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.  :)

Birthday Gifts

Red Velvet cake.  So yummy!

Fall is a busy time of year for me and birthdays.  Not only do many of my family members turn a year older but also do many of my friends.  This year, I have made zentangles for several people.  I can't post them all yet on the off chance that they may see them.  This weekend though, I was able to gift a few and now I can share them with you.



5X5 on watercolor paper with 0.1 and 0.005 micron pens and pencil.

This is a zendala that I made for my friend Cheryl.  I found this mandala pattern on 102 Free Mandalas to download.  This is a nice place to find many different mandalas.  This one was a little different than what I used but I really liked the shape.  You can download the patterns as .jpeg or PDF files.

I really enjoyed making this and am surprised at how quickly it went.  I framed it in a 10X10 float frame, with a black piece of scrapbooking paper to fill the empty space.  I had hoped to put it in a 10X10 with a 5X5 square cutout to frame it but I made the zendala too big and none of the premade frames would work.  I waited too late to have it framed professionally.  I was quite pleased with how it came out though.  The paper had a black on black pattern on it and with the zendala in the middle it looked quite nice.  The pattern on the paper was just enough to give it interest but not too busy to distract the eye.




5X7 on watercolor paper with 0.1 micron and gold gel pen

This one is for my friend Kent.  While I didn't plan it, this one works double time as Kent is a New Orleans Saints fan and their colors are black and gold.  This photo is of the tangle in the frame so there is a little glare in the glass but not much.

I tried to alternate the dark and light patterns in this one.  I tried a new pattern Golven and I really like it a lot. It isn't difficult to do and looks great.  I look forward to using it again and again.

I am glad to report that both Cheryl and Kent enjoyed their tangles as much as I did making them.  I hope that you enjoy looking at them too.

Tangle Pattern: Shimono

This pattern is from vintage kimono silk. I was researching Japanese patterns for a piece I drew for an auction for Japan.  Those are little buttercup flowers at the intersections.  They are the same flowers that were were on the fabric.