EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2012

Well, I almost forgot about inchies this week, what with Christmas and all.

And this week's theme wasn't the easiest. 

But there is a cute little story behind what I finally decided as my interpretation:

 

Rainbow

Toronto's major access route from the suburbs to downtown and back, is the Don Valley Parkway.  Running along the side of the Parkway at a certain point -- and you can only see it if you are going northbound -- is a pedestrian underpass for people wishing to enjoy the adjoining parkland..

Back in 1972, a 16 year-old, Berg Johnson from Norway, got the great idea to paint a rainbow around the outside of the tunnel to bring some cheer to commuters heading home from work at the end of the day, especially if they were stuck in rush hour on what is facetiously often called the Don Valley Parking Lot. 

Parks Departments being what they are, they immediately painted over Johnson's rainbow. But he persevered and each time they painted over it, he repainted it -- 40 times! --  eventually winning them over. It was quite a daunting task to paint the rainbow. There is what was thought at the time to be an unused CN rail track running above the tunnel. Johnson was hanging upside down from a rope attached to the rails in order to paint the tunnel when a train whizzed by, slicing the rope and sending him down the embankment where he suffered a broken leg. He used a ladder for the next 39 times!

Various people have tried to restore the deterioration that has taken place over the years, but only recently has the city decided to restore the landmark so familiar to Torontonians. The $20,000 two-phase project will turn the entire tunnel into public art, with the help of local youth. It only took them 40 years (there's that number again, AJ and snafu) to come to their senses!

This is what it looked like at its worst....

 

...and at its best:

I am sure there will be some fascinating rainbow inchies here this week. Why not pop over and take a look!

So Much Fun!

It took a few weeks to complete this one, but I must say it was so easy, and so relaxing....especially after a long day of Christmas shopping, for example.

One of the greatest assets to this form of art is that it is SO forgiving. I made a major mistake with this one, but unless you look really carefully you probably won't discover it. 

You'll see plenty of minor mistakes, though....

but it doesn't matter, because the overall effect of the end result is so pleasing -- to me, anyway!

I'm ready to start another one. It's great just to be able to pick it up and put it down at will...although I must admit I am not so quick to put it down, as I am always ready for the next stage, and wanting to see how it will turn out. 

I've  purchased some Pigma Micron coloured pens which I am anxious to try out, but I don't think you will see anything posted here until after the New Year now!

Hope YOU have a very happy Christmas, however you celebrate.  

At my house, Jesus, the Saviour, is the reason for our celebrations!

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2012

You know it's almost Christmas when.....

...you fall behind in just about everything that needs to be done.

And that covers inchies, too...but at least I am only almost a day behind with it.

This week's theme is 

Unfortunately, this idea was not original with me, but I thought it was so clever, 

I just had to draw it!

There are some terrific interpretations of 'music' here

I have made my sister's (flamblogger) my favourite this week - such a great idea and interpretation!

Only 3 Inchie Mondays left in 2012!

Next week's theme is rainbow...gonna have a hard time being original with that one!

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY X THREE

Although we had a wonderful vacation together, unlike ChrisJ, I opted to wait until I returned home to post this week's and the previous two weeks' inchies.

So here they are:

November 19th - accessory

A zentangled purse!

November 26th - air

 Air Canada - which took me safely half-way to Kauai, and back again! (because the closest they get is Los Angeles. United did the rest of the journey)

and finally:

December 3rd - magic

Being ever so humble, my rabbit decided not to upstage that other

rabbit-in-the-hat (which you can find among other magic inchies, here), and stay inside his hat.

He will only come out when he hears the magic word...

sshhh...it's "carrot"

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Can you believe that it is almost the middle of November?

There are Christmas carols playing in the supermarkets, 

and Christmas decorations are everywhere...

I AM NOT READY FOR THIS!

Ah well, life goes on and today is Inchie Monday.

The theme this week is

Mane.

I think we were all on a similar track this week...no pun intended...

although my horse with the mangy mane doesn't look like he could take on any races --

I certainly wouldn't bet on him.

But he does sort-of grab at your heart, doesn't he?

