A Duo Challenge and Other Artsy Stuff...

Duo-Challenge 

Joey #213 and IAST #240

I had fun with this one...once I got over the hump of Frames. I love how it turned out but I am the worst at complex grid patterns. Not gonna lie...I did it in pencil first;-)

Adele's challenge offered up some super fun accompaniments to Frames with Flukes, Cubine and a new fun fave Elirob and her string flowed pretty well from my Frames set up.

Mixed Media art journal

One of my cosmic garden Diva Challenge pieces repurposed

Since The Diva took a break this week I thought I'd share a couple of  pieces I worked on with past Diva art as my jumping off point.

I finished off my set up from last weeks Duo-tangle challenge

playing more with last weeks IAST patterns Tupuk and Flec

Napkin Doodlin's

Platinum Preppy 05 fountain pen

Izirozuki Kon Peki blue ink

I love the gradation of bleeding

Here's one of my DIY hacks for making my own components for my mixed media art journals. I do this at the cafe when I'm watching YouTube videos. They're super quick and it's a good way to get a bit of detailed line work on top of heavily textured and acrylic surfaces.

My Cheese Art

Where's my cheese?

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me:-)

Diva Challenge #360 and the Duo-Challenge

Diva Challenge #360

Duo-Tangle: Shattuck & Tripoli

"All of your Art is practice for more Art"-The Diva

I'm really enjoying the DIY art journal for these challenges lately. I started out thinking of the watercolor background as a stand of trees, then I saw feathers. Feathers and trees. Why not?
Tripoli is one of those patterns that took me  the longest time to wrap my pen around  so I was quite pleased with myself at being able to corral it into that oval whereas in the past I'd always been so intent on getting the triangles consistent that it went off the rails and frustrated me. Now I know better;-)

This quote came back to me while I was working on the shading. I was remembering what Laura said while she was finishing up her YouTube video of last weeks finger string challenge about having an art practice. Wise words;-)

The start

The Diva's quote could not have been more relevant as I struggled worked my way through the duo-challenge.

Duo Challenge

Joey #212 & IAST #238

Duo Challenge

I got stuck

Joey starts this one off with "Relly Telly One" Front and Center. Adele's curvy/loopy string brings "Tupuk", "Flec" and "Fassett" into the mix and flowed quite nicely from the point of  RellyTellyOne which I'd drawn on Monday. I ended up partially using the loops in Adele's string to inspire the curved and wavy lines I eventually built Tupuk on.
It started off so well because all of the patterns were either ones I've enjoyed before or in the case of Tupuk, a new-to-me pattern that not only fit into my wheelhouse, but it's creator Ria Matheussen is one of my ZenPals (as is Jem Miller, the creator of "Flec").
Then I got stuck. It happens all the time with these and I've learned to take a break or two. This one vexed me more than usual, but as soon as I recalled The Diva's wise words I reminded myself that these Duo-Challenges are meant to be exercises in balance and contrast. It's busy and a bit cluttered  but that's ok.
I procrastinated a bit over at the Zentangle Mosaic app and saw one of Maria's tiles where she "Orbed and Aura'd" Crescent Moon. More wise words "When in doubt...Aura! " So there ya go;-)

Other artsy stuff:

Abstract botanicals

DIY art journal
brush pen

Blue Botanicals

DIY art journal

Platinum Preppy fountain pen

Iroshizuko Kon-peki blue ink

Multi media art journal

She cracks me up when she does this

in the midst of grooming she'll suddenly freeze
and stare into space 

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me;-)

Diva Challenge #359 and The Duo-Challenge

Diva Challenge #359

Finger String

Hi all. I'm gonna keep it short and sweet today as I'm having some technical issues and problems getting my pics loaded.

This week's challenge is to trace your fingers in some creative way and use that as the string. Once again, I felt compelled to break out the DIY art journal. This previously painted page seemed like a good fit:

The string is placed

I started out trying to use the white space around the border as another way to break up the string. Things got a little busy and it took much longer than I thought, but I like the way it came out. I was drawing this at the cafe on Monday. The text says "today,  a woman at the cafe asked me if I was an artist. I caught myself hesitating before I said 'Yes. I am an Artist.' "

A Challenge Duet

Joey #211 and IAST #238

I'm quite happy with the way this one came out. The parameters of Joey's "Finish my Tile" challenge is to start with the focus pattern, Breach, "Front and Center". I went rogue and off-set it a bit. Symmetry makes me...uneasy and given the unknown of IAST at that point, the tweak gave me some leeway. 

Napping is tiring business🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

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

Diva Challenge #358, a Challenge Duet & more mixed media

Diva Challenge  #358

"The journey begins with an idea, so many possibilities, so many what if's to explore"

This week's challenge is a UMT (Use My Tangle) featuring "Pickpocket" by Tomas Padros. It's a beauty, but it's also very high focus.

I felt like this was a good journal piece because it's definitely something I want to remember. I'd previously set up a few watercolor pages in my DIY journal and went for it.

A start inspired by this video

A Challenge Duet 

Joey #210 & IAST#237

Another long exploration done and dusted. At first, I wasn't too crazy about the IAST pattern selections but I liked how the string played into Joey's Mak-rah-mee. I had done all but two of the Mooka  tendrils on Monday, hoping I'd be able to carry them into IAST. Now, that's my least favorite part of the page. My favorite parts are the two IAST patterns Kaboom and Kulecane. Go figure. It's always a journey;-)

Other artsy endeavors:

My DIY Journal

inspired by this video from CeeCee's Creations

I used a Platinum Preppy fountain pen

filled with Iroshizuko Tsuki-yo blue ink

on a previously watercolored background

More DIY Journal flowers

My new mixed media journal cover art

that's actually a bronze acrylic so it looks much better in person;-)

First page

inspired by another of CeeCee's morning pages

These next two pieces, I worked on simultaneously, starting with a large watercolor practice sheet I cut in half. I find that I really like doing these circle flowers and it's a great way to give my old tiles and watercolor rejects a new life. The original background was a light turquoise wash with orange and blue splashes and spray. I hated it. Yet, it inspired the results of both of these pieces.

Flowers

  made from used baby wipes from my paint clean-ups;-)

"cat among the flowers"

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