Inktober 2026 has officially begun! The worldwide art challenge where participants create one ink drawing per day for the 31 days of October is a global online event that many artists and creatives look forward to every year.
Started by artist Jake Parker in 2009 as a way to hone his own inking skills and build consistent art habits, the challenge has grown into an annual art event that artists across medium experiment with.
Anyone can participate in Inktober, whether professional artists, hobbyists wanting to grow their skills or simply an art enthusiast.
The basic idea behind the challenge is simple : participants make a drawing in ink and share it online with the hashtag #inktober and #inktober2026.
Though the standard rules are for traditional pen and ink drawings, the challenge is often flexible – not only allowing pencil under-drawings – but with artists being allowed to experiment with tools whether that be mediums like markers and paint or using digital art techniques.
The official Inktober site also shares a list of prompts ahead of time every year for inspiration. However, it’s optional if you want to follow the prompts or choose to follow other artists’ prompt lists or even create your own.
While the ‘classic’ Inktober is about making 31 drawings for 31 days straight, an alternate way to participate is through the more flexible ‘Inktober 52’ where artists make one drawing per week throughout the year.
With the overall aim being improving your skills by enforcing positive art habits, Inktober is all about creativity, consistency and a sense of community.
In honour of Inktober 2026, Lyrical Muse has come up with our own list of prompts. As a media platform that primarily finds creative release through writing, you can consider our list as “prompts for artists from a writers’ perspective.”
Check our Lyrical Muse’s Inktober prompts below.
If you attempt any of our prompts we’d love to know! Tag us on our Instagram @lyricalmusemag and we will repost your work. If you’d like to follow the official prompts or check prompts from previous site, check the Inktober site.
Visit Lyrical Muse for more creative content.
Leave a Reply