Vol. 1 – 20 Sep 2025
By: Andrea Cova
Hi there! Mrs. Cova here with a great activity to help my Graphic Design students improve their drawing skills! (Though ALL Geek Cred students are invited to participate!) It’s a daily drawing challenge that runs every day of October, called Inktober. Check out a few of my and Lena’s drawings from last year:
Any artist will tell you, having a consistent practice is THE thing that improved their skills more than any other. Creating that consistent practice is exactly what inspired illustrator, Jake Parker, to create Inktober in 2009. Now, every October, artists all over the world challenge themselves to create one artwork per day, using pen and ink! Jake creates a list of prompts every year – abstract words to inspire creativity. Then, the community draws their interpretation of each word and shares it on social media using the hashtags #inktober and #inktober2025. Here’s this year’s list:
Lena and I will be participating in the challenge again this year and I would like to encourage my students to join us! They are welcome to work on their pieces during Free Draw Time in Graphic Design class if they would like to use the Procreate app and get help from me. Otherwise, some computer paper, a pencil with a good eraser, and a black pen or marker is all they need to get started in developing a great habit at home. I will proudly share any drawings on the Geek Cred social media platforms! They can AirDrop them in class, or you can email their “homework” to geekcredkids@gmail.com.
So, What is Pen and Ink?
Traditional pen and ink uses a dip pen and a well of ink – hence the name, pen and ink – but modern pens are so much easier to use! You can absolutely do this in a drawing app too. (That’s how I do it.) Here is the method:
1. Draw lightly in pencil.
2. Trace the lines you want to keep with a black pen or marker (on a new layer if you’re drawing digitally.)
3. Erase the pencil lines (or hide the pencil layer in the app.)
Pen and ink can be simple contour line drawings or intricately detailed illustrations using hatching or pointillism to create value. The final work should not have any colored lines or pencil marks – just black ink. That’s it! I am so excited to see all your students’ amazing artwork!
Geek Out,
Mrs. Cova
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