Greetings, here is what I have done so far during the Inktober challenge.

What is Inktober?

The Inktober initiative was started by Artist Jake Parker in 2009 to help him develop “positive drawing habits”. The idea is to pledge to do a daily ink drawing for the 31 days of October. Inktober participates share their work via social media like DeviantArt, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the tags #inktober and #inktober2017. This is a great way to renew or generate a daily art practice. To work toward improving and challenging ourselves. We can push ourselves by participating in the daily prompt which may force us to draw topics we don’t normally explore.

Day One: Swift

This is an illustration representing a quote from Watershipdown by Richard Adams. The rabbits of the book have their own mythology. The passage contains what the rabbits of the novel believe was said by the Creator to the rabbit hero El-ahrairah the Prince with a Thousand Enemies. The rabbit uses his speed and cunning to avoid the wolf but the Black Rabbit of Inlé (death) still waits for him as it does for all of us. “All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.” India ink, white ink, and marker on cold press watercolor paper

Day Two: Divided

Ink and marker on cold press watercolor paper.

Day Three: Poison

Achlys, the personification of misery and goddess of poison. Based on Champagne advertisement design by Mucha in 1896. The Greek author Hesiod describes her as quite repulsive but I am on a Mucha obsession currently. Painted with this month’s Artsnacks box. Ink and marker on drawing paper.

Day Four: Underwater

A little octopus.

Technical pen, deep turquoise ink, and watercolor on cold press paper.

Day Five: Long

Marshmallows and a Friend.

India Ink, metallic ink, watercolor, and markers on cold press paper.

Day Six: Sword

Bury Me with My Sword: The Grave of Lagertha

Based on www.cnet.com/news/viking-warri… and the Ragnar Saga. Lagertha was Ragnar’s first wife whom he divorced. She still showed up in his hour of need and routed the enemy army. She later murdered her second husband (possibly because she disapproved of his loss in battle) and took control of his estates. She disappears from the sagas at this point. I imagine she died an old woman after years of peaceful rule. If she had died in battle it would probably have been saga worthy. If you have seen the TV show Vikings Lagertha’s death is one of the liberties the show’s producers took with the original stories Aslsug and Ivar the Boneless never had a conflict with Lagertha. Lagertha and Ragnar’s divorce was amicable.