By Allison Dulaney

As our entire world becomes sprinkled with pumpkin spice, most acknowledge October as the month of cool breezes and pigskin games. Artists, on the other hand, groan in unison as they realize the true meaning behind October, Inktober. The basic concept of Inktober is that a committee of artist writes a prompt-a-day list for the entirety of October. The rules are simple, draw one sketch per day and color it with ink, but rules are meant to be broken, or at least bended.

First off, you are no longer pressured to draw in ink or use the official prompt list. Some artists from Flora High School opted to use watercolor and digital art instead, with no one who was questioned using the official prompt list. In addition to practicing your art, Inktober also serves as a promotion for many artists.

Inktober was first created by a man named Jake Parker in 2009 as an effort to improve his own art skills when the phenomenon spread like fire. Now, thousands of artists from all around the globe participate annually, with some redrawing from previous years to benchmark their progress.

For Parker the entire event has been a boost in not only recognition, but also for the bank. He personally sells merchandise and tools in addition to his own personal works. Parker since worked on some big name projects such as Epic (2013), Rio (2011), and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009).