You can find some super interpretations of this week's theme

here

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY: NOVEMBER 5, 2012

I worked on two different Inchies for this week's challenge. I should say that I actually tried a number of different options, but ended up with two favourites.

This week's theme is

 

Heart

I love the effect of the silver on red, and the white on black.

But my most favourite, and the one I am submitting for the challenge,
is the silver on red.


I am anticipating there will be lots of creative ideas on this theme. You will eventually find them all

here



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2012

This week's inchie theme is

 Light


My interpretation is quite timely, given the massive storm that is headed up the east coast towards us tomorrow. We won't get the impact that will likely be felt in the States (although we are hoping and praying it will be much less than anticipated there, too), and I don't know if there will be any lightning, but there sure will be a ton of water!

 There will also be a ton of varied and artistic interpretations of this inchie theme tomorrow (unless everyone is washed out!). Be sure to go here to see them all!



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

This was an especially fun theme for me, as I have just recently purchased two metallic art pens - gold and silver.  I was eager to try them out, and started doodling on black paper to see what the effect would be - I loved it right away, and when I saw this week's inchie theme, well, what better to interpret it with, than a silver 'tangle' inchie!

This is the result:

 Silver

This is my official entry for the challenge. I am so pleased that the 'silveryness' of it showed up so well, even after scanning.

You can go to my art blog and see that the gold pen didn't fare as well, after scanning

 This was my practice 'silver' inchie. It's ok, but I like my official one better!

Please take a moment to go here and see some amazingly creative interpretations of this week's inchie theme!

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012

 

 

This week's Inchie theme is

 

 

Ocean

 

 

Those are some pretty gruesome-looking fishes...!!

 

For some much better ones, click here to see our talented Inchie artists' renditions!



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012

Well, because of our Thanksgiving holiday long weekend, it seems like it has taken me an eternity to get to this week's inchie!

The theme is:

eternity, of course!!

Among the very many things I am thankful for, including a wonderful time with all our family (almost all - two very important and special members were missing, through no fault of their own!) over here yesterday for a Thanksgiving meal, is the fact that I managed to get this inchie completed before the end of this week!

There are many lovely interpretations of the 'eternity' theme here for you to enjoy. Considering it was not an easy theme to interpret, I think we all did very well.

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

This week's inchie theme is 

Boat

My inchie for last week's theme of 'wind' could have served a dual purpose and been used as 'boat' for this week...but I have had Pooh on my mind for a little while now (can't believe I just said that)!

You should go here for some really great interpretations of 'boat'

Oh, and you might like to take a look at my new blog, "Kaybee's Art"

started just as a place to store my art as I complete each project - but no inchies there - only all my other art and photos!! You will find the page of photos by clicking on the Kaybee's Photos link down the right side of the new blog.

Once I have a substantial number of projects completed and posted, I may get one of those "Blog to Print" books made up to keep as a memento for my family. My sister, chrisj, and I have both had them made up before, and they turn out very well. You should check them out!

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012...

 

  

...only it's Tuesday today - I'm a little late with this.

 

It is a very windy day today, though - so this week's theme is quite appropriate:

 

 

 

 

wind

 

I especially love this week's variety of wind interpretations  - you can take a look at them all here. This inchie challenge attracts lots of talented people every week!

Tangle ATC

I had so much fun working on this tangle

 

and I actually am quite pleased with it.

 

 

I still see areas that need improvement, but I am feeling much more encouraged and am ready to begin another!

 

 

 

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

 

 

 

This week's inchie theme is...

 

 

 

 

 

Wall

 

 

Ever since I saw the theme for this week, I just couldn't get this silly song out of my mind:

 

 

Ten green bottles sitting on the wall,

Ten green bottles sitting on the wall,

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,

There'll be nine green bottles sitting on the wall.

 

For some reason, on this side of the ocean, we replace sitting with hanging.

 

Can't say I have ever seen bottles hanging on a wall, but then neither have I ever seen 10 green bottles sitting on a wall!

 

There are some interesting interpretations of the theme here

and you will also see that ChrisJ has done a great job of catching up on the six or so inchie weeks that she missed!
 



