What a month! Oct 24

Welcome to What a Month! (WHAM!)

Hello, everyone, and a special shoutout to my new patrons! Welcome to my monthly digest where I share my art, experiences, and future plans. This October has been packed with challenges and new adventures, so let’s dive right into the highlights of WHAM for this month!

In the WHAM
October challenges • War with IG and new platforms • Arthur Ferrier's promo • Watercolored pinup • Naked Anutka (wait, what?)

🖌️ October Art Challenges: Inktober, Pinuptober, and Hardtober

October brought not one, but three art challenges! For those who might not know, Inktober is an annual challenge where artists worldwide create daily black-and-white ink drawings based on specific themes. This year, I decided to join Pinuptober as well—a pinup-centric challenge organized by the amazing @deuza_art, which allows for full creative freedom with no black-and-white restrictions. And, because I’m a glutton for punishment (or maybe just love a good challenge), I also gave Hardtober a shot. Hardtober has weekly themes with a bit of an adult twist, and it aims to highlight erotic art. Sadly, I only completed one of the four themes, but I’m already planning to give it my all next year!

⚔️ War with Instagram & Expanding to New Platforms

This month has been a struggle with Instagram due to its increased censorship of illustrated nudity. Almost every post I shared received warnings, even those that were relatively tame. With a recent incident where a fellow artist’s Meta accounts were banned, I decided to stop risking my audience. As of now, Instagram will only be for teasers and announcements. Full pinup artwork? Not anymore.

But there’s a silver lining! Anutkajpg is expanding! I launched a Telegram channel where I can freely share the type of content that would otherwise be flagged on Instagram. There, you’ll find more personal insights into my life as an artist, including memes, gripes about censorship, behind-the-scenes content from my life-drawing sessions, and much more. If you haven’t joined yet—give it a try! It’s free, fun, and gives us a more direct way to chat.

I’m also exploring Tumblr and BlueSky as potential Instagram alternatives. Tumblr has a vibrant community and currently no censorship issues, while BlueSky offers a decentralized option that gives me control if I decide to host my own server. It’s a work in progress, but I love having options.

🎨 Arthur Ferrier’s Artbook Promotion on Kickstarter

As some of you already know from my Telegram, I’ve partnered with Korero Press to help promote their upcoming Kickstarter campaign for a three-volume artbook set by the legendary pinup artist Arthur Ferrier. I love Ferrier’s humor and style, and this has been such a fun project to work on! I filmed a promo reel for Instagram and am working on a remake of one of his pieces. Look out for that on IG on November 12th, the day the campaign launches (and, of course, it’ll be shared here even earlier).

💦 Watercolor Pinup & My First Exhibition

I’m thrilled (and a bit terrified) to be participating in my first real-world exhibition, Feelings, in Yerevan, Armenia. This group show has pushed me out of my digital comfort zone and into the world of traditional art. I spent much of October preparing my pieces, and exploring watercolor techniques for my pinup style. Here’s a sneak peek at some work-in-progress shots! The exhibition opens on November 15th, and I can’t wait to share my reflections in next month’s WHAM.

This journey into traditional art has been eye-opening, and honestly, the more I work with watercolors, the more I fall in love with the medium. It’s a whole new way to see my work come to life.

🍑 Becoming a Model (Yes, Really!)

Another milestone for October—I tried modeling! Yep, I was the one in front of the easel this time, with minimal clothing might I add! It was a hilarious and insightful experience. Here’s a snapshot of my entire “outfit” for the session 😅.

Modeling gave me a newfound respect for the people I usually draw, and it’s definitely something I’d love to explore more in the future.

And that wraps up the biggest highlights of October! Thank you to everyone who’s joined me on this journey and supported my work, especially my new patrons—your presence here means so much. Let’s see what November has in store! ❤️