Inktober Tangles 2026 Official Prompt List

October will soon be here, and that means Inktober will soon be starting.

Inktober is an online event where artists all over the world challenge themselves by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. In 2015, I adapted the idea to fit with Zentangle art by making each day’s prompts be a tangle. I call my list of tangles the Inktober Tangles challenge.

Here are some common questions that people have asked about Inktober Tangles:

Why is it called a “challenge”?
It is not a challenge against others, but a challenge to draw something every day for a whole month.

What are the requirements to join Inktober Tangles challenge?
Just draw something every day for the month of October. That’s all there is to it. You can tangle on a tile, in your sketchbook, and use any shape or size or colour. The important thing is that you build the habit of tangling every day.

When does Inktober begin?
It begins on the 1st of October every year.

What if I miss a day?
Create one art work by combining today’s tangle with the tangle that you’ve missed. Or just skip the tangle that you’ve missed and carry on. Always remember that the point of Inktober is to encourage you to draw more, so don’t feel too badly if life happens and you had to skip a day or two.

Why are so many tangles in your list non-official tangles?
I try to feature non-official tangles in order to introduce you to new tangles that you may not have seen or used before. Having other tanglers use a tangle you have deconstructed is always great fun, and it builds a community spirit while supporting other tanglers. If you want to swap out the non-official tangles, feel free to do so.

What if I don’t like a particular tangle?
I encourage you to still try to create something with it. Pushing past your comfort zone is part of the spirit of Inktober. If you really dislike a tangle, you can always substitute it with another tangle.

What happens after Inktober ends? Will there be another challenge in November?
We do not have a daily challenge in November. However, the 7F5R Challenge group on Facebook hosts weekly and bi-monthly challenges. It is also the official Facebook group for Inktober Tangles.

Is there an official hashtag for Inktober Tangles?
Yes. This year, we are using #InktoberTangles2026

Where can I find the step-outs to all of the prompts for Inktober Tangles 2026?
I have created a handout that contains the list of tangles that you can print on A4 or US letter sized paper. It also contains links to all of the tangles’ step-outs, and an example of each day’s prompt.

Without further ado, here are the prompts for Inktober Tangles 2026: 
https://bit.ly/InktoberTangles2026prompts

 

I hope that you have fun with this year’s list.  If you have any questions, leave a comment below. I can also be reached at stephanie@everythingis-art.com or on Instagram @havepen_willdraw. If you’d like to support my work, you can make a one-time donation via https://ko-fi.com/stephaniej

I can’t wait to see what you create for this year’s Inktober Tangles!

Warmest Wishes,
Stephanie J., CZT 21
Singapore

Review of Wooden Tile Frames by Sweetwater Cats

Sweetwater Cats creates handcrafted wooden frames designed specifically for Zentangle® artists. They currently have frames for regular, Bijou, and Zendala tiles. And I hear that they'll soon be expanding their selection to include Apprentice, Phi, and 5xPhives tiles!

In this review, I'll be focusing on the frames for a regular and Zendala tiles.

My wooden frames arrived beautifully wrapped in pretty teal and white soft wrapping paper, with the Sweetwater Cats sticker sealing them closed. 

When I unwrapped the first frame, these gorgeous little pieces greeted me:

I was not expecting extra wooden pieces, but it's these little touches that really make purchasing from a small business all the more special. 

Laura is the creator of Sweetwater Cats, and her goal in creating these frames is to make people's tiles and tools a place that feels as considered as the art itself. She is a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT), just like me and I think that's why she understands the needs of tanglers so well.

The little trinkets that have "inspire" and "breathe" burnt into them would make lovely bookmarks,  gift tags, or even tree ornaments. 

Laura made it a point to include a spare wooden square so that her customers can test out their pens on it to see how each pen would look on the wood. So ingenious!

The wood is unfinished yet smooth and is a soft beige that complements most tile colours that I have. Each frame also comes with a little segment that allows for you to hook the frame onto a nail that you put on your wall, and two extra wooden pieces that you can slot together to make a table stand for your frame.

I love cats, so the little paw print and Sweetwater Cats' logo are just precious. Plus, we get an additional encouraging word on the frame stand - "grateful", and truly, there is so much to be grateful for.

Here's how the stand looks like after I slotted them into each other:

I'm very happy with the frames that I received, and I even decorated one of them with tangles. :)

Laura also offers a very interesting 6" Tangle Compass that seems like a fun tangling tool to try, and even a Decorate-It-Your-Way toolkit. So if you're looking to get a gift for a fellow tangler (or to treat yourself to something special!) please check out Sweetwater Cats via this link: https://sweetwatercats.com/