The UK - All in a Tangle!

I got this idea from a book - someone had done the same with a map of the States...

 

...and I have been working on it for a while. In fact, this is my second attempt, as I made a nasty mess in Northamptonshire on the first one!

 

I know my outlines of the counties are not entirely accurate, but I tried to keep to the original as much as possible.

(I am sincerely hoping that the original county outlines found on line are accurate - things have changed muchly since I left the UK in 1962! - Well, if not, hopefully someone can direct me to an accurate county outline and I will start all over again!)

 

For my UK bloggers, please forgive if my representation of your county leaves something to be desired :{

 

Because it holds very special memories for me, East Yorkshire (or, as we used to say, the East Riding of Yorkshire) is a heart tangle.

 

If you would like to try this for yourself, you can find the outline map here 

 

The map with the county names inserted is here

 

 

 If you click on it, you will see it  more clearly.
 

 My original plan was to personalize each county with a drawing of its flag - that would have been lovely. But so many of the flags are very detailed and complicated - I could never have accomplished that task. If you would like to rise to the challenge, there is a listing of each British flag for counties, regions and cities here. You will have to arrow down through a myriad of flags, but you will get to them eventually. It is quite an interesting page, actually.

Anyway, good luck if you are going to attempt this! And when you are done, be sure to post it so that we can all see the end result (perhaps this time next year!)

Now it's time to do Canada-in-a-Tangle!



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

Wow!  How did it get to be September already!

 

 

 

This week's Inchie theme is:

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset

 

 

Those birds have become my trademark, I think!

 

This inchie should please my sister, ChrisJ - it is supposed to look a little like the lighthouse at Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, UK - our home (well, not the lighthouse, but the headland) for many wonderful years.

 

We lived in the Dormy House - a little cabin right on the edge of the cliff, belonging to the golf club where my father was the manager. The golf course ranged back from the cliff edge and one of my favourite pastimes was to search the cliffs for lost golf balls and sell them back to my dad!

 

There are sure to be many more wonderful interpretations of the 'sunset' theme here

 

It's hard to believe this year's inchie challenge will be over in just a  few months!  But there are still 16 themes to go - yay!

 



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

This week's Inchie theme is

Window

The rest of the submissions are slow-coming this week, I guess because of long weekend holidays in Canada, and I think in the UK, too.

But keep an eye here 

and you will soon see some great interpretations of the window theme!

Learning from my sister

No, it's not an Inchie

It's a Doodle (about 3" x 3")

My sister does a great job of this sort of thing and I am trying to learn from her.

This is my first attempt. I'm not so pleased with it

(made a few blunders - but we learn by our mistakes, right?)

but I must say it is a very relaxing pastime.

Although she has only posted one of these doodles

(look for one called 'after the rain')

you can find my sister's artwork here:

http://chrisj-prismeraatcs.blogspot.ca/

I think you will be very impressed!

I think I will call mine "a muddled mess" !!

EVERY INCHIE MONDAY AUGUST 27, 2012

 

 

This week's Inchie theme is:

 

World

 

My eyes testify today that the Inchie world is indeed a small, small world :}

 

This inchie is dedicated to my cousin, snafu - who absolutely LOVES the little Disney Jingle. You can rest assured that he will be singing it for at least the next week....round and round and round and round in his head.

 

Just in case he forgets the tune I have posted a link to a youtube video of a family taking the Small World ride at Walt Disney World. It's quite lovely, actually.  Watch for the geese singing along - so cute!
Snafu, you can even learn the words in different languages should you so desire :),  oh...and it's the longer version, too - just for you!

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/undercovertourist?v=5ni7FRenk2A

 

Now, how did that tune go again?

 

---

 

For those of you who would like to join us (not in the song, but in the Inchie challenge), you can find some inspiration here

 

 

 

 



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY AUGUST 20, 2012

This week's Inchie theme is

eye

I had lots of fun with this one, and chose
'the eye of the storm'
as my interpretation.

