It's Thursday... Need I Say More?

Today is Thursday, great day to tangle. This one is chock full, sort of... quilt like. Enjoying the process and the day.

Baton through the Garden

This piece felt like a walk through the garden. I was playing with Carol Ohl's Baton and enjoyed the process. It still needs work, but I liked the rythm of this pattern. When I finished it looked like a old wooden deck winding it's way through a lavish spring garden. This is a pattern I will use again and again till it feels like an old, comfortable friend.

Baton, Voxter, Mssst and stuff....

Featherfall play

Playing with Carol Ohl's Featherfall. I love the whispy organic texture of this pattern. I'm going to try to do a tangle daily to prepare myself for the upcoming CZT training in Whitinsville. I'm hoping this time it won't snow!

Spring in Massachusettes should be wonderful and I'm so looking forward to meeting many fellow Zentangle enthusiasts and having a creative weekend retreat.

Featherfall, Bales, Beeline, Hollibaugh and Squiggles?

Flying Geese and Cubine

I haven't really worked with Cubine and Flying Geese so today's Zentangle began with those patterns, add lotus pod, keeko, beeline, sez, and blooming butter and it's done. I tried to keep the lines clean and precise and play off of the adjoining pattern.

I pulled out my rapidograph pen for this one. I've been using my Sharpie 0.3mm pen for most of my work lately so it was fun to use my old standby pens, the rapidograph is a great addition to my arsenal.

Challenge #15: Love your Curves, Baby

Laura Harms' Challenge for week #15 is to draw curves, Yippee, love my curves - pun intented. I have always been a curvy gal and appreciate a good curve. Rubens has always been a favorite of mine his portrayal of women as curvy volumptuous glowing being is wonderful! You go Peter Paul! I really enjoy life drawing and when I was in college one of my favorite life drawing models was an older woman with wonderful curves and lines, I loved drawing her. She had a wonderful dignity and prescence and carried herself beautifully. Our class had a variety of models through the semester; males, females, thin, muscular, curvy, and I found the more curvy model much more appealing to draw.

So, this is my view on curves - Love 'em, embrace them and enjoy them.

I must say, I was surprised at how satisfying I found the straight line challenge last week but curves are my comfort zone, they make sense and flow easily and naturally for me. My path through life has always been circuitous, curvy, not linear.




Same basic string with different patterns more white space



After looking at my first version I decided to go for a cleaner crisper more graphic, less organic version, this is the result. Still used flutter pie, knights bridge, tipple, and betweed but left more white space and cleaner lines.

Curves II.

Versa for Spring

Laura Harms threw up a mid-week challenge with her new tangle Versa. This tangle reminds me of something light and airy like the wispy little blossoms appearing on the trees as the weather begins to warm and green little shoots begin to poke their heads out of the thawing soil. Seeds sprouting...

Spring represents new growth and renewal and I embrace it wholly! I'm ready to open my windows and air out my place. The smell of fresh clean linens drying on the line and warm gentle breezes freshening up the that stuffy winter smell. Windows opened, screens inserted, I can hardly wait.

Of course it's 19° this morning, so I am doing a Spring Zentangle and thinking good thoughts as I cuddle under my big warm comforter. There is hope that Spring will be arriving any day now. No snow, please!

Challenge Week #14: Walkin' the Line

The Diva’s challenge for week #14 is “Walkin’ the Line”. This was an enjoyable challenge. I put on my “construction hat” and started drawing. When I think of straight lines, I think of a beefier, meatier tangling process. It brings out the masculine side of my creativity. Good sturdy tangles, carved out of cement or metal, hung with two screws on the wall. So my tangleation turns my favorite curvier patterns into straight line (more masculine) variations - more substantial, I felt like I was building, constructing this piece. When I'm in the straight line construction mode should all my text should be in CAPS? I'm not being sexist, just processing...

My straight lines still have "curves" to them but that's just the way I roll. It gives a more organic, old world feel to straight line, clever way to describe the shaky lines, no?

Of course, if my ZIA was a building it would be a wonky, wobbly mess but that's not the point, right?

I will try another stab at this challenge this week but this is my first try.



Fractal Straight Line



Week Challenge #13: Non-Dominatrix*

Laura Harms' Challenge for Week 13 is to complete a tile or Zentangle inspired piece using ONLY your NON-DOMINANT hand.

Yikes! I really didn't like doing this challenge, but like a good trooper, I did it. Not enjoyable, frustrating, no control at all!!!!!

Laura said "We can't get to this place of vulnerability with our dominant hands, at least not easily." Your preaching to the choir mama!

I did look at other challengers before I began, how did they get theirs to look so controlled. My left hand is not my friend, I do not know her... Do not want to know her... I rant...

Laura gives permission to make a mess and license to create Zentangle MAYHEM! I took that literally and ran with it.

I thought shading might help, NOT! Used a HUGE Sharpie marker with a big piece of paper, used tangles that I enjoy. When I look at my rendition I think of the movie "Tootsie" when they are shooting Dustin Hoffman in drag as Tootsie. As the director says to the camera man "I'd like to make her look a little more attractive. How far can you pull back?" Cameraman answers: "How do you feel about Cleveland? So, if I could squint, move back a few miles, and look again, I might appreciate this tangle. Don't know if I'll give it another try but it was an experience. I never realized what a control freak I was with my tangling!

Challenge Week #12: Something Blue

This weeks DIVA challenge invites us to add a touch of blue to our tangle. I found this challenge difficult, I put it off all week and kept thinking about it trying to plan the perfect touch of blue! That never works sell for me if I put a tremendous amount of thought into the process I tend to put it off. The perfectionist in me rears it's ugly head. It can prevent me from getting into the creative process and letting it flow.

I began with Pais and continued from there. It's not the perfect solution,but, at least, I got it done. A lovely little piece of fluff.

Fun with Purk



I really enjoyed the Purk video that Linda Farmer has posted on tanglepatterns.com. I love watching Maria's effortless hand as she creates this tangle pattern.

Challenge Week #11: Monotangle

Laura Harms' weekly challenge for week #11, invites us to use only one tangle for our tile, a Monotangle. Fun challenge which allows me to take one simple tangle of leaves and stretch it, morph it, resize it and create a full tile. I'm not sure if my tangle is official... It's not Artoo it's just a stem of leaves done in a variety of shapes and sizes. I love leaves and hopefully it will be a harbenger of spring - one can only hope!

I think this will be fun to do several variations (no more than 4, I promise!)

My tile scan shows my pencil lines (dots, outline, and part of the string). When I first began my Zentangle journey I made sure to erase any lines from the final that were not meant to be there as shadows, etc. My feeling now is that I enjoy seeing the process in the tangle, the roots, so to speak.

I definitely erase all the process pencil lines if I'm giving my tangle to a friend but especially within the DIVA challenge I find it an enjoyable addition. This was created by hand and I'm showing it. Just my thoughts for the moment, they may change tomorrow, but I'm steadfast today... or for the moment! Deep huh?

I find Paradox a bit challenginging, I'm much more comfortable with free-form curvey tangles, so what the heck, take on the challenge of  week 11 - monotangle. Took a while... did a bit of deconstruction and stretching but I do like the end result. It has a graphic landscape quality that I find satisfying. I guess the idea of the challenge is to stretch ourselves!