Inktober 2019 was a month-long exercise in creative madness—and I was there for every wild moment of it. For the uninitiated, Inktober is a global art challenge created by illustrator Jake Parker in 2009. The premise is beautifully simple: 31 days, 31 prompts, 31 ink drawings. No pressure. No prizes. Just pure, unfiltered imagination and a bottle (or five) of black ink.
My own interpretation of the challenge? Let’s just say the rules were followed... creatively. What started as an innocent sketch-a-day turned into a deep dive into the most absurd corners of my brain. From heroic mice charging into battle on confused-looking mounts, to tragic tales of sandwiches being invaded by ants, to octopuses (yes, with kilts and bagpipes) proudly representing the Highlands—each drawing captures a spontaneous and slightly unhinged moment of joy, mischief, or beautifully bizarre storytelling.
This gallery includes all 31 original ink sketches, drawn in response to the official prompts. Some are clever. Some are confusing. Some are outright deranged. But each one is hand-inked on aquarelle paper and steeped in a brew of surrealist nonsense, dry wit, and—occasionally—highly questionable physics.
Inktober 2019 wasn’t just a challenge. It was a personal ritual, a daily exorcism of silliness, and a celebration of letting loose with pen and paper. I hope you enjoy this collection of micro-stories, each told in a single, squiggly frame.