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We’re officially in the second half of the year, and this means that Mosstober is coming up!
The 31-day-long art project may seem daunting for many artists to take on, but we’re here to break it down and show how it can be manageable.
We believe every artist aspires to have consistency and would like to be dedicated to self-improvement, so we hope that this guide will help make the challenge more accessible for you, letting you focus on creating everyday.
Pick A Theme
Having a theme can help you know what to draw, as it narrows down a potentially overwhelming pool of possibilities while also keeping the main tone or style of your work consistent.
If you're planning to use a Mossery sketchbook, you can personalise your theme name on the cover — this way, it can be kept with your other completed projects or as part of your portfolio.
@whamonster incorporated themes into her previous challenges — Game of Thrones for 2017, and Stranger Things for the year before that.
Your theme can be anything you like: a TV show, a movie, a limited colour palette, or a specific style of drawing. Be sure to choose something that helps you generate more ideas and not get stuck too often!
Pick Your Tools
Remember, the goal is to make things easy for yourself, so it's best not to go too overboard with the kinds of tools you plan to use. We recommend keeping it simple with just two to three pens of different textures and sizes, especially if you’re looking to incorporate colour.
But if you're up for an extra challenge, this could also be a great time to familiarise yourself with a new art tool or method. It's all up to you — which kind of muscle would you like to exercise?
Mixed Media artwork by @tomoko/Watercolour artwork by @hazelong
If you're planning to use a Mossery sketchbook but don't know which one to pick, the 224gsm Mixed Media paper is ideal as it can take a wide variety of mediums, allowing for flexibility and experimenting.
However, if you are planning to paint with ink, we recommend the 300gsm Watercolour paper or our brand new 100% Cotton 300gsm Watercolour paper so your artwork doesn’t bleed easily onto the back of the page.
Plan Ahead
Over the course of a month-long challenge, there will be times where you may feel like skipping a day or two.
Whether it's sketching the artwork or writing down ideas for each day, planning ahead can go a long way — this means you have one less to-do to worry about when you’re in the thick of it.
Don't worry about coming up with fantastic ideas for each prompt. While we understand the urge to create a masterpiece every day, the real purpose of Mosstober is to simply maintain the streak.
So even if you feel that your preplanned idea or sketch could be better, what counts is that you created something for the day and didn't get stuck in the ideation process.
Mixed Media artwork by @angelynpeh
Outline a schedule in a notebook, or list down ideas for each day based on the prompt. You can even draw rough sketches for the days you know you already have visual ideas for.
Partner Up
We all need some motivation from time to time: doing a challenge with friends can be the best kind.
Encouraging each other through demotivating days and brainstorming ideas together can go a long way to making Mosstober less daunting.
Don't worry if you can't find someone to take on the challenge with you — the Mossery Mosstober hashtag shows many other artists who have committed to seeing the challenge through, and following along with them is another way to boost your morale.
@ludmilacerafoce and @albabbgg challenged themselves to create artworks with a limited colour palette.
Feel free to save it, share it, or even use it as your desktop wallpaper as a reminder. We’ve also invited 31 artists once again to submit a piece of artwork for each day’s prompt, which we will post all throughout Mosstober itself on our Instagram.
Remember to hashtag #mosstober2021 when you start posting your works in October!
For now, we have great news: you can pick up a Mossery Sketchbook (Medium, Large and Refills) for 15% off using the code MOSSTOBER
The discount is valid from 16th August to 30th September 2021 – the perfect amount of time for you to receive your sketchbook and get it ready for the challenge.
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It goes without saying, but we can't wait to see everyone's works! Here's to improving our skills and learning together.
How do you prepare for Mosstober? Share some of your tips with us in the comments below!
Posted 25 October 2018 at 16:04 by jenn
Does it limit how many total artwork should we provide at last?