Inktober 2026
31 days. 31 prompts. One drawing a day, all October long. Anyone can join, and it is free.
Kickoff Thursday, October 1
What is Inktober?
Inktober is a month long drawing challenge. Illustrator Jake Parker started it in 2009. Every October, artists all over the world make one drawing a day from a list of daily prompts.
It began as an inking challenge. Now any medium counts: pencil, marker, digital, watercolor, whatever you already have. I will be drawing in pencil and ink, and sharing inking tips along the way.
Millions of artists join in every year. Kids, teens, grownups. The goal is creativity and consistency, not perfection.
Our members are doing it together this year, inside the Kids Cartoon Academy community.
Why join in?
π Build a routine
Draw every day. That is the whole thing. A month of small daily reps beats one big burst.
π Grow your skills
Confidence, speed, and creativity all go up when you draw daily. That is just how practice works.
πͺ Beat perfectionism
A quick sketch counts. Five minutes counts. Finished beats perfect, every single day of this month.
π Be part of something big
Millions of artists do this together every October. Your kid is one of them this year. Inside Kids Cartoon Academy, that something big does not stop when October does.
What kids said last year
What kids made last year
The official 2026 prompt list
Save it. Print it. Tape it up where you draw. You get to interpret every prompt however you want.
Three steps, every day
STEP 01
Check the prompt
A daily theme idea. It is a starting point, not a rule.
STEP 02
Make a drawing
As quick or as detailed as you want, in whatever medium you like.
STEP 03
Share it
Show it to someone. Stick it on the fridge, or post it with #Inktober if you are on social media. Members post theirs in the Inktober Club, a space inside our community just for this challenge, so the rest of us get to see what they made.
Miss a day? Just jump back in. The goal is to try for all 31 days, but life happens. Consistency is what counts, even if you get behind along the way.
What I am drawing with
I will be working in pencil and ink all month. My new favorite inking kit is the Bianyo black inking pens. The other two that stay on my desk are the Tombow Fudenosuke and the Pentel brush pen, which is my favorite brush pen.
We don't have to get new supplies to join the challenge. Any medium works. Pencil, marker, digital, watercolor, a ballpoint from the junk drawer. Use what you already have.
Those are affiliate links.
For families
For kids
Think of it as a daily mini challenge. A reason to draw something today, and something to show off when it is done.
For parents
It is a great way to help your child build momentum and see the steady progress that comes with consistency. Thirty one small wins in a row is a big deal for a kid. That momentum is exactly what the membership is built to keep going all year, with live classes every week.
Inktober is 31 days. We do this all year.
Our members are doing Inktober together inside the Kids Cartoon Academy community right now, posting a drawing a day and cheering each other on. That community is one piece of a membership your child can draw with every week of the year. Since we started, over 170,000 students have learned with us.
Live Zoom classes every week
Five weekly class options, from Foundations to Advanced. Your child picks the one that fits your schedule and can switch whenever life changes. Replays for every single class, so nobody falls behind.
The Draw Now Library
Over 300 hours of on demand lessons, from anime to monsters to cute cartoons. Your child follows their own curiosity on the days they want to draw something specific.
The Community for Artists
A private, safe, moderated community where kids share their art, get personalized feedback, and root for each other. This is where the Inktober Club lives, and where members who post all 31 days earn the Inktober badge.
Pro artists who are also real teachers
Most programs give you one or the other. We teach the how and the why behind real technique, so your child leaves drawing their own ideas instead of copying someone else's.
Enrollment is open now. We only open a few times a year so we can welcome new members together and give everyone a real onboarding, then spend the rest of the year going all in on the families who are already here.
Inktober builds the habit. The membership keeps it going.
Thirty one days of showing up teaches a kid something one drawing cannot. Consistency. How to start again after a sketch that did not turn out the way they hoped. The kind of confidence that only comes from finishing, over and over, including on the days they did not feel like it. The drawing is real. It is also the byproduct.
This October we are doing it together inside the Kids Cartoon Academy community. A new prompt post every day, your child's drawing shared in the comments where the rest of us get to see it, and the Inktober badge at the end of the month for everyone who makes all 31.
Then November comes and the habit has somewhere to go. Live Zoom classes every week with replays, over 300 hours of on demand lessons, and the same private, moderated community your child just spent a month drawing in. That is what the membership is for.
Joining is low risk. Cancel any time, no long term commitment. And if it is not right for your family, tell us within 30 days and you get a full refund, no questions asked.
Enrollment is open now, so your child can do Inktober with the rest of us in the community.
Parents, you can draw too
A lot of us grownups are doing Inktober together inside the Creative Drawing Club for Grownups, sharing our pages as we go. If you are on social media you can also post yours with #Inktober2026 or #Inktober. Drawing next to your kid all month is so fun, and you do not have to be any good at it.
What it does for the grownups
The grownups in the club say the same thing every October. The daily deadline is what finally beats the perfectionism, because nobody can post a masterpiece 31 days in a row, so you stop trying to and you just draw. It is also a short sprint, which makes it a lot easier to commit to than a vague plan to draw more this year. And the community is just buzzing this time of year!
Here is what a few of them said this year.
βSomething Inktober has done for me is help me bust through some perfectionism and procrastination. I still struggle with both, but I can't post a masterpiece every day. It's a great way to get a streak of drawing a bit every day. And the community gave me extra motivation!β
Jennifer Loveday
βThings that I've learned: that I can actually try new things! I never would have attempted half of the creatures and characters in the past. But having the pressure to push out a sketch today made me do something, ANYTHING, to get me through this challenge. I love drawing. But knowing that Inktober is a relatively short sprint is very helpful to me.β
Angus Hartery
βI did it last year with my daughter as part of the Kids Cartoon Academy challenge but I wasn't part of this group back then. That was my first ever Inktober. I was on the fence about doing it this year, but seeing the excitement from everyone here makes me want to join in.β
Jee Mei Wong
Thursday, October 1
Grab the prompt list, grab a pen, and start with Apple on day one. If you want your child drawing with us the other eleven months too, enroll in Kids Cartoon Academy and join us.