InkTober - Week 2

I have seen SO many really inspiring #InkTober drawings this week.  It is awfully easy to listen to my inner critic (her name is Marjorie) that my stuff doesn't compare.  Well, you know what?  Marge is the only one that's actually comparing.  And while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including her, we can't let other's opinions guide our art.
I was pretty pleased with some of my drawings this week, others...not so much.  The point of InkTober isn't to produce a masterpiece every day, it's to draw something every day.  And every day you draw, you learn something.  Sometimes you learn what works, and sometimes you learn what doesn't.  Like most things in life, the more you practice, the more you improve.
Don't let the Marges get you down!
tangledinklings.ca, Carol Graham

InkTober

So, many of you have probably heard of InkTober...it was started in 2009, by artist Jake Parker as a challenge to complete one ink drawing a day in the month of October.  You can read more about it HERE

I know several artists who've done some pretty amazing stuff in the past. Just search #InkTober on Facebook or Instagram for a visual treat!  I think I found the idea intimidating - both to commit to producing some art every day, and to be able to produce something 'worthy'.  Worthy of what, exactly?  Some misguided perfectionism and judgement?

You know, I am blessed to be able to teach the Zentangle® Method to wonderful folks, who sometimes claim they don't have a creative bone in their bodies.  I tell them that I believe we are all creative.  That being able to create something, just for the sake of creating, is what sets humans apart from other animals.  I tell them I believe all children are 'artists', and that somehow we lose that confidence in our ability to create, as we grow older.  That I believe every time you try, you get better.  And I'm not just giving them a spiel...I do believe that about each and every one of them.  But if I truly believed that - to my core - wouldn't I believe that about myself too?  

So this year, I decided that I will participate in InkTober.  And that I will be gentle with myself.  I may not get a drawing done every day for 31 days, and that will be okay.  The art I do get done may not be perfect, but it will be worthy.  Worthy of the time I take to get in touch with the creator in me and practice my art.


tangledinklings.ca
These are my ink drawings for the first seven days

Hamilton Trip

We are on our way home from a road-trip to Hamilton, Ontario, where my partner went to an annual conference he likes to attend.  Even though the drive today around the lake was harrowing in spots, this has been a great trip.

We left Winnipeg a day later than usual, which allowed us to stop at The Dragonfly Ristorante in Massey, Ontario.  We usually travel through this little town on a Monday, when The Dragonfly is closed, so this is the first time we have eaten there.  The staff was friendly, the food delicious, the men's room quite interesting (!), and the whole place covered in dragonflies of all shapes and sizes.  I decided to tangle one and add to the mix...a Random Act of Zentangle.
                                      
On Wednesday, I got the chance to visit with some classmates from the Certified Zentangle Teacher Seminar XII, and to meet some fellow CZTs in and around Toronto.  I had a wonderful lunch with classmates Cheryl Hooper and Sue Sharp at a yummy little restaurant called Spark! Fresh Bar on Ossington, near Bloor.  The Crunch Salad was SO good. Thanks Cheryl, for introducing us to this gem.

Sue and I carried on to meet Cherryl Moote at her beautiful home/studio. We did not leave empty-handed...both of us bought a couple of Cherryl's books, and she shared some cool two-sided paper with us, that she'd found while in the US.  Thank you Cherryl, for your generosity and Sue, for being my co-pilot!

I can't believe I didn't take a single picture with any of these gals, even though I had my camera, my iPhone AND my iPad with me. Arrrgh!

The next day, I drove up to Elora, Ontario to meet Brenda Shaver Shahin at her adorable little store, the Half Moon Boutique.  Patricia Townsend (another classmate from CZT12) joined us, and together we did some collaborative tangling.  This time, I remembered to take a photo!
                                    
I didn't leave empty-handed from here either...not only do I have a great tile to remember my visit, I scored a great new purse too!




iPad Case

tangledinklings.ca, Carol Graham CZT12, Tangled Inklings
I picked up a plain white iPad case for $5, and tangled it.
I used a black Sakura IndentiPen, which flowed SO nice on the leather-like material.
Shading is with a grey Fabrico Dual-tipped marker,
and the red square is an Ultra-fine Point Sharpie.  
The grey cast you see around my name is because it couldn't lay flat on the scanner.
It is really quite white!

2014: What Brought Us Together

Every year brings changes
Some good, some bad
Some eagerly anticipated, some dreaded, and some completely unexpected
There were many such changes for me and my family this past year
Certainly, not all were welcomed
They made us grow
They brought us together
They brought us to now
And right now, this very moment, is all any of us have
Embrace your now
Live it
now

Here's a well-done, 10-minute, look-back video
through the good and the bad of 2014
by Canadian, Jean-Louis Nguyen.

my new license plate!


I was more excited than I'd like to admit when this came in the mail!

tangled inklings

My son put it on for me, so if you see me puttering around in my little car - be sure to wave!