DIVA Challenge #122/Grid Unlocked

Another fun challenge from The Diva this week!  Rick and Maria announced in their latest newsletter a new way to draw a "grid" pattern tangle, and that is to do one block at a time and let the pattern develop.  You can do this by completing one whole block and moving on to the next, or by making the same stroke in each block until all of them are completed.  Maria came up with a chart of possibilities that they call "grid seeds", or of course you can make your own.   On my tile I used D5 in the upper left hand corner (which came out looking like Bales), C3 in the lower left hand corner, my own seed on the bottom, G1 on the right (with a weird little decoration since there are no mistakes in Zentangle), and J1 on the circle arch.  This is a fun new way to work a grid pattern and let the finish surprise you!  Thanks, Rick & Maria for always inspiring us with new techniques!  Thanks, Laura for giving us the opportunity to try new things every week!

Teen Class in Greeley

I was invited to share the Zentangle method of art with a group of teens at the Lincoln Park Library in Greeley as part of their summer reading program yesterday.  We had 9 teens and their wonderful librarian, Stephanie in the class (not all of them wanted to be photographed).  It was a fun class and a great way to escape the 98 degree heat.  So happy to welcome 10 more Zentangle artists into our tangled world!

Thanks, Stephanie & teens!

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Their awesome 1st tile:  Crescent Moon, Hollibaugh, Static & Printemps
(I forgot to photograph their 2nd tile, but they were awesome too!)

Diva Challenge #121 UMT: Birds on a Wire

It always surprises me when another UMT (use my tangle) appears on the DIVA challenge because that means another month has flown by.  I was just talking with a friend yesterday about how the summer is filling up with plans already and that it's sure to go by way too fast, as it always does.  This week we are trying a tangle from CZT, Mary Kissel called Bird on a Wire.  This is a very versatile tangle that can look lovely going both ways in the same line and around in a circle.   Thanks for sharing your tangle, Mary and thanks Laura for this feature of your weekly challenges!  I would miss so many great tangles without it. 

Listen while you tangle

What do you listen to while you tangle? 

I have been a long time fan of books on spiritual teaching's. Two of my favorite authors and teachers are Dr. Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle.    I have read a lot of books by Dr. Wayne Dyer, since the 70's.  In the last couple of years I have discovered the wisdom of Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now and A New Earth.  Within the past year, my sister and I were once again discussing The Power of Now when she asked me if I had listened to it yet.  She told me I would get so much more out of listening to both of Eckhart Tolle's books versus reading them, but I love to read, to actually hold the book in my hands, and I still have a hard time reading books on my iPad (unless I am traveling and have to pack lightly).  So, I thought I would give it a try, and what better time to listen to a book, then when tangling.  Oh my, was she right!  There is something about hearing the voice of the author who wrote the words come to life in your ears.  It's also great to be able to rewind and play back parts you want to listen to again, and again, and sometimes a third or fourth time.  I have now listened to The Power of Now (3 times) and A New Earth once.  I get something new out of them each time.  In April, my sister attended a writing seminar (she has always wanted to write a book) in Denver where she met Dr. Dyer.  She bought a 2 disc CD there called "The Importance of Being Extraordinary", by Dr. Dyer and Eckhart Tolle.  This is a great CD set in which you feel like you are sitting down to a cup of coffee with two very insightful spiritual teachers of our time.  The more books I read (and listen too) I find the common theme is that Zen is presence,  and if we can learn how to live fully in the present moment we can live an extraordinary life. So, if you are looking for something good to listen to while tangling, I would not hesitate to recommend any of the above.  

If you are still with me, here's is what I tangled while listening to this 2 disc CD....

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P.S.  Of course there will still be a lot of days when I listen to music of all kinds, and whatever suits my mood for the day..... and some days I like complete silence.  It is nice to now have the option of listening to a book of my choice too...thanks, sis! 

Diva Challenge #120 Tangleation Nation-Bales

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use one tangle, Bales.  Bales, is a wonderful tangle and one I still teach in my beginning classes.  There is so much you can do with this tangle and I look forward to seeing everyone's work this week.  I couldn't stop at one....

