Diva Challenge #300 - Moebius Awareness Day

Moebius Syndrome Awarness - version1
Dancers, Smiles, Hearts, Mooka, Tipple, and Printemps

Moebius Syndrome Awarness - version 2
Moebius Awareness logo with Tripoli, some Hearts and Purple!

The Diva Reached her 300th Challenge this week, congratulations to her. For this week's challenge we revisit the Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day. Her son Artoo has this syndrome and through her blog we have seen his progress and amazing development.

This is the fifth Moebius Syndrome Awareness Challenge I've had the honor to participated in: Challenge #55, #103, #151, #251.  I chose to use a 3Z tile size and shape. The slogan "Smile With Your Heart" is a wonderful uplifting message so I used that as my inspiration.

Check out the other wonderful tiles for this week's 300th Diva Challenge.

 

 

 

   

 

 Challenge #299 - Drawings and Triangle Exploration

Combined Triangle Tiles, Common String, with touches of blue

triangle tiles 1-5

triangle tiles 6-8

Last week I decided to try my hand at triangle tiles. Mine are not equilateral (only 2 sides are 3.5") since I cut them out of a divided circle. but it gave me the basic feel. I created a template and I cutout my in the "fashion of" the official Zentangle® 3Z triangle tiles.This was more of an exploration in sections. I used the Zentangle blog Twelve Days of 3Zs Christmas Challenge as inspiration. Things got way out of hand and I couldn't stop myself. I finished up my pieces Sunday night.

Lot's of tangles and techniques for these pieces:

1. Shattuck, Cresent Moon, Drawings, Tripoli,
2. Lolliwhop, Knightsbridge, Mac-Ra-Me, Gourdeous
3. ICanThis, Poke Berry, Knightsbridge,
4. Drawings, Tipple,
5. Marasu, Poke Leaf, Molygons, Printemps, with Bijou's cousin
6. Tripoli, Crescent Moon, Moowa,     Knightsbridge, Purk beadz
7. Tripoli, Hollibaugh, Tipple
8. Drawings, Diva Dance

This is over the top for me but what the heck!

Challenge #254 - Valentangle, Beet Juice is Yummy, and colorful too

Valentangle 1 - with Gourdgeous-like Hearts, Flowers, Molygons,
Mooka, Tipple, Spirals, Paradox, and lot's of Rounding, Shading 
and Auras, added the beet juice, and water color pencils

This weeks Diva Challenge #254 is a "Valentangle" challenge, just in time for Valentine's day. Laura asks us to create a a piece with a Valentine's Day Flair. I chose to honor this day with hearts, flowers, and the beautiful blush color that beets bring to this piece.  Someone else in this challenge shared about using leftover beets for her background, this inspired me. Sorry, I didn't bookmark it, but I had to try it. I applied the beet juice (pickled beets are my preference), splattered juice on my paper with a toothbrush. I then blew dry my paper and ironed it to set the color. Ironing/ heating the paper gave a wonderful quality to the surface which was even better for my microns pens and pencils.

My sister is a jeweler and she Anneals metal (heats it) to strengthen and harden the final metal pieces. This same process must work with paper. I used a heavy/toothy velum bond. so I was pleased it accepted being painted and heated so well.

I did use red watercolor pencil to enhance the beet juice coloring but I did use the beet juice as my flow medium with a brush for the watercolor pencils. I also added a little wash of coffee to the center portion this morning.  This is a result of many layers of media and washes.

I taught a wonderful Zendala class this past week and this piece was a result of the snowflake Mandala template creation process. This was the result of my snowflake tracing example which grew and modified as I worked on it this week. I really didn't like the way it was going but I kept at it all week. I added hearts and let the tangles talk to me and tell me what to do next. The result is something that I am happy with but the process was so much fun.

Here are some process pictures.
The original snowflake cutout I created as an example in class which gave me my layout and
string to trace for the Zendala. I let my string guide me, not rule me.

As you can see, changes were made, but that's all part of the process.

Snowflake template overlaid, then  
trace the cutout areas  your string
to your create

Initial development of
the Valentangle / Zendala

Valentangle 2 - String #131

I created a second Valentangle based on It's a String Thing #131, third in the series of heart shaped challenges. I continued my food stain coloration experiments by using spring lettuce to create my green background. I julienned a few leaves, then rubbed them into my paper, then ironed it. I also added touches of beet juice accents but found it turned a brownish color when I ironed it (the iron was set too high). I added watercolor pencil over the applied food coloring.

I used a Mooka / Hollibaugh Heart tangleation and continued my gourdeous-heart enhancements. Some stippling, highlights and shading.

Check out all the other submissions for this weeks Diva Challenge #254.

Challenge #154 - Valentangle

The Diva's challenge for week #154 and she's all about Valentines Day. She asks us to create a Valentangle", great term, no? I chose to embrace hearts and of course red. My heart is a play on Maria's new tangle Aquafleur with some Knightsbridge stripes, lot's of hearts, and some Printemps with lot's of Auraknot texture. I used my wonderful Derwent Inktense pencils to add a touch of red and yummy texture with my white gel pen. I'm so pleased that my Printemp spirals magically turned into wonderful little rose bouquets when I added a wash of red to the centers.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Hope it's sweet and full of wonderful loving thoughts, hugs, and Zentangles!

Check out all the other wonderful work for this week's challenge at the Diva's site.