Summer Zendala

Well, I'm back.  It has been a little while since I posted anything.  Summer, the kids out of school and vacation in the Adirondacks has kept me from the computer.  That does not mean that I haven't been busy though.

I am in a mad dash to get work ready for a neighborhood craft fair, The Arden Fair, that happens on September 1st.  I love this fair so much.  It is up the street from my house and is really wonderful.  For the very first time, I will be an exhibitor rather than just a visitor.  So, my pen has been busy, busy.

But, you are here to see this week's Zendala challenge.  This challenge was a lot of fun I have to say.  At first I was a bit stymied as to how I was going to get started but once I decided to use Brayd, I had my "theme" and I went from there.  This is the first time I have used Brayd in a circle and I have to say, I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Brayd, Featherfall, Raindotty, Fescu, Beeline, Arc Flower

I did the center with Arc Flower next and then the Featherfall.  I didn't stay in the lines with these two so I wanted to get their uneven edges done first.  This is my first real go at Featherfall.  It came out pretty good but no where near as good as some of you do it.  I have to keep trying it and get better at it.  That being said, I do like it here.  Keeping with "natural" tangles, I chose Beeline, Raindotty and Fescu to finish it out.

I am really thrilled with how this one came out.  The shading really added a lot of depth to it and well, I just couldn't be happier.  I am going to see if I can get art prints made up for the fair.

Now, a late entry into Challenge 11.  I had this one drawn in time but held of shading it.  I was trying to work out some ideas that I had but then I changed my mind and went back and shaded it this week.

This one was all line work.  I just couldn't think of a way to get tangles into this one.  There is good space, I used the large size template, but I was just out of ideas.  I think it was because I had vacation on my mind.

I do like it.  I am calling it "Trippy Zendala" as it looks more like a visual test than the usual zendala.

I wish I could think of more ways to add some shading here.  I think more could be done to play with the perspective but I'm stuck.  I don't want to go overboard so I stopped while I was ahead.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  It has been very hot here and I'm sure where you are as well.  I do hope that you are all staying cool, or warm for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, and are having a great day.

Happy Birthday Friend!

This year I turn 40 as do many of my friends.  To mark the occasion many of us have thrown ourselves a birthday party.  I love it.  It has been great to be with my wonderful friends and to celebrate this milestone with each other.  I also love that almost all of them will be 40 before me.  ;)

For my friend Steph's birthday, I decided that I would make her a Zentangle.  I chose to do one in a 5X7 size.  I waited until the last minute and wanted to use a standard size to make the VERY last minute framing go smoothly.  I totally lucked out on the framing as they not only had one I liked, but Michael's was having a BOGO sale on the frame that I liked.  I should have bought more as when I went back the sale was over.  Oh well, I'll have to keep an eye out for next time they have one.  I know know what frames to pick up.

Happy Birthday Steph!  I love you my awesome friend!

Steph's tangle unframed



All framed up.  The edges were lost as I didn't leave enough room but, I don't think that it looks too bad.



Diva's Challenge #26 - Spiral String

This week the challenge is to use a spiral as a string.  Another great challenge for me as I really haven't used a spiral before.  I hardly use spiral style tangles and I certainly haven't used a spiral as a string.  Yea for another challenge that makes me do something I haven't done before! 

Yesterday,  Sandra Strait sent out a tweet with a link to Brayd, a new tangle from Shelly Bauch.  I really like it.  It is fun and looks more complex than it is.  Once I saw that the challenge was a spiral, I knew that I was going to give Brayd a try.

I used the sepia micron for this challenge.  I wanted to experiment with trying to shade the sepia and a challenge is a great place to stretch myself.  I used Derwent drawing pencils and Lyra Rembrant Polycolor colored pencil in Van Dyke brown for shading.  To shade with the Derwent pencils, I rubbed the color on a tortillion and then used the colored tortillion to shade.  In shading that way, I'm able to get the color smudged on the way I want.  I can also go back and layer on more color if I want it darker.  For the white, I used a gellyroll pen.

So, without further explanation, here is my tile.

I was planning on combining buttercup with the knightsbridge for the entire background but once I started, I decided that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.  I think that it's the gellyroll pen.  I kept pressing down too hard I think.  I need to get a better white pen.  The gellyroll is great for many things, but I dislike the way the ink flows.

I like how the Brayd came out.  I will certainly be using it again.  I think that it will be a new favorite.

Brayd before I added background and shading.

Before shading and buttercup. I think I should have stopped here.