Challenge #119 Ebony & Ivory

This week the DIVA has us doing a tile with equal parts black and white (ebony & ivory).  When the challenge came out, I knew I wouldn't be able to get to it until later in the week due to appts, etc.  So, as the week went on I thought about how I was going to do this challenge....use tangles that had a nice balance of black and white, or use both a black and white pen.  I will admit, I am not crazy about how my work with the white gelly roll pens looks on the black tiles, but it has been awhile so I thought it was time to try again.  I even broke out a new pen to see if that would help!  I remembered Maria's words of wisdom...use a lighter touch then with the Micron's, or just tickle the paper.  It's true the pens work better when you do that, but that technique can be hard to get down for the heavy handed, like me.  I will have the opportunity to try this more, since I just got my new Black Zendala set in the mail yesterday!  Here is my contribution for this challenge:

I started by drawing some overlapping circles on my tile, and then filled in opposite shapes in black.  Then I used a Micron for the white area's and a white gelly roll pen on the black area's, and added a string of white and black pearls around it with some beadlines.  I shaded with a gray Fabrico dual tip marker. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and safe travels if you are going out of town.  My husband and I are babysitting our "grand-dog" while my daughter and her fiancé go to Nebraska for a HS graduation of his sister's.  Nate is a one year old Basset Hound....don't you just love those ears!

Challenge #118 UMT/Kuke

Another UMT (use my tangle) challenge from the DIVA!  This time we are using CZT, Katy Abbot's tangle, KUKE.  Katy was inspired to create this tangle from looking at a cucumber slice, which just goes to show you that tangle inspiration is everywhere!  Keep your eyes open, as you never know where you will find the idea for a new tangle.   This is a fun little tangle to do.  I am showing my age when I say that it reminded me of my early teens when we used to draw the peace sign and daisy type flowers all over our notebooks.  Thanks for the good memory and great tangle, Katy!

DIVA Challenge #117 Schway

It's time to try another official tangle for this week's DIVA challenge.  Schway was created by Rick Roberts, of Zentangle Inc. and is a very straight line pattern.  I hesitated trying this one, so I was glad that it was the challenge this week because it gave me that extra little nudge I needed.  It's kind of a fun little pattern, that I will play with more as I can see lots of room for variation.  It also has a very M.C. Escher feel to it, where the same image is going in two directions and your eye either sees one or the other.  I love how this tangle pattern was deconstructed to very few lines that create something that looks complicated, the true beauty of Zentangle!  Thanks, Rick for another tangle pattern, and Laura for another challenge!



MC Escher

 

Challenge #116 Blind Sighted

This week the DIVA has us revisiting doing a blind string.  I find this a fun challenge to do because the string comes out so unpredictable.  So, you just make your border and close your eyes for the string, then tangle away....letting the zentangle art method do the rest! 

Diva Challenge #115 Earth Day

In celebration of Earth Day, this week's DIVA challenge is to do a tile or zendala with whatever Earth Day means to you.  Laura talks about how last year she was cleaning out flower beds at this time,  but this year the yard is covered in snow.  I can relate to that....we got another 2-3 inches yesterday, after the 19 total we got over 3 days last week.  Unlike Canada though, ours should melt pretty quick and the forecast is calling for 70 this weekend-YAY!  Springtime is hopefully right around the corner. 

Just like any other tile or zendala, I had no idea what I was going to do when I sat down.  I knew I wanted plants or flowers (dreaming of spring).   I started in the center with Poke Root and just continued out from there.  When I added Scroll Feather it felt like waves in an ocean and that was when I decided to use my Tombow markers for color.

Happy Earth Day and happy spring yard clean-up and planting! 



Diva Challenge #114: Stars

This week's Diva Challenge is to be inspired by stars, whatever that means to you.  Laura posted some really pretty stars on her blog with a variety of different number of sides.  I thought about using one of those as a template to complete this challenge, but then I thought about how making a true tile with the zentangle method has nothing to do with rulers, or templates, etc.. When I think of stars, Auraknot comes to mind, but I wanted to do something a little different, so Auraknot meets Diva Dance for my star, with a little bit of Tipple and Black Pearls around the outside. 

