Monday, May 29, 2017

Diva Challenge #318, Made by Joey Challenge#167 & Some Travelling Tangles

Diptych

I think this is a record for me, completing two challenges before noon on Monday. Thanks to the Diva's stream I got two pieces done last night. 
Laura's challenge is to create a Diptych, two panels that loosely mirror each other and connect with a "hinge" or in this case, fold a tile or zendala in half, frame each half and tangle one half and then sort of mirror it on the other connecting the two halves with some type of "hinge".
There's a Kitchen Table Tangles video on the Zentangle Mosaic app that illustrates this concept, but I'm not a subscriber so I had no idea what this was. I didn't quite get the hinge part initially as I followed along with Laura last night. It wasn't until after I'd gone all "Knightsbridge" on the center, that I saw what she was doing...hence this next attempt where I took it a bit too literally;-)

Diptych Take Two: Renaissance

Finish my Tile Alphabet Series: V
featuring: Vano
Additionally: Voga

I had to tweak this one a little to keep it consistent with my series. I used a fragment of Vano in order to place it within the letter.

Recent Travelling Tangles I've completed:

My finish...

...to this delicate start from Tharina Etsebeth
travelling all the way from South Africa

My finish...

...to another of Tharina's lovely beginnings

This was a Mooka monotangle for the monthly challenge/theme. The shading is a bit... uhmnnn... dramatic. I learned a lesson about using Tombow pens to shade.
If you don't know your paper...just DON'T. The paper was gorgeous to draw on. It had a very fine tooth, but absorbed the marker so fast that I couldn't blend it out. Oh well;-)

...and of course what post would be complete without a kittypic;-)


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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Diva Challenge #317, Made by Joey Challenge #166 & a few Travelling Tangles

Real Life String or Tangle a Photo

Oh man! I love how this came out because it totally happened on the fly. I was just gathering my tools to head down to the cafe last night when I got the ping that the Diva's stream had started. As luck would have it, the video was coming in clearly so I grabbed a beer and stayed put. Good thing, once I realized I was going to need more than a pen and a tile. After a quick scramble, I had everything I needed within an arms reach of my drawing table: a recently arrived Cheese Culture magazine, scissors, a rejected tile and a glue stick. This is a super cool way to recycle your rejects.
πŸ˜€
what a coinkydink...I was drinking an IPA;-)

I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a good part of my next days off pouring over magazines for more  inspiration like this. Laura mentioned that she would start putting images in her journal to tangle around. Methinks I will too;-) Speaking of journals...
Whenever I get a new one, the first thing I do is randomly paint. It immediately takes the pressure off to create "perfection". My current journal started with this page months ago, I had a day off on Sunday and holed up in my apartment (hiding out from the annual Bay-to-Breakers foot race that clogs the city and turns my quiet little neighborhood into Crazytown) with the cat, a homemade pizza and a stack of library videos. I love BBC/PBS murder mysteries and I'm currently on season 12 of Midsomer Murders. Good times.

Early Sunday morning after a lengthy stare-down, I began with tiny Tipples around the outside of the paint, then I saw leaves and using a colored pencil drew some in across the top.

I can't remember what that flower pattern is called, I was inspired by this beauty from Margaret Bremners blog.


This is another page I set up a couple of weeks ago using re-used and used again wadded up strips of colored art tissue. It's just incredible how much use you can get out a package of tissue.


Finish my Tile Alphabet Series: "U"
Featuring: "Unme"
Additionally:"Undling"

Wow. It's hard to believe that this series is almost over. 5 more to go and  my Bijou collection is done. I forgot how much I love Undling. It's so relaxing to draw and the shading really brings it to life. I must make sure to get it into more pieces a.s.a.p.


Travelling Tangles finished this week​:
My finish...

...to this super cool starter sent to me by Raye Burnett

This was something I've wanted to try but never have, Found Poetry Tangling. I've been sitting on this one for awhile because it was so far out of my comfort zone.

My finish...

...to Raye's Bijou starter


...and finally a word from Aimee...
Oh! this pic just cracks me up. She's exhausted from her day of nappingπŸ˜‰


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Thursday, May 18, 2017

Diva Challenge#316, Made by Joey Challenge #165 and It's a String Thing Challenge #195

Stripey String

This week at I am the Diva, Laura challenges us to create a striped string. I love stacked strings, but on a whim, I challenged myself to do the stripes spirally. I've been enjoying Laura's streams on Sunday evenings. I'm always inspired by how she works through a tile as there doesn't appear to be any pre-planning, beyond the theme of the challenge, as to what she'll be drawing. 
I don't have internet at home, which is why I'm always at the cafe nearby when I need to connect. I do have 4G on my cell-phone, but it always runs out before my month is up and I'm too cheap to add more. The slow speed doesn't really bother me that much except I can't watch videos. 
On Sunday evening I got myself all set up at the cafe with a book and a beer, waiting for the Twitch notification and just as it started I realized I forgot to bring my drawing pens. I had a fine ball point pen and a sharpie. I drew in the string with the pen since I had no pencil. I went back later and darkened a few bits to give it some contrast. I can't really say I'm all that crazy about this one.

