Pentangles

Last week's hexagon tile led to a fragment study.  It's not quite ready to post.  So, I thought I'd take a slight break from my fragment study and share these.   One of my fragments inspired these pentagon tangles (pentangles).  Both were complete on Zendala tiles.

String that divides tile into 10 segments in the middle and only 5 extending to edge.

Both tiles have the same string, except the outer circle is smaller on one.  

Maryhill and Paradox only partially shaded.

Notice how shading Maryhill adds to the lines of the pattern (only the top two arms are shaded here). 

No shade yet.

And this photo is prior to all shading.  

Aren't they cool?  

Paradox and Maryhill, one of my favorite combos.

Maryhill, Skwim, Mooka and a touch of Flux

I'm hoping they inspire you a bit.....and that you check back again for my fragment study!  

TTFN!

Happy St Paddy's Day

Just a little fun for the day.  A shamrock Waybop or shamWAYrockBOP! Skwim also showed up along with Fescu and Flux.

Fluxing around with Skwim ...and a video!

Wanting to focus, I tried something new with something old.  Skwim, to me, is very familiar.  Videos, not so much.  The end result is a drawing surface to "frame" my tiles as I'm drawing, providing a pleasant background and a slightly cushioned surface. I had hoped that you'd enjoy my first video, but after much effort and time, I accidentally deleted it prior to uploading it!  Sorry, you not only miss how this project evolved, but you also miss Yoda (my cat) helping me tangle.  Perhaps you're the lucky one, I'm not sure.  So, please enjoy my second video!  I've also added below some information about the "missing" video.

If you find the video helpful, relaxing, or inspirational, please let me know.  I would very much appreciate your constructive criticism and feedback.  I'm not sure if I'll continue with the video format, your comments (or lack thereof) will help me to decide.  

Wishing you peace and calm....

Betsy CZT14

Supplies used:

A remnant of mat board in a gray green color 

Crafter's Workshop 12x12" stencil-Daisy Cluster

Copic markers and airbrush

Sakura Pigma micron 03 black

Fabrico Marker in cool gray

Faber-Castell Polychromos 

General's charcoal white

Tangles: Skwim, Flux, Tipple and a touch of a Fescu/Zinger combo.

Tangles creeping into life

Sometimes art just creeps in to every little nook and cranny. And if you can make something better, why not do so?

I was updating my paper display guide on a sheet of dot grid Fabriano paper when I decided to add some tangles. I chose the dot grid because the lines are easy that way with no need for a straight edge. Then I realized the dots were subtle enough that I could choose to ignore them just like portions of a string.     

Before color.  Tangles are Skwim, Flux and Tipple.

With colored pencils

After laminating I wrote with an alcohol marker  (or you could use dry erase markers).

And in use on my paper stand.

After all the time taken in drawing and coloring, I decided to laminate it so I could write with any alcohol based marker. That way if I change things up later I can simply wipe it away with rubbing alcohol and not harm the artwork.  In fact, I've already changed it from this purple to a prussian blue that I'm happier with.

Sure, it could have been quicker without the artwork, but my art space is happier... and so am I. 

Only the ink is distressed...

Rubber stamps, ink and tangling. Sometimes it all works together so well.

Supplies used include a Penny Black stamp "single iris".

I forgot to take a photo of just the stamping. I used the ink pads to ink the stamp and added the purple Momento ink from the pen onto the stamp. I didn't have a dark purple distress ink, that's why I used the Momento. The two inks worked fine together. After I stamped onto damp watercolor paper, the image was pretty light and splotchy, so I touched up the stamping by scribbling some ink onto my craft sheet and using my waterbrush to pick up the inks to fill in any missed or light areas. Then I let it dry thoroughly before tangling with the black 005 Sakura Pigma Micron and the graphite Derwent Graphik line maker 0.1. Tangles used: Mooka, Skwim with Flux, Tipple and Stiritup. I added more distress ink to the tangles here and there with my waterbrush and added graphite shading and gray Fabrico marker (whoops, left it out of my supplies picture).

Here is the final result mounted on an A2 sized card I cut from gray cardstock.

Have a great week!

Touch of Irish

I'm posting a day early today in honor of my Irish heritage. The Diva's challenge this week is to add a touch of Irish to your tile. Tangles are Fleavy, Flux and Skwim.
I liked this analogous color combo so much, I decided to make note of it in my art journal.

Bijou waiting.

Which led to this. I haven't named many of my pieces, but this one named itself long before it was finished.....Bijou waiting.

This ATC has already found a good home.

Top 'O the mornin' to ya!

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Metal plus a bit of tangling

Amy Broady is the guest post for The Diva's weekly challenge #257. The challenge was to include a metallic feature in your tangled art. If you didn't see the challenge, check out her example...it's gorgeous!

