Challenges and Restraint

Diva Challenge #271: Beads of Courage

This week Laura's challenge is inspired by the Beads of Courage Project and its fundraising Color Run. She introduced a watercolor technique I've not seen before, called "Hefty Hack" where you apply color onto a plastic bag (I used a small sheet of acetate), spritz or brush your white tile with a little water, then lay the tile onto the watercolor then lift it off. If you want you can add droplets of color and/or sprinkle with some salt (let it dry and then rub the salt off).

The Color Run

I OCD'd ran with this new watercolor technique, creating a whole new set of tiles and ATC's. By complete coincidence, one of my Facebook groups just posted a new swap challenge where one of the options is to use color and salt-Excellent!

Made by Joey #117: Circle String Challenge #2

Pattern: "Socc" with Mr. E and Tipple

Last week, as I was writing my post, it occurred to me to try using coffee rings as my strings, I mean, you'd think that was a no brainer for this blog but sometimes one can't see the forest for the trees. 

Anyhoo, I set up 5 watercolor ATC's last week using different sized cups...

...then added the smaller circles with a shot glass to this one when the string was presented on Monday. I'm really looking forward to these challenges.

A personal challenge of mine is trying to exercise restraint. I like to fill up space. It's my thing. It's my style. Nothing wrong in that. Mostly. Sometimes things get murky because I have to shadow and highlight everything. That became clearly evident when I found myself working these to death:

Tangle within a Tangle swap series 1-4

Big Skye/Little Skye

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with them, but there were a couple (not shown) that I pretty much covered up all of the blue background. So when I completed this new set of watercolors I decided to embrace "The Elegance of Limitations", as Rick Roberts says, so that the colors and texture weren't obliterated.

This restraint was also brought about by yet another swap group I started participating in last week. It's called the Travelling Tangles Project. I start a tile or ATC then post and offer it up to someone else to swap and finish (or I can request to finish someone else's offering). 

For the Travelling Tangles Project

Microns, markers, colored pencil and white gel pen on watercolor

I sent these out last week after creating a set of watercolor tiles breaking out of my usual color palette of earthtone/Renaissance browns and blues.

I'm pondering a series of posts inspired by my involvement in swaps. I belong to several groups now (the first one I've been doing for a year now) and I see comments all the time by newbies who fear that they're "not good enough" to participate, I know I was one of them. I'm hoping to try to encourage lurking members to participate, because there's no better way to improve your art than by doing it with purpose.

The most valuable lesson I learned: The sooner you get original art into your hands, the better. Then study, copy and practice, practice, practice. By copying, I mean teach yourself technique. I will go into this in a future post. Stay tuned!

If any of you are interested in doing a personal swap, please don't hesitate to email me at michelewynne1 (at) gmail (dot) com. or PM me at my facebook page. Let me know if there's a tile or ATC you've seen here that you would like to swap for.

Who wouldn't love to open up your mailbox and find this:

 These made their way into my mailbox today, each across a different ocean, from two friends at the Travelling Tangles Project, one from Singapore, the other from Germany.
I'll post the results next week.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your generous and thoughtful comments delight and inspire me.

Made by Joey Challenge #116, Diane & Carolien's Weekly #60 and IAST#148

 Made by Joey #117

Circle string by Joey

patterns: Flux and Tipple

Joey has commenced with a new series of challenges based on circular strings. As with my last series, the Roman Numeral Set, I'm going to continue on with these watercolor ATC's I've been painting using renaissance tiles as my color inspiration. I'm also, as always, inspired by coffee.

This was Monday morning as I read Joey's challenge for the first time. I got right to work;-) I only just now got the brilliant idea to make coffee ring circles next time.

Here's the round-up of the Roman Numeral challenges:

These next two ATC's were created for a group activity at Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap on Facebook. Every other Friday one of the admins (2 are UK based hence the Fortnightly) posts a focus pattern and invites members to participate.

