#Alphonso Dunn

[guy60660]

Alphonso Dunn

[chronivore]

Reminder that the creator of Inktober plagiarized the instructional art book of Alphonso Dunn.

Support his work instead!

And please dont support Inktober.

Feel free to do a month long art challenge during October or another month, but don't support Inktober by buying Jake Parker's books or using the Inktober hashtag.

Picture of Alphonso Dunn to signal boost.

[mrsonvsyoutube]

You can draw like the pros. First break this habit

[creatingblackcharacters2]

Did you know that the creator of #Inktober stole his work from a Black artist?

Now you do!

I want to kick off October by talking about #Blacktober, an event for supporting Black and Black biracial artists that ran from 2020 to 2023!

According to the organizers' own website:

In response to the creator of Inktober plagiarizing his art book from Alphonso Dunn, and the antiblack harassment Black cosplayers and artists face for re-imagining their favorite characters as Black in media and an art community where we're underrepresented - we created #Blacktober in 2020 in hopes to celebrate ourselves, nurture the community and create a positive, empowering space for Black creatives.

Any Black creative and/or cosplayer can tell you that creating or cosplaying beloved characters while Black will lead to vitriol. From comments as supposedly "harmless" such as "oh thats the "Black version" of [character]" (instead of acknowledging that they are the character), to more overt antiblackness like "n***er [character]" and "[character] isn't Black!" with the intent to mock both the creator and the character in question. They suggest that the Blackness is an insult to the character, that it's not accurate. Far less normalized is anyone saying "white [character]" or "cracker [character]" about white people cosplaying nonwhite characters.

Virulent antiblack racism towards organizers and participants was amongst the main reasons that the organizers had to let go of hosting Blacktober.

We've had a blast with everyone these past 3 years watching fan art to original creations be born out of a passion for seeing ourselves in media. However, we, the organizers, are no longer able to keep going with this event, especially with the current state of social media. We've had to combat a lot both on the front lines and behind the scenes. Not just the organizers, but also those participating. This, along with time, was two of the few reasons why we've decided to sunset.

While Blacktober itself is unfortunately no longer an organized event, Black and Black biracial artists might still choose to draw something for the month under the #Blacktober tag.

No, this is not for nonblack creatives to participate in themselves. Not for you nor your Black OCs!

It's a shame that racism constantly seeks to destroy what Black people create, and that it's so common to steal, take credit for, and benefit from our work. But you can avoid being a part of that by supporting Black creatives in your space! I am sure they are there, if you put in the effort to look for them! Search the tag- you might find old AND new work! This also includes standing by them when they speak up on mistreatment within your communities. When you don't speak against antiblack racism, it means you tolerate its existence. And when you tolerate antiblackness, guess what it makes you? We can't say fandom is for everyone, and then not act to make it so. Let's do better.

Happy Blacktober!

[secondlina]

I just saw your post about inking pages for Crowmance (which I adore by the way), and now I’m curious. What kinds of pens do you use?

Also, would you have any tips for inking to share? I find my inking to be shaky and I am looking for ways to improve.

I don't really have tips that are that useful, since I learned to ink by just doing a lot of it and saving cool panels with textures I wanted to try. It was extremely trial and error. However, I do suggest you check out books by Alphonso Dunn. There's a lot of vintage how to draw manga books where they got industry professionals to show off, which are nice. https://www.amazon.com/Pen-Ink-Comikers/dp/1569709173

I also love all the videos of Kaoru Mori inking (author of Bride Stories) that have been posted to youtube.

I use pretty basic pens - I've used these since I was a teen. Pilot Fineliner and Sakura micron pens. Nothing special - you can buy them at pharmacies here. I like soft squishy nibs.

While I don't think you need fancy pens & paper to ink well, the quality of the paper does have an impact on the art based on if the pen snags on the paper texture, and whether or not the paper absorbs the ink well. I tend to use smooth bristol board and Japanese Maruman sketchbooks. While it's not really high grade (and remains affordable), it's smoother paper than you basic pencil drawing sketchbook. That helps!

[morggo]

I'm curious if your approach to inking the forms or resources regarding it

I block out areas of heavy shadows with ink and then fill in the details. If I want some heavy meditation or a block print like finish I go with a scribble shading approach, like with my recent tarot wolves. I'd be a terrible teacher because I'm not confident at communicating thoughts to words.

