For the month of October I decided to take part in Peachtober. During the Peachtober drawing challenge I created an illustration for a different one-word prompt (almost) every day. I’ve taken part in a similar challenge once before, five years ago when I was off work due to covid restrictions. This time I have a part-time job and a book project to work on, so I assumed I wouldn’t make it to the end of the month. Even so, I wanted to give it a go. The whole challenge was so muhc more enjoyable than I expected, and a real antidote to creative block. Here’s everything I learned along the way:
Use a restricted colour palette
Since I was creating most of the illustrations in the evening after work, I didn’t have time for faffing about with trying out colour palettes. Within the first few days I picked a palette that seemed to work and went with that for the rest of the month. It reduced a lot of painstaking decision-making and as an added bonus all of the illustrations now look like part of a set.
Don’t be a perfectionist
Usually my creative process entails a rough sketch, a refining sketch, another refining sketch, a clarity sketch, screwing it all up and starting again, another rough sketch etc. etc. until I’m happy to begin colour. I didn’t have time for that drama this month so I decided to go with one rough sketch, one refining sketch and then onto colour. This was an amazing cure for perfectionism and the images I ended up liking the most were the ones I agonised over the least.
Take breaks
When I began Peachtober I managed to draw every day, but eventually life got in the way. I missed a day, and then missed another. I debated giving it up entirely at that point - why finish the month if it’s got gaps in it? But I’m so glad I ended up carrying on. In the end I just took break whenever I needed them, and my work was stronger for it. Burnout serves nobody.
Check out everyone else’s work (after finishing your own)
Every so often I caved to impulse and peeked at Instagram before posting my own work and saw everyone else’s wonderful interpretations of the Peachtober daily word. This was both inspiring and restricting. Once I had seen how someone else drew ‘kite’, I found it hard to come at it from my own angle. Instead, I tried my best not to have a look at the amazing work that was out there until I was done with my own illustration.
Would I do Peachtober again? Absolutely. It was such a great way to draw a range of things, and therefore boost my portfolio in a short space of time. And it was also a lovely way to connect with other illustrators online and find some incredible talent around the world.
