Inktober Process Archive

Inktober · Prompt: Confused

Death Notice: Room 404

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

When Death faces a technical glitch, even the afterlife has to deal with missing records. An architectural nightmare where the Reaper holds a 'Death Notice for Room 404' amidst an infinite labyrinth of doors, ladders, and warped perspectives.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt “Confused”, I immediately thought of two things that are hard to explain: Schrödinger’s cat and confusing architectural spaces. With my background in architecture, I first thought of designing a complex optical illusion building. However, designing a detailed structure from scratch in just a few hours was too difficult. To fix this, I decided to focus on storytelling. I added a character to the confusing space to make it funny and reduce the need for heavy architecture design.

The Narrative of Creation — I started brainstorming characters: in a confusing space, who can never find what they are looking for? Because it was Halloween season, I thought of ghosts and the Grim Reaper. That sparked a fun idea—what if the Grim Reaper got lost? Inspired by viral memes of the Reaper knocking on doors, I imagined him looking for his next target, but he cannot find "Room 404." This turned a simple drawing into a funny, story-driven joke. During the drawing process in Clip Studio Paint, a lucky accident happened: the bottom edges of some white doors did not reach the base of the dark wall which created an unexpected optical illusion of 3D depth.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — By mixing internet culture ("Error 404") with classic death folklore, the work shows my style: mixing dark, serious subjects with witty humor. It also shows the fast-paced challenge of Inktober—using strict time limits and happy accidents to spark creative breakthroughs.

Process

01 Initial building sketch
Early sketch for the building structure, focusing on balancing the contrast between black and white walls so the entire composition feels aesthetically balanced.
02 Adding dimension & structure
Adding a subtle 3D effect to the walls and incorporating ladders to bring out the architectural concept of an impossible, interconnected building.
03 Original ink submission
The original black-and-white ink version as submitted and uploaded to Instagram for the Inktober challenge.

Inktober · Prompt: Lounge

Symbiosis (Inktober Series)

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

When an angel and a demon share a living space, their distinct decor and pets reflect their contrasting personalities. Finding balance between opposites brings a quiet harmony to their shared world.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt “Lounge”, I wanted to play with the idea of opposites living together. I thought about contrasts like black and white, or chaos and calm. Influenced by the previous day's prompt “Confused”, my mind naturally turned to the ultimate opposition of Heaven and Hell, which instantly defined the design concept for this living room.

The Narrative of Creation — My initial idea was a horizontal split: the left side near the window would be a bright, white "Heaven," while the right side in the shadow would be a dark "Hell." However, this landscape composition did not match the vertical portrait format of my other Inktober pieces. I tried many different angles and furniture layouts to fit a portrait canvas, but nothing felt quite right. Then, I had a breakthrough: since angels have wings, why not let the angel and all its furniture grow wings and float in the upper half? This clever solution fixed the portrait composition problem completely.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — In my real life, I have a golden retriever and a black cat. Putting these two pets into the lounge was a natural choice, assigning them to their respective supernatural owners based on their personalities.

Process

01 Horizontal split concept
Early concept exploring a horizontal split layout: placing a bright "Heaven" by the window on the left and a shadowed "Hell" on the right.
02 Adapting to portrait layout
Testing vertical compositions, experimenting with different viewing angles and furniture arrangements to match the portrait format of the series.
03 Floating wings breakthrough
Compositional breakthrough: giving wings to the angel side and floating the furniture in the upper half to solve the vertical composition.
04 Original ink submission
The original black-and-white ink drawing submitted for the challenge.

Inktober · Prompt: Dapper

Pure Dapper Moment (Inktober Series)

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

When two formally dressed figures share a moment, elegance meets absolute absurdity. Featuring a pure dapper vibe and a subtle bromance aura.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt “Dapper”, I was not familiar with the word. After looking it up and studying its meanings, I decided to follow the traditional definition and aim for the most "pure" form of dapper. In my view, achieving this purity meant downplaying specific character identities. Therefore, I came up with the concept of using an invisible man and a mannequin.

