TangleBomb Monday

Diva Challenge #241

Stones and Ceremony

This week's challenge was put forth by guest blogger, Paula Bramante. The inspiration for Stones and Ceremony comes from cairns, man-made stone formations/markings placed by travellers in out-of-the-way places. added to by multiple passers-by. as well other stone formations that are ceremoniously placed. There were several examples and inspirational photographs of stone mosaics. 

I started with an ATC I created awhile back that had a stone like feeling and I began drawing a stone spiral based on a garden mosaic photograph I found on Pinterest.

Made by Joey #84

"Undu" Monotangle

I love drawing "Undu". This one came up in a previous String Challenge and I also think I used it before on a TNTM piece. It's so relaxing to draw.

That's New to Me #43

New "U" patterns: "Unme" by Debra Castaldi & "Use" by Elena Hadzijaneva 

Artist Focus: Elena Hadzijaneva's "Join" and "Hypnotic"

Inktober day 26

There were a whole bunch of new patterns I felt compelled to explore this week and I was delighted to find an old fave amongst the small collection of  Elena's patterns: "Hypnotic". The rest are all new. I'm playing a little catch-up here with my Inktober dailies.

Antonine's Throwback Thursday #4

revisit an old love
Inktober Day 25

When I started my tangle journey, around 2 years ago, one of the first patterns I learned and loved was "Crescent Moon" and my favorite thing to do with it is weave it through a string. I made several Valentines that year using it on a heart string then filling it with black pearls. I haven't done that since. This was such a fun and relaxing entry for Inktober too.

Square One: Purely Zentangle

W2 with a little Nymph and other doodly-do's

Inktober Day 24

I'm still not over 'Nymph". I love that pattern. I went a little OCD on W2.

It's a String Thing #115

String #116

Patterns: Fandance, Swarm & Cruffle

Inktober day 23

This was last week's String Challenge that I finished at the 11th hour.


Thanks for bearing with me here. As ever, thank you for leaving such generous and thoughtful comments. I'm always inspired and delighted by the journey they lead me on.

"You can't wait for inspiration, you must chase after it with a stick "

I don't know where I heard or read that quote but I've been carrying it around with me for years.
Sunday, I spent a lovely day at the California Academy of Sciences looking at all sorts of natural beauty, inspired by the vivid colors I saw everywhere.

I'd also brought along a little sack of works-in-progress should the muse arise. It did whilst sipping a glass of wine and pondering the vivid blue table top.

I'm creating several ATC's for this month's Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap. The theme is Everything Autumn. I've been waiting for a reason to use leaves. I started this about a week ago, collecting, pressing, tracing and stenciling.

I made my watercolor wash backgrounds,  laid down leaves and hand cut stencils from those leaves and did a final spray of color. I cut the ATC's and started tracing leaves and drawing the string of veins. 

It was at this point I saw This post on The Diva's Weekly Challenge Facebook page and it all came together. I loved the technique she used to tangle within the leaves and incorporated it into my framework.

This morning, The Diva's Weekly Challenge #240 was posted and I was delighted to see those leaves appear as this week's challenge because I was already there.

Scanning my artwork has proven to be an exercise in patience.

Diva Challenge #240

Autumn Leaves

ATC

Here's another one:

More challenges:

That's New to Me # 42

New "P" tangle: Neil Burley's "Pearl Drops"

Artist focus: Sayantika Ray's "Woodlock"

Made by Joey #83

"Ta-Da"

Another white on black for me. I love this pattern and diggin' the dark side. I love the technique Laura linked to in last weeks challenge where you go back over the white with black. I'm also exploring the black gesso technique for the next Zentangle Artist's Trading Card Swap.

As ever, many thanks and much gratitude for visiting my blog and leaving such inspiring comments.

It's a String Thing Challenge #114

Challenge #114

String #114

Teenos, Ta-Da & Ahh 

This week's challenge represented a celebration of 14, Adele's Birthday, her 14th pattern, Tangle Patterns 14th grid pattern...you get the idea. Is it just a coincidence that all of these patterns reminded me of fireworks? 

Anyhoo...in celebration of Adele's birthday and my first black & white tile created without an arm-twisting prompt....WOOOO-HOOOO! HaPpY hApPy BiRtHdAy AdElE!!!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments always inspire me.

Diva Challenge #239, Made by Joey #81 & That's New to Me #41

Diva Challenge #239

Munchin

The challenge this week is the pattern Munchin with the optional additional challenge of using a black tile. Yikes! The idea of black tiles jerked me out of my comfort zone way too early this morning when I opened up this weeks challenge at the cafe. I was thoroughly comforted though by the Diva's own confession that she's not a fan of the black tiles either. For the time being, I only had my sketchbook and a few pens and pencils with me so I put the black & white thing on ice for a bit and went ahead with the plan to sketchbook this weeks challenge using my 2 new Inktense pencils. 

Munchin was not on my fave list. I toyed around with it a couple of weeks ago when it came up on Square One: Purely Zentangle and was not really gelling with it. Thankfully, the Diva linked to Molly Hollibaugh's video of her doing Munchin on a black tile and that turned the whole thing around for me. Once I got home I tore up a black scrapbook page and went to work. The gel pens really vex me though. I finally got my rhythm with the lines but my circles got all skippy. Fortunately I was able to black out some of the uglier bits.

Diva #239

Munchin Inktense Inktober

The first attempt

Made by Joey #81

Striping

This was not my finest hour.

