Diva Challenge and Woodburning

Diva Challenge 197 - use the new tangle Arukas.  I'm a fan of tangles with straight lines but the jury is still out on Arukas.  I like it but still trying to find the rhythm of it. Somehow I got hooked on using a spiral in the center and the 8 point star and added to the overall challenge by playing with color - the metallic pens are a little flat here especially the gold.  These 3 are done but not finished more of an experiment than what I usually do.

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A few more woodburned pieces.

A birthday present for a dear friend of 35+ years

Tea light candle holder

Diva Challenge #188 - National Coming Out Day

The inspiration for this weeks Diva Challenge comes from 12 year old Daniel who wrote to the Diva asking for a show of support not only for his friend who is gay but also for the LGBTQA community in honor of National Coming Out Day - October 11th. Visit the Diva's blog to read more info on this request.

I completed 2 tiles for the challenge and I'm surprised at what appeared.  I thought I would just create a tile using tangles with names representing LGBQA.   I had several tangles ready to go but every time I would sit down to get started I would have several very concrete images take over my thoughts - very untangle like and not my process at all!

So after several failed attempts at getting a tile started I began to play with trying to put some of the images on paper.  First thing to know - I don't draw real things but for some reason I kept at it especially the one tile.  Most of the renditions were so pathetic as to be humorous.  I wasn't sketching them out to actually use them for the challenge but as a way to get them out of my system so I could get back to the challenge.

Imagine my surprise when one of them actually started to look like what I was trying to sketch - could it be possible?  Don't get to excited it's still a pretty crude rendition but I  liked the simplicity and symbolism.

 

The other image was not that hard to recreate as it is the logo for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign - "one of the largest civil rights organizations around striving to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all."

I also finished a couple more cuffs  one using gloven and the other a modification of Yew-Dee

 

Diva Challenge 185

Just a quick drive by to get my tile posted for this week's Diva Challenge - use only the tangles Phicops and Diva Dance.  Wasn't feeling especially inspired, it has been oppressively hot here for the last several days.  We won't be getting much of a break until the end of the week - 89 degrees yet at 11:30 pm is just too hot!

Zentangle Diva Challenge 181 Water

Water - it's an on-going topic of conversation and concern here in CA these days as we are experiencing yet again very severe drought conditions.  Some mandatory water conservation efforts are now in place.  Here in SoCal most of our water is imported from the Colorado river and to a lesser degree from northern California.  What little winter snow pack we have in SoCal mountains supplements that but there has been very little winter snow pack for the past few years so the reservoirs are quite low.

Instead of the seascape that I probably would have done I decided on rain as the inspiration for my tile. How many different ways could I represent rain - maybe if I draw enough of it the rains will come.  Aah, if only it were that simple.

Water

 

Pop-Cloud, Msst, Printemps, CO2, Tipple, Sanibelle, Rain, Fescu,

Zinger, Lightening Bolt & one name that escapes me

I've also been doing a bit of woodburning.  Just ordered some fun bracelets and cuffs.  Right now I'm just in experimentation mode but if it works out will be adding them to my winter shows and maybe finally open the online shop instead of just threatening to do it!

Also on the woodburning front - I'll be teaching mini intro class - Woodburning 101 - click on the Zentangle Classes page at the top of the blog for the details.

Diva Challenge & String Thing

When I first saw the string for String Thing 45 this week I saw it as a woodburned piece so found a 4" x 4" piece and got started.  Mostly happy with it - would have preferred a bit more dimension on the inside but I'm OK as it is - it's always a good day when I can do a little pyrography.

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String Thing 45

Tangles: Dooleedo, Demi, and Dex

Completed last week's String Thing 44 a little too late to enter it.  Initially I stopped and thought it was finished in the first photo but the more I looked at it the more incomplete it felt.  It also didn't have much eye appeal for me - felt like the 'nzeppel was too big.  I let it sit for awhile and then decided to fill in the background.  It looks better but....  The reason I'm posting it is that it ended up fulfilling another challenge.

The Sketchbook Project folks have started another project called Challenge Accepted - this week it was to find an X and post it via one of their options.  It was down to the last day and I still had not found an X.  I have walking poles by Exerstrider and in desparation was going to cross those but before I got around to that I saw the String 44 tile on my work table and B.A.M!  I saw the X.  The whole time I'd been working on it I'd never seen the X.

String Thing 44

Tangles: 'Nzeppel and Navaho

Last is the Diva Challenge 172 - Duotangle  Auraknot and Mooka - love Auraknot but Mooka is another story - love it but have always been less than satisfied with mine.  The challenge for me this week was a vow to post it no matter how it turned out.  So here it is.  Actually it's one of my better efforts - discovered a couple of tricks that made a difference.  Gives me hope that with more practice I may learn to love my Mooka and stop avoiding it.