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful spring day (or fall day if you are in the southern hemisphere).  Here in Loveland, CO it has been snowing off and on for 3 days.  We have approximately 14 inches now, and it is still snowing.  We are in the midst of a terrible drought, so any moisture is welcome, even if it is all at once.  I really enjoy these spring snow storms, since I am retired and do not have to travel to work any longer.   It also helps knowing that it will probably be gone just as quickly as it came and spring will be right around the corner. Until then, I will sit an gaze out the window with my tea cup in hand... in between my tangling that is!

Zentangle BASIC'S Class

I am going to have a Zentangle Basic's Class in my home classroom on Sat., April 27th, from 1:00-3:30.  The cost is $35.00 and includes all supplies.  If you are interested, please call me at (970)669-3673 to register.

Hope to see you in a class soon! 

Diva Challenge #113 Hip to be Square

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use squares as our strings.  Start with one square, add another, more if you wish.  Easy string idea, but lots of fun to do! 

On my next one, I started with Bunzo (in sepia) around my first square, then had visions of painting a mountain scene with watercolors on the inside.  After the delusion of being a watercolor artist left (have never painted anything in watercolor, let alone a scene) I thought I could do a little zentangle garden. So I used watercolor to paint the background and used a sepia pen to make my garden.  I highlighted it with a white charcoal pencil and I added circles with a white gel pen.  (Not sure I like the circles yet)  

If you haven't seen some of the beautiful zentangle frames that Maria Thomas has made, make sure to check out these to links....a-frame-of-mine-d and  bordering-on-reverie.  These posts are not the first time Maria has shared her beautiful zentangle frames.  If you search back through the zentangle blog you will find more. 

Diva Challenge #112 UMT: Tuxedo

This week's Diva Challenge is another UMT (use my tangle) and we are trying LeeAnn Denzer's tangle, Tuxedo.  I had never tried this tangle before and I found it pretty easy and has so many options when it comes to filling it in.  Thanks, LeeAnn for another fun tangle.  Thanks, Laura for this monthly "Use My Tangle" feature. 

Diva Challenge 111 Mooka Monotangle

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to use the tangle, Mooka in a monotangle.  If you haven't seen the video of Maria drawing Mooka, you really must take a look.  You can link to it from my right side bar, or from Laura's (the Diva) post.  Maria makes it look effortless, keeping the lines all the same uniform distance apart.  If it's new for you, keep on practicing....it really does get better with practice.   I love Mooka and I use it a lot! 




I am so ready for spring...I used watercolor pencils.

New Tangle: Ceebee

Over the weekend, I saw a pattern on the background of a poster and decided that it needed to be a tangle.  So here is Ceebee..........

 

 

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Note:  If this pattern has been developed before, please let me know.  Thanks!

 

Diva Challenge #110 Get rid of the box

This week's challenge from the DIVA is to think outside the box, or try something you haven't tried yet.  I have tangled on a lot of different surfaces, and still have some more projects I want to try once the weather warms up.  For now I decided to try some color.  I have played a little with colored pencils, watercolor, and blending Tombow markers in the past, but my ventures have been small and I am not really comfortable with color yet. 
For my first tile I used Tombow markers in their full color (without blending).  I made a string with bright bold colors and then tangled.  I then used a white charcoal pencil for highlighting.  I surprised myself and actually like the brightness of it.

 

For my second & third tiles I wanted to try the watercolor technique of applying a watercolor wash   and then salt. That was fun to see how the salt changed the look of the color.  Next time I would get    my paper even wetter then I did this time.  The paper the tiles are made out of really takes water well.  They curled up when wet, but flattened right out when dry.  For the purple tile I used a regular  Micron for the tangles and for the blue tile I used Sakura Gelly roll pens and highlighted both with a white charcoal pencil.   The color on both looks so much better in person then in the photo.              