Fortnightly Friday Fun Event at

Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap Group on Facebook

focus pattern: Cubine

Cubine off-the-grid

Diane & Carolien's Weekly Alphabet Challenge

#60: B-P-U

Batumber, Boomerang, Unme, Pokeleaf, Undling

This just in: a spontaneous ATC along with my morning coffee.

sAdele Bruno's "It's a String Thing" Challenge #148
"Fengle"

I was playing with my watercolors yesterday, trying to venture out of my color comfort zone. I'm also venturing into a new swap project. Stay tuned;-)

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

Made by Joey #115, Diva Challenge #270 and IAST #147

Made by Joey #115

Roman Numeral String Series: XV

Patterns: Seedlings, Garlic Cloves, Black Eyed Peas, Chard and Corn Rows

I've been out of my comfort zone/routine this week as I'm house/dog sitting for a new family. I managed to crank out some challenges in spite of a few technical glitches.

This is the last of Joey's Roman Numeral String Series introducing several "new to me patterns". This one did not really flow to my liking and I feel like I need to do another one. That being said, I usually don't do much better the second time around so I may just leave it. I'm thinking that for my next post I'll do a group shot of the series when I get back home.

 "Big Skye/Little Skye" #3

Diva Challenge #270

"Skye"

The Diva Challenge this week features Margaret Bremner's new pattern "Skye" thus making another appearance here. It's a good thing I like this pattern so much because it's showing up everywhere.

Moving along with the "Big Skye/Little Skye" series for my next swap, I just completed #3 to kill two birds with one stone. I'm using "Skye" as the string and also using it within.

Big Skye/Little Skye #2

String Challenge #147

Pixioze, Blooming Butter and Zinger

Adele provided the string of circles. Although I've seen it around quite a bit, I've never used "Blooming Butter" before. I love "Pixioze" and "Zinger"...this is a different attempt at "Zinger". I made up a set of watercolor tiles on some green parchment card stock a while back. 

This next one is on a tile from the same set. I created this last week for one of my Facebook groups which introduced a new pattern called "Aurora" by Sarah Harrison.

"Aurora"

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

Diva Challenge #269, Made by Joey #114 and a Swap-in-Progress

Diva Challenge #269

"Ellish"

I've been a bit obsessed with "Ellish" lately so I was pleasantly surprised to see it appear as this weeks Diva Challenge.

Made by Joey #114

Roman Numeral Series: XIV

patterns: Cadent, Bunzo, Shattuck, Barberpole, Papyrus and Cheesecloth

Here's another cluster of patterns I managed to cram into the confines of an ATC . Papyrus and Cheesecloth are both new to me and I really love them. There are no step outs available but Joey sketched them out. They're basically just cross-hatching.

Big Skye/Little Skye #1
with Wud and Caviar

for the Zentangle Artists Trading Card Swap group on Facebook

This is the first of my latest series of swap ATC's starring "Skye" by Margaret Bremner.

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

Challenges

I am the Diva Challenge #268

a bit o' black

This week we're to amp up the dramatic by adding more black. What a brilliant concept! I am constantly needing to remind myself of certain basic certainties~"Contrast equals interest". When  I was in grad school one of my art teachers used to say this all the time. 

This particular tile was a half formed study piece I started a couple of weeks ago in preparation for a swap I'm working on for the Facebook group Zentangle Artist Trading Card Swap. The rules are to use only black ink and graphite on a standard white tile with a small pop of color. We're also to use one of our initials as the string and to use patterns that start with that initial. I wasn't too crazy about this one and set it aside after only just creating the line work. I resurrected it as a practice piece for this challenge fully intending to create one I was happier with...then I changed my mind. Though it's not balanced as well as I'd like (I should have left Munchin alone), it's a perfect representation of how I teach myself technique. One of the techniques I'm exploring for this swap is to utilize graphite in the drawing rather than just as shading..."Graphite is the New Black" as they say at Zentangle HQ (which is why the above tile ended up in the reject pile).

Made by Joey #113

Roman Numeral String series: XIII

Patterns: Chemystery, Cruffle, Verdigogh, Ipso and Garlic Cloves

And sticking with my theme for Joey's challenges...yet another cluster of patterns on color in color:-P There's waaaay too much going on here, but that's how I roll.

Just for fun

Patterns: The Fab, Artoo, Fubu, Caviar, Tipple

I started a new sketchbook this week. I was very excited to use Margaret Bremner's new pattern "Skye", so this is the very first page of the book. I love this pattern and I've decided it must be the star of my forthcoming series of ATC's.

The latest swap requires us to use a biggified pattern as a string, use that same pattern again within the string, plus two more patterns. These are to be ATC sized and the use of color is fine. Goody!

