Inktober 2026
Welcome to Portrait Paradox.
This Inktober, I'm taking you on a journey through stories hiding behind recognizable, and sometimes not-so-recognizable, face. Each official Inktober prompt starts a trail. The clue leads to a face, the face leads to a story, and the story can lead almost anywhere. Sometimes it's a straight line. Sometimes it's a detour. And sometimes... down the rabbit hole we go.
To keep the visual challenge interesting, I'm experimenting with the Zorn Palette, limiting myself to Ivory Black, Titanium White, Yellow Ochre and Vermilion. Fewer colors means more attention to value, expression and character, while the stories take the portraits somewhere the colors can't.
31 faces. Restricted Color Palette. Infinite rabbit holes.
The face isn't always who you expect.
The portrait is just the beginning.
Inktober Week 1: Down the Rabbit Hole
Four prompts, four faces, and four stories I definitely didn't see coming.
From Macintosh mysteries to a shroud with a questionable reputation, tiny crime scenes, and a cactus with a past, Week 1 proved that the obvious answer is rarely the most interesting one.
Four colors, four portraits, and already too many tabs open in my browser.
4 down. 27 to go. Send help.
Inktober Week 2: Things Got Weird
This week went from a literary giant with dodgy eyesight to a man who made a living farting on stage. And somehow, we ended up with computer memory, secret paintings, and jars buried under an apple tree.
Seven prompts, seven unexpected faces, and several Wikipedia rabbit holes later, I'm beginning to suspect these prompts are conspiring against me.
11 down. 20 to go. Send more coffee.
Inktober Week 3
Coming soon!
Inktober Week 4
Coming soon!
Inktober Week 5
Coming soon!
