Inktober Day 31: Flex — The Art of Overworking
The final drawing of Inktober 2026! 🎨
For the last prompt, Flex, I decided to take a different direction.
Most artists seem to have gone with the literal interpretation: flexing muscles and showing off physical strength. Nothing wrong with that. But I was more interested in another definition: to show off, boast, or make an ostentatious display of your achievements or status. So…
Meet Tom.
It’s 2:47 a.m. He’s still working, fuelled by coffee and energy drinks, and he couldn’t be prouder of himself. Look at him! Burning the midnight oil like it’s a matter of life and death.
Tom isn't just working late. He's flexing his overwork. He's turning exhaustion into a badge of honour, as if sacrificing sleep, health, and a life outside of work proves he's more dedicated than everyone else.
What a putz!
The irony, of course, is that Tom thinks he's winning. Meanwhile, burnout is waiting around the corner, and life is passing him by. But hey, at least he can brag about answering emails at 2:47 in the morning.
The Never-Ending Drawing
This cartoon took me WAY too long to complete.
I got sucked into a rabbit hole death spiral, tweaking Procreate brushes, trying to make the colour and shading look more natural. Hours disappeared into tiny adjustments. At some point, I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be finishing a cartoon, not developing the world's greatest watercolour brush.
That's a Wrap on Inktober!
And that's it: Inktober 2026 is done!
It's been a month of experimenting, learning, and occasionally getting lost in the details. I've pushed myself to further develop my drawing style, improve my rendering, and find fresh ideas for familiar prompts.
The biggest lesson? Knowing when to stop tweaking might be just as important as knowing how to draw.
Happy Inktober, everyone! See you next time.
