Starry Messenger

Another piece for my art swap has been completed and will be delivered soon.  I am excited as I really like this Zentangle and Mandala inspired piece.  I call this one Starry Messenger as it carries with it some inspiration from Galileo's  Sidereus Nuncius.  (Click the link to learn more.)  

In an effort to keep the piece from getting too busy, I started with a very simple Bales in the background.  I needed something simple to get me started and I wanted all the same pattern to keep the design from being too fractured.  I knew I could go back and add ornamentation later.  I did go back at the very end and add a bit to make it interesting but not too busy.

For the stars I chose patterns that remind me of fabric.  My friend who I made this for has a love of design and fabric so I wanted to bring that to the fore. After I got the biggest parts done, I did the centers in Gneiss. I chose Gneiss as it reminds me of a compass center and as Galileo was a source of inspiration I thought it fitting. 

I experimented with varying patterns in Starry Messenger and it was a lot of fun.  The top right star grew out of Purk.  I think I may use that again.  It was fun to do and the first time that I made a "3D" pattern.  The variations on Bales Ragz, and Huggins are ones that I will remember in the future.  

Mardi Gras

I have never been to Mardi Gras but I have been to New Orleans.  I love it there.  We went last summer while vacationing in the South and New Orleans left an impression on us.  The French Quarter is fun and exciting and all that you have ever heard.  I can't imagine that I'll ever make it to Mardi Gras, the crowds are more than I think I could handle at this point in my life, but I can see its appeal.  We visited the New Orleans museum while there and wondered through the Mardi Gras exhibit.  It is wonderful.  The history of the tradition, the costumes and floats on display are just incredible.

I have been feeling homesick for the South and for New Orleans in general so I was quite happy when I saw that the challenge this week from The Diva was Mardi Gras.  I love, love, love her tile.  It is quite beautiful and you should click the link to see it if for no other reason.

I did two tiles this time.  One on white watercolor paper and one on the new black tiles.  I got some for Christmas this year and have been saving them.  As the colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold, I used those colors to the fullest.  I also used some bonus sparkle to bring out the party in the tiles.

On this first tile I started with Btl Joos and then added the strings of beads.  I just made up the strings.  I don't know how well you can see on this tile, but I added sparkle with the Gelly Roll Clear Star pen.  It is a glitter pen and works nicely.  It doesn't photograph very well but I quite like it.  The glitter is NOT archival and is not guaranteed to stay so if you use one, you'll need to get a fixative.  I'm not sure how much I'll use this pen but it is a lot of fun.  For this tile I used a black, purple and green micron pens.  The gold is from a Faber Castell Pitt artist pen.  I picked this up a while back when searching for a gold pen.  I like it but the gold while pretty, is a flat gold so that is something to keep in mind.  I used it here as I didn't want the gold to be shinier than the other colors.

Next up I used the black zentangle tile and Pentel Sunburst Metallic pens along with the Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.  I think this is a lot more festive.  It really sparkles.  I "beaded" the edges and then just made a series of strings of beads across the tile.  I went back and used a white Gelly Roll pen to highlight the separate strings.  Then I added some shine next to the white and a few white swirls for good measure.  The metallic inks don't lend themselves to white highlights as I had hoped to add on at the end.  The glitter gets lost as a highlight as well but the shine in the ink does great all on its own.





I think this was a fun challenge.  I didn't try to over think it as I am wont to do from time to time.  I tried to keep them simple so that the beads would take center stage.

Sanibelle and NonDom Hand

Things have been busy around here.  I got last week's challenge done but then was not able to get it up loaded in time. No matter, I shall subject you to it this week as well as the current challenge. Muahhahahahah!

Last week was a reappearance of a challenge from last year.  The challenge, and a real BIG challenge for me, was to use your non dominant hand to draw your tile.  I am a righty and a quite dominate righty at that.  Not only do I write with my right hand, but when I think about it, I approach most things from the right when at all possible.  My left hand is a great helper, and I would miss it if it were gone, but it is just a helper in this relationship.  To start, I checked out some patterns that would lend themselves to a "messy" line.  I get fussy about my drawings, so I needed tangles that would be OK (to me) if the lines were wobbly.  I ended up choosing Purk, Ragz, Beaded, Scoodle, Arc Flower, Spaanders, and Umble (at least I think that it's called Umble).  I did not try to shade it with my left hand or really, to fill in any spaces.  I thought about using my right for that but then decided that I'd go whole left and keep it that way.

Now for this weeks challenge : Sanibelle.  I really like this tangle.  I have used it several times and always enjoy the outcome.  My shell shapes are irregular and small and I always think that I am going to be frustrated with the final product, but I always like it.  I set Sanibelle up in a very regular way so it ends up reminding me of wallpaper or ornate fabric.  This is also really nice in a mandala.  When I have used it in my regular way, the pattern works in each section to create a nice flow.