The Narrative of Creation — Since there are two characters, their interaction became the key to the composition. After trying several different poses and actions, I finally decided on a concept with a subtle bromance feel. To emphasize the dapper style for both figures, I used classic black-and-white pinstripes to create a strong visual contrast.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — The concept of "bromance" is a fun and eye-catching element drawn from modern pop culture. This piece explores formal elegance through unconventional subjects, showing that sharp fashion and subtle human-like connections can exist even without a traditional face or identity.

Process

01 Exploring character poses
Early sketch testing different poses and gestures for the two figures, exploring how an invisible man and a second character could interact to establish the dapper concept.
02 Settling the bromance composition
Refining the chosen composition: locking in the subtle bromance intimacy, the cigarette gesture, and the tailored silhouettes of the invisible man and mannequin.
03 Original ink submission
The original black-and-white ink drawing submitted and uploaded to Instagram for the Inktober challenge.

Inktober · Prompt: Lady

The Iconic Ladybug (Inktober Series)

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

Where vintage cinematic elegance merges with entomological surrealism. A classic silhouette in a little black dress emerges from opening scarlet wings, as the heart-shaped carapace splits to create playful cat ears.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt “Lady”, the word “ladybug” immediately crossed my mind. At first, I hesitated—English is not my first language, and since this was my very first time participating in Inktober, I wondered if taking such a literal wordplay approach might seem too unconventional. However, I soon noticed an early-bird artist tackling the prompt with a ladybug concept, dressing a figure in ladybug-themed fashion. Seeing that confirmed my initial instinct, but pushed me to approach the idea from a completely fresh, unexpected angle.

The Narrative of Creation — Determined not to repeat what others had done, I explored how to create a bold visual displacement between a classic lady and the insect form. I sketched several famous poses of Audrey Hepburn, experimenting with different mashup layouts. One early sketch featured a half-body seated Hepburn peeking out from half-opened wings—it was elegant and playful, but I felt it could go further. Then, inspiration struck: what if she didn't just pose with the bug, but actually became part of it? Recalling her iconic full-body black evening gown, I realized her slender silhouette could serve as the insect's central body as the wings unfold. During the drawing process in Clip Studio Paint, I stylized the scarlet wings and black spots into charming heart motifs. A delightful accident occurred at the apex of the carapace: when the central top heart split across both opening wings, it formed an adorable pair of “cat ears” framing her hairstyle, injecting an extra layer of witty mischief into the composition.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — This piece weaves golden-age cinematic grace with playful modern sensibilities. By taking an iconic Hollywood silhouette, fusing it with entomological anatomy, and finishing it with a pop-culture cat-ear motif, the work revitalizes vintage glamour through cheeky surrealism.

Process

01 Rough thumbnail
Dark value thumbnail locking in the lantern as the brightest point.
02 Development sketch
Gesture and costume sketch for the coat, cap, and cliff edge.
03 WIP line art
WIP brush line art with storm marks blocked in loosely.
04 Final ink
Final ink with carved-out light beams and sea spray.

Inktober · Prompt: Shelter

The Modern Forbidden Bite (Inktober Series)

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

When the ancient Tree of Knowledge sprouts bitten tech logos instead of fruit, temptation takes on a digital form. Eve takes a selfie beside the serpent, swapping original sin for screen obsession.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt, the biblical Garden of Eden and the tech giant Apple simultaneously crossed my mind. The apple has historically served as an archetype of temptation and forbidden knowledge, but in contemporary life, it represents the world's most ubiquitous consumer tech ecosystem. By merging Eden's mythical foliage with corporate branding, I wanted to replace the forbidden fruit with glowing, bitten tech logos, posing a question: what holds humanity's attention today—spiritual curiosity or digital consumption?

