Challenge #177 "Truffle"

The challenge come to us this week from Carolin Broady the youngest CZT so far! She has come up with a tangle called Truffle which you can see HERE. I commend her on designing a tangle, it is much more difficult then it may seem, at least for some of us (me). I struggled with this one all week to come up with some thing I liked and then just decided to draw. Well, I have not had the drawing bug for a while, I guess I am on the wane right now in the drawing sector so what I ended up with is a weird sort of an underwater, way underwater, creature. A challenge is a challenge, so here it is.

I used a yellow micron on the tan tile this week as an experiment.Not sure I love it but, it was worth the try. Truffle, Verve, Black Pearlz and Zinger

Challenge #169 Circles as Strings

This week we were asked to use a circle or circles as our string and then tangle. This seemed like an easy one to accomplish but my end result surprised me. A little science and nature on the same tile. Where did that come from?

Tan Zendala Tile, black and brown micron, white gel pen, white prismacolor pencil

Black Pearlz, Printemps, Bronx cheer, Poke Leaf

Challenge #164 Earth Day

Although it was an overcast, rainy day I still had to walk my dog Blue Sky. As we were returning home through the ever changing and now very beautiful Public Garden in Boston a woman we were approaching had a delighted smile on her face and said "can I say hello?" meaning to Blue of course. This dog gets so much attention it is really incredible. Well, anyway this woman was author Ellen Cooney and she was on her way to her publishers office because she has a book coming out (the eleventh I think?) about a school for dogs. This book deals with abused dogs that are "rescued" and given a second chance.  Ellen was just so nice and wasn't even flustered that Blue Sky had left a muddy foot print on her clean white shirt! You just never know who will cross your path. Her book is due to be released in August 2014 and since she resides in Maine maybe our paths will cross again.

Earth day tile, practicing my organic tangles.

Poke leaf, Cat-Kin, Black Pearlz, Printemps, Enyshou, 

Weekly Challenge #162: "String Theory - Initial String"

I have not been in the "Zen" lately but, I finally managed to complete the challenge this week to use your initials as a string. I did two drawings, neither of which I like but, both of which I learned from. So all in all not a bad week. This is the string I started with:

This is the tangle I do not like:

Bunzo, Vega, Black Pearlz

This is my second try which, again I am not fully inthralled with:

Printemps, Enyshou, Scrolled Feather, Fescu, Mooka

Thank goodness Tangle U is just around the corner to give me some inspiration.

Weekly Challenge #155: "A Little White Space"

I like a little space. White space, clean empty space, takes on a shape of it's own.

Jonqal, Diva Dance, Black Pearlz, Amaze

Zendala Dare #90

It is Erin's birthday over at The Bright Owl and the dare this week has to include a "gifted" tangle. I had a hard time deciding on one! The first tangle I love and took me some time to master, is Tripoli. Before finishing this Zendala I decided to use Not Rick's Paradox and  remembered how much I love that one. I never tire of the appearance of black shiny Pearlz anywhere. So Erin you will have to choose your favorite tangled gift from this because I cannot decide!

Tripoli, Knot Rickz, Paradox, Black Pearlz

Weekly Challenge #149: "Twenty-Fourteen"

We welcome the new year! The challenge this week from the Diva is Twenty-Fourteen. Since I have already posted a New Year post, "A nice day to start again" HERE, I thought I would just tangle the numbers because they are just so much fun to do. Simple tangle for a hopefully full year!

Pepper, Chainging, Vega, Flux, Black Pearlz, AHH

Tan Strathmore paper, black and brown microns, Generals white charcoal, white Gelly roll pen

Zendala Dare #81

I have been very intimidated to draw a Zendala, which is a play on words to describe a Zentangled Mandala.  A couple of weeks back I decided I would make it a weekly exercise to draw a Zendala. It was suggested by a few that I join the Zendala Dare at Bright Owl blogspot.

So here I am jumping on at #81. When I first looked at the template I would have never thought to go organic but, I am pleased with the result.

Verdigogh, Quilted Feather, Black Pearlz, Inapod

Weekly Challenge #143: Cruze

This weeks Challenge come from Caren Mlot as we are to use her new tangle Cruze. You can see her step outs HERE.

I took this tangle for a ride before I started and didn't seem to get the hang of it, so I just went to my tile and started drawing. This actually came out rather nice, I thought. Sometimes you just have to dive in and see what happens.

Cruze, Quandry

And speaking of jumping in, as I promised myself last week I would complete a Zendala a week to get over my being uncomfortable with them. Zandala for this week:

Black Pearlz, Fife, Bubbles, Pre-Strung Zendala tile.

Weekly Challenge #129: String Theory v. XXV: Tanglel Patterns String#004

This weeks challenge from the Diva is to use a sting that has been contributed to the tangle patterns web site.  The string chosen was #4 by Sue Agnew and it looks like this:

          

For some reason I didn't connect with this string.  It's not the strings fault but, things happen that way sometimes.  My first tile looks like this:

'Nzeppel, Munchin

I did not really like the results but, I do keep every tile.  I wanted to try something organic and did a quick sketch in my daily sketch book.  The string is turned on it's side and does not follow it closely.

I think I am ready for a new week of challenges and contests!

Poke Root, Skein, Leaf, Black Pearlz

Stress Free

A wonderful friend of mine gave me a "One Sketch A Day" book for my birthday in March.  I only recently started to "sketch" in it because I have a slight fear of journals. Now that I have started and had some bad days along with good days, sketching wise, I feel a little less intimidated about drawing in a book.  This may be the kick starter I was looking for!

I started this rainy morning in bed with Sandy Steen Bartholomew's Totally Tangled book.  I have had this book for several years, but it is one I go back to over and over because it is packed with ideas and I always seem to come away from it with something new.  She also uses color beautifully and I after drawing a couple tangles (I was catching up on days missed in my one-a-day) I decided to bring out my inexpensive colored pencils and see where it lead.  It lead to a stress free morning and thought I would share.

After I was finished coloring I still had three Tripoli left empty.  I opened The Art of Zentangle, a fairly newer purchase, to Margaret Bremner's section on Zentangle Mandalas.  Margaret is a very talented artist and her work is beautiful. I am very fond of the way she uses black Pearlz and the balance of black and white.  You see in the lower drawing I was playing with her ideas.