Diva Challenge 316 - Stripes as the String

Very quickly this week - lots of things to do, people to see and places to go!! Not a lot of Zen time, but I did do this week's challenge from the Diva.

It's not clever, it's not particularly one I'm proud of, but it focused me and recharged me and I'm good with that. 

I've added a couple of other tiles - one that I did after receiving and devouring the Zentangle Primer - a gift to myself - why not? And the other because I enjoyed stretching Nzepple and adding colour with my gorgeous Inktense Derwent crayons! 

Thanks for the challenge - thank you for stopping by. See you later!

A striped tile with Printemps, Ditto, Mooka variation, scruffy Knightsbridge (my pen was on it's last legs!) Cadent, Fassett and a bit of Shattuck. All back to basics for me!

I so enjoyed doing this...and now I want to lick it!

This was done balancing on my 'Zentangle' book - and I used specific suggestions, shading techniques and ideas for variations from my wonderful Zentangle Primer, which I adore!

Diva Challenge 315 - Tangle study - Molygon

We are wishing Laura a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY this week! And we have a Tangle Study Challenge based on Molygon, so we are also very lucky.

I say this but the first time I tried Molygon, it wasn't my favourite - I couldn't get it to 'flow' and my shapes were too narrow to do much with. But there's nothing like giving it a second chance...

And I am really very pleased I did. I had a slightly distressed tile which I used as a background and here is my finished study. 

Again, wishing Laura a lovely day on Friday. Hope she has a great birthday and thanks for giving us such a great challenge.

Caught deep in concentration by my daughter....

Diva Challenge 314... UMT Scallamps by Sarah Uram CZT

Well, I have spent a very happy few weeks during April tangling on distressed tiles and, I have to say, in my humble opinion, produced some pretty amazing results. Huge and valuable learning curve - with many thanks to Eni Oken.

However, today, it was back to basics and the Diva's Challenge. It is Use my Tangle week and this week, Sarah Uram gave us 'Scallamps'. Looks familiar and interesting and I enjoyed this one, which I drew in a book. I am currently drowning in tiles...advice on what to do with them all would be gratefully received!

Also, as Laura mentioned, we're creating tiles with the lovely Lily Moon and her family in mind. I have always loved Lily's work and seen her grow in skill from her first tiles - she's now one of the very best, in my opinion. However, right now, she's having a very rough time and we are sending her lots of love (and tiles) and hoping that the power of Zentangle will help her through this dark period. A moonful of love from me...with Lily's tangles, Lealad and Andante..plus homage to Amphora...

Thanks for popping by!


And if you've scroll this far, I will share a couple of my distressed tiles...can't resist!

This is over a tile that I distressed with my Inktense crayons and some spray acrylics bought from Lidl (!)

This weird and wonderful creation is on a tile I distressed with just about every single paint, pen, stamp and colour I possess...trying to get the right colour for some drawings I'm doing for my sister....lol!!

And this may form a part of said drawing for my sister... colours are OK on this one. 

And these more gentle colours came from my Distressed Ranger pens...Feels very calm after the others...

Thanks for looking. Axxx

Colour, colour everywhere! Distressed tiles....but a happy me!

Over on Facebook, there's a burst of colour, partly due to Eni Oken's amazing technique of tangling over distressed tiles...well, the tiles are not distressed but the colours used include Distressed Inks. This is a range of inks, pens and sprays produced by Tim Holtz and whilst I'm not endorsing any products here, the results that can be seen on Eni's blog are incredible.

Personally, I only have a limited set of Distress Ink marker pens that I purchased on my last visit to the UK. However, at my local Lidl last week, I was able to pick up a box of four acrylic spray paints which have proved quite adequate for my purposes.

I have been making my own distress backgrounds and have spent almost the whole week working obsessively on them,,,, and now, I am beginning to really enjoy myself, At first, I found my colours seemed muddy and my tiles without much light but now, whilst I would never say I am an expert, I am much happier with my results.

For posterity more than anything else, I am going to post a selection of my efforts here...

A work in progress - and quite gentle colour tones

I liked an idea that Eni gave me - put a frame around one section to see how it looks

Another section with frame...

I really love the colours of this one. I am preparing something for my sister and sent her this to check out the colour scheme. Her husband thought it looked like E.T. fetching a stick....I can't see anything else now....

I have improved the highlights on Narwal and Marasu since I took the photo...they don't look too good here...

I wasn't too happy with the original tile as it seemed like just a bit blog of red....but I am happy with my tangles on it. 

