Challenge #28 Trip to Tripoli

TRIPOLI is the new tangle introduced by Rick & Maria at Zentangle this week.  I had the feeling that this would be the challenge for the week from Laura, the one and only CZT diva, so I started playing with it a little last night.  I love this tangle because it has so much potential and variety, but I will need to play with it more because I am having some trouble getting all my little triangles the same size, turned the right way, and the same distance apart.  Normally, I would wait and work with this more, but I have a full week planned and I am not sure I will have the time to get back to this again.  So, I am posting my 1st attempts, one on a tile and the other on a small piece of Stonehenge paper that I had left over from another project.  I applied a color pencil wash to it first and then tangled.  I had fun experimenting with color, trying a new tangle, and really enjoyed the process of creating.  So after reading the post on the Zentangle blog today, I am not waiting for time to try something "better" to post!  Thanks,  Rick and Maria for that great post!  Thanks, Laura for another great challenge. 

Challenge #27 Duo-Tangle

In this challenge the Diva has us using only 2 tangles, Dex & Verdigogh.  These are two very different tangles, Dex with straight lines and Verdigogh being more organinc.  This was one I had to sit and think about for awhile.  Instead of starting with the usual string I decided to draw all the large black squares of Dex and use my white Gelly Roll pen to draw Verdigogh on top of those squares.  I then extended the Verdigogh branches with my black pen in some area but not in others.  After that I completed the outside lines of Dex.  

I have always admired the way that Maria Thomas weaves her tangles together and continues one tangle with another by using the same lines.  She makes it look so easy and the results are always so beautiful!  This is something I need to continue to work on, because I love how it looks.  I can see it, but getting it from my mind to the paper.....now that is something else altogether!  Practice, practice practice, and continue to enjoy the process.  :)

Challenge #26/Spiral Out

This week's challenge is to make your string a "spiral".  I love spiral's and I needed an easy challenge this week.  Thank's Laura!

Challenge #25 Zendala Magic

Oh yeah!  I love Zendala's (Mandala's made with Zentangle patterns)!  Laura Harm's (our one and only Diva) is spending some much needed time off with her mother, but in true Laura style she didn't delay the weekly challenges that we have all come to love and look forward to each week. Instead, she arranged for a guest challenger, Geneviève Crabe/CZT from Canada came up with this week's challenge for us.  I had the pleasure of meeting Geneviève at our CZT certification class 4.  She is a very talented artist and you can view some of her wonderful Zendala's here. Thanks Laura, and thanks for the great challenge, Geneviève! 

I have never made a Zendala the size of a tile before, so that was a lot of fun!  I am looking forward to doing the large Zendala template when time permits.   

New Tangle- FANFEATHER

My sister-in-law, Karen, who is a wonderful quilter has once again given me inspiration for another tangle pattern.  She does this without even knowing it.  In an earlier post from last week, SEE HERE, I talked about it being her and her husband, Pete's 50th wedding anniversary for which I made a Zentangle Inspired Art piece.  At that party she gave everyone a hot-pad that she made from her various scraps of material.  She has been making hot pads for years, and I am lucky enough to get some every Christmas, so I haven't bought a hot pad in years.  Well, looking at the hot pad my daughter Lindsay picked out for her new apartment this year, I noticed this fan pattern and thought it would make a cool tangle.  Karen doesn't know that her work was also the inspiration for one of my earlier tangles, ECHO, SHOWN HERE.  I will be letting her know today and I will be looking through my other hot pads....who knows there may be more tangle patterns there.

Fanfeather is a really basic, simple pattern, but it can be used in so many ways and variations (different directions, as a border, etc.)  It kind of looks like a branch when the stems are wider, and a feather when the stems are thinner. In the directions, I made them wider to see them better.  It definitely looks very organic.  Hope you enjoy it!

Here's my inspiration, the directions, and a tile with it included.  (Click on instructions to enlarge.  Also note:  1-3 are the steps and 4-6 are different ways to use it)

Drawing Day 2011

This was my contribution to Drawing Day 2011.  Zentangle Inspired Art, size 7x7 done on scrapbook paper.

Mandala/Zendala's

Every now and then I get in the mood to do a Zendala. When I don't want to take the time to start from scratch and do all the math, (rulers, compass, protractor, etc.) I go in search of some Mandala templates.  There are a lot of them posted on the web and blogs where people are kind enough to share-Yeah!  I used a couple of Joni Feddersen's again.  Thanks Joni for sharing these on your blog!