We all know that prompts are a great way to spark creativity. And sparking creativity is exactly what the creators of Inktober, Drawtober, Artober, and other October events have in mind.
What Are Inktober And Drawtober?
The idea is so simple. A group of artists create a list of prompts and share it out there on Instagram. Then people draw their interpretation and share it using Instagram’s hashtag system. Everyone gets to enjoy amazing art!
Started back in 2009 with Inktober, using October to share artistic prompts has continued to grow. Now we have Drawtober, which opens up the medium and includes an autumnal theme to the prompts. And more, like Witchtober, Artober, and an Autumnal Harvest themed Drawtober.
Ready For Your Promptober?
More made-up words! And why not?
So Lauren, our social media wizard, found these great promptober lists and shared them in one great post on Instagram.
And if you’re just learning about these great October prompt-lists, there’s still time to create some amazing art! Here’s all the information for the lists featured on our Instagram post.
- Inktober by @Inktober. Follow along or share your Inktober prompt art using the hashtags #Inktober and #Inktober2020
- Drawtober by @Drawtober. Follow along or share your Drawtober prompt art using the hashtags #Drawtober and #Drawtober2020
- Autumnal Harvest Drawtober by @Codibear. Follow along or share your Autumnal Harvest art using the hashtag #beartober
- Witchtober by @rit.aria Follow along or share your Witchtober prompt art using the hashtags #Witchtober2020 and #ariaillutober
- Artober by @juli_artwork Follow along or share your Artober prompt art using the hashtags #artober2020 and #juliartober
Now that October is nearly over, you’ve probably got a nice portfolio of art. I bet you can see where I’m going with this.
Create An Art Book
Seriously. What would be cooler than your own art book on your bookshelf? Or it could be the perfect gift for friends and family this year.
Best of all, it’s a lot easier than you might think.
Step 1: Digital Images
Sometimes, this is the most difficult step. You’ve got to get your art turned into high resolution digital images. Scanning is generally best, but luckily most modern cell phones have cameras that will do.
You’re looking for at least 300 Pixels Per Inch (PPI) for your images to ensure they’ll print clearly. Don’t let a screen deceive you either; most images on your phone or computer are about 72 PPI.
Step 2: Build A File
If you’re already comfortable with design software like Photoshop or InDesign, you can start from scratch with a totally original design. I suggest grabbing a template to get the page size, margin, and bleed information. Then just design from there!
Design Guide Bundles
Download the bundle in the Photo Book size you need and get interior and cover templates for Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. Also includes our Book Creation Guide and PDF export settings.
You can also find some pre-made templates around the web, but I don’t generally recommend doing that. Laying out a photo book might seem a little imposing at first, but once you start placing images, it gets a lot easier.
You’ll also need to build a cover file. We include a template for that in our design bundles.
Step 3: Create Your Book
Finally, you just need to head over to Lulu and create your book! This is the easiest part of the entire process. Just create an Account and head over to our photo book page to see the recommended options for photo book design.
Since your files are ready, you just need to create your book, add some details, and upload the PDFs. You can be ordering copies in less than 15 minutes!
(Note that if you intend to sell your book on Lulu, we do need a little more information and it may take longer than 15 minutes).
Inktober and Drawtober Inspiration
Are you thinking about creating an art book from your drawings but you’re not sure just yet? Well, maybe a little inspiration from some Lulu authors would help!
These authors have participated in past promptober events and turned their art into books for everyone to enjoy. Grab a little inspiration from one of our favorites.
YEAR 2019
YEAR 2019 is a 32-page graphic narrative based on the prompts of the 2019 Inktober Challenge. Inktober, created by Jake Parker, is an online challenge where you create one ink drawing a day the entire month based on a list of predetermined random words.
Artbook Inktober 2019 – Vinzouille
Inktober est un défi se déroulant du 1er au 31 octobre. Le but de ce défi, initié par Jake Parker en 2009, est de réaliser un dessin par jour en suivant une liste de thèmes. Dans ce recueil, je vous invite à suivre les aventures d’un personnage robotique au travers de mes illustrations créées à partir de la liste officielle du l’inktober 2019.
INKTOBER 2019
This book is a compilation of my 2019 Inktober sketchbook drawings! Everyday I did a different sketch based off of word prompts, I had a lot of fun and hope you enjoy my book!!!
Permanent Addiction Volume One: The One About October
Permanent Addiction is Hector J. Ortega’s second art book. “The One About October”, is a collection of his work that he did for the Inktober challenge. He shows his process from rough sketches, to the final inks and grey tones. 31 days 31 illustrations. Are you willing to take the challenge?
From Inktober Fun To Holiday Gifts
Inktober and Drawtober are a lot of fun for everyone from professional artists to doodlers. And with just a little page layout practice, you can turn your art into a stunning book to sell or give.
In fact, these promptober events line up perfectly for creating holiday gifts. You spend October creating awesome art, then you’ve got a few weeks in November to put together your file before ordering it during Black Friday / Cyber Monday to get those sweet holiday sales. And everyone on your gift list this year gets a unique photo book created by you!
Paul is the Content Marketing Manager at Lulu. When he's not entrenched in the publishing and print-on-demand world, he likes to hike the scenic North Carolina landscape, read, sample the fanciest micro-brewed beer, and collect fountain pens. Paul is a dog person but considers himself cat tolerant.