This week's Diva Challenge is to create a tile without a string. Can you really escape from a string totally? Once you make your first tangle, in a sense you have part of a string...something to work off of. How do you keep it looking like a zentangle or does it become free flowing zentangle inspired art? I am one who really likes the comfort of a string. I usually always start with a string, even if I end up ignoring parts of it and taking my tangles in a different direction, I like to start out with one. I find that starting without a string makes me think too much... what can I do next, what tangle will flow good here, which direction should I go in, etc. It starts to feel so planned out and it takes the "zen" part out of tangling, where you just draw your string, pick tangles at random, and let the end result surprise you.
I started with Fengle in the corner, added Betweed inside, and rounded out the ends with Knightsbridge. Then I proceeded with Flux and Tipple. Next was Rain, then some Mysteria. Ended with some Paradox and Onamato. So, even if I didn't have a string drawn on my tile, I was still creating one in my mind before I drew the next tangle....interesting! Good challenge, Laura...but bring back my string! LOL!
I have watched my niece (by choice), Lesley deal with the physical and mental ups and downs of living with M.S. for the past 10 years. She does it all with a grace and determination I really admire. She is no longer able to work because of her condition, but recently she started volunteering a couple of mornings a week at Hearts & Horses which is a therapeutic riding center. Their mission is to promote the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social well being of people with special needs through equine assisted therapy. Lesley volunteers with the feeding and grooming of the horses, and she says the horses have given her so much more then she would have ever imagined. What a blessing this wonderful organization is to so many people! Lesley gave me a copy of their logo and asked if I could tangle it for her. We were both happy with how it turned out. Love you, Les!
Yay, it's official...Zinger has a name! Yes, being the Zentangle geek that I am, I am really excited that Zinger is now an official tangle and that I had a part in naming it....how cool is that! After a discussion started in our Facebook CZT group about this lovely little tangle and what it's name was, I sent an email to Rick & Maria at Zentangle Inc. and they officially announced it as Zinger! You can read all about this new (old) tangle on the newsletter here. In celebration, I went a little Zinger crazy in my 1st tile and made it a Zinger party. In the 2nd tile I used a pre-strung tile and made Zinger the string, then filled in the other tangles. I don't normally do 2 tiles for the challenge, but like I said, I was on a little Zinger high! Thank you, Rick & Maria for using my suggestion for Maria's Zinger, and thank you, Laura for another great challenge.
Playing with my Tombow markers and blender pen to create this Bunzo rainbow:
This week at I Am The Diva Blog we have a guest challenger, CZT Courtney from Texas. Courtney wanted to pay tribute to Walt Disney, Mickey, & Minnie Mouse since their first animated short film was released on 11/18/1928. I have always been a fan of Minnie Mouse and her polka dotted bows. Here's my tile for the challenge......
I had 8 lovely ladies join me at my house for a Zentangle Holiday Workshop on Saturday. I gave them lots of examples and instructions on how to make 3D stars, ceramic ornaments, and greeting cards. They picked out their own tangle patterns and got to work making some really pretty items. They took home several sheets of card stock and 90lb watercolor paper for the stars, blank greeting cards and envelopes (along with card stock in a couple of colors), 5 ceramic ornaments & ribbons, and Sakura Identi Pens (red & green) Microns (black, red & green), and Pitt pens (silver & gold). They should have enough to keep busy for awhile!
It was a cold snowy day, and just perfect for being inside working on Zentangle crafts. We stayed warm with coffee, hot cider, and snacks. I enjoyed hosting the workshop and hope all of you had a good time!
I love creating and giving zentangle inspired art pieces to family and friends. I made this piece for my sister, MaryAnn. When she was out here in Colorado this summer helping me with my first art fair, I asked her if there was anything special she would like and she said a cross would be nice. I have really been inspired by the work of Helen William at A Little Lime and since I have been playing with color, I thought I would try her Morning Glories along with the Mooka. If you haven't seen Helen's work yet, be sure to check out the link. I think her work is so delicate, organic, and lovely! She is also posting some good how-to video's that I find really useful. I was happy with how this turned out, and MaryAnn loved it.
When the first Monday of the month rolls around, so does the UMT (Use My Tangle) feature at I Am The Diva's Blog. This month, CZT Erin Olson's tangle Socc was selected. This is one of those tangles that I copied the instructions to when it came out, but never got around to trying it. I seem to do that a lot these days, since tangles now come out at a fast and furious pace. This is a great little tangle that I found very easy to do and creates a dramatic effect. Thanks for the tangle, Erin! Thanks, Laura for having this feature on your challenges!
