Diva Challenge #363, a Duo-challenge and other artsy endeavors

Diva Challenge #363

"Laura's Aura's"

Who doesn't love auras?

My Monday morning cafe set up

This page in my DIY journal seemed like a good candidate for the task at hand. Instead of actually aura-ing sections, I chose some patterns built by aura. I was watching some YouTube this morning and caught this video. I love how she was drawing "Pepper" and decided this could be considered an aura pattern. That's my story and I'm sticking to it;-) Then of course, one of my mac 'n cheese patterns, Sandswirl and then Pixioze.

Then I moved on to this

The Weekly Duo-Challenge

Joey #216 & IAST #243

Now and again, I'll tweak Joey's front & center placement slightly to give myself the option to carry it over to the other side later if I want..
Adele's challenge was to do a Zen Button. I've seen so many of these all over the internet and I love them but I've never made one. Adele linked to this great tutorial from Marguerite Samama. I chose not to do the white charcoal pencil highlight thinking it might throw off the balance of the two sides. I know it's the key to getting the 3-D effect and I may go back and do it later. maybe. I can see some 3D potential in the Joey side, but frankly, I'm wiped out. I've been home sick with a cold for a couple of days. It hit me quick and hard, so I've been home drinking turmeric almond milk tea for two days and arting between naps.

I'm headed off to Cheese Camp Sunday thru Tuesday and I can not be sick! I won't be able to go if I'm still sick. Even if I'm mobile and feeling ok, it's a sanitation thing because we're actually going to be touring several cheese making farms and the production rooms so I can't be coughing and hacking all over the place. The cough is what always lingers when I'm recovering from a cold. So, fingers crossed. 

In other art:

My most recent hand bound watercolor journal

I followed this SeaLemon coptic stitch bookbinding tutorial.

a page inspired by this video at CeeCee Creations

another CeeCee inspired water color page

a page of watercolored and brush pen butterflies

inspired by Maremi Small Art

I liked the idea of adding butterflies to my art journal pages and wanted to make my own. I've been working on this page for a couple of weeks. I printed a layout of butterflies from the internet and traced the silhouettes onto watercolor paper. Then using a wet on wet technique, I wet within the silhouette with clean water, picked up a bit of paint on the the tip of the brush and  dripped the pigment into the wet shape and let it spread and feather. When the paint was all dry I used a black brush pen to do all the line work, using a variety of images from the internet to inspire the different details.

I color copied them and did a couple of reductions as well. I'll cut them out and use them in my art journals and perhaps some envelope art.

Travelling Tangles I completed this past week:

My finish...

...to Heidi Whitney's gorgeous start

My finish...

...to this cool start by Angie Lorandos

another finish...

...to Angies start

My finishes...

to these gorgeous starts by Megan White

travelling from Kentucky

I'm happily overwhelmed by the generous starts I've been receiving in the mail. Some of my swap buddies are sending me 4, 5 or 6 pieces. I'm having a lot of fun with them 'cuz  now I start seeing the art journal potential with so many of them, especially those that are not traditional Zentangle.

I always work through all of the pieces in the order that I receive them rather than pick and choose what speaks to me.  It's so much more fun (the more out of my comfort zone the better) but mostly out of respect to the senders that were quick with their part of the exchange. What's that saying? "You can't wait for inspiration, you have to chase it down with a stick".

She's ready for her close up

and she looks so wise doesn't she?

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

A few more challenges

That's New to Me week #22

"A"lien Crest & Margaret Bremner's "Croon"

This was really an exercise in covering up mistakes and proving that there are no mistakes in the world of Zentangle. Alien Crest was new to me (as was Croon) and looked simple enough. I practiced it a little and then got down to business. It quickly became a hot mess. If I'd been working on a tile I probably would have started again, but it was the first "tile" on a fresh watercolor page in my journal so I muddled through. That's where the spiderwebs came in and then the light/heavy line work. It worked! Yay me!

It's a String Thing Challenge #95

String #96

N'zeppel, onamato, yincut & bublz

I've been MIA from the String Challenges lately. This was a fun one. I love the ST challenges because I have to really work at getting all of the designated tangles into the string. It's always a challenge and I always feel victorious when I finish one, but sometimes I just don't wanna work that hard.

Diane & Carolein's Alphabet Challenge & Made by Joey #62
Jemz, Knightsbridge & Lotus Flower

I'm way behind on this challenge, but I took on an ambitious task with these ones because I'm doing them in a larger format and attempting to complete a series of  note cards. This one was inspired by a Made by Joey Challenge from a few weeks back to create a card fit for a queen, in honor of Queen Elizabeth's birthday. I chose JKL patterns with a regal flair.

Thanks for stopping by. Your generous comments always make my day!