Challenge #180 - "UMT" MacDee by Anneke Van Dam

Fracus, MacDee, Pressed Wood, Float Fest, Tipple, Beadz, Mooka,
Betweed, Printemps, Shattuck, lot's of Auras, embellishing, and shading.
Used white chalk pencil, and white gel pens for highlights and
brown and black Sakura micron pens on a great tan card stock.

This weeks Diva challenge #180, is a UMT (Use My Tangle) challenge and features MacDee by Anneke Van Dam. It's a straight forward tangle that makes great textures and backgrounds. I can't see this as a "featured" tangle but it is very versatile and can be applied in many different applications and creates a good backdrop.

I played with MacDee and created 4 separate Quadrants using one string that encompassed all four sections. It's a Bijou sort of solution but all four 2" x 2" quadrants are kept together. The main tile area is aprox 4x4". I don't like using a straight edge so I free formed the division, drew a string on top and started tangling. This is a very busy little ZIA but it was fun to play off each section. I think it needed the open area in the center to give it some breathing space. I don't know if it's totally successful, but as always, I enjoyed the process.

I used tan paper with white gel pen and white charcoal pencil accents. The brown micron really works beautifully on this paper and seemed to go with the plaid background. Each section contains a hint of MacDee or at least elements of MacDee, morphed and varied, of course. I initially created this tile with Fracus on the bottom left corner, but after I scanned it upside down, I realized it worked better rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Isn't that always the way works when I surrender to the Zentangle process. No preconceived ideas or outcomes, I let the tangles talk to me. After all, I am a Zentangle Zealot! (term coined at our 2011 CZT Training #6)

Frame featuring Betweed, Paradox, Mooka, Printemps, Hollibaugh,
Tipple, MacDee, and some Fracas just for fun!

This frame inspired by Maria Thomas' work features the group of fabulous women who took my class last week. We concentrated on Paradox (fans and twists), Betweed, Mooka, threw in a little Printemps, and Hollibaugh. I tangled the heck out a frame to showcase all the tangles we were practicing.
It was a crazy night (we had to move our class location), but they were all troopers. We found the "Zen" within the chaos. Thanks ladies, it was a fabulous class and now they are officially Zentangle Zealots!

My Zentangle Zealots class logo

Even though it was
a hectic evening I had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and meeting new. Great group. I want to thank the Saline Library for their help.

Check out all the great entries at the Diva's site this week. 

Challenge #150 - One Little Word - Maitri

 

The Diva's challenge this week asks us to choose a word that will guide us for 2014. I chose the Maitri; a Sanskript word meaning Gentle loving kindness towards oneself, feeling at home with one's own mind and body. I think the only way to pursue goals is to recognize where we are and be comfortable with ourselves. If I don't like me then why should anyone else? I do want to pursue my higher self and creativity and I think that the only way I am able to change is if I recognize where I'm beginning.

Being open, creative, loving, kind, having gratitude for all you have, pursuing a higher purpose is my goal for the new year.

Challenge #143 - UMT - Cruze by Caren Mlot

This weeks Diva challenge is #143, it's a first Monday of the month Use My Tangle challenge. Cruze by CZT Caren Mlot was chosen, check out her tangle. It's easy to recreate and has a great rhythm. There are many possibilities and variations which makes it a fun tangle. My version definitely isn't perfect... but that's the Zentangle way, right? Just doing it one stroke at a time. I will play with this tangle in the future.

My solution is light and airy solution with just a touch of color. I used a purple micron and the color definitely doesn't pop.

I used Cruze, Printemp swirls, Crescent tangleations, Flux, Betweed, Zinger with lots of Beadz, Auras, and shading.

Challenge #109 - Zentangle Quest

Dansk, Printemps, Flying Geese, and a background
of Hibred in sepia tones

Zinger/Lupine, Tripoli, Mooka,
Crescent Moon, Pearlz, Zander

This week's Diva Challenge for week #109, is taken from Maria Thomas'  Zentangle blog post. She presents a  new technique which she describes and illustrates beautifully. The technique uses random parallel lines as a string; the lines indicate inner and outer folds or curves, then add banding and tangle away! It creates a fun 3-D effect, check out all the fabulous offerings on the Diva's site.

For version 1 - I fashioned alternating cone shapes embedded in a Hibrid background. I "wiggled" and broke up the lines a bit to soften the Hibrid background. I used Printemps, Flying Geese, Dansk and some ribbons fastened with little buttons to set the stage. I continued the cone's draft "lines" beyond the perimeter, it gives it a neat which I like! I used brown/sepia and black micron pen, I used graphite and a sepia pencils for shading.

My second version is black and white with lot's of grey, I worked with black and white gel pen. It looks to me like Tripoli is spinning into the cosmos wheeee! I used a Zander parallel line to create my 3-D bands, Crescent Moon, then added Mooka, Zinger and some Pearlz.