The Rotten Apple

This year I want to take part in INKtober. It sounds like a lot of work, especially for someone as busy as me who also has a backlog of projects to clear and lists of things I want to try out.

First of all, I had a look at the list of prompts and, to be honest, not every word rings a bell.

The prompt for 1 October is: apple. Yes, the apple again. A fruit I mainly eat baked or cooked.

I decided to use Chinese ink to draw the apple first, using a brush. Visions of scribbled apples, which we drew with @tezmaxx, flashed before my eyes. No, this time no scribbles and certainly not the thicker, round brush.

The first strokes – the outline of the apple – were done in a few minutes. I’m pleased with it.

Before I started In had to prepare the canvas.
Needed: water, sponge, tape and time till it's dry.

No, I didn’t use the pen. Instead, I opted for Chinese ink and a brush, because this is one of those things I still enjoy experimenting with on canvas.

The next step is to colour in the apple. I don’t like colouring in, and right from the first stroke I noticed that the ink, which was already dry, was starting to blend with the paint.
My lines are too thick and I need to be more careful.

Whilst colouring, I tried to find the right colours, but it seems as though all the shades of a colour in my box look the same… So I have to work in layers, but somehow it looks messy.

Not that it matters, because this is the rotten apple. One rotten apple spoils the whole basket.

As you can see, you’d be better off not letting me colour in your comic, although… by the time the month’s over, I might well be a fully-fledged colourist.🤐

I’m wondering if I could use bamboo paper. I’ve still got two books lying around meant for study, and looking at these prompts, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to create anything (within the time I’ve set myself, because I want to do it quickly to get the hang of certain techniques, and I certainly don’t want to spend days working on a daily prompt).

I’ve put the canvas aside and picked up one of the books to do some sketching in it after all, and to see how watercolour works on this surface.

Here’s the result. I think it’s much better than the watercolour canvas. The paint dries quicker, so layers can be applied more quickly without the colours looking messy.

You can’t work wet-on-wet, but that doesn’t bother me. Another advantage is that once the paint is dry, it doesn’t dissolve any more! I assume this is also the case with Chinese ink.

Let me call the pieces below ‘after-the-fact studies’, in which I’ve incorporated a number of ideas that flashed through my mind regarding the apple. I also experimented with some colours whilst doing so.

And if you’re not satisfied, you can use a passe-partout to showcase a part of your painting.

Materials used:

• aquarel canvas
• Chinese ink
• round brush
• aquarel paint - cubes (Action)
• round brush

_{1.10.26
Prompt: apple
#artonsteemit #art #inktober #painting #inktober2026 #steemexclusive}