That's New to Me #41

Zonked for a new Z tangle

&

Twistee by Livia Chua for the artist focus

I love how Zonked looks when others with a steadier hand do it but I can not get it looking nice at all. I have a problem with rounding and can never get it seamless. I really need to practice this one more. Twistee was fun.

Inktober Day 11

I saw this pattern somewhere recently and I can't remember the name.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your generous and thoughtful comments always inspire me.

String Challenge #113~3 ways

String 113

Patterns: Pots 'n Pans, 5n2 & Hollibaugh

scanned version

This was one of those challenges that seemed to know what it wanted to be from the get-go, for better or worse, as opposed to the "Make it Work" quandary I usually find myself in as Saturday evening approaches. 99.9% of the time, those tiles end up being far more interesting and successful.

I'm not really crazy about this one, but this month I'm trying to fit my challenges into my InkTober theme of following my instincts and not over-thinking.

 I immediately saw an "M" in the string and made that a focal point. I've used Pots 'n Pans before and enjoy it's whimsy and this was a great opportunity to work on shading.

I'm still auditioning the library scanner and I can't say I'm digging it all that much.

The photo with a little Photobucket sharpening.

for Inktober Day 7

the beginning

Thanks for visiting my blog! Your generous and thoughtful comments always inspire me.

Just noodling around...

"Knyt" for TNTM #40

Due to technical difficulties, mostly an antiquated cell phone cam, the quality of my photos has taken a drastic turn south and it's been really frustrating. Though I don't have a scanner at home, I only just discovered that the copier at the library has a free scanner.

After spending the afternoon navigating the scanner and the editing process on my antiquated little computer, I managed to capture some cleaner versions of sadly blurry past post pics and maybe others that I haven't shared before.

This wasn't for anything in particular. I'm playing with ideas for the next Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap group. The theme is Autumn, though these are looking more Wintery.

Phicops, Flux & Tipple just for fun

on a watercolor ATC

InkTober pages from my new little sketchbook

This was the tile I submitted to Adele's It's a String Thing Challenge  a few weeks ago. In spite of the gigantic blurry mess I sent her, I won the weekly tile of honors. 

So here's hoping I can get my act together and have better pics for you. Although these scans are clearer, I find they lack the charm and spontaneity of a photograph, but until I can budget in a new device, it's a solution for now.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Your thoughtful and generous comments truly inspire me.
 I'd really be curious to know who reads these posts when they're not linked to the Diva Challenge and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Diva Challenge #238, That's New to Me #40 & Made by Joey #81

Diva Challenge #238

UMT: Tri-Bee by Beate Winkler

Last week I went to Blick to pick up a new sketchbook and discovered that they sold individual Inktense pencils. I have more colored pencils and watercolor pencils and markers than one person could use in a lifetime. I graduated from art school over 20 years ago. A couple of my Prismacolor pencils still have an .80 price sticker on them;-)

Anyhoo, I reigned myself in and allowed myself 2 pencils. Blue & Brown.

That's New to Me#40~Knyt

I love "Knyt"!

Made by Joey #81

"Rosewood" montotangle

They don't call these challenges for nothing.  Rosewood is a lovely pattern but I was having a really hard time seeing it in a monotangle as there doesn't seem to be much room for variation. I tried it on my watercolor ATC's without much luck, so I went into the sketchbook and made it shading practice and yesterdays InkTober page.

I bought a small (4x6) sketch book this time and attempting daily InkTober entries, though not posting them regularly. I'm having some technical issues so it's proving difficult to post anything timely.

I've been a little ADD on my theme but the idea is: Use What I Know. Turn off the internet, put away the pattern references and draw...then shade. I traced a tile onto 5 or 6 pages, assigned each a random pattern (mostly from Square One) and I'm using the bleed from the previous page...and draw the pattern from memory. ie: one of them is "Windfarm" not right on top of my head. If I screw up I've invented a new pattern;-)

Thank you for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments always inspire me.

Antonine's Throwback Thursday #1

This tile was resurrected for a new challenge from Antonine Tangles. It took me a while to find my stash of oldies. No one would ever accuse me of being organized, so I'm a little late to this week's party.
The idea is to go back into your tile archives and apply what you know now to an amateur piece and see if you can improve it with the mad skills you've since acquired. I'm trying to finesse my shading these days.

I started my Zentangle obsession about a year ago. This tile was originally submitted to Square One: Purely Zentangle. The pattern of the week was "Ing". I'm not sure of the date.


Thanks for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments always inspire me.

It's a String Thing Challenge #112, Made by Joey #80 & That's New to Me #39

It's a String Thing Challenge #112

String #112

Tangles: Minline, Puffle & Kisses

Last night I sat down at my drawing table with my dinner and a Criminal Minds marathon on TV. I was not all that inspired to draw but started noodling around in my sketchbook trying to plan out this week's String Challenge. Then got to work. I wasn't all that thrilled with how this one was going. The last thing I added was the "Flux" within "Minline" when the larger empty spaces were not content to be left alone. Then, I thought "hmmmm...this Flux could use a little shading"...two hours later I called it finished. With my recent discovery of the Shading Zentangle Facebook group, it seems every tile is now begging in depth attention to shading. I wish I'd had the forethought  and capacity to take a before pic, but my cell phone camera does not like incandescent light.

Made by Joey Challenge #80: a monotangle using Neil Burley's "Queeries" pattern

&

That's New to Me Challenge #39: explore a new "I" tangle~"Itsy Twisty"

These came about after I finished the String Challenge-I was on a roll last night. I didn't get to bed until after midnight.


As ever, thank you so much for visiting my blog. Your thoughtful and generous comments inspire and delight me.