I'd suggest studying the great artists'methods, and for me that really was Mike Mignola, Mike Ploog, Jhonen Vasquez, and Albrecht Durer for the longest time. Since then I just go with whatever I feel is best? Like studying from them to grow my legs, then walk, if that makes sense.

If you're talking about the fundamentals of inking, I suggest looking up the works of Alphonso Dunn. He has a few books available and also so, so many videos on his YouTube that I think are very essential for anyone at any skill level approaching ink. I like to watch him and relearn how to ink and falling in love with it all over again. I also feel in recent years I've developed skill regression (I got a cocktail of disorders affecting memory and function) so I feel I'm learning about it all the time. Which can sometimes be a good problem to have, it keeps me curious. Also why I'd be a terrible mentor imo.

Anyway I'm rambling. Alphonso Dunn is your guy, watch his vids. Be unafraid. Just start drawing in ink.

[turuin]

Inktober

So, in a few days it will be Inktober again.

Many (ill-informed and arrogant) people think Inktober is a silly thing, a show-off, a stupid challenge that has nothing to do with art, and generally despise those who partake in it. We will not talk of such people: they are just another specimen of the archaic "internet troll", and we know well one should not feed trolls. They are only expressing themselves to grief others, or to spoil their fun, and this is pretty much their top aspiration for their internet persona - and I think this speaks volumes of what kind of people they might be in real life.

I'll tell you this instead: Inktober was the very reason why I started considering my stupid office-time doodles something more than that; and, potentially, the very thing that made me understand a couple of important things about art in general.

So, it boils to this: you have a list of verbal prompts, one per day, which you pick from many lists. Yes, there is an official Inktober challenge, set up by Jake Parker and normally available on Instagram and on its own website. Parker was part of an internet controversy, a couple of years ago, about having stolen the idea for an Inking Textbook from another very good artist, Alphonso Dunn; whether you choose to use Parker's prompts or entirely different ones, though, is entirely up to you. I have skipped them, back then, and then I started using them again a couple of years afterwards. They are handy, and you can use them without sponsoring Parker at all, if you feel like it (he has trademarked the Inktober brand for sketchbooks but you can't really trademark a challenge, so hashtags are still free to use).

List controversy aside, the fun thing is that it asks you to draw once per day, possibly with ink (but not solely, and rules are entirely up to you about the medium you want to use whether it is digital or traditional) for a total of 31 days, the whole month of October.

Back when I started, I didn't think myself capable of doing this until the end, and surely my skill was much lower than today. And yet, Inktober taught me many things:

stick to the plan, but if you skip a day, or multiple days, don't worry! Nobody is paying you for that, and there are many people who will keep drawing from the list well into November, but when you decide to draw for the day, put yourself into it - don't do it just because. Inktober is not about speed or skill, it's about challenging your brain and hand on interpretation and execution.

share your art. It is basic? Share it. It is made at the top of your abilities? Share it. People are insulting it? SHARE IT. You have to be able to disconnect emotionally from your art when it is done. You like it? Fine! You don't like it? Fine! I've made it. It is there. Do what you will with it. I have already accomplished my goal: the process.

It will be an occasion for you to learn. You never used ink? Try! You never used ink pens? Try! You never used an old brush with dried ink on it to create strange effects? TRY! Inktober might as well be about trying anything that crosses your mind. Also, you don't need expensive tools; a sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen can, and often will, be enough.

People mock you because you do Inktober or are stressed out because you post Inktober updates? That is a perfect time to remind them of the existence of the "unfollow" button. It does wonders with people who live in troll caves.

You feel like you need to vent? You feel like you're being left behind and stress because you think you will not complete it? First of all: VENT. Your blog / page / online space is yours and you should keep in mind that whatever you post has to do with YOU, not others. People may not like what you post, it's fine. They can unfollow, or start their personal rant in their online space about you - at the end, we are all passing by, if people want to live their life in anger or ranting about your art or your blog, it's their liver, not yours. No, that's not a typo: I'm actually referring to their liver, which probably will not be in very good conditions to start with.

