The 100 Day Project (2): Black on Black

Happy March! My intention for this month is simplicity. "Simplicity is nature's default position," says Dr. Deepak Chopra. We've made it through the exciting energy of new resolutions and celebrations. For me, March is a time to hope for simple things: an emerging bud, longer days, greener grass, drenching rains that soften the soil so I can more easily weed and plant. 

For my 100 Days Project, which I wrote about last week, I finished February with the same color palette: gray tiles, pink ink, white charcoal and graphite. I liked the unity it gave to bring these tiny 2-inch pieces together. With the beginning of March, I was inspired by Stephanie Jennifer, Singapore CZT extraordinaire. She posted some black tiles drawn with black ink. I've done some black on black before, and was eager to do it again. I used a 3-D ink, Sakura Glaze pen, in black. 

First attempt

I rubbed some soapstone powder over the tile before drawing.

I tried to create textures to catch the light.

A tangle that has always challenged me, CanT, with this technique, seems more friendly!

I'm not sure how this will evolve over the next week. Black on black is fun, but a little rough on the eyes! The bold nib feels great, so I'll see what transpires tomorrow!

I hope you have a fun week, with light to make your black days shine!

PS: Just a gentle reminder that I am switching to another mail service on March 10. Please let me know if you would like to RENEW or UNSUBSCRIBE. Thanks!

The 100 Day Project

Have you ever heard of the 100 Day Project?  It is a free global initiative begun in 2013 inviting folks to choose a creative project and do it for 100 days. It doesn't matter if your 100 days are consecutive; just do it for 100 days. This is a new endeavor for me, and, in my current "no expectations" mindset, I've embarked! My creative project is to complete 100 2-inch squares of art. (The 2-inch squares of paper in Zentangle are called "Bijou tiles".) 100 days of Bijou. I'm thinking that I will use limited tools for this as I re-explore simplicity and the elegance of limits. And how much can you put on a 2-inch square without it becoming totally overwhelmed?!?

I picked up some gray Bijou tiles for these, and a pink pen. (That was unintentional!) Here's what we have so far:

Drum roll, please.

Tangle (pattern): Appease, by Connie Green

"Kruller", by Jody Genovese

Drawn on the back of the previous tile

"Heart Blossom", by Beth Gaughan

"Waltzy", by Sue Schneider

5 down, 95 to go!

I hope that this inspires and motivates you to participate in this challenge. (Leave me a comment if you're ready to give it a go!) Don't overthink it. Your challenge can be brushing your teeth in 100 different ways! As always, just have fun!

So long, squiggle. (See it grow: finale)

Having known several writers over the years, I've often thought about editing a piece of writing and how we "edit" in Zentangle art. We don't use erasers, so we might take an "oops" moment and cover it with ink or graphite. We might morph the marks into another pattern. Or we might just leave them, like a loose thread on a Navajo blanket. There is almost always an addition to the mistake, although on rare occasions we might cut the mistake out!

Last week, in my post "Oh, noooooooo!!!!!" I described how I had inadvertently made a squiggle in the white space around the large project I was working on, and panicked for a moment before continuing to work on the rest of the piece. Not sure how I was going to finish it this week, I knew I had to do something. I would not just leave this to the side, unfinished, or throw it away, or cut it!

I took a few days to play with collage. No connection to my Zentangle work, just for relaxation and something different. Then I took a class on creating a gold look with colored pencils. I just needed to clear my mind before going back to the Fragment of Your Imagination Challenge 2023 piece. I'm glad I did.

"A Fragment of My Imagination", 11x15 in.

I'm grateful to 7F5RStudio for the Fragment of Your Imagination Challenge. Grateful to Lindy's Magicals (and the squiggle!) for inspiring me to leave the fragments and see the flowers. Grateful to the Zentangle crew for Project Pack 19 and the courage to think big. And grateful to Rick and Maria for giving me the desire and the means to get reacquainted with my inner artist.

Uncharted Waters (See it grow: Week 3)

In one of my favorite TV episodes, Wally, the older brother of Beaver, explains to his perplexed parents who are seeking his input about the young sibling, something like, "Gee, Mom. How would I know? Beaver's never been this age before." Ah, the Wisdom of Wally! Lately, in my morning meditations, I've often seen words about the power of not knowing, learning to accept the "uncharted territory" in our lives, letting go of our "Expert Mode" of thinking and acting. So many crossroads that we have yet to come to. As I read somewhere "You've never been this old before, and you'll never be this young again." Sobering thoughts! But they remind me that every moment is new, that we are constantly challenged with learning and exploring. 

In week 3 of the Fragment of Your Imagination Challenge, this feels particularly relevant. Looking at the remaining inches of the design that remain, I have, in all honesty, started to get a little nervous. How am I going to respond to this space with honor and courage, and even humility? I imagine different options. I think, "But I don't really know how to do that?" Shading, the sixth step of the Zentangle Method, is often my favorite. But with this piece, I'm hearing that critical voice: "If you ruin it, you won't be able to correct it!" Ugh. The power of not knowing? I have 10 more days to draw. As I advance through them, I will see things a little differently, learning and exploring as I go. And then we'll see!