I've been playing with my Copic markers a lot lately (check out my last two mandalas here and here) and thought I'd have a go at imitating metal with the markers. To achieve this look, I blended 4 different cool grays along with the colorless blender. At least until I ran out of one marker, Yikes! So one side is blended more smoothly than the other, but the striping actually helps with the illusion. I had intended to tangle in the cylinder but once colored, I thought it best to excercise the Less is More motto. I think it's just right with Bijou and just the corner of my tangle Skwim. This is the perfect size for an A2 card front, if I can ever part with it!

I sketched out the cylinder in pencil on Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock from Crafter's Companion before committing to ink. Today, all the ink used was Copic brand, including using multiliners in cool gray and olive. All the shading is done with markers, no graphite shading today.

If you're in the Vancouver, Washington USA area and are interested in learning the Zentangle® method, check out the "Take a Class!" tab above as I have openings in this Sunday's class!

Have a great week!

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Bookmarks!

I've seen some great looking tangled bookmarks online and wanted to try my hand at it as well. I had two scraps of really nice watercolor paper. It took me a couple of weeks to finish these. I ended up scanning them and reprinting them before laminating.

Quipple in pinks and greys

Skwim with Zenith and Fescu

Ing

Land Girlz

And here is the finished "project" including cards which hold the bookmarks for mailing.

Have a great week!

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ZIA afforestation

"What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another." Chris Maser

Dilip Patel, CZT 09, posed this week's guest Diva Challenge suggesting Zentangle has the potential to positively impact society. So as world leaders in Paris deliberate action plans to combat climate change, he enticed us to work on some Zentangle afforestation in addition to other socially responsible measures.

Check out some awesome trees at the Diva's challenge #246.

Here is how mine evolved: I started with a piece of Fabriano Studio watercolor hot press (hot press tends to work better with stamping) which was 140 lbs.

Stampscapes rubber stamp with Ranger Distress Ink

I used a rubber stamp by Stampscapes to stamp an image of a tree branch using Ranger Distress Ink. (I used Tea Dye and Iced Spruce colors.) Then I started tangling. I used a Sepia Sakura micron to tangle the bark with Sayantika Ray's pattern Organic. Then my Skwim/Flux with a green micron. I added Cretacolor watercolor pencils and tried to activate both the pencils and the distress ink with water. In the end I had lost some of the distinct lines and drew back over the "foliage" with green and blue microns. I did some additional shading with pencil (Cretacolor monolith) then mounted it on standard A2 sized cardstock.

Adding tangles

And more color

Enjoy your week!

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Just a tiny taste...

This week's Diva challenge is to give just a tiny taste of tangle leaving most of your tile blank.

So does this whet your appetite?

Or maybe this?

Need some greens?

I'm calling this tangle Skwim, named after a town in Washington (the spelling is Sequim but the pronunciation is Skwim) on the Straight of Juan de Fuca. We were camped there in mid September and I noticed some chartreuse foliage at our site. Now I live in Washington state, and am used to seeing this bright green nearly all winter, but the end of summer? A quick look told me it was a 3 leaf clover and I didn't think much more about it until I went to do my Yoga the next morning. That green spot looked especially soft and inviting for my Yoga mat. Once my eyeballs were down level with the green I realized they weren't all 3 leaves, more exactly there was one three leaf clover surrounded by single leaves, nearly exact copies of Flux in each cluster. There were multiple clusters layered and filling the entire space with a few blades of grass here and there and on the margins.
When I got home I watercolored a tile trying to replicate that color variation. (Mine isn't as neon as the plant) Then I put the tile aside to dry. Before I knew it, it was October and I needed to pack my art supplies for a road trip vacation. (It takes me longer to decide what art supplies to take than it takes to pack clothes). This tile came along with lots of other stuff.
Our "vacation" was a whirlwind of miles driven from Washington to Texas to Illinois and back to Washington all in 2 weeks. And we had lots of family to see along the way. We knew we would be stretched by the miles, but we really weren't prepared for the weather. Thunder, lightening and rain caught up to us at Cathedral Gorge Nevada and stayed with us through Texas. Did I mention that we travel with our dog and cat? Did I mention our dog is scared to death of loud noises? Yes, like thunder! So on one night when I wasn't gonna sleep anyway, Molly the dog, sat in our camper's dinette with me (ok I had her pinned in there so she couldn't pace, spin and dig). She sat next to me panting and I drew the green Skwim tile, pausing from time to time to mop up her slobber dripping on the table next to my tile, envisioning a much calmer time lazily enjoying Sequim. This tile is definitely a visual journal for me!

So I'm not sure if this is a tangle in its own right, or merely a variation of flux. What do you think? Any other similar tangles out there? I hope you enjoy it.

And here is another tiny taste.... Ambler on a bijou tile. A Sizzix embossing folder helped me make this card along with some strategic cuts. I was also inspired by The Yorkshire Tortoise' entry at her blog Creative Madness where she tangled just a tiny taste on the envelopes and I decided that would suit here.

This is more than a tiny taste, but thought you might enjoy my Maryhill/Fleavy Zendala Dare #114.

And the card I made for it. The flowers on the envelope are a stamp called spiral daisy by A Muse Artstamps.

Have a great week!

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