Make it for yourself & Define your goals
The month of October has always been fun for me, for many reasons. Fall air, spooky movies, tasty treats, and so much more. All hallmarks of a grande Halloween season, if you can carve out time for the daily drawing challenges.
Laying it out
This one’s for the artists. The creatives, and makers of all our favorite Fall content. Those who have attempted a daily month-long drawing challenge will attest to its difficulty. The pressures, and the reminder that the end of the year is in spitting distance. Even if our goals have not yet been completed, we’re tempted to participate. 31 days of prompt drawing, while difficult, is possible. Why not shift from our goals to the instant gratification received from participating in one of the largest artist driven events in the year? You can do both!
I’m excited to share just how fantastic these challenges can be, but remember, your personal goals are even more important! (2022 Dietober on Instagram)
As creatives, we often get swept up in the hype and excitement of new experiences, and that’s perfectly okay—it’s one of our many wonderful traits. With that said, if you’re planning to participate, it’s crucial to have a clear reason behind it. What’s your “why”? With 31 days of random prompts, ask yourself if they align with your goals. If not, how can you adapt them to fit? Remember, there are no strict rules or regulations for these challenges; the simple concept of drawing daily can be quite challenging. Here are some tips to help you participate while still staying true to your goals.
1. Align the challenge with your goals
Ensure this challenge aligns with your goals. You can twist the elements of the prompts, or change the prompts entirely to make your own challenge. As an example, I changed the challenge into “Dietober”, to help promote my comic, The Eternal Dieback, and because I love drawing my character Dieback.
2. Apply structure
This one took me forever to learn. If you draw without structure, you are apt to draw endlessly until burn out. This might mean timing yourself, or scaling back the drawing idea from a full figure to just a head shot. This challenge is not for quality, it’s for consistency. The best way to be consistent is to make the task manageable. How much time and energy you can output today will directly impact how much you can do the next day.
3. Give yourself grace
If you fall behind, don’t give up. The internet is not paying that much attention to you. If instead you complete the 31 days of drawing in the middle of November, that still means you now have 31 drawings for your portfolio, or to be re-used as content the following year. You’re still able to say you completed the challenge.
4. Have fun
From someone who has completed the challenge, the fun of it is what I remember. It took a few tries to complete. But I hold that as a personal victory every year these come around. You can do it too.
Whether you decide to participate or not, let go of the pressures and draw.
Cheers From,
The Most Electrifying Artist In Sequential Entertainment!
-Matt Rowe Art