So for this swap I'm going blue...completely inspired by Margaret's amazing work-Blue Skye.

It's a String Thing #144

Skye & Antidots

Finally, my Skye practice paid off!  I was delighted to see Skye featured in this weeks IAST challenge.

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

Diva #267, MBJ #112, Square One: Batumber and IAST#144

Diva Challenge #267

DuoTangle: Drupe & Pokeroot

The challenge is to use only two patterns and as many variations (tangleations) of said 2 patterns as one can reasonably incorporate. This is my attempt at morphing patterns. I'm trying to teach myself some new tricks. I used a watercolor tile I made a few months ago for a St. Patrick's Day challenge somewhere. It's not in my normal color palette and it got a little murky in the shading zone but... it is what it is;-)

 

Made by Joey Challenge #112

Roman Numeral String Series: XII

A Monotangle of Knightsbridge

I'm not super thrilled with this one, but I like it more than I did last night. I probably shouldn't have tried to work on challenges while trying to finish season 4 of "Game of Thrones". I'm a little ADD;-)

Square One:Purely Zentangle Facebook Group

Pattern of the week: Batumber

Adele Bruno's "It's a String Thing" Challenge #144

patterns: 4MOM and Hollyhock

Adele created a cursive M string for this belated Mother's Day themed challenge. I tweaked the string a tiny bit and used a handmade "Renaissance" tile.  "Hollyhock" was recently published on Tangle Patterns. I love it!


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

Diva #266, MBJ #111, Square One:Ruutz & #IAST 143

Diva Challenge #266

Use My Tangle-Crux by Henrike Bratz

It's UMT Monday at the Diva's Weekly Challenge, where she uses patterns submitted by other CZT's and Zentangle enthusiasts. I'm trying to embrace grid patterns in an effort to gain a bit more control over my precision. This is not easy for me. I look at the work of others out there and I'm amazed at the steady hands. I marvel at the composition and contrast that can be achieved by really taking ones time to execute precise and  deliberate strokes. I've done it and I can do it and I enjoy doing it but, it is so far out of my comfort zone. Clearly, I didn't do it here. I fell back on my "wonky grid net".

Made by Joey #111

Roman Numeral String Series: XI

patterns: Zippa, Susa. Vache 1 and Shons

Joey's challenge was a challenge this week. She gave us 4 patterns. Zippa (bottom right corner) and Susa (at the top) are two patterns by Neil Burley. I love his work. His patterns are so architectural and lovely, but many of them are extremely high focus, which I find to be the best kind of challenge. The biggest challenge was getting these patterns to work within the small segments of the string. I bring my own challenge to this by using an ATC rather than a standard tile size AND though it's not required, I use all of the patterns;-p  I used a previously made watercolor ATC in Springy pinks and peach tones and started the initial line work with a traditional calligraphy pen and brown ink (very reddish). Shons is the middle pattern. It wasn't until I was finished and started turning the tile around that I realized it reminded me of some tribal art I saw recently at the museum here.

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Square One: Purely Zentangle-Eni Oken's "Ruutz"

with "Mak-Rah-Mee" and a little Tipple fade out.

I've been meaning to try this pattern ever since Eni introduced on her Facebook group Shading Zentangle. This is right up my organic alley. Actually as I look at this now (and I realize the scan doesn't really do the shading justice) I could go in and deepen the shadows more. Lately, many Facebook posters have been utilizing graphite technique from a new instructional book called 14 Shades of Grey. I've not seen the book and I can only guess that it references the variation of graphite lead weight. I believe Zentangle HQ recently coined the phrase "Graphite is the New Black". I love it because it really does add a whole new layer to traditional black and white tiles. 

It's a String Thing Challenge #143

patterns: Sandswirl, Swarm, 'nzeppel and Tipple

Tan tile using a black Rapidograph technical pen, sepia and brown microns,

graphite, white Prismacolor pencil and white gel pen

This week Adele provided a string inspired by the entry to an art gallery building where she lives (It's also the header on her blog). I loved the Art Deco style lines of the string so I decided to embrace the string rather than make it disappear. These patterns are all known faves for me so this was kind of a no brainer. Though not terribly creative, it was thoroughly Zen.

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