The Magic of Art Challenges

[Jeremy Ross]

Cheers! @ArtistErin

[Kristen Lango]

Hey Jeremy! I'll definitely give this one a read.

I couldn't agree more about art challenges.

The best thing for me is the forced pace at which you have to finish illustrations.

Otherwise I can spend way too long on a single piece of work and just over work it to death, so October is always a great time in the year that reminds me to avoid doing that as much as possible.

[Jeremy Ross]

Right on @Kristen-Lango !

[StudioHannah]

I totally agree with your article, both the pros and the cons! I haven't done an art challenge in years and I miss them. They always gave me such a sense of accomplishment. I was going to do Inktober this year but things took a weird turn at the beginning of the month. Phew... well, I guess I can always do my own art challenge whenever I want to haha

My best art challenge advice for daily challenges is KEEP IT SMALL. Doing a 5"x5" or even a 2"x3" illustration every day is way easier than trying to complete a 9x12" masterpiece every single day. I also like to limit myself even further than just the prompts by giving myself an overall theme. Maybe it's all bears + the prompt. Maybe they're all object heads ( I did that once, I'd do it again - it was rad). Such fun!

[Jeremy Ross]

Great advice @StudioHannah !

My Inktober 2024 morphed into a potato character and his little sidekick mouse exploring an unknown land in search for… pizza? I’m just having fun and doing what I can.

[StudioHannah]

@Jeremy-Ross Ahahah, I love that this overall theme feels so random and yet... works? The illustrations are great

[Jeremy Ross]

Thanks @StudioHannah !

Here’s a few more

[Avondrood-art]

Good article, well written

I've never managed to finish a art challenge like this. I always start full of inspiration and then i can't keep up, get behind and then im like, meh... nevermind.

IRL i've been "fighting" a burnout since the beginning of the year and slowly slowly getting back to normal again and finding the enjoyment of painting / drawing again.

So, maybe next year again

I might just try to go for 1 drawing a month challenge, for 2025. Or something like that.
The pressure of NEEDING to draw is taking the fun out of it for me.

But I am currently using art challenge prompts for when I don't know what to draw, and need some word of inspiration

All the kudo's to the people that managed to finish it! I love to see all the art.

[Jeremy Ross]

Hi @Avondrood-art ! Thank you for your kind words! I appreciate you reading the article and sharing your feedback.

I agree with you, it can be stressful trying to make a finished piece daily.

You might want to try creating 1 or 2 pieces a week, before the challenge, and then you can easily post a daily piece for each day of the challenge. Just a thought, but the most important thing - I think , is to have fun and do what you can.

Thanks again!

[ArtistErin]

@StudioHannah This is helpful! I agree... I jumped in to SCBWI's Artober but the pressure to come up with a masterpiece is so present with me. I am aware art directors and potential clients are looking at my grid on Instagram, and even though the mental health stuff around social media is on the radar, I also know my own limits. This is a constant thing I suppose! So I just hand picked according to what felt good to produce. And dumped a ton of energy in to the ones I wanted to do. And my sketchbook can hold all the unfinished stuff. Who else goes through this? I am tired of my mental warfare. I will say too it's refreshing to clean out the useless clutter and get back to making art that feels good.

[Jeremy Ross]

Hi @ArtistErin , I’m very new to Social Media, I tried to avoid it like the plague for a very long time, but I realized (late) that it’s important to build a fan base and community who connects with my art. On Instagram, I only have like 100 followers, lol, but Twitter/X I have 600. I don’t care about followers or gaining the algorithm, etc.

I just create and post, if I want to. I don’t care about showing ugly art, I just create and post and move on.

Part of being late to Social Media means I’m mixed in the crowd of over saturation, but that’s okay.

Just sharing my experience.

[ArtistErin]

@Jeremy-Ross Oh I know! I don't have that many followers. I feel the same as you. I don't care about the algorithm, either. I try to keep an open mind and go with the flow. I've found more supportive and kind people on all the different platforms. I have yet to figure out X. Instagram is where I have put most of my attention, and Facebook. It's so weird getting to know people this way, I grew up in the 80s where you had to get on the phone and call someone if you wanted to talk to them!

[StudioHannah]

@ArtistErin @Jeremy-Ross I've had an art account for my social media on several different platforms over the last decade or so.

Recently I stopped using them for a few months because they were making me feel frustrated and demotivated with my art, and then tentatively poked my toes back into them a few weeks ago with the caveat that they are NOT for marketing, they are just for sharing what I'm doing with my art.

Chasing the respective algorithms and trying to "do everything right" (post consistently! go live three times a day! alternate between reels and carousels! wait to respond to comments until you post your next piece of content to encourage people to engage with your newest post when they see your comment!) will drive you crazy.

I worked for a social media marketing company for a while, and I knew how to do everything "right," but it made me not want to make art. I'd rather make art! They can be great platforms, just tread carefully and if you start feeling the urge to "optimize for the algorithm" rather than "create good art," take a break for a month and come back when that itch goes away!