For now, here's what we have:

End of week 3

Week 3 Fragments

Other tiles from this week:

For a friend

Just for kicks

A gentle reminder

Are you in some uncharted waters? What are you exploring now?

Have a wonderful week, and Happy Lunar New Year! 🐇

I'm so excited!

Christmas came early this week! New techniques! New tangles! New explorations!

Zentangle HQ released 7 new tangles--and zen some!-- to celebrate the ZenAgain 2022 reunion for CZTs. Once the step-outs come out--probably in the Project Pack 19/12 Days of Zentangle release in a few weeks--everyone can enjoy them together! I'm still "unpacking" them, but will share some in a future blog post.

I took Eni Oken's "Eco-dyed Tangling" class online. (You can purchase it in her shop.) This was a totally new and exciting and messy experience, aka fun! The class addresses using eco-dyed papers, which have been prepared and dyed with flowers and leaves. However, Eni also teaches us how to make faux eco-dyed papers with distress inks and watercolors. Warning: I'm hooked! If you've followed my work for a while, you know how colored backgrounds are my favorites to work with--distress inks, watercolors, pigments. These faux eco-dyed papers go there, and beyond, as they use my other favorite element, leaves. Who could ask for more? Here are some pictures of my playtime:

Supplies. Notice paper towels, wipes, and hair dryer!

My first press with leaves and distress ink

The tan tiles on the right are the first press with leaves and distress inks.

The remaining tiles have some watercolor added.

The completed "eco-dye" effect

The next step almost lost me. Eni's tiles looked so different from mine. She started tangling. I thought, "This just doesn't work with what mine look like!" I tried to follow along, but decided to go with what felt right. I wanted the leaf shapes to stand out. Here's what happened:

My favorite. By now, I was gaining confidence.

This lesson put me in a beginner mode. Every morning, I try to remind myself of a favorite Meister Eckhart quote: "Be willing to be a beginner every single morning." Being a beginner can be messy and uncomfortable. My inner critic shook her head and muttered, "You should have watched the whole video before you started!" (Smacks her teeth!) But, if I had, I might not have discovered what was in ME. And I think that's what this art thing is all about.

Finally, I close with my finished Zenbirds for Ukraine piece, taken from a lesson by Lynn Mead.

Wishing you happy beginnings.

InkTober 22: Week 3

My friend Rhonda had a birthday last week, and we celebrated it this week. I wanted to make something to honor her joyful spirit, with her favorite color, purple. I remembered a series of Phi tiles on the 7F5RStudio site that celebrated friends. I used the string.

Rhonda: joy, kindness, laughter, energy

I wanted to do more cards for Meals on Wheels, but my neck and shoulders were not in agreement! So I pulled out a design I had done last year using Gourdgeous, and spiffed it up a bit. I was really pleased with the colors. I used Prismacolors and mineral spirits to blend them. They are quite vibrant! What do you do when life gives you pumpkins (like a stiff neck)? Make pie!

InkTober came next. Here are the tangles:

And the overall piece:

Here's to wonderful fall days!

InkTober 2022: Week 2

I mistakenly felt like I hadn't done any art this week, at least nothing on paper. I spent hours in the garden cleaning up Hurricane Ian's debris (still) and hours inside working on decluttering my studio and art closet. Those hours would definitely contribute to improving the flow of energy, and consequently, creativity. When I began gathering photos for the blog, I realized I had done more than I remembered. That felt good!

Two important birthdays in one week: my niece, Gala, and my friend, Rhonda. I really enjoyed making their cards. Gala's card used the autumn leaves piece from last week.

Here's Rhonda's:

Moving on to InkTober, I enjoyed a morning--yes!--shading what I had drawn and posted last week.

Before

After

The week's tangles

While waiting for Lar to come home, I gave my "friend" Narfello a go. 

Aargh. I always struggle with this one! I finally got it, in pencil, and inked over it. One day...!

Yesterday I enjoyed a class with Lynn Meade, CZT, on Escher-inspired tessellations of birds. The proceeds from this class went to SOS Children's Village, for relief in Ukraine. I haven't quite finished the whole piece, which is 7 inches in diameter, but I wanted you to see the birds. (They kind of remind me of Narfello!) I'll post the final result next week.

Solidarity with Ukrainian children

This workshop was yet another example of the talent and generosity that grace our Zentangle world. Beate Winkler, CZT in Germany, is teaching Zentangle to 60 some Ukrainian refugees in her area. There is also a FaceBook group called Zen Bird Club that has already had 4 Zen Bird classes, and plans to have 4 more. (The next one will probably be held on December 4th. If you're interested, check out #zenbirdclub , #zenbird5 , #zenbirdescherstyle.

Wishing you fun explorations!