People give you unsolicited advice or opinion on your art? Gracefully nod, and forget about it one fraction of a second later. When you will need advice, you will ask for it, and welcome it. My suggestion is you stick by that rule for pretty much everything in your life: you should be asking, that is of paramount importance, and learning how to ask something is at least as important, but nobody should force you into their opinion. TL;DR: fuck'em opinons.

Again: don't fall in love with your art. It's a piece of paper; you can burn it afterwards. You already possess that art within your hands. It is lost forever? It's ok. You have made it. It existed. You ceased caring about it as soon as it was on paper. Let it go. It is not yours anymore. Let people make what they will of it. You are already unto the next one.

So: I will partake in Inktober, and vent, and chat about it, and post art. I will also do this in our community, https://www.tumblr.com/communities/ars-gratia-artis , and for the time being, I will allow people who want to share their art, participate in the community and not be toxic about it, to join with a link. I would also very much love for community members to attempt Inktober, even with a little doodle whenever they are able. It's fun, I promise!

If you want to join our community, Inktober or not, here's the link:

[violet-talisman-art]

Oogie Boogie

Reflecting on Inktober drawings from two years ago to gear up for Drawlloween. I no longer participate in Inktober because the creator and promptmaster plagiarized Alphonso Dunn's book

Ink on paper 5x7

Follow me on instagram.com/violet_talisman_art

[boredth]

Your style is so pretty I love it!! How the heck do you go about body anatomy???

Thanks! I don't have a particular method so I'll share some of my fav artists that I pick up anatomy from :)

TBchoi, Sinix Design, David Finch, moderndayjames, Alphonso Dunn

[maryhanaae4]

right now im in that phase where my art is....starting to look really ugly as im trying to learn something new

for my graduation gift i got any book i wanted and it was the anatomy guide by tomfoxdraws.....i really wanna emulate his style soon so im really working on anatomy and perspective using his guide (and some other tutorials i found online) and im really struggling but its fun (the head is already hard)

I really also like moderndayjames and alphonso dunn, theyre so cool....

kinda noticed that moderndayjames removed some of this videos....like his 2nd part on perspective where he drew a car :(((((((

[pottersmiracle]

masterlist 【!】

• Harry Potter

- harry potter - ron weasley - hermione granger - draco malfoy - pansy parkinson - blaise zabini - tom riddle - fred and george weasley - sirius black - remus lupin

• Euphoria

- rue bennett - cassie howard - jules vaughn - maddy perez - kat hernandez - fezco - nate jacobs - lexi howard - elliot - chris mckay - ashtray

• Life is Strange 1 2 True Colors & Before the Storm

- max caulfield - chloe price - nathan prescott - victoria chase - rachel amber - warren graham - kate marsh - frank bowers - sean diaz - alex chen - gabe chen - steph gingrich - ryan lucan

• The Umbrella Academy

- luther hargreeves - diego hargreeves - allison hargreeevs - klaus hargreeves - five hargreeves - ben hargeeves - viktor hargeeves - lila pitts

• The Sparrow Academy

- marcus hargreeves - ben hargreeves - fei hargreeves - alphonso hargreeves - sloane hargreeves - jayme hargreeves

• Supernatural

- dean winchester - sam winchester - castiel - crowley - jack kline - rowena macleod - lucifer - gabriel

• Stranger Things

mike wheeler - jane hopper - lucas sinclair - erica sinclair (platonic) - will byers - dustin henderson - max mayfield - billy hargrove - steve harrington - robin buckley - nancy wheeler - jonathan byers - eddie munson - joyce byers - jim hopper

• The Walking Dead

- daryl dixon - rick grimes - maggie greene - negan - michonne grimes - carl grimes - glenn rhee - rosita espinosa - king ezekiel - jesus - abraham ford - shane walsh

• Outer Banks

- jj maybank - john b routledge - sarah cameron - pope heyward - kiara carrera - rafe cameron

• 13 Reasons Why

- clay jensen - hannah baker - jessica davis - justin foley - tony padilla - zach dempsey - alex standall - tyler down - skye miller

•Slashers/horror

- stu macher - billy loomis - jennifer check - colin gray - ethan landry - [will be adding more i just dont know how to write for some other movies cause i dont know all the lore for them 😭]