           

Thanks, Laura!  It's always fun to try new things!

 

                                                                                                                                    

 

 

Moments to Treasure with the Hawaiian CZT's

A wise person once told me that it only takes a moment to make someone smile....I love that! 

My husband and I recently had the opportunity to take a 14 day cruise to Hawaii.  It was a last minute (6 weeks out) 1/2 price deal the we couldn't refuse, and are so glad we didn't.  We had never been to the islands before and we knew that while it may not be the best way to see Hawaii, instead of a week on one island,  we did get to spend a day on each of the 4 islands (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island of Hawaii, and we both love cruising.  So we checked out books from the library and did our research and picked the places we wanted to see that were within distance of our ports.  We made the most of every day, and really every moment.  Each night we got back on the ship we were so blown away by all the beauty of the islands! 

I sent an email to the Hawaiian CZT's (Lois & Earl Stokes and Julie Evans) who all live on the Big Island asking for suggestions of things to see while there, and if there was any way we could meet, even just for a few moments, to share a cup of coffee or tea or whatever we could work out.   All of them were so great in responding and giving us wonderful suggestions.  It turned out that they both live close to two attractions we wanted to see, so we rented a car when we got to Hilo.  As it turned out our ship was an hour late getting into port and there was quite a wait getting to the airport to rent the car. (Is it a good thing, is it a bad thing....who's to say! We love this way of thinking that Maria shared on the zentangle blog that you can read about here.)   So while we didn't have the time to share that cup of coffee or tea, we did get to meet each other for a few moments, share some conversation and hugs, and we were all smiling! 

We met Lois & Earl at their beautiful home.  They live in the middle of a tropical rain forest that is just incredible.  We got to enjoy their home, yard, studio, and work they are doing.  Earl is recovering from a stroke and has such a great attitude about taking it one stroke, one step, one day at a time (sound familiar).  Lois has that soft and peaceful voice that she sends all of us her wonderful whispers with.  Mahalo, Lois & Earl!

After see Lois & Earl we did a quick tour of Volcano National Park and then headed the other direction to Akaka Falls, where Julie was kind enough to meet us. We again were able to have a short conversation, with hugs and smiles!    Julie said that Akaka Falls was like being in the movie, "Honey, I shrunk the kids", and she was right.  The beauty of the falls and the size of the trees and plants in the park were incredible.  Mahalo, Julie!

 

 

 My picture with Julie was accidently deleted from my PC.

 

 

It's so great to meet other CZT's!  In just a few short moments you can feel the love and energy that Zentangle has brought to our lives. 

Diva Challenge #109 Zentangle Quest

This week our one and only DIVA, Laura Harms came up with another great challenge!  We are to explore a new technique that Maria Thomas developed.  You can read all about at the link to Laura's blog or by going to the zentangle blog and viewing all the eye candy that Maria created.  Maria continues to teach us new and fantastic techniques to use in our zentangle creations, and I love this one!  It creates such a great 3D effect and is just plain fun!  I look forward to trying out this technique some more.  Thanks, Laura and Maria! 

Diva Challenge #108 UMT: Whyz

I've been gone on a 2 week cruise to Hawaii (more to come on the trip later), but for now I am trying to catch up on the DIVA challenge  that I missed.  Yes, the housework, laundry, and bills can wait, but the Diva challenge is a must! 

This challenge is a UMT (use my tangle) challenge from CZT, Jane MacKugler.  We are to use her tangle, Whyz.  I have never used this one before, and it's always fun to try out a new tangle.  I found you really have to concentrate with this one, and it has so many variations, depending on how you alternate the "Y's" and how you color it in.  Thanks, Jane for the fun tangle!  Thanks, Laura for another challenge!