Some distresed tiles awaiting tangling...

Pure fantasy! 

My favourite so far...a friend said she could see dragons in this one...

Not so very long ago, I was nervous about using colour. It seemed too difficult. Now I am so in love with the inspiration it creates in me...it may be some time before I go back to black and white! (But I know I will one day...because I love Zentangle!)

Zentangle Poems

Inspired by Maria Tovar-Perez, a CZT teacher here in Spain, our Friday tangling group have decided to use poetry as a base to create some art this week. You can see her work and that of her students on her Facebook page. I had given this technique a try a while back but wasn't happy with the results. I know now that I didn't go 'far enough' and was trying to avoid obscuring the words. The key is to select just a few words that you like or that make a different type of poem. The other words are lost to the tangles.

I had a go at a couple of poems before I took the class so that people could see some of the options to include on their own poems and in the class we practised on some of my old English class notes!


We don't like waste. I love what Belen did with hers...definitely an improvement on the untangled version but apologies that it's a bit out of focus.

I will post the final versions after out next class. There was a lot of enthusiasm for this and I am sure there will be some extremely interesting zenpoems produced.

These are some of mine. The first one is on a poem by Pablo Neruda called 'Un Amor' - A Love. I cannot explain the lemon slices....

Next is over a poem by Lorca, called 'Arbole, arbole' - Tree, tree,

And a poem by one of my favourite poets, W B Yeats, called 'The Song of Wandering Aengus.'

And this is not me touting for business, honest, BUT, if you have a poem that you would like me to turn into a Zentangle poem, please let me know. You could choose the particular words that you wanted highlighting and select a colour scheme for any gemstones, etc. or leave it to me.

Mainly it's just an excuse for me to keep doing them! Send me a message if you're interested.

Axxx

Diva Challenge 305 - Duotangle with Molygon and Marasu

How on earth did we suddenly get to challenge 305? I am slipping badly...the last one I posted was 293...although I have done several attempts at the intervening challenges, I haven't managed to write a post and make the link. I do, however, always read The Diva's posts and continue appreciate the glimpses into her busy life. What a woman! Good on you, Laura!

So today, I will! It's Andalucia Day so we have had a little holiday which has given me a little extra time to tangle and to post. I enjoyed this very much - actually, I am really enjoying my tangling these days as I have discovered a new passion. Colour. Colour using Derwent Inktense crayons. I have dabbled a bit in colour over the years since discovering Zentangle, but one of the things I liked best about it was the black on white with pencil shading. However, thanks to the very talented Jo Flaherty and Eni Oken, I have pushed my boundaries and started shading in colour.

So - here is my challenge piece and a couple of others that I have been working on in the past few weeks. Most of them have made it to Facebook and the shared group pages there but I will put them here too. I have neglected my blog for long enough.

Thanks for popping by!!

And some more colour...

Diva Challenge 239 - Munchin Play.

Like the Diva, I wasn't 'into' Munchin before I did this challenge. As usual, if you put your mind to it - or are challenged by one of the several excellent challenges that are available to us lucky tanglers - Zentangle comes up trumps and pays off. At least that's what I think about the challenge this week.

As I mentioned last week, I bought myself a lovely new book to tangle in and so for that reason, my tile this week is not black, but tan. I like the black tiles and I like working in white but I couldn't resist another tangle in my book.

I watched Molly's video and as I was tangling I wasn't so convinced. My lines were all wibbly - I've still got a horrible cold and feel rather sorry for myself - but I persevered. I added a few sepia lines and a bit of white highlighting then did some fairly heavy shading.

And I am pleased with the result. I haven't looked at anyone else's contribution yet, so look forward to that pleasure as soon as I post on the Diva's page. Thank you for stopping by to look.
Axxx

Diva Challenge 237 - Charlotte Carpentier guest post

I was a bit wary when I read the Diva's challenge this week, although, it's a challenge from Charlotte really. At first, I wasn't quite sure if I could do it. Inks? Spray? Stencil? Very much a challenge!

But I'm game, if nothing else, so I scoured my shelves and discovered a bottle of Newton and Windsor ink that is 19 years old. Seriously, I remember buying it in El Corte Ingles - a Spanish department store - in Malaga, during the year that I spent on sabbatical with my now husband, Cesar, in 1996. I spent a lot of time doing calligraphy during my year away from work and recently, in a box long unopened from our more recent move to Spain, I rediscovered both my pens and this cute little bottle of ink.