•Jackass/Viva La Bam

- bam margera - johnny knoxville - ryan dunn - chris pontius - chris raab - brandon dicamillo

• Pitch Perfect 1 and 2 (i don't like 3 i apologize)

- beca - emily junk - chloe beale - stacie conrad - ashley - cynthia rose - jesse - bumper - benji - pieter kramer - kommissar

The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

-damon salvatore - stefan salvatore - elena gilbert - klaus mikealson - elijah mikealson - rebekah mikealson - kol mikealson - bonnie bennet - jeremey gilbert - caroline forbes - kai parker -

• Avengers (+Loki and Valkyrie)

- tony stark - steve rogers - peter parker - natasha romanoff- thor odinson - bruce banner - loki laufeyson - valkyrie

• Guardians of the Galaxy

-peter quill - gamora - nebula - rocket raccoon - drax - mantis

• ATSV/ITSV

- miguel o’hara - hobie brown - miles morales - peter b. parker - gwen stacy - pavitr prabhakar -

• Youtubers

- colby brock - sam golbach - jake webber - johnnie guilbert - tarayummy - anthony padilla - ian hecox - damien haas - shayne topp -

• Wednesday

- wednesday addams - enid sinclair - ajax petropolus - xavier thorpe - bianca barclay -

• Miscellaneous

- theodore finch - pete davidson - david wooderson - joel miller (show & game) - jake peralta - tate langdon - willy wonka (timothee chalamet) - felix catton - oliver quick - joe goldberg - spencer shay - freddie benson

[will probably update in the future!]

[guy60660]

Alphonso Dunn

[ruushes]

Top 5 art tutorial youtubers

i wish i had a better answer for this but i don’t watch art tutorials…! 😩 (or rly youtube at all anymore but not the time/place for that rant lol) it’s just not rly a style of learning that works for me (‘:

THAT SAID i took a quick look and Alphonso Dunn seems to have a youtube channel, i haven’t watched it but i love his pen & ink drawing book, so i would check him out!

[female-malice]

do you follow any good youtubers? can you give a list ✨ thank you~

Alphonso Dunn

Ben Falk

BotezLive

Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

Happy Doggo

How to ADHD

James Gurney

Jomboy Media

Learn Your Land

Mushroom Wonderland

Not Just Bikes

Planet: Critical

Pete Beard

Red Letter Media

Strong Towns

TheReportOfTheWeek

Vihart

Women Hooping

Yellow Dot Studios

Yes Theory

[calebwittebane]

What youtube channels do you like? I'm looking for some new ones to watch

ok so!

media analysis, essays, philosophy and such: folding ideas, princess weekes, lola sebastian, jacob geller, philosophytube, shaun, adam neely, fab socialism, skip intro, yhara zayd

science and engineering and transport and such: practical engineering, technological connections, kyle hill, chubbyemu/heme review, alexander gustafsson, disaster breakdown, bobbybroccoli, kuracyja

commentary/drama/responses/what have you: d'angelo wallace, jordan adika, ethan is online

documentaries and deep dives: oki's weird stories, fredrik knudsen, defunctland, bobbybroccoli, folding ideas, princess weekes

art and music: alphonso dunn, sideways, adam neely

bolded+italicized are my Big Faves. some of them fit into a couple categories at once so i put them in each thats why they repeat.

other than that i enjoy doccos and yubetube podcasts from various creators about like, chemistry, trains, lesser known disasters in civil engineering and transport, natural phenomena, internal diseases, criminal law (likely the main cause for my absolute garbage recommendations LOL), mathematics, lost media and so on. it would take me A While to compile any sorta list of those

[fmp2gracieosborne]

Alphonso Dunn

Alphonso Dunn is an artist, educator, and author, best known for his work in pen and ink and his instruction on drawing. He authored two books on pen and ink drawing, Pen and Ink Drawing: A Simple Guide and Pen and Ink Drawing Workbook. 

In addition to his pen-and-ink work and art instruction books, Dunn is known for producing hundreds of free instructional videos on YouTube, which has over 700,000 followers.

His book are really good for beginners in art, he instructs how to do texture, shade and tone but also step by step guides in drawing specific objects, animals and even portraits.