Inktober 2025, Day 5: Deer

I was not planning to participate in Inktober this year due to travels to Malaysia and Hivefest. Last year after, completing all 31 drawings, I felt I needed to take it down a few notches with the intensity of what this challenge encompasses in its fullness. When you have a ton of things going on already, the choice not to overwhelm yourself even further is probably the better choice. I opted for only three prompts (as I still love drawing with inks and I probably would feel too left out if I did not draw anything at all), and I feel good with this decision.

The three I have created were a pure joy to make! The other two will be posted on their prompt dates as well!

If you are battling through your Inktober journey with the goal of 31 drawings in mind, I salute you and wish you the best of luck and an infinite flow of creativity! Perhaps, I shall join your ranks sometime in the future when and if I get my shit together once more! I could not do it. Shrugs. This lemon was not up for that squeezing. Burnout is a thing to be avoided. I would rather continue creating at a slow pace than not create at all. You know?

Anyhow, that is the plan.

_{The progress shots.}

_{I used a single green ink from Diamine called Emerald. I mixed it with blue, purple, yellow, and different browns to create more depth in the trees and for the more autumnal grass. For highlights and extra grass texture, I used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen. Outlines were done with Pigma brush pen and Pigma micron fine liner 05. I especially love making the underlying drawing with the Faber-Castell Grip Plus 0.7 mechanical pencil. It has been a game-changer for my drawings as it helps to lightly draw even the tiniest details without them getting lost in the process. It is hard to explain, but I enjoy it so much more than any other pencils I have ever tried.}

Oh, deer! What do we have here? I thought I would give a deer another try since the last time I drew one with a bit of a funny shape (it ended up looking almost more like a moose).

At the time, I avoided looking up references completely. Why? As an amateur artist, I often find myself wandering in the darkness of not knowing the proper etiquette about stuff like that, or some more technical things. There are holes in my knowledge that were not covered in the little taste of art education I had as a kid, since it pretty much never surpassed the very basics and imitation stage. Of course, I am constantly trying to patch these holes the best I can and move forward with a better understanding, rather than avoiding figuring out how stuff works and improving.

To draw something specific, one must first understand the subject or the object and study the shapes unique to them. With time and practice comes the ability to recall from memory with better accuracy what something might look like. The more different things we draw, the greater the whole visual understanding of the world becomes. Therefore, Inktober is an epic opportunity to get out of our comfort zones and practice drawing various things.

I want to improve my drawing skills, and part of my process right now is to start with drawing things loosely and quickly from references as a practice round and a study. Then, once I feel ready, I draw my envisioned version while applying the shape language I acquired from the study. However, I still stylize heavily as a crutch and because I like to make things more my own, cutesy and slightly naive, rather than go for actual realism.

Is my new deer perfect? Far from it. Does it read more deer? Probably. I would say so! Again, it is more stylized than realistic, and so is the environment it lives in.

_{My deer - the bearer of autumnal goodies! ^^ He was prancing around the forest for the finest decor Mother Nature has to offer this time around!}

_{One of my favorite things about ink is the interesting effects you can make with a touch of water, similar to watercolors. Like the lighter fur on his butt! With a small drop of water, most of the ink runs away to the sides, leaving this organic, rigid line between the darker and lighter spots.}

_{I am not sure what compelled me to add the highlights in the grass, but I am glad I did! It gave the forest meadow a special touch of whimsy!}

_{Overall, I am delighted with this cute ink drawing!}

_{But what meadows do my real-world deer roam around in the autumn time? I thought, why not throw these in here for the extra autumnal vibes! I love these golden tones - they inspire me!}

Until next time (probably from/around Hivefest)!

-M

_{Song of the day: Massive Attack - Dissolved Girl}