Broadening my definition of creativity

What does "creativity" mean to you? Until this week, I suppose I would have limited the idea to my drawing and blogging. As I continue reading and working on the tasks in "The Artist's Way", by Julia Cameron, I'm broadening my definition. 

Cameron writes: "The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." In Zentangle, I sometimes have a lot of "detailed work". Embellishments, line weight, texture, backgrounds usually involve small bits of pen strokes. When I walk in the forest, it's often the tiny details that bring me the most pleasure and awe. There's a supermarket commercial on TV with a blown up image of blueberries. I never get tired of seeing their little blossom ends, or "belly buttons", as I call them. That yellow-orange center inside the "petals" of the many-shades-of-blue blueberry always makes me laugh! It's this attention to little things that delights and inspires me.

While preparing for an out-of-town get-together with my cousins this week, I was planning and prepping the appetizers. There was nothing at all complex about it, just some crudites, crackers, dips, pickles. Thinking about the above quote, I decided to focus on the detail, and work as if I were tangling. In my garden, I wanted to prepare for being away by doing some much needed mowing, weeding and pruning. I tried to approach that task in the same way, with the Zentangle philosophy of slowing down to notice the little things, one stroke at a time. This small change in my perspective made me feel much more relaxed, calm, and creative, just like when I'm tangling. I quickly realized that the chores of prepping food and gardening had become creative acts. I was exercising my creativity in different ways!

With no pictures of my appetizers or garden, I offer you these few creative acts from the week:

Relaxing with my journal

Inspired by Project Pack 18, Day 5

A cover for my "Artist's Way" journal

Another journal entry inspired by Project Pack 18, Day 6

 Can you approach your chores with a creative lens this week?

Explorations and Artist's Dates

Are you familiar with Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way? It was published 30 years ago, and, luckily, I recently discovered it through a morning meditation two weeks ago. "Mystery, not Mastery" was the phrase that intrigued me that morning, so last week, I started the book and its twelve-week program. At this point, I'm quite happy with it. One of the two actions that you commit to in the program is weekly artist's dates, where you make a weekly date with yourself to explore art / beauty  in whatever form you choose--a trip to the dollar store to buy some new "stuff" to explore, a walk outside, a meet-up, a trip to a museum, etc. My artist's dates this week included some YouTube lessons and a meet-up with my Meals on Wheels card makers, or, as I now call us, the "Sisters of the Travelling Cards".

As part of some self-care that I needed, I purchased a lesson from 7F5RStudio called "Romantic Rosettes". Here's the first tile:

I enjoyed this so much I did another version in my journal:

I did two of the Zentangle Project Pack 18 videos, too, in my journal: 

 

Day 2

Day 3

Maria did an amazing version of her tangle "Verdigogh" in this video. 

Just watching her draw is awesome.

I had these scraps from making my swatch sheet. 

I mounted them on colored card stock and then tangled inside the holes. 

Swiss Swatch!

Lar worked 4 days with a broken toe,

 so he got a little lunchbox tangle, with Gribbits and Cabbits, by Debbie New.

Just for me--and you!

Wishing you wonderful artist's dates!

 

Happy 300th!

300 posts since 2016! Whew! Thank you for all your encouragement and support over the years! I couldn't, wouldn't have come this far with you!

I'll jump right in with a relevant tile from this week, that was not originally intended as a subject for my blog. Serendipity strikes again!

Yes, "Remember how far you've come." This was a meditation one morning this week. I needed a "note to self" to help me to remember to remember. Even though some days require more energy and strength than others, it can help to put them in context with your entire journey. Think of all the rough patches you've been through, of how you've survived challenges and hardships that are just a part of life. Remind yourself of your strength, of what it felt like to move through them into calmer times. What did you do to get through them? Did you call on your friends, your family, your faith, your furry friends? Where did you find resilience? Did you go for walks, do meditation, write in a journal, draw, listen to music, workout? As you remember how far you've come, how can it help you continue your journey?

My week continued with a lovely treat from Lar, through a gift card to Lindy's Gang. New toys, new colors! I've been working on making swatch charts for all the colors I have. (I have way too much fun making these!) To add to my nerdy fun, I bought these little palettes from the Dollar Tree to have the colors at the ready! I'm using my 1-inch hole punch to make the swatches, which I glue onto my spreadsheet. (I'm laughing as I type this!)

I started trying the Lindy's Magicals on Renaissance tiles this week. I had seen examples of this on the 7F5R Studio website, and would never have imagined that they could be so beautiful. The color sinks into that buttery soft tan paper, while the glitter seems to glaze the surface. I'm learning how to work with them. Here is my first go:

I wish you could see the shimmer better. My photo doesn't do it justice.

Here are two white tiles with the Magicals. I used a glaze pen in the first to create a little 3D effect.

Finally, a traditional black and white tile from my journal.

I invite you to remember how far you've come, if you face any difficulties this week. And please remember how much I am thankful your support.

With gratitude and appreciation.