Holidays in Ink and Ink Storage

Holidays in Ink has just begun today! If you didn't have a chance to get started, don't worry; this Challenge is not a Sketch-a-Day type. Rather, you choose the sketchbook you think you can fill during the next six weeks. The goal is to complete the book. You still have plenty of time to do that before January 2, when Holidays in Ink ends!

In the meantime, if your studio is anything like mine or friends of mine, you're probably struggling with getting your inks organized. I don't like dipping into the bottles because it can contaminate the inks. I don't like the skinny plastic vials because they are too thin for some pens or brushes to dip in, and also they are so deep that the ink gets on areas where I'll be putting my hand when I write. My solution has been to get packs of 5ml. glass bottles from Dollar Tree. I can dip into these without making such a mess. They are more convenient to store because they aren't as tall, making them less likely to tip over too. I refill these little bottles using a pipette as needed, so there is zero risk of contaminating my large bottles of ink as I move from color to color. 

Holidays in Ink 2021-22 -- PDF of Prompt List

Last year, I wrote out the Holidays in Ink Prompt Lists across a two page spread in my sketchbook, and used those pages to organize my approach. It's always helpful to have a printed list too. Melissa Fisher made a printable version for us last year. She has once again created a PDF file that we can print out of the new Holidays in Ink prompts for the 2021-22 Challenge. Thank you so much, Melissa!

She has also written a blog post about how she plans to use Holidays in Ink as a sort of  meditative/religious retreat for herself, to balance the hectic holiday season. I love seeing how people use this Challenge to meet their own goals, and fulfill their personal journeys. Art can bring together so many different world views in a unifying, encouraging, and therapeutic way.

The Rat Race of Life lately has prevented me from sorting out exactly what my own "bigger goal" will be during Holidays in Ink this year, though I have some rough ideas. If not solidified in advance, that purpose often reveals itself through the process of creation, allowing the challenge to develop with the flow of the ink. (This is why I often create the title page last!) When in doubt, follow the process.

If you missed the main post for Holidays in Ink with the dates, prompts, etc., here's a link. We have less than a week to go before it begins!

Holidays in Ink 2021-22 Information and Prompt List

Holidays in Ink 2021-22 is almost here! Everything you need to know is in this post.

DATES: Monday, November 22 through Sunday, January 2 (Six weeks/42 Days)

GOAL: Complete your sketchbook within the specified 42 days, regardless of how many days you sketch. (Select your sketchbook accordingly!) Pages must be filled and must include ink. Those are the only rules. If you wish, you can use some or all of the prompts below, either individually (one per sketch) or by combining them in your sketches (two or more in a single sketch).

SOCIAL MEDIA: There is certainly no requirement to post or share your work, but if you wish to do so, you can use the #holidaysinink hashtag.

PROMPT LIST (optional):

Take several days to do one prompt, or do several prompts in one day, or even a few in a single sketch. Skip around; there is no official order to the list. (If the Prompt List does not appear below, click to see the rest.) 

I'm loving these glass dip pens!

 

My dad gave me this glass pen about 30 years ago, which was handmade in Venice, Italy. I use it all the time for testing new colors, and doing ink and wash. It's so easy to wipe clean when switching between colors. Naturally, I don't bring it out on location because I'm always afraid of dropping it and breaking the delicate tip. As a gift from my dad, it's irreplaceable. Even working in my studio, I worry about dropping it. I needed an inexpensive version that I wouldn't be so afraid to use. 

Holidays in Ink 2021-2022; Sketchbook and Materials Part 1

Part of the fun of any art project or challenge is gathering the materials and test driving ideas. Since Holidays in Ink is 42 days long (Nov. 22-Jan. 2), I made a hardbound sketchbook with 46 pages, allowing for sketches for six weeks, a title page, index/table of contents/prompt list, and some test pages in back. I love this splotchy fabric cover, and thought it was perfect for an inky theme!

I used Strathmore 400 watercolor paper because it doesn't crack when folded, I like the way it handles ink, and I happen to have some full sheets here in the studio. It has some texture, yet is smooth enough to do some calligraphy. The paper has a different texture on each side. Since I often work across the spread, I made sure that the facing page textures matched when folding the signatures. 

Holidays in Ink 2021-2022. What's the plan?

Everybody has been asking me if I am planning another Holidays in Ink challenge this year, and the answer is most definitely, "YES!" I hope you'll join me from Monday, November 22 through Sunday, January 2 to complete this challenge. Melissa Fischer is teaming up with me once again to come up with prompt lists that can inspire us and improve our art. 

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to complete a Holidays in Ink sketchbook from cover to cover during the dates of the challenge. That's it. You don't have to follow prompt lists nor make your own sketchbook if you don't want to.

If you'd like to play along with us, here's how you can get ready:

• Look at your own hectic, topsy-turvy calendar for the six weeks beginning November 22. According to your schedule/travel plans/family gatherings, etc., and how large you plan to work, calculate how many pages you can realistically fill during that time. (I don't mean a two minute sketch on a page; I mean filled pages, even if it takes a few days to fill a page.) That will be your personal goal for the challenge. Select an appropriate sketchbook based on that information. Make sure it's paper you love, that will handle ink however you like to work. Or you can make a sketchbook, or cut paper to size and use a folder as your "book". Make sure you have a couple of extra pages in the back of your book to test out inks and materials, and a title page or two in the front.
• Compile a list of any additional supplies you'll need, or things you'd like to try that you don't have. Order those now, so you'll have them in plenty of time. Supply chain issues could leave you stranded if you wait till the last minute. Consider doing this with a friend or two or three, and sharing some new inks among you to divide the costs. (If you'd like to check out some of my favorite materials from last year's challenge, you can see them on this post.)

If you've never done bookbinding, this is a great opportunity to take on a bookbinding project before the challenge begins! (Make a small one first to test drive the process.) There are lots of great YouTube videos on bookbinding, with hundreds of options to explore. I especially like Sea Lemon and Nik the Booksmith on YouTube. 

There will be a prompt list posted before the challenge starts, for those of you who would like to work from a list. If you want to be sure not to miss the posts related to this challenge, you can subscribe to this blog by entering your email address on the upper right. You will then receive email notifications of new posts.

I'm doing my paper and materials testing now, and will probably bind my own sketchbook for the challenge, or rebind an existing book. Melissa and I have ordered the new Diamine Inkvent 2021 Calendar, so we will be exploring the 25 brand new inks in that collection, as well as using inks we already have. We're looking forward to lots of linework with fountain pens, dip pens, and even ballpoints (great for travel!), plus wet on wet washes, calligraphy and lettering, and more compositional study. We hope you'll join us! Stay tuned for the prompt lists.

Sketchbook Video Flip Through -- Holidays in Ink Challenge

 

Happy New Year, everybody! I can't believe Holidays in Ink is over. I'm still mentally processing everything from this challenge. Here's a video tour of the sketchbook I created during the challenge.

A note about the figurative works: Except for the dancers in primary colors, they were done during weekly figure drawing Zoom sessions that I do with a few friends. We've been working from master paintings, allowing 20 minutes for each. The figures are therefore a bit more stylized than they would be if we'd been using photographs.