Inktober 2019 - Day 10

"Inktober" take 10: Pattern. When it comes to drawing zebras, I have a love/hate relationship. You think drawing a zebra's stripes can't be that complicated, until you try it for yourself.

Though I tried to make this simple, drawing it (and cleaning it up in Photoshop) was no piece of cake.

"Fantasytober" take 10: Dorky Twilight. My favorite of today's entries, by far. Everybody who knows me knows how I feel about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, so I'll just let the following image do all the talking. You know what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes even ten thousand.

Inktober 2019 - Day 9

Boy-howdy, the temperatures have taken a plummet this week. Just tonight, my mom and little brother made the "sign of evil" against the weatherman, which I personally thought was a bit over-the-top.

But we did have a lovely evening with the Relief Society; they had a "Soup & Swap" night, so we brought over stuff in good condition that we don't need anymore (clothes, books, old handbags; I even found a journal that hadn't been touched yet), and we had soup and rolls. I'm not much of a soup person, but someone brought along this real nice "funeral potatoes" soup that's even nicer with shredded cheese and bits of bacon.

Soup is quite popular at Kneaders, too. At least one in three people order soup with their meals, and a couple of people have asked, "When are you gonna start serving potato soup or chili or clam chowder?" Well, I don't make the orders; I just follow them. But if they ever do start serving potato soup or clam chowder, I might have a bowl or two myself.

Now, whilst Sesame Street's "Count Up to Nine" plays in the background, I present to you number nine of "Inktober": Swing. And who can resist a pair of adorable little monkeys swinging through the vines?

Number nine of "Fantasytober": The Weird Sisters. Double, double, toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble! By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!

Inktober 2019 - Day 8

Entering week 2 of "Inktober" and "Fantasytober." Just a little less than a month left until "NaNoWriMo" (and yes, I'm participating in that, too), and a little less than three months left in the year and decade. Ho-o-o-o-oly eggbeaters, Batman!

So, "Inktober" #8: Frail. Given how complex my last entry was, I went for something a bit simpler this time, but I tried to make this drawing pretty just the same. I'm not much of a bug person (anything with more than four legs, or less than two, gives me the willies) but I love butterflies.

"Fantasytober" #8: Pac-Man-Style Ghosts. Even if you didn't play "Pac-Man" that often as a kid, I'm sure you remember the general design of the game, especially the ghosts. It's amazing how much fun you can have with very simple shapes.

Inktober 2019 - Day 7

A full week into "Inktober," and so far, so good.

On the side, Mom got a new bed today. Well, it wasn't really new; it used to belong to Mom's friend, Kayalauna, but when she got a new bed, she let us have the old one for free, since it's still in good condition. We're still keeping our old wooden frame and everything, so the only difference is the mattress is a bit higher and firmer to the touch, but quite comfy.

Now, on to the art. For lucky number seven: Enchanted. This is one of my favorites, but also one of the biggest pains in the butt to draw and clean up. I spent almost the entire day on this alone, and I had the day off from work, too.

For "Fantasytober" #7: Cute Bat. Bats have never been my specialty, but at least I did something harmless and adorable for a change, and this gave me less of a headache than my "Enchanted" entry. I also listened to Sesame Street's "Batty Bat" to set the mood.

Inktober 2019 - Day 6 (and General Conference and My Teacher)

General Conference has ended, and I realize it's been a complete year since the passing of my Creative Writing teacher, Kay Cannon.

I already have a blog entry dedicated to her but I'll say it again: she's the one who got me to take writing seriously in the beginning. Writing was a fun enough hobby as a kid, but she persuaded me to consider it for an actual career.

It's thanks to Mrs. Cannon that I now hold a college degree in Creative Writing...but more than that, she made me feel like I had genuine talent at something, and that means a lot to an "Average Jane" teenager going through a lonely, insecure period. She congratulated me on Facebook when I graduated, and she offered her condolences when Dad died; she still remembered her own dad's death vividly, and now she's with him again.

Apparently she's affected a lot of other kids besides me, because I read plenty of her praises on social media when she died. I'm not surprised. You could say she was everything a teacher should be, and more.

