Journals to the People: “Colors May Vary”

This is a soft cover journal measuring 6” x 8 1/2”, single signature with 94 pages front and back. The cover started with a frozen pizza box covered with white gesso, then decoupaged with the spent art issues I used to dye some of the papers within. The cover was then sealed with glossy gel medium.

I didn’t put an image on the cover but I included some pocket cards that could be used as cover art at some point if desired.

I love that you can keep using the same tissues over and over as the intensity will diminish with each generation resulting in a wonderful and extremely useful variety of tonal value. Then you have a cool pile of collage fodder in the end as the tissues still hold onto color.

The decorative papers are a digital mash-up which includes:

PM Artists Studio

Tracie Fox Creative

Artmaze

Malena Art Design

Pink Monarch Prints

and more I’m sure I’ve forgotten.

Diva Challenge #306, Joey Challenge#155 etc....

Diva Challenge #306

Use My Tangle Monday

featuring: Amphora by Lily Moon

The first Monday of the month challenges us to use a pattern submitted to The Diva by one of her many fans, fellow CZT's and loyal followers.

I am (as are many) a huge fan of Lily's work. She's truly a superstar in the world of Zentangle. I'm so glad Amphora is the chosen one because I needed a reason to finally get this pattern right. I've attempted it before with disappointing results and let it go. I have a really hard time keeping wavy lines consistent, especially when they need to mirror each other. I was also frustrated because I'd get it too cramped. So, I practiced this for quite a while in my sketchbook and realized the problem I've had all along with it was drawing it too small. I had my AHA! moment, grabbed a watercolor ZIA tile I'd relegated to the slush pile and...well...there ya go;-) I still need to work on Amphora in what I call "wallpaper" mode or fill. Hopefully later in the week.

Made by Joey #155

Finish My Tile Alphabet Series: J

featuring: Jellyroll

additionally: Jalousie and Jilli

This is a Bijou series I'm working through as page headers for my pattern library binder so I try to stick to Joey's parameters as best I can whilst maintaining a style consistency through out my series.

I also want to share a progression series I'm calling "The Bare Bones". I  used last week's "It's a String Thing" tile and posted the progress photos here. I'd love to hear from you if you find this sort of thing helpful and would like to see more. Many thanks to those of you who already commented on it. I know I always love seeing how others work through a tile.

Here's a Travelling Tangle I finished this week:

My finish to...

Debra Huff's starter

This was for the Year of the Rooster swap. The task was to start a tile using either rooster colors or feather like patterns. I used a dip pen and red ink to complete this. I was inspired by some work I'd seen on Eni Oken's Facebook group Shading Zentangle using Echo Lines. I love how this tile turned out.
Last week I was visiting Laurel Regan's blog, Alphabet Salad. She presented a set of beautiful note cards she'd created on watercolor paper she'd hand torn just using a metal ruler. I gave it a shot and then used tissue paper to color them.

Re-used tissue

I created this for the "Por Fin" Shading Zentangle weekly challenge

but I really don't want to shade it...yet;-)

Sketchbook WIP

Official Zentangle Patterns page

I'm trying to get all of them;-)

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

Diva Challenge #304, Made by Joey #153

Diva Challenge #304

"Waybop"

More Waybop! It's a good thing I like this pattern so much. I've had a lot of fun with Waybop this week and though I could have posted any one of the other pieces I've done, I was happy to give it another go.

Made by Joey Challenge #153

Finish My Tile Alphabet Series: H

featuring: Hollibaugh

additionally: Hypnotic and Hearts Divided

I'm creating a Bijou series with Joey's challenges. These are headers for my pattern library so I'm adapting her strings/starts by using the featured pattern as part of the letter in black and then using additional patterns in the background in brown. I could not not Hollibaugh the H;-)

I finished a couple of Travelling Tangles this week:

Anne Marks sent me this super cool watercolor start all the way from Australia

After a lengthy stare-down...my finish

This was a challenge because I don't have many colored pens. Anne's line work was done with a fine pink pen ( I'm guessing a .005, maybe a .01 Micron?). I decided to use a dip pen and red ink and just let-er-rip. After penciling in a string that followed the watercolor marks, I honestly did not know what each next stroke was going to be. After a little initial anxiety, I have to say this was one of the most fun pieces I've worked on because everything from the colors to the artwork was quite out of my comfort zone.

