Category: Experiences

Posted on

Challenge Accepted, part 2

I am so excited about pen store launching a new “pen store talents” challenge. It feels like I’ve waited for ever for it tbh.

In spring 2023 I decided to buy a pen pack from the Swedish store “Penstore”. The pack contained 8 different pens, pencils and markers. The challenge is fairly simple. You have to create a work using all of the pens (and only those pens). I’ve basically waited this then to do it again! Especially since it’s also been a chance to try materials I wouldn’t buy myself and definitely wouldn’t assemble and use together.

This time around the challenge contains 6 different pens, pencils and markers. I’m not gonna lie, the task is somewhat daunting. I find it a bit challenging that I only have pink, yellow and green tones to work with this time around. Ever since I got the pack 1,5 weeks ago. I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to make using this limited pallet. I was also hoping they’d choose a fineliner that was slightly smaller than a 05. 😂


I use fineliners a lot, but mostly 003, 005 and 01. So, the nib on a 05 feels incredibly large!

the nice thing about this pack tho is: I don’t know pentel had released fineliners (I will have to get a complete pack so I can test it out) and I didn’t know talents had launched and entire marker series with Pantone. 😍 both feels pretty major to me!

at the same time I’m really excited that this is a challenge that truly challenges my way of thinking around my own work. To have to work on thoughts such as “what the heck am I to do with a yelllow highlighter”. Which is a somewhat negative and limiting way of thinking around it in stead of a more positive attitude: how can I utilise this?

And also that I have until October 14th to come up with something.

so far I’ve only tested mixing the different materials.

if you would be interested in checking this out here is a link to https://penstore.no/no/talents

disclaimer: I am not associated with pen store in anyway. I am not sponsored by them. This is not an ad. I sought out this challenge of my own accord and paid for it using my own funds. 🙂

Posted on

The drawing challenges of October

There are many drawing challenges out there. The most well known challenge is probably Inktober.

For those who don’t know what this challenge is: The people who run the challenge creates a prompt list. There is a new prompt for every day in October. Their stated purpose is to give both amateur and professional artists a challenge as well as a way to gain some potential attention for their work. They share several works by different artists for every prompt. There are no requirement for you to do all the prompts. You will have to decide this for yourself. They also have a weekly challenge where they have a new prompt for each week of the year.

There also are other alternatives to inktober in October. Some of them go for a 31-day prompt list with an overarching theme, while others go for shorter prompt lists with an overacrhing theme. Such as the drawtober challenge which gives you a six prompt challenge with an overarching theme that changes each year. This year they even had prices you could win.

There are instragram pages that run new monthly challenges all year long. There is the “Mermay” challenge hosted by a page on instagram every may for those who are intrested in mermaid-art. In other words, if you want to challenge yourself for what ever reason or if you want access to prompt lists that might help you with ideas and personal development as an artist. There are many available options for you. Simply googling “prompt list art” or “inktober” should provide you with some good choices.

Personally, I find these challenges to be super hard. So, I guess its not for everyone. When I have attempted both the inktober challenge and a challenge called drawtober. I often get stuck on the idea that I have to do every single prompt, even tho that is not a requirement. Its not like they track each and every individual artists involvement and progress. The challenges in and of themselves is something that is offered to you as a place to get ideas, stay engaged, but most of all challenge yourself.

I guess, I will just have to work on not being so hard on myself when i fail to reach some pretty large goals that I often don’t really have the time or energy to finish. I also thought it would be fun to talk about some of them now that we find ourselves in November. Safely away from inktober (insert laugh/cry emoji here).

Ive tried inktober several times with varying results. This year I decided to give the drawtober challenge a try. 6 prompts seemed far more doable than 31. I managed 3. As it turns out Im not good with the whole following a prompt-list. I work far better if I have an idea and follow that idea until completion. Luckily, I have ideas for drawings all the time and a fairly good system of how to keep the ideas for later. I keep a sketchbook where I do quick sketches with notes. That way i don’t loose them. As a practice this works really well for me.

