Yet another Inktober controversy is happening. Okay, not really. But there are some negative responses to this year’s popular art challenge:

On September 1st, the official Inktober Instagram page posted the prompt list for Inktober 2024. However, of the 2,000 artists who commented on the reveal, the majority expressed their dislike.

The post we’re talking about

If you’ve been following Inktober for a few years now, you know that they post their official prompts a month before the event. They do this so that artists can prepare themselves for the 31 day challenge. I always start art challenges way before they start. Drawing every single day for 31 day straight is incredibly hard, and stressful for some.

If you want to know EVERYTHING about this year’s Inktober, click here.

Anyway, this is the controversial list we are talking about:

Can you tell what people don’t like?

The official page posted this text as their caption:

”The Inktober 2024 prompt list is HERE!!!

Are you ready for this?? We thought we’d try having a little bit of a theme to the prompts this year. Hopefully this inspires your creativity in a different way than years past. We are so excited to see what this community creates this time!

Inktober Tip: Get a friend to do the challenge with you. We find that when you have an accountability partner you’re more likely to finish what you start. Tag your drawing buddy in the comments!”

The comments

Unfortunately, the comments were divided. Many artists are disappointed with the 2024 Inktober prompt list because they find the words too repetitive and lacking in inspiration. Several commenters noted that prompts like “trek,” “hike,” and “roam” are too similar and don’t provide enough creative variety.

Some feel the travel theme is too narrow and doesn’t fully capture diversity missing opportunities to explore randomized prompts. Others miss the unpredictability of previous years’ lists, feeling that the thematic nature of this year’s list limits their creativity.

The general consensus is that the prompts feel monotonous and uninspiring.

Positive comments

However, some reply to all of the negativity. They say that this could be a great opportunity for artists to be creative, as they are not AI robots. Some complain about the complainers and say the fun lies in pushing past the obvious thing that comes to mind when doing this challenge.

Alternative to this year’s Inktober prompt list

If this year’s list turned you off feel free to use one of my prompt lists. Below you’ll find a spooky prompt list inspired by the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. You can tag either my personal art account @lauxr.draws or my teaching art account @oleandered for a feature on my stories!

Will you use this year’s list? Let me know in the comments down below!
♡ Laura