It’s been several years since I followed one of the many art challenges that seem so prevalent online, especially around October. Inktober was one that I liked taking part in, but the pressure I placed on myself to keep up with the daily prompts kept me from fully enjoying it.
Then last winter I found out about Calmtober, hosted by UK illustrator and artist, Kriksis. Instead of 31 daily prompts, she lists 16 every-other-day prompts, which feels a lot less stressful. Today’s sketch is of the simplified sketch kit I’ve put together for Calmtober 2026.
These days, I am using waterbrushes instead of my favorite paint brushes from Rosemary & Co. Our overly active kitten thought everything I had to use at my art table was fair game — all art tools have been placed out of reach for now. In addition, our incorrigible corgi found that she can squeeze through the cat door in the pet gate we installed to keep dogs out of the back room where cats are fed. (The back room is a combination art room, library, office, and laundry room). A water jar on a living room table is just waiting for a bouncy kitten running at top speed to knock it over! So my art space is “on hold” for a year or so. Eventually Luna will settle down into an adult cat, right?
The photo of the kit follows, including a pencil and a folio-sized bag from Art Toolkit to hold everything in. I added one of Kriksis’ stickers to the front of the sketchbook to remind me which is the front. It’s an accordion sketchbook and I’ll be working on both front and back, but it’s always good to know where to begin!
Kriksis can be found on Instagram, YouTube, and Patreon. Below is this year’s Calmtober prompt list.
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