The Narrative of Creation — To emphasize the narrative tension, I drew Eve leaning against the trunk to frame a smartphone selfie while her flowing hair wraps around her. Resting along the branch, the serpent no longer needs to tempt anyone—the screen has already captured her focus. During the drawing process in Clip Studio Paint, I deliberately styled Eve as a classical, renaissance-inspired figure to create a sharp, satirical contrast between ancient myth and modern device habits. Meanwhile, I rendered the apple tree with flat, decorative patterns instead of realistic rendering, deliberately echoing the clean, graphic visual language of the bitten Apple logos across the canopy. The vivid red silhouettes provide the only pop of spot color against the sepia ink lines.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — This illustration satirizes our collective fixation on screen validation and digital connectivity. By re-staging modern smartphone behaviors inside an age-old theological scene, the piece demonstrates that human vulnerability to temptation hasn't changed—it has simply adopted a sleek new interface.

Process

01 Rough thumbnail
Three tiny thumbnails testing cup angle; the side view won for its readable silhouette.
02 Development sketch
Blue-line construction of the curled body and ellipse of the cup rim.
03 WIP line art
First ink pass with a G-Pen; hatching follows the spine before texture is added.
04 Final ink
Final ink with floral glaze pattern and grounding shadow.

Inktober · Prompt: Cactus

Free Hugs (Inktober Series)

Medium: Digital Illustration
Tools: Clip Studio Paint

When unconditional compassion meets total defensiveness. Jesus holds up a 'FREE HUGS' sign to embrace a weeping cactus that has never experienced human warmth, enduring the sharp cost of love.

Narrative

Concept and Inspiration — When I saw the Inktober prompt “Cactus”, my initial brainstorm went in two directions: pairing it with something naturally similar (like a hedgehog) or contrasting it with an opposite, lonely scenario—a solitary cactus seeking connection. In the second direction, having a cactus hold a “Free Hugs” sign felt natural, but a bit too predictable. I pushed the concept further: if a cactus were actually on the street offering free hugs, who on earth would step forward to accept it? That question sparked a revelation: Jesus. While I am not religious myself, his universal cultural archetype of unconditional love and sacrificial kindness felt like the perfect emotional counterpart.

The Narrative of Creation — With the characters decided, I began figuring out how to stage the physical embrace. While looking up visual references for depicting Jesus, I came across a classic illustration of him gently embracing a child, which instantly flipped my perspective: what if Jesus was the one offering “Free Hugs” on the street, and the cactus was a tragic character who had never once experienced a warm hug in its life? This reversal unlocked the final composition—the heavy, prickly cactus weeping and leaning wholly into Jesus's arms emphasize the physical sacrifice behind unconditional love.

Personal and Cultural Contexts — While searching for references, an intriguing cultural overlap emerged. When I initially looked up “Jesus” and “cactus” separately, Google's auto-suggestions linked the two keywords together. Digging deeper, I discovered an existing cultural connection related to the crown of thorns—linking the sharp spines of desert cacti to the passion and suffering of Christ. Finding this established allegorical link reinforced my concept, while allowing me to create a completely novel visual narrative that blends dark humor with genuine emotional resonance.

Process

01 Rough thumbnail
Value thumbnail blocking the dark cap against a light, rain-filled sky.
02 Development sketch
Perspective sketch for gill radiation and the figure's seated pose.
03 WIP line art
Line art with stippled cap; rain added on a separate layer for control.
04 Final ink
Final composition with puddle reflections and foreground foliage.

Inktober in process

Artist biography

Death Notice: Room 404

Narrative

Process

Symbiosis (Inktober Series)

Narrative

Process

Pure Dapper Moment (Inktober Series)

Narrative

Process

The Iconic Ladybug (Inktober Series)

Narrative

Process

The Modern Forbidden Bite (Inktober Series)

Narrative

Process

Free Hugs (Inktober Series)

Narrative

Process