Inktober 2026 became a month-long exercise in returning to comics, cartooning and character-based storytelling after a long period away from drawing regularly.
I used the 31 prompts to revisit older characters including Sjonni and Frikki, Mikki and Mangi, and Erpur and Jarpur, while exploring character acting, body language, comic timing and how much story can be suggested in a single image.
The project also gave me a chance to re-establish my working process, moving between traditional sketching and digital drawing in Procreate and Clip Studio Paint. By the end of the month, the characters had begun to develop again and several of the one-panel ideas were already suggesting larger stories.
What started as a drawing challenge became the beginning of new comic work.
Inktober ended. The comics didn’t.
APPLE — Erpur & Jarpur discover that apples can be surprisingly dangerous
RELIC — Sjonni tries to impress a woman with tales of his former glory
MINIATURE — Mikki proudly unveils a rather small automotive achievement
CACTUS — Sjonni discovers that answering the call of nature can have consequences
SMACK — Erpur & Jarpur are running late for a very Icelandic feast
OGRE — Erpur & Jarpur encounter something considerably bigger than expected
PANIC — Mikki’s latest motoring idea causes mild concern among pedestrians
STINKY — Sjonni wonders whether this means he’s finally back
RAM — Jarpur realises, slightly too late, that he may have made a huge mistake
MYSTICAL — Sjonni has a spiritual experience involving mushrooms
RESCUE — Sjonni attempts a heroic rescue of a very familiar-looking rat
TOSS — Sjonni learns exactly what one woman thinks of him
FLIMSY — Erpur & Jarpur discover the downside of buying bargain weapons
LADY — Erpur becomes “Erplene” in a highly questionable distraction plan
HOORAY — Sjonni achieves the almost impossible: doing the dishes
GANGLY — Drunk Jarpur offers Erpur some completely unnecessary observations
CONTRAPTION — Sjonni receives technical instructions from someone speaking fluent Smurf
FLIGHTLESS — The magnificent Sjonnisaurus proves that feathers are no guarantee of flight
CONFUSION — Too many Smurfs attempt to explain one machine at the same time
LOUNGE — Sjonni introduces the world to the fine art of post-party lounging
HERO — When the chemical cocktail peaks, Super Sjonni answers the call
BEACON — Erpur hears “bacon” while the raiding party waits for a signal
DAPPER — Sjonni cleans up well… staying that way is another matter
BAKE — Frikki takes “wake and bake” rather more literally than intended
FRACTURE — Erpur suspects he may have pulled something
ZIP — One tiny lie lands Sjonni in a spectacularly awkward conversation
DUMB — Mikki unveils the future of motoring, whether Mangi likes it or not
TROPHY — Sjonni carefully selects the trophies most likely to impress his date
TUSK — Erpur finds a walrus and immediately has a terrible idea
COOKIE — Sjonni’s parents discover the wrong box of biscuits
FLEX — Everybody flexes their muscles while Mangi sensibly makes his exit
