Every year artists around the world eagerly await the month of October to participate in the global InkTober challenge. An opportunity for artists to practice drawing, develop their skills and share their work with thousands of others who take part.
Created in 2009, it has grown into an annual global challenge with thousands of participants taking part.
Joining in on the Inktober challenge has become an annual tradition here at Motion Manor. Since we started, we’ve joined in with a twist. Rather than drawing for the sake of drawing the team wanted to use the opportunity to highlight amazing work that’s being done around conservation, rewilding and regeneration. Focusing our illustrations on endangered species, threatened habitats, and oceans at risk - not only allowed us to highlight the incredible organisations' work but also allowed us as a team to learn more about what’s happening across the UK in those spaces.
This year, we got in touch with a number of organisations to learn about the projects that they are trying to promote and see how the illustration we are creating could help raise awareness towards it. So without further ado, let's dive in!
To kick things off, our first digital sketch spotlighted Coed Cadw Cymru - Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity that protects and restores woodland and trees and supports sustainable agriculture.
For this post, the organisation wanted us to highlight Brynau Farm, where they practice conservation grazing with the help of the beautiful Welsh White Cows.
These incredible cattle help control vegetation by feeding on coarse grasses, shrubs, and woody plants, allowing more delicate native species to flourish. Their work directly supports biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem.
The Welsh Whites are not just any breed - they're rare, ancient, and deeply rooted in Welsh history, even tied to Welsh folklore.
The second illustration we did was the Pine Marten & Epiphytic Communities.
The Woodlands Trust were also trying to raise awareness about the dwindling population of Pine Martens and the importance of protecting ancient woodlands where these species as well as epiphytic communities thrive (mosses, ferns, bromeliads, lichens and liverworts).
Pine Martens, once widespread, are now critically endangered in Wales and England due to extensive hunting in the 1900s and habitat loss.
Epiphytic Communities on Trees, unfortunately, are also under threat in the UK, from many forms of pollution, and the decline of ancient woodlands.
Efforts are being made through the Pine Marten Recovery Project with the Vincent Wildlife Trust in collaboration with the Woodland Trust and other organisations to reintroduce them to places like Cwm Mynach, an ancient woodland in North Wales, and other locations around the UK. Ancient woods are our richest and most complex terrestrial habitat in the UK and they are home to more threatened species than any other.
Find out more about this project here.
The third illustration highlights the incredible work being undertaken to reintroduce the majestic White-tailed Eagles back to Wales.
The White-Tailed Eagles suffered intense human persecution, as landowners wanted all birds of prey destroyed. White-Tailed Eagles were labelled as livestock killers (like many other birds of prey) which caused population extinction in Wales by 1830 and the wider UK landscape by 1916.
The Eagle Reintroduction Wales (ERW) project is exploring the feasibility of reintroducing lost eagle species to Wales. Once a common sight in Welsh skies, both the Golden Eagle and White-tailed Eagle have been absent for over 150 years, despite suitable habitats. Led by Welsh raptor conservationist Dr Sophie-lee Williams, the project aims to restore White-tailed Eagles back to historic homes in partnership with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Gwent Wildlife Trust and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
You can get involved in the restoration of White-tailed Eagles to Southeast Wales and the Severn Estuary by taking part in their Public Opinion Survey and/or registering for one of their Project Workshops here.
Did you know there are three native snake species in the UK? One of them is the adder.
Adders are perhaps the most recognisable of the three, thanks to their distinct ‘zig-zag’ markings and the fact that they are the UK’s only venomous snake. Unfortunately, this leads to misunderstandings and, at times, persecution.
In reality, adders are shy and not aggressive. Most bites occur only when they are deliberately handled, provoked, or accidentally stepped on.
All amphibian and reptile species in the UK are in decline, largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation. The adder is especially vulnerable, as its limited mobility can lead to isolated populations.
To combat these declines, we collaborated with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC), a UK charity, working hard to protect these incredible species and their habitats through conservation efforts, public engagement, and research.
In Wales, the Natur am Byth Adder Action project aims to address recent, potentially urgent declines in adder populations. By working to restore habitats, we can help this iconic species recover.
Learn more about adder conservation here.
Their population is rapidly declining due to various factors, including habitat loss, food scarcity, road accidents, garden hazards, dog attacks, and even bonfires.
For this Inktober illustration, we teamed up with the British Hedgehog Society (BHPS), an organisation dedicated to protecting our native hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) through education and conservation efforts.
BHPS wanted to raise awareness about the dangers hedgehogs face during bonfire season, therefore, we created an illustration that they could utilise for their awareness poster. These creatures love nesting in piles of leaves and twigs, which puts them at risk, especially on bonfire nights. When threatened, hedgehogs instinctively curl up into a ball rather than flee.
So, please remember to move bonfire piles before lighting them, and always check for any nesting hedgehogs. Let's help keep them safe!
Learn more about their work here.
Ultimately, our goal in dedicating time and effort to these projects goes beyond creating “fluff.” We aim to meaningfully contribute to raising awareness about these incredible organisations and the vital work they do across the UK.
We won’t understand the longer-term value of the artwork for a little while, as each organisation has full permission to use the artwork in any way they see fit (at no cost to them). They can use them on tote bags, posters, donation letters, social media and more.
We’ll follow up in a few months to see if the artwork helped in any particular way, but in the meantime, we’re already seeing great traction online.
On Instagram, the Hedgehog illustration achieved over 6,270 views, reached 5,527 accounts and generated 628 interactions. It received 573 likes, 15 saves, and 10 comments, with 591 engaged accounts - a remarkable result. Their highest performing piece of content in October, but most importantly, bringing awareness to the organisation and their mission… saving the lives of hedgehogs in the process.
The engagement on their Facebook page also highlights just how impactful the poster we created for their bonfire awareness campaign was. The post garnered over 1.5K likes, 28 comments, and an incredible 5.4K shares - an amazing response!
Are you interested in getting your conservation project and your organisation highlighted in our next Inktober campaign? Sign up to the Motion Manor newsletter and you’ll be first to hear when applications open for our 2025 InkTober Campaign.
