DIVA Challenge #173 Redux, Remix, Revisit your comfort tangle

This week's DIVA challenge is brought to us by CZT, Sharla Hicks.  Laura Harms is having a grand time at the 15th CZT seminar, lucky girl!  Some day I'd love to go back to another seminar, but for now I will dream about it!  On to the challenge.....my take on this was to take one or two of your comfort tangles and do something different with them.  I have so many comfort tangles, I wasn't sure which to use, so I picked Cadent and Printemps.  I decided to really mix it up and try lots of new things!  First, I used a tan tile with a red Micron 01 pen. Second, I didn't use a string  (really rare for me) and I just started doing Cadent in kind of a spiral, while making my dots different widths apart. Then I added some stripes and lines in each one. When it was time to add Printemps, the only thing I could think of to make them different was to "bigify" them.  Third, was to add watercolor pencil in red and orange and then use a water brush to spread out the color.  I got so into playing with the color, I almost forgot I started on a tan tile!  I have only used the sepia, black, and white on the tan tiles until this challenge.  While it's not one of my favorite tiles, I am posting it anyway because I enjoyed the challenge.  It got me to try new things and look at different ways of doing your comfort tangles.  Thanks, Sharla! 

Pattern Play-a new Zentangle book!

As a contributor, I received a pre-release copy of the new Zentangle book, Pattern Play by Cris Letourneau and Sonya Yencer, CZT's.  Cris is the author of Made In The Shade, which is a fantastic book full of shading lessons for your Zentangle tiles and Zentangle Inspired Art.  I was anxiously awaiting this new book, and finally had the time to sit down and read it cover to cover.  I have to say that I am really impressed with this book and I think that Cris and Sonya did a wonderful job!  I am honored that Cris asked to have one of my tangle patterns, Falz, featured and some of my art work too!  It's always a thrill to see your art work in a book!

 

Now on to the book......this is a book that beginners and seasoned tanglers will enjoy!  It starts off giving a background on what Zentangle is and what it isn't.  I really liked that they talked about Zentangle not just being a collection of patterns (which can be overwhelming and time consuming), but they go on to show how you can explore and refine your style with the tangles you already know.  They talk about all the materials used, the basic steps to creating a Zentangle,  and what a basic class is like.  Next they explore tangleations (noticeable variations of existing tangles).  This part of the book really spoke to me about just how many ways there are to create variations of tangles and I loved all of the illustrations they used for examples! Pictures are worth a thousand words!  Then they go on to explore 21 tangles and ways to play with them and make them your own.  They show the original tangle with all the step-outs, 6 tangleations for you to explore, and finished art to inspire you.  After each tangle they include two workbook pages with tips and suggestions for you to practice.  Now, I really hope you are able to draw in the workbook pages, but if you are like me and don't want to mess up a book (I know, I am a weird perfectionist who can't bring myself to write in a book), you can still work through each pattern and practice on paper that you stick in the book (like I will be doing), LOL!  Anyway, this is going to take me awhile to explore each of the 21 patterns and the endless possibilities for tangleations, and I look forward to doing just that!





I hope this review has helped you some and that you will get this book.  I think you will enjoy all of the great information it has to offer and that it helps kick start your creativity! 

I just ordered some copies that I will carry to sell in my classes (let me know if you'd like one....I can save you shipping).  Otherwise, they will be on sale on Amazon to everyone effective June 27th.   Congratulations on a wonderful book, Cris and Sonya! Happy tangling and tangleations!

DIVA Challenge #172 Auraknot and Mooka

The DIVA has us doing another duotangle challenge this week.  Yay, I love duotangles, and was happy to see this was two tangles that I love, Auraknot and Mooka! 

DIVA Challenge #171 Beads of Courage

This week's over at the DIVA's challenge is all about Beads of Courage.  In Laura's words:
Beads of Courage is an Arts in Medicine program that supports children and their families who are dealing with Life threatening or Chronic illnesses.

A child on the program would collect beautiful glass beads in recognition of the things whey have to go through in their daily lives, on their Medical Journey.  When a child goes to yet another doctor's appointment, they'd get a glass bead, when they need to have a needle, they get a glass bead.  Each bead on their strings represent something they've done or gone through.
Laura did a fun run to raise money for this wonderful organization.  With this challenge we are to be inspired by courage,  and if we know someone who is being strong and courageous right now to be inspired by them.  The first person who came to my mind and heart, is my great nephew, Carter.  Carter is 5 years old now, but was born with cerebral palsy (CP), which in simple terms means he had a stroke at birth that affected the left side of his body.  Because of this he has had some developmental delays and has been through a lot of different medial procedures and therapies.  He currently sees a speech, occupational, and physical therapist weekly, and he continues to grow by leaps and bounds with their help.  He is a smart little guy with a wonderful smile!  His parents started calling him Carter Man and after he discovered the super hero's, when someone asks what his name is he says, Carter Man! 

I am continually amazed by the courage of kids like Carter Man, and Laura's Artoo, but also by the parents of kids with special needs!  It takes a special kind of courage to go through everything that they do for and with their kids.  Way to go, Stephanie & Adam, and Laura & bRad, and the millions of others out there like you! 

 

CARTER MAN with Mom & Dad

CARTER MAN with Aunt Sue

 

DIVA Challenge 170 Bugles

Here it is the first week of June and that means the UMT (use my tangle) feature at the DIVA's blog.
This week we are trying the tangle, Bugles from Joyce Evans.



Tangles:  Bugles, Paradox, Crescent Moon, Fracas, Isochor, 'Nzeppel