Zendala Moments 07 and a humble homage to Margaret Bremner

It seems another month has gone by, and kids are preparing to go back to school. My retired friends and I will be together celebrating another year of NOT going back to school, another endless summer :) The Tour de France ended a few weeks ago, after keeping me glued to the TV every afternoon for two hours. I calculated that I spent 40 hours watching it. (I missed a day!) Luckily, I was watching the abbreviated version. That's about all my back and hips could stand!

I tried to use this time "productively", that is, for tangling! In particular, I chose to do a study of Margaret Bremner's tangles and tiles. Her work has always fascinated me as unique in its starkness, with lots of black and white blocking, but rich in textures, too. I still don't understand it, as you can see by my description! I added 56 tangles to my collection, and then started studying her strings. I've made a new gratitude journal, which is "pre-strung" now, thanks to Margaret's inspiration!

Project Pack 06 videos are out, with their "No mistakes" lessons. The supplies center around 2-tone tiles, simulating the ink-stained pages of a journal. These take me back to Bremner's bold tiles, with lots of black areas. Together, they inspired my Zendala Moments 07 tile. You can see where I spliced the two pieces together. Not intentional, but, oh, well--no mistakes!

And finally, another cartouche:

My daughter and grand-dogter ;)

Love and peace!

Zendala Moments 06 (Reprise!)

After writing about the pen widths in my last post, I just had to have another go at Annette's lovely template!

Zendala Moments 06 and nib widths

This month's Zendala was inspired by the last day of Project Pack 1, where Molly tangled Crazy Huggins on a black tile. (I'm not sure why I had missed that lesson.) Recently feeling one of those urges to play with Crazy Huggins, I found her video. She used a Gelly Roll 10 and an 05, and the feel of the ink on the Apprentice tile is sumptuous. It's almost like brushing on paint, as you move slowly to give the ink time to flow. Very relaxing. 

Before shading

After shading

Wanting to remember to use different nib widths, I made some notes in my journal.

When the time came for the Zendala this month, I wanted that same feel. I took another Apprentice tile and my Moonlight Gelly Rolls. I used a soapstone to soften everything.

Using those wide nibs feels like carving the tile. Now, if I could only find 05 Moonlights for contrast!

My fat nib kick continued!

A clean coffee filter, Koi brush pens and metallic Gelly Rolls

Glaze pen under Koi brush pen

Back to the Micron 01, I went to the opposite extreme! 

Do you have a preferred pen width? Have you experimented with different nibs?

Klimt inspired ribbons and Zendala Moments 05

Two months since my last post! Lots of tangling (and gardening, of course!) has kept me away from the computer and the blog. Time to catch up!

Nancy Domnauer (linedotcalm.com) recently introduced me to a fascinating technique through an excellent online class, Klimt Ribbons. Introduced at last year's ZenAgain conference with Rick and Maria, it involves using bits of the beautiful patterned backgrounds in Gustav Klimt's work to create tiles. Ribbons for the string, and fragments for the fill, lots of bright colors and gold ink--it's a rabbit hole if there ever was one!!!

My first tile

As you can see, I wanted more and more color! I used Koi water color brush pens, with the gold metallic Gelly Roll on top.

Three weeks later, I was fortunate to take another online Klimt class with CZT Tracey Nicholson. In this class, the string took on a more mosaic look.

This time I used Prismacolors.

My Zendala Moments 05 tile had a little Klimt effect!

These tiles don't use a lot of defined tangle patterns, per se, but for me, the colors and 10 nib on the gold pen get me in the Zen zone!

Have you tried this technique?

Thanks for stopping by!

Zendala Moments 04, et al.

Where does the time go? I just noticed my last post was last month!! And it's already the middle of May....
I have spent many hours--or rather days!--in the garden, as temperate weather finally found its way to North Carolina. My vegetable garden has seen several "rescue" operations recently--a rat snake that was trapped in the netting, and two rabbits who seem to have found a new home. In the picture below, the bunny is waiting at the gate to go back in the vegetable enclosure. Sigh.