Task one achieved. Now to find a stencil.

I searched high and low for something suitable and bingo! on my daughter's bookshelf, I found a little book that I'd bought her a few years ago, with a 'spirograph' (remember those?) pattern maker inside. It never worked as well as the real Spirograph did and it's a long time since it had been taken from the shelf. However, I found a stencil - mission accomplished! Well, the second part anyway. Final part - something to spray my ink with.


I eventually found an old spray bottle - actually one that had contained a natural flea repellent that I had bought when I was convinced my dog had fleas. It turns out he hadn't but something was biting me....I never found out what it was but at least the bites have stopped. You don't need to know this really, but when I say this was a challenge, you need to know that it really was!

A careful wash and rinse later, I prepared my ink mix and opened my sketch pad.

And sprayed....

Rather more ink came out than I'd expected.....and not exactly where I'd expected either.

But I had my stencil. I traced around a tile placed around the inked stencil. And then began my tangle. Phew!

And I enjoyed it - thank you Charlotte - in the end, I am pleased with my tile and pleased with the process that I went through to do it. During my challenge hunt, I found a box of old ink stamps - mostly quite dry and unusable, but I added a couple of 'stamps' to the final tile, to soften rather froggy green of my ink. Not very subtle, but I rather like it.

Tangles used include Flux, Rixty, Printemps (a single one) Meer, Shattuck, Banderola, Paradox, Bunzo, Betweed, Crescent Moon and Hamail. And a little bit of Tipple.

So once again, thanks for a great challenge, Laura and Charlotte. Check out the other entries here, which is exactly what I am going to do just now!

Diva Challenge 232 - with Holly Atwater

Monday morning and I was all sorted - beds stripped, washing in, chores done - time for a coffee and a check on the Diva Challenge this week.
I was delighted to see it was Holly Atwater! I remember it was Holly who first told me that my tangle 'Skwirl' had been published on Tangle Patterns and her genuine delight for me was evident even over the many miles that separate us. I've always loved her Zentangle work and her beautiful blog, Ha! Designs and incredible family.

And I loved this week's challenge - a chance to sit down, listen and tangle in a meditative manner. I positively RUSHED at it....no Bijou tile and an ill-drawn square on my paper, grabbed from the printer supply......oops! But once I began, listened to and followed Holly's gentle instructions, I really went with the flow and enjoyed every second. And was very pleased with the result.

I did Audio 1, with the result shown here and I shall probably have a go at the other two as well, if I get chance this week.

I've also been doing a lot of pebble painting and paintings of painted pebbles.


The first is part of a set that I did for a friend whose daughter is having a beach wedding. This stone is representative of her partner's incredible hairstyle - a huge blond Mohican, which he usually wears flattened down in a pony tail...but I do hope it will be fully crested for the wedding! I haven't shown the other other one, which is based on their initials....JUST in case there's any chance they'll see them.






The two pebbles fit together so perfectly and I'm very pleased with them. They're winging their way in a little wooden chest to my friend, so she can place them in just the right place on the day. (I don't know where that is, but she does!)

And then I did a pebble just for my hubby - to hold his papers down.

And then I drew a picture of a painted pebble! I do like painted pebbles.

In fact, I like them so much, that I'm going to the beach just now to collect some more.

Thanks again Holly! Lovely challenge and more to look forward to.

Diva Challenge 229 - negative space with guest Sandy Hunter.

Thanks this week to Sandy Hunter, guest blogger over on the Diva's Challenge page. I hope Laura is having a great holiday and enjoying the great challenges that her excellent guests are providing for us.

Good thinking Sandy, is what I say this week. I am currently COMPLETELY obsessed with Zendalas and Mandalas. I think I am drawing them in my sleep and I am so enjoying them. At first, when the challenge popped up in my news feed, I thought - hmmm....not a zendala opportunity, perhaps I'll give it miss...

And then! Guess what, my opportunity presented itself.

My tangle this week is a Zendala with a central negative space! Interestingly, I didn't enjoy it as much as a proper mandala as the best part for me is the development from the centre starting point - but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at all. No, it was lovely to do, though I did go off the edges a tad.

Thank you Sandy! I'm sure there are going to be some really great entries this week and I do love looking at them all.

Here are some of my recent zendalas - I have been so happy with the results, done on various sizes of canvas, that I took them to be framed. I am going to hang them ALL in my bedroom! Apologies if you've seen them before - I have posted them (and some others!) on Facebook and on my other blog recently....

