Ink Beetle Bug 🐞

For Inktober this year I’ve decided to carry on with my usual planned pictures but to paint them all with ink throughout the month.

In case you’re not familiar with Inktober, it’s a daily online challenge to do an ink drawing based on a prompt word list. So I’m not following the list, and whilst I’m posting up daily on Instagram with some updates the actual finished pictures will take several days to complete rather than one a day.

I thought I’d compile the ‘work in progress’ shots and then the finished pictures here on the website for those with a longer attention span.

This was my starter for the month, I’m using Windsor and Newton emerald ink here for the main body colour and normal Indian ink for the black and shaded parts.. Oh, and another bit of W&N sepia ink on the bumper bracket.

Adding watered down black ink for some of the “harder” shading. The main shading was done when the whole green part was still wet.

Again using watered down ink for the varying shades of the headlamp and surround. Once that had dried then added the lines on the lense.

The finished article.

Note that I have the deliberate intention of not being bogged down with usual precise details and to some extent letting the ink do it’s own thing.

These ‘Inktober’ pictures will be an exercise (and some experiments) in continuing with the theme of loosening up. It’s quicker, it’s more fun (maybe?) and the end result still has some appeal as a more emotive representation (again, maybe?)