, what do cats dream about? And there we have it, a drawing of a cat dreaming of squirrels, birds, fish, mice, catnip... 

This is the first of a series of drawings featuring Milo and his faithful and long-suffering canine companion, Biscotti. Milo is an extremely curious person who loves exploring unknown places which often lands them both in hairy situations, like this one. 

Can you guess what happens next? 

Well, it turns out these spiders, Ethelwynne, Ethelynne and Ethelgwynne have terrible eyesight and were merely trying to get a better look at these two strange creatures who had stumbled onto their property. 

When they discovered that Milo is a map-maker and explorer, they got very excited and invited him back to their place for tea and flim flams (tim tams made of flies). Milo and Biscotti spent a lovely afternoon with their new friends and were sent off with a packet of flim flams for the rest of their journey.

Following the directions given by the locals, Milo and Biscotti whom we met yesterday, took the path up Mount Melancholy and got to enjoy a splendiforous view of Lake Woebegone. If you look carefully, you’ll find a rock formation on the side of the mountain that looks like a grieving woman, which is why the mountain is thus named. Legend has it that her tears created Lake Woebegone.

This started as swirly lines which I find is a really fun way to start a drawing. 

I knew I wanted the person (Milo) and the dog (Biscotti) to be on a path somewhere so I let the swirly lines become contours and a path. 

Oh! And did you find the sad lady in the mountain? Here she is:

You’re not mistaken, this drawing has nothing to do with today’s prompt. I couldn’t figure out what to draw for ‘dodge’ so I’m posting a drawing of what I think my maternal great grandmother would have looked like in 1930s Beijing. The squiggly things around her are noodles as I’m on a noodle-drawing kick at the mo. 

Here is Milo age 62, having just finished a stint as the Director of the Guild of Cartographers. He finally has time to complete mapping projects that he began several years ago but were derailed by his appointment as Director. 

The big map on the wall behind him is the one he made during his travels as a young man. It shows the places that he and Biscotti explored (which you will have seen on Days 2 and 3 and will be featured in the coming days). 

You’ll notice that Biscotti is not with him. Sadly, Biscotti passed away a few decades ago and Milo never got over his grief. He hasn’t had a dog since, and he keeps a portrait of Biscotti in his study to keep him company. 

The owl though is helping with some of that grief. It sauntered into his home one day and refuses to leave despite Milo’s best efforts. I think the owl’s stubbornness may be Milo’s salvation.

The idea for this drawing came to me straightaway and was pivotal in my creating Milo, the mapmaker. I envisioned Milo sat in his study surrounded by his maps and memorabilia from all his travels. 

Then, it occurred to me that I could draw Milo in his younger days exploring the world using the prompts on the Inktober list. You'll have seen two of these episodes on Day 2 (Spiders) and Day 3 (Path). Watch out for Milo and Biscotti on Days 7 (Drip), 11 (Wander), 14 (Castle), 20 (Frost), 28 (Sparkle) and 29 (Massive).

You'll find the names of some of the places they visited on these occasions on the map in his study. 

Finally, Milo had to have a doggy companion and I named him Biscotti for his sweet and gentle disposition. (He's a Jack Russell terrier, by the way).

Madam Jin (金, gold in Chinese) considers herself to be at the forefront of fashion both domestic and foreign and is appalled at the lack of sartorial refinement amongst the ladies in her Tang dynasty hometown. Her snootiness and self-importance make her unpopular among her peers but really she is only reacting to her powerless position in a patriarchal society in the only way she knows how: by claiming power in one of the few spheres that are accessible to women. 

For some reason, I wanted to draw a golden chrysanthemum and decided to stick it on a woman's head. She had to be Chinese because golden things are popular among us: Golden Palace, Golden Village, Golden Peony, Golden Monkey...

All that led to a golden Tang Dynasty coin for her earring. 

I added the gold collar even though it's not Chinese because she fancies herself and arbiter of foreign fashion.

We’re back with Milo who happened upon this slobbery creature while mapping the Crystal Clingstone Caves. To appease the leaky lizard, he gave it the packet of flim flams (tim tams made of flies) that the three spiders had gifted him in Arachnilandia. Such a relief when the spittle-filled critter scuttled away with its treat, leaving Milo and Biscotti to continue their spelunking adventures.

How to make a drawing of a drip interesting? 

Make it a drip from a strange creature. 

You may already know this about me: I worked on the Thai-Burmese border for a few years with people from Myanmar, particularly the Karen, an ethnic group living in that area (and other parts of Myanmar/Burma). I’ve been wondering how to incorporate my experience of their lives and culture in my drawings and this somehow came about in this drawing. 

I decided to make the little girl Karen, so she is playing a bamboo pipe, wearing a handwoven Karen blouse and carrying a handmade Karen bag. I haven’t figured out what Karen name to give her. If you have name ideas for a Karen girl who loves animals and has a pet rock in her bag, let me know.

Normally I have an idea for how a drawing will look like but this drawing would not comply. So I gave up and let it take the lead and I’m glad I did because it went places I wouldn’t have taken it. 

Like the pumpkins, they’re only in there because I went to the supermarket after several attempts at putting this drawing together. I saw a pumpkin and noticed how the bulbous bits on them look like the warts on a road. Aha! I decided to add them to the drawing. 

It occurred to me that I could put a little person one of the pumpkins. And that’s how the little girl came about.

Did you ever throw your pet bunny in the air thinking they would enjoy it since they’re hopping creatures? Or is it just me? It turned out they didn’t enjoy it at all. My poor bunny ended up a quivering mess and I only feel bad about it now as an adult. My child self was oblivious to its suffering. 

You know when it’s 3 am and you’re awake because of jet lag and your mind is crowded with existential fears and uncertainties? Well then, it’s time to put on outside clothes and head down to the nearest fortune vending machine to hear from the gods of fate through their sacred oracles: the lucky cat, the lucky panda, the lucky rabbit…

The idea for this drawing came from a childhood memory. I was on holiday with my parents and we happened upon a fortune-telling vending machine. 

You'd put in a coin and receive a little rolled-up note with your fortune written on it. It was such a fun thing to do, I remember how the paper looked and felt in my hand but not the actual fortune told!

I decided to use the same idea but give our fortune-seeking customer many more options to choose from in the form of lucky animals.

That's it for Days 1-10. The drawings for days 11-20 will be up soon. Tune in for more fun and folly. 

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