Inktober Sketchbook with Bernabe Martinez

A couple years ago Bernabe Martinez, Chicago-born self-taught artist, and I teamed up for an Inktober collaboration. We released just 10, not sure of what to expect. We were giddy as they sold out almost immediately! We talked about collaborating again the next year, but I ended up stepping back from bookbinding and put Lake Michigan Book Press on hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time. Come July of 2025, LMBP was resurrected and that same month Bernie and I were already in talks about another Inktober collabortation. This time we upped the release to 13 because, well, it's a nice spooky number but to also give a few more people the opportunity to snag one. We were once again pleasantly surprised as they were snapped up by Bernie's passionate friends, followers, and fellow artists.

It was such a pleasure working with Bernie again, and his artwork is fantastic. Below are photos from our first collaboration, and of our second. Looking forward to making this an annual collaborative effort. Read more about Bernabe Martinez, his art, and links to his social media below the photos.

Inktober 2023:

Inktober 2025:

Bernabe Martinez is a Chicago-born and raised artist. He has had a love for drawing since he first held his first crayon. The supplies have changed but that love for art has stayed constant.

Martinez has been a part of multiple group art exhibitions and has had a solo show titled Vida en Muerte hosted at ArtSpace Chicago in October 2023. He is a very active member of the art community, both virtually and in person. As a member of the Chicago Urban Sketchers, a great community of artists, he volunteers his help to set up events and art shows and also teaches the use of markers to groups of Urban Sketchers (and anyone else who may be interested).

You can see more of his art, or purchase prints at daydreamingarts.com. You can also follow him on Instagram @bernabemtz and Twitch.