This one is A4 size and I did it with my micron pens...bad idea!

This is a 20x20cms canvas, painted with acrylic paints and using a permanent black marker and
a variety of gel pens to add gold and white accents. The border I did on BeFunky photo editor.

Also done on a painted 20x20cms canvas - much more Zentangle in this. The lady who is framing
them was very taken with this one!

This one isn't quite finished - I'm going to paint around the outside of the zendala - it is still white
although it looks sort of duck egg blue here. I will try and 'tidy' the edges of the original
painted part...but any suggestions gratefully received about how best to finish it. It's on a 30x30 canvas, so I'm going bigger! I have also bought a 50x50 canvas to do before the end of the summer!

And whilst out shopping, I saw this material and HAD to buy some. I now have two gorgeous cushions on my sofa and may have to buy more...next time, I'll pick a more photogenic spot to show them off...

Diva Challenge and String Thing 100!

Thank you to Jen Crutchfield, guesting  over on the Diva Challenge this week! She suggested we use colour - in fact, she suggested just two or three - in our tangles this week. Like Jen, I am not a great on for colour, never having had artistic inclinations or tendencies before I began tangling. Some people have great experience with colour and it shows in their work - I'm in awe of the effects that some tanglers achieve with colour. I can't do it - I have tried but it doesn't seem to work for me.

However, I have a little technique that I'm quite happy with. I paint a random background, either on paper or a canvas, with some lovely gouache paints that I once bought for my daughter. Then I tangle on top. It's not awfully good for my pens - they get a bit clogged up as I work, but it seems to be only a 'surface' clog and a bit of scribbling on a different surface, and they work fine again. I haven't noticed any lasting damage or problems, in case you wanted to try it yourself.

I was asked recently to a zendala for a friend and she wanted colour, so this week's challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity. I prepared my canvas with a selection of colours - not awfully well represented here by my photo, but they are nice, trust me - and then drew about three concentric circles as a guide for my zendala. The rest is just how the flow took me.

I need some advice though...the canvas was obviously not square so my zendala only 'fits' in the top part. Should I put something else in the bottom part or leave it as it is? And if I put something in the bottom part, what could that be? A smaller zendala...or two...? A 'reflection' of the top part? Some words.....? Any suggestions gratefully received.

And this week also sees Adele Bruno's String Thing challenge reach its 100th anniversary - the Zentennial!! Well done Adele for keeping this lovely challenge going all this time. I love this one as it produces such a variety of tiles, all with the same remit - a string and a selection of tangles.

For this week, Adele came up with a simple but effect string and also a new tangle based on '100' and I enjoyed it so much, I did two.

The first one was done as I watched 'Mad Max - Road to Fury' and I think the rather gothic, steampunk effects somehow penetrated my unconscious as I was drawing.....

And the second one was done as a sort of antidote to the first!

Do check all the entries out when Adele publishes them on her blog early next week.

Thank you for stopping by! Hope you like what you have seen. (Now I can go and see what other lovely tiles have been entered onto the Diva Challenge!)

Diva Challenge 222 - Bursting with Pride!

The Diva challenged us to use colour this week. I don't do a lot of colour because I really do like the Zentangles in black and white. OK...that's not entirely true. I think some people have an incredible way with colour and oodles of patience to get just the effect they want.
I don't have that talent or patience. Which is why I prefer black and white....

However, I love a challenge and I also like to demonstrate my support to those who have things a little harder than I do. We should all be able to be proud of who we are, what we do and who we love. So for this week, I have started at the middle and worked outwards in the form of a Zendala. Every 'layer' is a symbol of recognition for every strata in society; each ring of the Zendala is an embrace of our differences; every colour a band of pride for what we can achieve and for our love of each other.

Be different. Be proud. Without you, the world would not be so colourful.

(and thank you Laura.)

Diva Challenge 221 - Beads of Courage

Little Artoo has had a big year. He's looking so grown up recently and is clearly such a sweetie. He's been through a great deal in his short life and has lots and lots of courage. Like all children with serious illnesses, he has had many encounters with hospitals and I think that to receive recognition of his bravery, the Beads of Courage project is a lovely one.

The Diva's Challenge this week is to make a Zentangle pattern using the Beads of Courage as the theme. I remember doing this last year and for a few days, was a bit stuck as to how to do something different. Then I just started and let the Zen lead me!

This is for you, Artoo. Brave, brave boy with a great family who love you. Here's to you and all the other children who have to go through more than we would wish for them.

Axxx