Drawtober 2023

Prompt: overgrown cemetary

(note: I was not happy with how this turned out so i lost a bit of my motivation)

Drawtober 2023

prompt: a devious meal

inktober 2021

Prompt: loop

inktober 2021

prompt: Vessle

drawtober 2021

prompt: send in the clowns

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with inktober, drawtober, mermay or any other Instagram pages or companies that run art-challenges. The purpose of this post is to talk about existing challenges as a way of sharing my personal experience and share some related art.

Posted on

Face your fear

In late 2021 I got the opportunity to co-create a magazine issue. The art magazine «Agora» was a Prague based art magazine that sadly closed its doors in April 2022. The title and theme for this issue was «Movement».

For the magazine I developed the idea for a four-picture story called «face your fear» featuring Poxy and a small cast of Shadow People.

This was the layout that was featured.

Posted on

Lessons learned, part 1: Alcohol Ink

This post was intended to be a review of the product, instead Ive decided to start a new series of posts called “Lessons learned”. I guess one could say that life in general is littered with mistakes, big and small. This one was of the messy sort that could have had a big impact on my furniture.

The good thing about making mistakes and about all of these mistakes in particular is that it worked out fine. Nothing was ruined beyond repair.

I came across a sale at a bookstore that had these great packs of alcohol ink from a reputable maker. Ive never tried this product before. After seeing other people making beautiful things with alcohol ink, Ive been dying to test it out.

My mistake was: I didn’t read up on the product before i opened the package.

I have experiences with alcohol ink in the form of markers. So, when I found two boxes of Marabu Alcohol Ink in a sale at bookstore I was super excited, but really unprepared for what type of product this is.

I live in an apartment with mostly white furniture, these bottles of ink contain highly pigmented liquid that is difficult to remove. I put down my drawing board on the white, living room table. Tried to open the bottle with scissors. Luckily for me. The bottle of purple ink was difficult to cut open. This was also the time i decided to move my operation into the kitchen sink. XD

Lesson learned: Read up on new and unfamiliar products before use. Youtube is a great place to learn from people who do have experience. Observe the type of set up they use when working with a product or material that is unfamiliar to you.

I placed my six bottles of highly pigmented ink in the sink and continued to cut open a bottle of a bright pink.

The result was pink ink in the drain, on the sides of the sink and on my hands

All of it had to be removed using nail-polish remover.

I still finished what I set out to do. I used the special, non absorbent paper that came with the box to make color tests.

A drop of each color was more than enough to make some nice, colorful blotches on the paper.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the maker of this product in any way, shape or form. This is not an ad and I have not been asked to test the product, to write a review or received any type of compensation.

Posted on

Challenge accepted

Earlier this year I saw a Swedish stationary store announce a challenge/competition they were hosting. It sounded really intriguing. Hard to pas up. It was a pay-to-enter. The rules were fairly simple. You had to get a pen-pack. The pack contained 8 pens. You had to use all of the pens for your project.

I started the challenge by doing swatches of all the products involved. I also started drawing out some ideas so I could get familiar with the different types of pens I had to use. This took me on a creative ride that was pretty fun.

I also feel the images that came out of this is such a good example of a creative journey. How you might start with a color pallet and an idea, but by the time you finish some central elements might have changed. When I post on Instagram its often stuff I’m super happy with, that feels worthy of showing off. The mistakes, the bloopers and the stuff I’m not that happy with is often not put on display. (I know I’m definitely not alone in this).

Here Ive failed to add the paint-marker from pilot. It was a beautiful baby blue. Underneath is the final image that was submitted to the competition (I did not win, nor make a top 10 placement).

It is pretty fun to look at the different types of ideas and pictures I made before I landed on that final image. It started pretty rough. I was curious to see what would happen if I used a blue sharpie to make the sky. I have to admit that this is not my best work. Trail and error is an important part of the learning process tho.

While making the first image I did kind of fall for the idea of the hot air balloon being fueled by a lighter. The second image I created centered around that idea.

The same went for the third and the forth pictures. At the same time I also narrowed my idea down further.

This is not the best picture I could possibly take of the final result, but Im pretty happy with what I landed on.

Choosing to do the sky in this was also inspired me to do several other pieces with the same background.

Dotting in the sky with a 05 sakura pigma micron pen was enjoyable to say the least and also very relaxing.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the pen store in any way, shape or form. This is not an ad for the company or their competition. I’m simply sharing my experience.