           

Between gardening and animal rescue operations, I've been tangling, of course!

I found this picture of myself when I was 4 or 5 and created the cartouche.

A bit of tangling on a folded Zendala for my friend Leandro, a 15-year old Messi fan

I joined the "Today's Tangles: Keeping It Classic" group on Facebook after seeing some interesting prompts on the Mosaic app. Thank you, Sandy!

Last but not least, the Zendala Moments 04 tiles! Thank you, Lonetta!

I finally finished my journal from the CZT seminar I attended in 2015! This journal was so special that I wanted to save it!!! I only used it for "special" things. Now I've started another journal, same size and brand as the first, but minus Maria's beautiful calligraphy on the cover. I'm trying to use it more often. It reminds me of hearing people say that you should use your crystal and finest china every day, not just for special occasions. (I don't have any, so that's not a problem!) But the sketchbook question lingers: should I use it for everything or just special projects? I think that when I do use it, I am more likely to take my time and savor the experience, much like one savors a meal served on china more than a meal on a paper plate! And the Zentangle Method encourages us to use the finest materials we have available, so that we appreciate the moment more, thereby intensifying our gratitude. On the other hand, the journal is a little awkward for me to draw in because it's not flat, and it's just more cumbersome. (Oh, those geniuses, Rick and Maria, and their 3.5 inch tile format!!!)

What do you think? Do you prefer journals or tiles? I do hope you'll let me know your thoughts!

(Another) Zendala Moments 03 and Cartouches!

Cartouche: 1. A structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription.
2.The latest Zentangle craze, launched in the Project Pack 05 and its accompanying (free) youtube tutorials.

I clearly prefer the second definition, and have been savoring the tutorials this week. If you haven't already, you really must check these out. (I'll admit that I had to see the videos before I got excited about this project.) Here are a few tiles I did this week:

From Day 3, using the embedded letter technique on recycled cardboard

A card for my son-in-law. Zendala Moments 03 on a tile dyed with bleeding tissue paper. This cartouche technique is covered in Day 5.

From Day 7.  The flower is from a botanical print.

Get out your keepsakes, family photos, memorabilia, natural treasures--whatever speaks to you--and create a beautiful cartouche to honor it as you meditate on its beauty and meaning. In this age of "Kondo-mania", think about what truly "sparks joy" and let it inspire your creation.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Zendala Moments 03

Thanks again, Lonetta, for this lovely template! I had a great time tangling this. I used a paper that I had made with water color and ink a while ago. I loved the colors, and just had it up on the wall, admiring the leaf and branch shapes. (Orange and fuschia are my happy energy colors.) The leaf shapes in Lonetta's template reminded me of the paper.

May all your energy be happy and bright!

Can't get enough Zen(dala) Moments!

Lonetta, of Zendala Moments fame and glory, has me hooked. No sooner had I posted yesterday than I started Zendala Moments #2, and once again channeled my inner Bohemian with the bright colors. (Maybe one day, I'll have my own little "roulotte".)

So much fun, but gotta go. Zendala Moments #03 awaits!!!

Zendala Moments #01 and a new spinner

Thank you and kudos to the lovely Lonetta for starting another Zendala site. I've mentioned before how much I missed Erin's Zendala Challenge. Zendala templates really put me in the moment. No planning, lots of repetition, lots of turning the tile, seeing the spaces and metashapes in different ways. I feel like a kid with a kaleidoscope!

I think that the Zentangle spinner qualifies as a Zendala form, too, don't you? Although it's much less intricate, the repetition is there. Here's my second spinner, from the Project Pack. I decided to focus on fragments and explore the recently published "Reticula and Fragments" book. Channeling my inner Bohemian, I went with some bright, vibrant colors and gold.

Thanks for coming "around" to visit! 

