INKTOBER 2019
First day, first word: Ring
I struggled on the first day. I’ve been preparing since way before september. I knew I wanted to do Inktober this year and I was psyched! Then the newsletter with the prompt list came. Even more psyched!
I even considered cheating; preparing drawings in advance and post them on the day of the number.
I decided not to. Thought I had this in the bag anyway.
Alas no. The eve of the challenge I come home after work only to start procrastinating. Even watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, in its entirety, with the thought of Inktober gnawing in the back of my head through the whole movie. ”It’s fine.. I still got time..”
So sometime before Bilbos first encounter with Gollum I finally pick up a pencil and paper. Start sketching. Nothing turns out the way I want. I try to attempt the style and design I already had made up in my mind. Nope. I try something abstract. Nope. Finally I decided to just fall back on my cantenkerous cats. Because I’m running out of time.
This is when a chain reaction of things going wrong is released; I can’t find my supplies. I make do and push through with what I’ve got. Tidy and prep the desk in the studio. Decide I should film and make a youtube video. Tinker with the tripod, the lighting and the camera to finally give up and just go with what I’ve got. Finally ready to get down with the drawing. My hand look weird in the camera.. obsess and fret about it. Try wearing gloves. Nah.. think ”screw it” and move on. Get the design down on paper. It needs color. ”battery low” on the camera i flashing. Time is running out. Witching hour approaches. Need clean water for the brushes. No time for masking fluid.
The watercolors are not behaving. They bleed. Sinks into the paper. Smudges. The paper is ruined. The red light i flashing. Why wont it dry?! Get the hairdryer. Stay quiet, don’t wake the sleeping house! Dip the dirty brush in your clean drinking water- think ”what ever…!!” and keep going.
Start to think your arm is possessed beacuse it won’t carry out the orders from your brain. Nothing is working.
Rush to the finish and ”ta- daaa”. The drawing is finished! The masking tape is ripping the paper. ”Oh well..” Milk the last battery juice off your camera take some more video and snapshots. There is still time- you can make it! BAM! The camera falls and smacks down right on the drawing. Leaves a smudged dent in the paper.. ”It doesn’t matter at this point.. I still made it…” I think to myself while i crop it and upload it to Instagram.
- Nicnevine
