October is the time of year for many scary activities, but Halloween is not the only thing to look forward to. There is also a month-long event that artists at the school are getting involved in called Inktober.

This event appeals to any who enjoy art and drawing. Participants receive one prompt per day. The diverse prompts and materials let artists practice with mediums they normally would avoid.

“The guy who did it wanted people to try out different mediums instead of just classic sketching or [drawing] one thing. That’s also probably the reason he lets people use things like watercolors instead of just black pen,” said sophomore Samantha Lieberman.

These new ideas help students branch out artistically and deviate from the art curriculum of most schools. It also gives artists a sense of community in the more separate and independent art world.

“Basically, it is a way to develop discipline, skills, and positive practice and work habits. But beyond that, because art is often a relatively solitary pursuit, it is a way for artists to feel a part of something bigger than themselves. And it is a great confidence booster when you get all those likes and positive comments on social media,” said visual arts teacher Randy Sweitzer.

This activity, however, can be difficult to keep on top of. Many participating artists begin doing Inktober, but stop due to other work. Their other priorities often get in the way of drawing thirty-one pictures.

“I am ashamed to admit it, but no, I haven’t done Inktober. I fully intended to this year, but then you get busy. I fear that I am setting a very poor example,” Sweitzer said.

Because of the perceived deadlines and often vague prompts, Inktober can lead to a lot of stress for artists, but Lieberman stays positive and works around it.

“I’m still working on some of the days. Some people just end up making one giant post of pictures at the end of the month,” Lieberman said.

These prompts are very diverse, and nearly anyone can make them. The standard Inktober prompts can be found online at https://inktober.com/rules/, but many popular people on social media, especially Instagram and Tumblr, make their own and share them with the world.

“My prompts are all fluff, cutesy stuff, like autumn leaves,” Lieberman said.

The official prompt list itself can be intentionally vague, using words like spell and flowing. This challenges artists to give their own unique interpretation.

“Some people like to follow the official prompt list to keep their subject matter fresh or avoid running out of ideas. For example, Day 2 is Tranquil, Day 19 is Scorched, and Day 26 is Stretch. These prompts are purposely ambiguous and open to interpretation. This way they have a new challenge every day and the fun of seeing how other artists responded to the prompt,” Sweitzer said.