Inktober 2026 [Art Challenge]

What is Inktober?
Inktober is an art challenge that happens in October. Its name comes from two words – October and Ink.
Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day for the entire month.
Also, every year, right before October, the official site inktober.com publishes a list of themes to draw for every day of the month.
However, you are not bound to use the official list – many artists create their own October lists, and share them on their social media. So if you don’t like the themes posted in the official Inktober list, you can use other lists, or create your own!
Hashtags used for this art challenge: #inktober and #ink #instainktober #inktober2026 #inktober52
Websites related to Inktober:
Official website: inktober.com
Instagram page: @inktober
Twitter page: @inktober
Facebook page: @inktober
The Official Inktober 2026 Prompt List

Below you can find a text list – if you are a foreigner, and don’t know the meaning of a certain word, just copy it and translate in Google translator.
| 1. Apple | 11. Rescue | 21. Hero |
| 2. Relic | 12. Toss | 22. Beacon |
| 3. Miniature | 13. Flimsy | 23. Dapper |
| 4. Cactus | 14. Lady | 24. Bake |
| 5. Smack | 15. Hooray | 25. Fracture |
| 6. Ogre | 16. Gangly | 26. Zip |
| 7. Panic | 17. Contraption | 27. Dumb |
| 8. Stinky | 18. Flightless | 28. Thropy |
| 9. Ram | 19. Confused | 29. Tusk |
| 10. Mystical | 20. Longue | 30. Cookie |
| 31. Flex |
When did Inktober start?
The Inktober started in the year 2009. It was created by Jake Parker, a famous Youtube illustrator, who wanted to develop positive drawing habits using Ink. The challenge became viral and today artists worldwide participate in it.
You can watch his video about Inktober on his YouTube channel:
Can you start Inktober late?
Of course!
You can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. Whatever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is all about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more consistent the better.
What tools can you use for Inktober?
Paper – Using high-quality paper for your Inktober drawings could make a huge difference.
and of course a Pen or Brush + Ink.
The creator of the Inktober, James Parker uses Pentel Brush Pen.
Are markers allowed for Inktober?
Yes, on Inktober.com it’s said that you can use markers as your inking tool or to color.
Do you know any cheap ink art supplies that I could use in this year’s Inktober?
You could use micron pens, which are a few dollars each and are often used by professional artists. You could also use a dip pen, which varies in price. Uniball makes some excellent pens for drawing. You could even move the ink around after drawing with water and a brush for some cool watercolor effects.
You could also use ordinary ballpoint pens! It just depends on what you want to use, but you can do Inktober even with only a few dollars.
*For digital artists, if you want to use a tablet and do the Inktober challenge using Procreate or Photoshop, you can download the Ink Brushes. There are packs designed specifically for the Inktober challenge. You can find the Ink brushes here: Ink Brushes for PROCREATE [Free and Premium] – INK brushes for Photoshop [FREE and Premium] – INK brushes for Clip Studio Paint [Free and Premium]
If you want to join the Inktober challenge, remember to read the rules:
- Make a drawing in ink
- Post it online
- Hashtag it with #inktober and #intober2021
- Repeat every day of October
Visit the official site of Inktober here: https://inktober.com/
Past Prompt lists
Below you can take a look at the prompt list from the past years.

And here are some amazing artworks made for the Inktober project!
Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.
Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.
Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.
Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.
Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.
I really enjoy doing inktober even though i cant post it online
I never participated on inktober, cuz never had time for it, but this year i will do at least 15 prompts!