INKTOBER COMES TO JD INSTITUTE

Inktober is a month long art challenge that takes place every year in the month of October and was introduced by artist Jake Parker Back in 2009. The focus of the initiative is to encourage amateur, aspiring or established artists to develop art and design based skills alongwith having fun along the way.

The challenge is a framework that revolves around prompts that are shared for every day of the month. The artists are required to create their work of art and post it online with the hashtags #inktober and #inktober2019. The art challenge is not a contest but a way to improvise art based skills and to inspire or seek inspiration from other artists. Traditionally the art is focused on creating the work with ink on paper, with the availability of the digital medium, artists are allowed to use the digital space to create their work. Apart from drawing or using ink medium to create art calligraphy, typography, lettering, etc can also be used to create art. The prompts for Inktober are posted on September 1st on the official Inktober Instagram handle.

JD Institute of Fashion Technology organized an Inktober challenge for its students from 18^th – 22^nd October 2019 which they had to follow using the prompt list. The participating students artwork was displayed on 23^rd October 2019. The prompts and the interpretation were as follows:

Misfit – 18^th October 2019

The term represents someone that does not follow convention and the norms deemed fit by society. The students captured the essence of the prompt which reiterated that in a world that is influenced by popular culture one must not let go of ones individuality and stay true to ones true self. At the same one of the student also brought to light the way humans are a misfit to the planet due to the abuse we have meted out to it which has led to the depletion of natural resources and the various issues that plague our planet and the prevention of animal slaughter and deforestation.

Sling – 19^th October 2019

The word sling translates as a means to provide support and protection which was depicted as a mothers’ love; or a safe haven provided by the institute for its students to gain education; a girl swinging on a sling from the moon; or a sling it could be the cause of death or seeking merriment; the loop of the sling led to the death of freedom fighters from being hanged when they fought to free the country; or it could also be used to draw water from the well or a sling also relates to the way children feel when their parents prevent them from doing some things only to realize they were being directed in the right direction or the heart which gets hurt but slings back when it is healed.

Tread – 20^th October 2019

Tread means the way a person walks or footsteps. The prompts created by the students represented a dogs paws; it was also represented to create ones own path, tread on the path of fitness for ones own self esteem and health rather than bowing down to societal pressures to look a certain way or tread through a different path while other follow the same path, empower men as they too face abuse, move ahead and reach great heights.

Treasure – 21^st October 2019

Treasure was described as the love of parents for their children, our planet, spirituality, the love of a mother and a loved one, motherhood for women, precious jewels or shopping is a treasure trove for women, seeking knowledge or treasure in the depths of the ocean which is hard to locate and friendships.

Ghost – 22^nd October 2019

As per popular belief Ghost is a being to be feared, however the students depicted as something that lies within based on our thoughts and actions, a friendly ghost, or its the festivities during Halloween, or the latest crimes on women, negativity, depression or silence in the face of evil or issues that are causing harm to the planet.

The prompts were just a guide to help students along the way to improvise their illustration technique or just participate to have fun. It was fascinating to observe the different interpretations of a single word by the students. The display of the art works brought a lot of awe and admiration by the students’ peers, faculties and the management. The students worked on all the five prompts for the said dates and were encouraged by their faculty to continue with the challenge till the end of the month. There was a marked improvisation in the work of the students from the day they started and were appreciated for their dedication and discipline in going through with the prompts.