Diva's Challenge #309

Noom repus. Sounds so scientific, doesn't it? Flip the letters and you have "super moon"! To answer this week's Diva challenge, I decided to draw Noom on a black tile with a zenstone background. I recently saw someone on Mosaic recycling tiles by covering them with black Permopaque marker and drawing over them with white ink. Intrigued (and frugal with Zentangle tiles!), I realized that I had a stock of tiles I had done in my Intro to Zentangle classes that I no longer needed. Covering them with Permopaque seemed to rough them up enough to really hold on to the zenstone shavings. (File your zenstone on an emery board until you have a tiny pile, then rub them into the paper with the flat end of the stone. Blow away any excess when you're done.)

Last weekend, I took a 2-hour class on making Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter Eggs. These use a batik method, which was totally new to me! Our patient instructor helped me understand the steps for applying the wax and dying the egg, going from light to dark. We used a kristka to apply the tiny bits and lines of melted beeswax at each stage.  As in Zentangle, there are no mistakes! So when a giant blob  of wax dripped onto my thin line, I had to figure out how to incorporate it into my design. :\ 

I used a Sharpie to try to clean things up a bit once I was home. My egg was so dark! Not what I imagined for a symbol of light and renewal!  Now that I have a better understanding of the batik process, I may give it another go later.

To give you a better idea of the beauty and art of Pysanky, I've included some pictures of eggs done by a master craftsman, Henry G., who happened to show up at our class! His talent and experience--over 40 years!--are apparent.

Have you ever tangled an egg? 

Thanks for visiting! Have a joyful and restful week!