Every year I take part in an October daily art posting. It used to be called Inktober before some unethical asshole copyrighted it, and now it’s everything from Drawtober to Drawlloween to countless other variations of -tober.
The idea is simple enough: post a piece of art every day for the month of October! Some folks use prompt lists for inspiration, while others go with whatever happens to inspire them in the moment. The latter is what I did every prior year, but this year I’m trying something different and following a prompt list.
The official Instagram account for the late Jean Giraud, better known as Moebius, better known to me as “my favorite artist,” released a prompt list at the beginning of the month and called it “Moebtober.” Each day’s prompt is inspired by his innumerable works, and I immediately found myself drawn to this challenge.
Moebtober has proven to be fun in this first week, but I also find myself strangely intimidated. While it’s not a requirement to draw in his style or be up to his skill level (neither of which I think are possible by anyone) I feel the shadow of his mastery looming over my shoulder. I have always been extremely self-conscious about my artwork because, despite enjoying it, art does not come easily to me. I make boatloads of mistakes and struggle constantly to get what’s in my head onto the page. To put my work anywhere near that of Moebius feels like it will be compared to his, and that gives me more-than-mild anxiety.
But it’s also making me strive to do better. To make things not only outside of my usual comfort zone but to experiment with style and subject. While I’m not trying to mimic Moebius’s style I’m trying to approach these prompts as I feel he would, or at least as I imagine he would advise me to. It’s been an informative exercise and ultimately one that will help me grow as an artist.
The best place to follow along with my daily Moebtober prompts is my new Bluesky profile! I also post on Instagram (just search for my name) but I like Bluesky a lot better these days.