The one above is my official submission to the challenge, but here are some others I played with:

These look like chalk, but in actual fact I used a silver and gold marker, and then used coloured pencils over top. Made an unusual finish, I think.

There are some other really great interpretations of the theme here

Just lovin' this challenge!



EVERY INCHIE MONDAY AUGUST 13, 2012

This week's Inchie challenge is:

House

This is the one I am submitting for the challenge

and this one...

...I just did for fun!

I can't express just how much I love drawing inchies!

Maybe you just like to look at them.

If so, you can find some great interpretations of each week's theme here



Hollywood - More of the Weird and Wonderful (Part Four)

(If you have just landed here, please be sure to see my two recently previous posts - this is a continuation)

Graffiti Like You've Never Seen Before!

Well, I am sure there is another name for it, because it is not written, drawn or sprayed on  --

but it definitely is 'wall-painting'!

(you will need to click on the photos for the best effect and view)

And no, they are not window-washing, either!

It seems to me that they are painting every detail, from buckets of paint

Putting on the final details?

What an amazing job! 

I would have loved to see this from start to finish - wonder how long it took in total?

I am sure one of my followers will recognize this as an ad for a movie?  But I have no idea which one! If we can know that, perhaps we can google the ad and see exactly how it was accomplished.

I bet some of my artistic followers would love to take up this painting challenge! Quite a switch from an Inchie!

Santa Monica Beach is coming up next...



Hollywood - More of the Weird and Wonderful (Part Three)

A little view of Los Angeles

On the double-decker Hoppa Bus

Where would you like to go next?  Sorry, the Hoppa Bus is not going THAT far!

A unique luggage store

Serenaded by a Mennonite Choir, at this bus stop!

That's us - a self-photo!

Stella McCartney's store (daughter of Sir Paul, for the uninitiated)

You can always shop on-line here, if you are not going to LA anytime soon :}

A unique sales pitch

More to come!



Hollywood - More of the Weird and Wonderful (Part Two)

So I am not sure how far I will get with posting more from our Hollywood/LA trip. I have divided my photos into three groups, so perhaps three postings.

This is the little hotel (about 20 rooms I believe) where we stayed, just around the corner from Hollywood Blvd., within walking distance, but far enough away from all the hullabaloo to be able to sleep. I would recommend it, but don't expect anything fancy. It is desperately in need of renovations and although breakfast is included in the price, you virtually have to beat the crowd to get anything - just some items (cereal and muffins, tea, coffee and juice) laid out on a small table in a dining room as small as a ship's galley. People were stacking their plates the minute the door opened, and taking it all back to their rooms. (As one reviewer said, "Who needs breakfast if there is a Starbucks nearby!") We didn't mind the conditions at all - all we did was sleep there! You can find more info here. If you  plan to visit anytime soon, read the reviews and you will get a good picture of how it was. If we were ever to go to Hollywood again (which I doubt), we would, for sure, use the same hotel.

On one of the days, we booked the small Hoppa bus and did the 'tour of the Hollywood stars' homes.'

Like most of Hollywood, it really wasn't what we expected - mostly speedy drive-bys of gates and roofs. It, and the narrative, was all too quick to even remember whose gate or roof was whose!

This is 7515 Mulholland Drive. Looks like it might be for sale. You can find some stats  and an aerial view here. Mulholland Drive runs for 55 miles through Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills and many stars make it their home - not sure who lives here, though.

Spaceship landing in Hollywood Hills

"...and there you see the roof of...."

The gate to Ringo Star's home - note the stars!

Silver fire hydrants - even the dogs live in style in Hollywood. Why should we be surprised?!

Click on this one to read the sign on the roof of the Hoppa bus. Our tour guide was Mick, from...ta da... England. He used to be a Beefeater at the Tower of London. He has a pretty cushy job, if you ask me - a $10 tip from each tourist; the bus holds approx 15 people, and he probably runs the tour at least 4 times a day. He works for Starline Tours, so probably gets a salary too. Plus the working environment is great! He's a great guy, though, and did a good job.

End of the tour. Note the stool for oldies like me! (Two young men from Germany, waiting to get a photo of themselves on it)

More in my next post!