Heidi Whitney sent me this

My finish

This one challenged me because the paper is much darker than either photo implies, thus there was very little contrast between the paper and the line work. Maybe it's my old eyes but I could not see what I  was doing. I started by going in deep and dark. I love Niuroda so I kept going with it. I'm really pleased with how this evolved. Waaaay out of my comfort zone, but that's where the magic happens;-)

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

Diva Challenge #301, Made by Joey #150, IAST #181...

Diva Challenge #301

Duotangle: Paradox and Diva Dance

Zentangle HQ just released a video demonstrating a super cool mash-up of Paradox and Diva Dance, or a duotangle, if you will. I started this last night and just finished the shading now. I had so much fun with this and now I'm inspired to explore this more in my journal. The beauty of the tile though is the ease and flow of turning the tile is far less cumbersome than my landscape format sketchbook.

Made by Joey #150

Finish My Tile Alphabet Series: E

featuring El Prado

additionally: Emingle and Echo

Once again tweaked to Bijou size. I'm enjoying this series a lot an using it as a prompt to explore new patterns. El Prado is new and though I've seen Echo before, I don't think I've ever used it. It's so simple and I love the textile effect. It reminds me of something I've seen in tribal art.

It's a String Thing Challenge #181

a Zenbud string

Poser, Puf and Flukes

This one took a long time to take off. I seem to resist challenges where I'm to use grid patterns in small curvy spaces, but that's why they call them challenges.
I've been working a lot in my new sketchbook, prompted by a Facebook group challenge following along the lessons in HQ's Zentangle Primer. My self challenge is to keep it simple at first (if that's my inclination) and then get out of my comfort zone. I could have gone farther with this.

Travelling Tangles Project

tissue paper transfer background

I created this set of starter ATC's to accompany the set of tiles I created for a new swap. I spent a lovely morning last week making several new watercolor/tissue paper pages to cut down into tiles and ATC's. 

Check out my last post for my new watercolor tutorial,  I would love to hear feedback from you if anyone tries this or if there's any confusion or missing information when reading through it. 

I also did some art tissue paper backgrounds too. Here's the link to Sue Olsen's tutorial on this super fun technique (here's a link to the Amazon page if you are able to purchase this tissue online).  Inspired by a comment by Pat Mathes at Gramtangles, I'm going to try out a mash-up of the two techniques. Stay tuned;-)

This one's begging for an organic series

This was the first page using the art tissue

these colors were inspired by the same rooster I used in my tutorial

This was my next attempt, re-using the same strips of tissue.

I love this muted effect!

Finally, exploring some new patterns

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

Diva Challenge #292, Made by Joey #138 and More Travelling Tangles...

Diva Challenge #292

Use My Tangle: "Eaxy"

The first Monday of the month is a Use My Tangle challenge, where The Diva chooses a pattern submitted by one of her many fans and followers. This is Nadine Roller's pattern "Eaxy", an easy pattern using X's. Easy in theory, but in practice?...well, I can't remember when a pattern vexed me so. I suspect most of you reading this feel my pain.

It's been an unsettling week and I've been trying really hard to get my Zen. I've found windows here and there but mostly my focus has been scattered. I practiced "Eaxy". A lot. I got frustrated. Took breaks. Practiced some more. Started an ATC. Got frustrated. Tossed it. Noodled around on Pinterest. A lot. Checked out other submissions. I was not alone.

Then two things happened within minutes of each other. I came across a gorgeous (is there any other kind?) Lily Moon tile and read Jennifer Sparrow's blog post. Jennifer posted of picture of a garden path and I immediately thought of cobblestones which always makes me think of 'Nzeppel. 

'Nzepple Eaxy! That was the solution to my frustration of the shabby cross-overs that I couldn't clean up. So, many thanks Lily and Jennifer!

Joey Challenge #138

Finish my Tile: Twile

Joey started us off this week with a ring filled with Twile in the center of a tile. I had some left over ATC's from the current Travelling Tangles swap...

... and in keeping with my personal challenge of adapting the Joey challenges to ATC's, I took a little artistic license with this.

Earlier in the week, I finished the last of my Travelling Tangles backlog to make way for new round starting to trickle in.
Here are two recent finishes to a tile and ATC sent by Sue Olsen.

I love these! They're so cool just on their own.

Sue is the inspiration behind my latest coloring technique obsession-tissue paper. Check out Sue's tutorial here. Sue recently posted some additional tissue paper play here where she overlays the white tissue for a really interesting effect. This is next on my To Do list. Thanks Sue!

A while back, I sent Margaret Bremner one of the first ATC's from my tissue paper trial run.

This is so freakin' awesome!

Margaret applied torn paper (orange) to the ATC and continued to work her magic. 

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club"-Jack London

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