Inktober Essentials
The Best Supplies for a Stress-Free Drawing Month
Getting ready for Inktober? I’ve put together the exact supplies I use every year to keep it fun, simple, and stress-free.
You’ll find all of them linked in my Amazon storefront so you can shop the whole list in one place, or browse individually below
Fine Line Pens
SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens
Micron pens are an essential for every artist. A great upgrade from ballpoint pens, they come in lots of different sizes. And it’s waterproof! The bigger the number, the thicker the pen.
Kelly’s Go To Sizes: 03, 05, and 08
Use for details and outlines in your ink drawings.
Marker Felt Tip Pen
Zebra Brush Pen Brush Sign Fine Point
A great pen for both thick lines and thin lines due to the high quality marker-like tip. One of my favorites for commissions as well.
Use for details and outlines in you ink drawings.
Brush Pen
Pentel Arts Portable Pocket Brush Pen
Traditional inking meant a brush and a jar of ink, this is the mess-free version of that! Waterproof, it’s great to combine with watercolor.
Use for inking organic lines and blocking in black spaces.
Brush Pen Refills
Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Refills
The nice thing about the pocket brush is that it’s refillable! You just buy a new cartridge when your pen runs out of ink instead of a whole new pen.
Click Here to Shop → 2 Pack
Click Here to Shop → 9 Pack
The Best White Pen Ever
Uni-ball UM 153 Signo Broad Point Gel Pen
I love this white pen the most. I find other white gel pens are too thin, but this is opaque and wonderful.
Use to quickly cover mistakes or add white details back into the ink.
Oops - White Cover Up for Ink
Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White Fine Art Paint
Ya know how ink is permanent? Well this helps a lot of those smears from your hard, drips, and general mistakes while inking. Just put some over your ink with a brush (or i use my finger half the time), let it dry, and POOF. That oops didn’t happen.
The undo button for inking.
Sketchbook Thick/Smooth Paper
Strathmore 566-8 500 Series Mixed Media Art Journal
Mixed media paper is smooth for clean pen lines, textured for dry media, and thick enough for ink or light watercolor. Perfect for Inktober sketches and inking.
Click Here to Shop → Hardcover - great for travel
Click Here to Shop → Softcover - lays flat easy
Good Quality Drawing Pencils
General's Kimberly Graphite Drawing Pencils, HB
I like HB pencils because they are not too soft and not too hard. Soft pencils are more black on the page, and hard pencils are lighter. HB is right in the middle.
Use for sketching before you ink your drawing.
Click Here to Shop → 12 HB Pencils
Click Here to Shop → Variety Pack of Pencils
The Best Drawing Pencils
Blackwing Palomino 602
Beautifully smooth pencils that write like butter. I was skeptical before I tried them, but then I did and WOW, unbelievable nice. So smooth it feels link a pen. Love these.
Use for sketching before you ink your drawing.
Good Sketching for Layering Pencils
Caran d'Ache Sketcher Non-Photo Blue
If you’re used to digital art, this is a great way to work with layers in a sketchbook. Draw in blue first, then pencil, then ink it, and you can erase out the sketch after.
Use as the sketch layer under your pencil drawing.
The Best Pencil Sharpener
Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener
If you’ve ever been frustrated at a pencil sharpener that just eats your pencils, me too. And this one doesn’t! Had mine for years and really pleased with the quality.
Eraser Pen for Little Spots
Tombow Mono Knock Erasers
Really great for those hard to reach spots where you wanna erase a little detail but not the whole thing. They also have refills.
Use to remove the pencil underneath your ink drawing.
Eraser Pen Refills
Tombow Mono Knock Eraser Refills
For when you run out of eraser, just refill it instead of getting a whole new pen.
Use to remove the pencil underneath your ink drawing.
White Firm Eraser
Pentel Hi-Polymer Block Eraser Small White
This is my favorite eraser of all time! Super clean, soft, and great for removing both pencil and colored pencil.
Use to remove the pencil underneath your ink drawing.
Gray Soft Eraser
Faber-Castell Kneadable Eraser for Artists in Storage Case
If the white hi-poly eraser pick up too much material, and you want something that is soft and great for blending, try this one.
Use to lighten the pencil underneath your ink drawing.
Click Here to Shop → 2 Pack
Click Here to Shop → 4 Pack
Tips and Tricks on TikTok
I’ll also be sharing helpful info on TikTok to help you finish the challenge, stay motivated, and keep it low stress. If you want some extra encouragement along the way, follow me there for quick advice and inspiration.
If you’re still looking for a prompt list, or wanna switch it up, below is the official inktober list, my cozy and spooky 2025 lists, and some others I’ve found around the internet that look fun!
