Before 2024 rolls in I wanted to document something I did this year! I participated in Folktale Week! For those who also follow me on Instagram (@MayaLikesArt), you’ve might have seen all of this back in November. But in case you didn’t. What is it? It’s a week-long social media art challenge, where organizers announce 7 prompts for us to illustrate over one specific week. I really wanted to challenge myself to come up with something original this time around. Honestly, I can’t believe I managed to stay on top of it. Just shows you how helpful these art challenges are in getting you to make art right away! Also, seeing all the other amazing artists share their works and support each other was very encouraging.

I decided to bring back a character I used to draw a lot. Some of my followers might recognize her from my Inktober challenge experience. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a sample of that…from 2019!

Below are my illustrations for 2023 Folktale Week! My goal was to try to string the prompts loosely into a story. Maybe someday I will turn this into a children’s book. I think it has potential?! Which of the 7 prompts/illustrations is your favourite? (Click to view in gallery view).

And here’s a sample of my character from 2019’s Inktober Art Challenge!

Fingers crossed I can try again next year! If you’ve never tried an art challenge, I hope you give it a go. There’s so many to choose from online. Although many come with suggested “rules” (specific prompts, subjects, deadlines, materials etc.), remember you can change things! Change the prompt to something more suited to you, adjust the the due dates to fit your schedule, just treat yourself to a fun creative challenge! Or make your own and see where it takes you!