Inktober 2022 - Bat

Today's art is my participation in Inktober. I have been semi-participating in Inktober for a few years now. I say semi, as I usually select around 4 prompts across the span of October to draw, instead of doing a drawing every single day.

If you are wondering what Inktober is, it is a challenge created by artist Jake Parker, in an effort to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. Since then many people worldwide have begun participating, and there are many artistic spin-off challenges that happen during October.

If you are interested in participating, you can head over here to check out the rules and this year's prompts. The challenge is open to anyone.

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The first 2022 prompt that caught my eye, was 'Bat' number 3 on the list. Each prompt is open to the artist's interpretation. And yes, I was actually seriously considering drawing Batman.

But, after a browse through on Unsplash a photo quickly caught my eye and I was off on my little Inktober art adventure. The photo titled Flying Fox in the Maldives was generously shared by Susanne Martinus.

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Feeling Batty

Bats generally have a bad reputation. The Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius) appears to be no different. They carry diseases and destroy fruit crops, and are often considered nothing but pests by many. Yet they provide a crucial role in the ecosystem.

While the Indian flying fox does eat fruit, it also drinks nectar from flowers, thus becoming a pollinator. In addition, 70 % of the seeds in its guano are of the banyan tree, a keystone species in Indian ecosystems. The Indian flying fox is found across the Indian Subcontinent, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Tibet, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (Wikipedia)

Yes, some carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, but so do many other species of animals. Their presence alone is not considered a risk factor. It is only once the bats interact with food sources shared by humans, such as date oil, either by drinking from the collection pots or defecating and urinating nearby that it becomes a risk.

I personally know several people that think bats are ugly and repulsive. As for myself, I think the flying fox is rather cute. And now without further ado, on to the process.

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The Process

Using the reference photo Flying Fox in the Maldives I created a rough sketch which I would then use to guide me for the remainder of the drawing process.

Since this is an Inktober challenge, I wanted to focus on using the inking tools/brushes as much as possible in this piece. I started with a basic ink outline and slowly began adding weight and details to the various sections.\

Initially, I thought all that fur was going to be a pain in the backside to detail, but I found it rather zen once I let go of trying to get it absolutely perfect, and rather focus on simply enjoying the process. The end result of the inking process actually left me with something that looks like it belongs in an adult colouring book.

Inking alone is not something I am very good at. Leaving the drawing in its current state felt incomplete to me. So in the next step, I started adding some crosshatch, though I was a bit too afraid to do it roughly or boldly. It's obvious I need more tutorials and guidance in this area.

So instead I decided to see how some faded colour would look instead. At first, it was too dark for my taste and detracted from the ink lines which I wanted to be the main focus. So I lightened it.

After the darker colour, I added some orange and then green. Again, these are simply flat faded colours, hinting at the real McCoy as I wanted to keep it as subtle as possible.

Next up are some textures and highlights. I added an additional layer to the darker colour to help create a bit more depth.

After that, I simply played a bit more with the background to make our nocturnal friend really 'shine' and pop to the eye as the center of focus.

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If it isn't obvious to you from looking at my other art pieces, I generally use Inktober as a way for me to challenge myself to try something style-wise that is completely out of the norm for me. This was done in a few hours, whereas I normally complete a piece over a few days.

Line art or inking to me usually supports the colours and shading, and here I tried to flip the two, making the inking the focus and muting the colours into a support role.

What do you think? Should I continue this for the remainder of my Inktober drawings or try out something very different for the next one?

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Credits, Thanks and Info

Hardware: iPad gen 8, Apple Pencil gen 1
Software: Procreate

Jake Parker for Inktober creation.
Susanne Martinus for Flying Fox in the Maldives
Wikipedia for teaching me some interesting things about the Indian flying fox
You for stopping by and looking at my art, bonus thanks for leaving a comment or upvote.

Special thanks to these guys for being on my tag list and supporting my art scribbles:

@clairemobey @zakludick @jasperdick

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