 

Diva Challenge #107: Quandary

The Diva Challenge this week is to use the new official tangle, Quandary!  I had a little trouble when I first tried using this tangle because I wanted to keep making sure the flowers lined up, but if you keep on practicing it and use the tip that Laura gives (One tip i have - i find it easier if you don't concentrate on building the flower, but instead concentrate on building triangles off of triangles, similar to Tripoli.) it is a lot easier!   I also found that making bigger rice shapes on a sheet of paper helped get the flow going and then I could do it on a smaller size.  So keep on practicing, it does get easier, and you will find it's a wonderful tangle pattern with so many possibilities.  Thanks, Rick & Maria for the new tangle!  Thanks, Laura for another challenge! 

Diva Challenge #106: The Year of the Snake

Once again, Laura Harms (the Diva) has come up with another fun weekly challenge!  To celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year, we are to be inspired by the year of the snake.  Here are a few facts I found out about the year of the snake, for those of you born in those years.....

The Snake

Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve. This could be taken metaphorically to mean that a Snake could never have a problem with his family starving because he is such a great mediator, making him good at business. Or it could mean that a Snake would be willing to sacrifice his possessions, something the Snake has a lot of, in order to pay for his family’s food. Any way it is interpreted is representative of the Snake’s character and is a measure of the value he puts on his material wealth. The Snake is keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise.

Years of the Snake

Snake Years are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the calendar to find the exact date on which each Snake Year actually begins.

1905*1917*1929*1941*1953*1965*1977*1989*2001

THE SIGN OF THE SNAKE

The Snake is the intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the Animal Signs. They are attractive people who take cries with ease and do not become flustered easily. They are graceful people, exciting and dark at the same time.

Contemplative and private, the Snake is not outwardly emotional. He can appear cunning and reticent and works very modestly in the business environment. The Snake will plot and scheme to make certain things turn out exactly as they want them to. They are not great communicators and can become quite possessive when they set their minds on achieving the interest of a partner.

I found this shape online and thought it made a really nice string!

 



 

 

New Tangles: FALZ & XENSO

It has been a long time since I've created a new tangle and while playing around with my paper and pen the other night, I created two new tangles to share.  They both start out with the same first two steps, but vary enough that they don't look anything alike when done.  Also, when completed they each can have many different looks, depending on what spaces you decide to color in (if any) and how you shade them.   I hope you like Falz & Xenso.......tangle on!

In the ever increasing volume of tangles that are created each week, it's hard to know if these have been done before or if these names have been used.  If you see that they have, and I've missed them,  please let me know. Thanks!




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XENSO AND FALZ




 

 

 

 

 

Challenge #105 UMT/Dansk

It's time for the UMT (Use My Tangle) feature at Laura's, I Am The Diva Blog.  This week's challenge is to use CZT Margaret Bremner's tangle: Dansk.  Dansk is a fun tangle to draw and shade.  Laura is also giving away one of Carole Ohl's Tangle*A*Day calendar's on her blog and her facebook page (see the link above for all the info).  If you don't have Carole's calendar yet, make sure to enter....it's great! 

And the winners are.................

On 1/23/2013 I posted a blog giveaway to celebrate having 250 followers.  The deadline was midnight on 1/31/2013.  The blog post shows I had 61 entries, but I had to delete two of them because they were duplicates and I did not count them when doing the random number generator.  Well, enough with the details, let's get on to the winners!

Prize #1:  The original zendala/zentangle inspired art piece goes to:
                 Tammy!  (stvan3@comcast.net)

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Prize #2:   A zentangle inspired glass pendant with matching earrings goes to:
                 emGoodnight!   (emgoodnight71@gmail.com)

 

 

 Prize #3:  A zentangle inspired small pink canvas bag & package of  6 note cards goes to:   Char!  (char@charanderson.com)

Congratulations to all the winners!  I will be sending you an email to obtain your mailing addresses so I can get your prizes shipped off as soon as possible. 

Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway and for all of the wonderful comments you left!  Once again, it shows me what a kind and caring group tanglers are.

Tangle On!
Sue

P.S.  I still have not heard from the 250th follower, Jane M with the cute little white fluffy dog picture.  I would like to send you a package of 6 note cards.  Email me with your address:
tangledinkart@yahoo.com