Diva's Weekly Challenge #387: HaWy

I've always admired Holly Atwater's work. Her recent tangle, HaWy, reminds me of inlaid wood and quilt patterns. Simply stunning.
Trying to replicate HaWy gave me some not so stunning results. Drawing an offset dot grid, the first step, had me in a less than Zen state! Connecting the dots, once I saw Holly's tips, was a pleasure. High focus, indeed, but doable. But that dot grid!!! I resorted to printing out an offset grid, just to get me started with the pattern. After several practice rounds, I was ready to try it sans template. (I confess to using a straight edge to help me keep everything in line. ) On the first tile, I had the dots right, and then I drew the asterisks in the wrong places! So I took my white paint pen and inked over them. Deep breath. Start over. The result left something to be desired! I really wanted to get the feel of the inlaid wood and quilt patterns, so I took another piece of cardboard. Deep breath. Begin again.

A good lesson to remember in life: Deep breath. Try again.

Thanks for your visit! Wishing you a peaceful, patient week.

Diva's Weekly Challenge #386: Pick up where you left off

Isn't our Zentangle community wonderful, in so many ways? We come from different cultures,  different languages, different backgrounds, different age groups, different everythings! And yet we all love this relaxing and fun method of creating beautiful images. This week's Diva challenge--to pick up a tile that you never finished--pointed to one of the differences I see in how we practice the Zentangle method. Some tanglers have a pile of tiles that they never finished. Some don't! I fall into the latter category. I enjoy sitting down to draw, and finishing the tile. I may not be excited about every one, and I may go back and add something later, but I have a sense of "done". But there was this one 5 x 7 inch piece of gray card board, the side of a cracker box, with some blue ink orbs that had been sitting on my desk for a couple months.
And here's what became of it:

Blue Micron 01, Prismacolors, white Gelly Roll on 5x7 recycled cardboard

This exercise has reminded me that, with a little love and patience, we can take something that might be discarded and transform it into something to appreciate. Just like the burl, a cancer-like growth in trees, may look ugly to us. When the tree is cut into boards, it has a beautiful pattern.  There are things in my life that seem ugly and undesirable, but I believe that I can find a gift in them if I stay open to that possibility. 

Appreciated on a walk earlier this week

Is there something in your life that hides a gift underneath an unpleasant exterior?

Thanks for stopping by! I wish you a peaceful and insightful week.

Diva's Weekly Challenge #385: Valentangle

The season of hearts is upon us! And the Diva challenged us this week to get inspired by any and everything "Valentine-y". While I'm not particularly fond of hearts, I did come up with a heart string that I liked. I filled it in with lines, some of which are inspired by Eni Oken's book on Echo Lines. I also reviewed Simone Bischoff's amazing tutorials on linework which I highly recommend. This technique of filling in space with lines is so relaxing for me. I enjoyed making these two tiles.

Thanks for visiting! Hope your week is sooooooo soothing!

Diva's Weekly Challenge #384: Anthem

Anthem scored points with me as soon as I saw it on the Mosaic app recently. It just looks different to me from most tangles. I don't know of anything quite like it, with its crystalline structure. Thank you, Laura, for choosing it for this week's challenge. I chose to draw it on a black 3Z tile, which I thought would go well with the angular pattern. I used an "oldie, but goodie" technique: Zenstone shavings are rubbed into the paper and feathered out to create the glow. Then I drew the tangle with a Graphic 1 pen. (Don't try it with a Micron or Gelly Roll, which will get clogged with the soapstone particles.)

I've been trying to use this tangle with the "tranzending technique". Not quite there, yet, but I hope to have something to share next week.

Thanks for your visit! Have a lovely week!

Diva's Weekly Challenge #382: Stripes for a string

Our wonderful Diva CZT challenged us to a striped tile this week. I believe that when we use stripes for our string, we can call it "stacking". This technique is always relaxing, since there's not a lot to figure out. We just layer tangles, one on top of the other, like a luscious cake! My stripes were more like ribbons, but I'm happy with the results!

Thanks for looking in on me! Have a lovely week! (I'm headed back to a long-term substitute teaching position this week, but hope to find time to meet you here again next Sunday!)