For the string, I wanted a bumpy look to mimic Sanibelle.  I ended up changing it a bit as I went but it's still there.  I started with Sanibelle in the middle as I wanted it to dominate the other patterns.  After that I added Footlites (My first try at this pattern.), Shimono next and then finished the top with the lines.  I was trying to add a little illusion there but it didn't really work.  No matter, it seems to relate to footlites so I'll keep it.  :)

Sepia Zendala

Last year, I did an art exchange with some on-line friends.  It was a lot of fun.  I was just getting into Zentangle and made tiles for each of the people that I sent stuff too.  In return, they sent things that they made back to me.  One sent a knittted hat and beautiful jewlery that she made, another sent the most adorable knitted cupcakes (which my 5 year old promptly claimed for himself.)  Since I enjoyed it so much, I proposed to do it again this year. 

I had four takers interested in doing a "creative swap" with me.  As I only had four takers, I figured that I could really have fun and make some larger zentangle inspired pieces.  My skills are better than they were a year ago (I hope.) and I saw this as a chance to give back something beautiful to friends who had sent me such wonderful things.

Mandalas and Zendalas have really been inspiring to me as of late.  I created one for an auction at my son's school and wanted to keep going.  Once again, I started with mandala design that I traced out on to watercolor paper.  My geometry skills are at a solid F so I have to rely on a shape created by someone else.  Wanting to keep with the Indian feel of the mandala, I chose to draw in sepia.  I used the micron speia pens in a 01, 05 and 1 sizes.  I did most of the drawing with the 01 and used the others for fill in and where I wanted a thicker line.

Mostly done here. Just needs some shading and a few highlights.

It took me about 3 weeks to get it all done.  In that time though, there were days when I didn't work on it at all and other days that I drew most of the day.  I finally got it all finished this morning and I am soo pleased with the finished product.  I am tempted to keep it and hang it on my own wall. 



All shaded

 As I was working, I was afraid that the many different patterns would make it too busy.  Often I want to fill in each section with something different.  Once I started shading though, the different sections started to pop out and pull back into their own spaces giving them enough seperation that I think it works.

The final size is roughly 7" and will be framed in a 12X12 frame with a 8X8" opening.

Tangle Pattern: Whistler

As promised, here are the steps to my newest tangle Whistler.  This is really quite similar to other patterns out there.  Whistler is really easy.  I just sort of scribble in the oval shapes in the squares but if you are so inclined, you can always draw in your shape and then fill it in.

I named this for James Whistler, the artist of the Peacock Room.  This room is chock a-block full of patterns.  This little detail was on one of the book shelves, carved into the wood. 

I hope that you like this one.  I think that it will be a great one for a background or to fill a larger space. 

Moebius Trip - Challenge 55

Has it been 55 challenges already? I started late in this journey but it sure doesn't seem like 55 should be where we are.  I guess time flies when you are having fun.

This week we were challenged to tangle a mobius strip or to make a tile including the Moebius Syndrome Foundation's logo.  This was to honor/raise awareness of The Diva's young son Artoo who has Moebius syndrome.  You can read more about the challenge, syndrome, The Diva and Artoo on her blog.

I wasn't up to the challenge of making a mobius strip althought that would be pretty cool.  Time was not on my side so I went with the logo.  I used paradox in the white space of the strip to keep with the whole infinity thing.  After I got that done though, I was unsure where to go next.  Then I decided to use Artoo (the tangle) because, well, it is all about Artoo isn't it?  :)  I used the purple gel pen from last week to color in the petals.  I didn't get exact with the color either.  I wanted it to have some character.  Then, I added bales to the background.  I was going to add more tangles but I changed my mind, as I wanted the logo and Artoo to stand out.  They are the main/important parts here after all.  I kept shading to a minimum as well for the same reason.

I wish the best for The Diva, Artoo and their family.  They face challenges every day that many people would run from and beat them down as the go.  I admire that.  Go on Artoo! Grow big and grow strong!

A Study in Purple

This week the Diva gave us the challenge to use purple in our tangle.  I went on and used all purple in this one.  I have several purple pens and wanted to explore with those a bit.  I used a purple Micron size 01, a Pentel Sunburst metallic gel pen and a Bic Mark It ultra fine point marker.  The micron works the same and as well as the black pens that we all use.  The ink is dark though.  You know it's purple, but I think I would like a lighter color if I was going to use it a lot.  The Pentel is a nice pen.  The point is not fine, it's medium.  The sparkle of the metallic is nice and I hope that you'll be able to see it in the photos.  The Bic was just used a little as it bleeds a bit.  I used a note card for this challenge.  It started as a trial and I just went with it.

This challenge became a chance for me to explore the ink more than the color.  I wanted to see how the inks behaved and worked together.  I really ended up exploring patterns as well.  The light purple is the Pentel and the Bic is in the lower left corner with the Pentel over the top.

There in the lower center is a new tangle that I've decided to call Whistler after James Whistler.  I saw this pattern in the Peacock room.  The peace sign looking one is another new one that has no name yet.  I'm working it out and once I think of a name I'll get the steps done and posted along with Whistler.  Any suggestions on a name?


This was a fun challenge.  I think the purple and the different pens allowed me to be a bit more free than I usually am.

Hope you enjoy!