Finish my Tile Alphabet Series: "T"
Featuring: Tamisolo
Additionally: Trifle

Another Bijou to add to my collection;-)

Introducing "Trella"
a new pattern by Adele Bruno

Adele introduced her new pattern "Trella" in last weeks challenge. I really enjoyed this one and had it finished quite early, so early that I forgot to send it in;-P 
I used a lightly colored tile I'd created using wads of nearly spent art tissue and a dip pen using blue ink.

I completed these Travelling Tangles this week:

My finish...

...to this delightful start by Brenda Urbanik
traveling all the way from South Africa

My finish...

...to another of Brenda's intricate beginnings.

My finish...

...to this lovely start by Elena Greer
traveling from Texas

My finish...

...to another of Elena's colorful starters



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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Diva Challenge # 315, Made by Joey #164 and some Travelling Tangles

Molygon Study

This week's challenge was to get to know "Molygon", inspired by a recent Kitchen Table Tangles video from HQ. I don't have the bandwidth for the Mosaic subscription so I've not seen it. I missed the first part of Laura's stream Sunday night, but as I watched, it started to make more sense, though I have to admit I let out an audible groan when I initially saw what the challenge was. I have the same issues with Molygon as I do with Tripoli. I love how it looks when it's done well, but I avoid it.
It wasn't required that this be a monotangle but as I continued drawing I didn't know how to stop. It's actually quite a relaxing pattern to draw, so I just kept going.

Finish my Tile Alphabet Series "S'
Featuring: Sandswirl
Additionally: Striping


6" Zia just for fun
Including a little Molygon

I was inspired by something I recently saw on  Michele Beauchamps blog and started this with Auraknot.

Swap ATC' s
Tangled and Journaled Too! Facebook group
Reticula and Fragments

I got a few Travelling Tangles done this week.
One of my recent blog posts resulted in a swap with Joey van Oort. She had a few spares from the April group swap which was "Sky" inspired. My selection of colored pens is very sparse so I always have to figure out a way to introduce black whenever I get a starter using colored pens. Apologies for the weird colors happening in these pics.

My finish...

...to Joey van Oort's lovely start

My finish...

...to Joey's beginning
I started my blue line before I realized I hadn't take a picture.

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Saturday, May 6, 2017

It's a String Thing Challenge #193

For Lily
Wishing you Peace, Love, and Light



Adele's dedicating this week's challenge to Lily. You may have seen my last post where I shared another tile l made for Lily through the Facebook group Square One: Purely Zentangle. Adele asked us to use Lily's chop, a sort of symbol comprised of one's initials used to sign your tiles, as a string and 4 of Lily's s patterns: Drogon, Andante, Reel and Lily's Valentine.
I went for color this time and bravely tackled "Reel". I tried it awhile back when the pattern was first introduced.  The results were not good. After much practice, I'm getting the hang of it;-) Lily's​ Valentine was new to me. The 3 hearts represent my 3 wishes for Lily and her family.

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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Diva Challenge #314, Made by Joey #163, Travelling Tangles and Art for Lily

Use My Tangle Monday
"Scallamps" by Sarah Uram
Plus some of my usual suspects πŸ˜‰

This week we're using a pattern submitted to The Diva by one of her fellow CZT's. I've been continuing on with my personal challenge to work on mastering my top 20. The idea is to reign in my inclination to procrastinate on Pinterest or Mosaic and trust my own instincts. I created this tile on a recycled cat litter box I had stowed behind a door in my hallway prompted by last week's Earth/Amanda Day challenge. Laura had created a tile using a cardboard box. I went on to do something different as I'd forgotten about the box. I'm not supposed to have an animal in my apartment so I didn't want to leave any evidence in the recycling bin downstairs.
It turned out to be perfect. Heavy duty, smooth and a dream to draw on. The gel pen loved it.

Earth Day Challenge
Interrupted...

...Aimee getting all up in my business
It's a good thing she's so darned cute😘

Finish my Tile Alphabet Series: "R"
Featuring: "Rysa"
Additionally: "Raddox"

This series is on Bijou tiles.

Next up, Travelling Tangles I finished this week. Jem Miller aka The Ragged Ray, sent me a gorgeous trio of tiles for last month's​ "Look to the Sky" swap.

My finish...

...to Jem's super cool start

My finish...

To another of Jem's inspiring beginnings


Yet one more
Jem's work is so amazing

Square One Purely Zentangle
Love for Lily Moon

Lily Moon and her family are struggling right now. This is Lily's recent post. The Zentangle community has been reaching out in support. I created this using 2 of Lily's tangles, Amphora and Lealad.
There is so much amazing Zentangle talent out there, but Lily's remarkable art stands out among a handful of super stars. She's been a major influence in the development of my art. I'm wishing her and her family Peace, Love and Light.
I sent this tile to Square One's admin to send along to Lily.


Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me 😍