On a more uplifting note, President Nelson has told us next General Conference, in April, will be extra-special because 2020 will mark 200 years since Joseph Smith's First Vision, and he challenged us to read the account of the First Vision again as well as the Book of Mormon. And speaking of the Book of Mormon, they're releasing some impressive short videos about Book of Mormon stories, similar to the "Life of Christ" videos they released a couple of years back. Those should be interesting.

In ten more years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will celebrate its 200-year mark, too.

I'll tell you this: the Church of Jesus Christ, the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, have definitely kept me going through my rough patches. The losses of my dad and grandparents, as sad as they are, are made much more bearable with the promise of life after death and forever families. For that matter, I've never really had to question where Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa are now, or whether I'll see them again. A part of me has just known; the timing of their passing bothers me more than anything else.

Sadly, not everyone I know shares my beliefs, and at least three people that I thought were my best friends have stopped talking to me because of those beliefs. I remember we had a few unpleasant clashes about certain topics, and now they've just cut me off altogether. I know I shouldn't judge them but it still hurts that they allowed our differences to get in the way of our friendship. I was willing to work past those differences; clearly, they did not think the same.

Well, when all is said and done, I'd rather lose them than the gospel. I'd rather live my life alone with the Savior on my side than live my life surrounded by the entire world without the Savior. I know there's a lot I still need to work on, but there are some things I've done that I'm rather proud of as well.

Now, then, "Inktober" once again. Day 6: Husky. I used a great deal of black ink this past week. It's a good thing I recently bought a whole packet of Sharpies, although two Sharpies are just about dried up by now. But the drawing (and coloring) itself has been quite relaxing. No wonder adult coloring books are all the rage these days, and here's hoping I can make one of my own.

"Fantasytober," day 6: Witch's Apple. Another picture that bites, almost literally!

Inktober 2019 - Day 5

General Conference weekend has arrived. Regretfully, I had to work this morning and most of the afternoon, but I got home in time to catch the last couple of speakers for the Saturday afternoon session, and then I joined my entire family in the Women's Session at our stake center, and afterward we had dinner at Dairy Queen. Then Mom and Christine had to make a quick (or not so quick) trip to the store, and we went to none other than my old work place, WinCo Foods.

This means I was out of the house for most of the day, so access to my computer and art stuff was very limited. But it was a pretty good day overall; I even brought home a bunch of gingerbread mummies from work, as a special family treat, just because.

And you know the old saying, "Better late than never." So, without further ado, here's "Inktober" entry #5: Build. Pretty adorable, eh?

Day 5 for "Fantasytober": A Werewolf with Candy. Some of my werewolf characters may be sympathetic and even friendly; others, you'll want to run as far away from them as possible, as quickly as possible! And I love candy to pieces, but not that many pieces.

Inktober 2019 - Day 4

Today went so much better. It's almost worth being sick just to feel that wonderful relief afterwards, although my case wasn't that serious. Mostly I just had to use the restroom a lot, and they don't pay me to waste all day in the restroom. Once I got home, had plenty of fluids, and got a good night's sleep, I felt as good as new.

I even got some much-needed pops out of my neck and back; I must have turned my neck wrong the day before, so it really hurt to turn my neck this way or that way, and Mom could feel a hard knot in my shoulder area when she gave me a massage. I've been popping my neck and back pretty consistently since junior high; it used to drive my dad up the wall.

Since Mom has to go shopping soon, I stayed after work to have lunch (a turkey sandwich, tomato soup, Dr. Pepper, and a chocolate dome, all delicious!) and place a special order for my family for tomorrow (gingerbread mummies; they taste a lot like Grandpa's old gingersnaps).

I'm also trying to decide what to get my mom for her birthday, which is October 15. She's pretty easy to shop for, and she never liked to have a fuss made over her. But because it's her birthday, and because she's Mom, she deserves something nice. A little tiny Dad is telling me so, even now!

Now then, day 4 of "Inktober": Freeze. Pretty cool pun, innit? Ha, ha, ha!

Day 4 of "Fantasytober": Vampire Faun. I rather had fun with this one, and no, he does not sparkle in the sunlight and he will not sneak into your house just to watch you sleep!