Zendala Dare and String Thing Challenges

So glad to see the Zendala Dare's appearance in my feed reader - welcome back Erin - hope you enjoy your summer. Looking forward to hearing more about you business opportunity - sounds like even though you're out of school for the summer you're still going to be quite busy.  Hope to see a few more Dares before you head back to school.

Zendala Dare #94 - since it's the first of the month the added feature is Happy.  I thought about using tangles that begin with the letters in Happy but decided to go with what often makes me happy when tangling - lines.  Line work makes me happy.  A little surprised at what appeared - it's a little more delicate than what I usually do, as in fill any open space with a tangle lol!  I'm not entirely sure that it doesn't need a bit more but for know I'm going with this.  Who knows another day I might pick it up and add more to it.

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Zendala Dare 94 - Happy

It's a String Thing #43 challenge can be found at Tickled to Tangle  I'm late to this challenge.  I think I managed to complete one before taking off on my recent travel adventure.  Glad to find it again - this one was a fun one with lots of appeal.  The tangle choices were Hypnotic, Hibred, Hollibaugh and Huggins.  I opted to not use Huggins.  I kind of like the way it turned out.  Looking forward to adding this to my list of challenges.

It's a String Thing #43

Zentangle Diva Challenge 162

Challenge 162 - Initial String - a quick post mostly to test posting from my phone - should be interesting. I used T A (Tinkered Art) to create the string. In previous attempts I found using S W as a string was not very inspiring so thought I would mix it up a bit.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Diva Challenge 156 ... and a bit more

This week's challenge - try grid-based patterns on curvy or uneven grids - you can read about the inspiration for the challenge and view entries on the Diva's blog.

I'm quite fond of grid based patterns so this was a fun challenge. The first one I completed didn't turn out as curvy/uneven as I intended so decided to do a second one.  That's where things got interesting!   I keep a tray on my desk with blank tiles.  At the back of the tray I also keep tiles I started but never completed.  Often times the incomplete ones end up in this stack because I'm not liking how it looks or not sure how to finish it off or just feeling stuck.   It's amazing how often I can pull one of those tiles to work on and whatever was in the way before is gone and I end up with a completed tile.

When I decided to do the second tile for this challenge I was just reaching for a new blank tile - somehow the tray ended up turned around so instead the incompletes were now in the front of the tray.  Since I was seeing the back of the tile I didn't realized I'd pulled an incomplete until I turned it over.  It was a bit surprising but when I looked at the tile I'd pulled I realized I'd pulled the perfect tile for the curvy or in this case wonky grid challenge.  Unfortunately I didn't take a photo before I started working on it.

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Challenge 156 - Tile 1

Challenge 156 - Tile 2

When I re-started on this incomplete tile, the grid as Bridgen was completed and only 3 tangles had been added in the sections.  I don't recall when or what I'd set out to do with this tangle but when I saw it today it seemed perfect for the challenge.  I didn't do much shading as I didn't care for the graphite with the Sepia pen and didn't have a colored pencil that would have worked so I guess it's still a little incomplete.

It's a String Thing #29

Just discovered Adele Bruno's It's a String Thing  so gave that a try this week.  I was trying out a different pen - won't be using it again as it didn't give me as sharp a line and didn't scan well.

Zendala Dare #92

Haven't done a Zendala Dare in a while but managed to get this one completed - finished it a week ago but never got around to posting it until now.

 All I got for now!

Diva Challenge #154 -Valentangle

Didn't spend much time thinking about this one, other than a small debate whether to use a heart string or go more abstract. In true Zentangle style - just went with the flow and waited to see what would appear.  About half way through had my doubts but just kept adding a little this a little that until it felt finished.  I rather like it.

What's your inspiration for Valentine's Day?

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Diva Challenge 153 UMT Jailed Johnny

Head on over to the Diva Challenge to read more about this week's challenge.  It's UMT (Use My Tangle) week.  This week's tangle is Jailed Johnny courtesy of Sadelle Wiltshire, CZT.

I actually used two new tangles in this challenge.  Besides Jailed Johnny, the border is Ditto, a new tangle from CZT Sue Jacobs.  I enjoyed learning and using both of them.  It took me a little longer to get the rhythm and flow of Ditto but it was well worth the effort - will definitely be including Ditto in my Borders and Frames class.

Jailed Johnny

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Diva Challenge 152 - Aquafleur

One of the things I love about Zentangle is the freedom to go wherever your pen on paper takes you - no specific outcome required.  Leading up to the holidays what with prepping for a craft show and making gifts I was more in production mode vs enjoying the process.  This challenge and this pattern in particular was a great way to get back into the creative process.

Once again what started out as my original idea is nowhere to be found in this tile.  What I found most interesting is that for a long time it felt like it was unfinished.  I kept thinking I would be adding to it, however every time I went back to it to add something I felt stuck, unsure of what I wanted to add.  Some of that, I'm sure comes from my limited appreciation of white space.  If there's open space I'm usually filling it with a tangle.  One of my goals this year is use and appreciate the beauty of open space in my work. I'm glad I listened and resisted the urge to fill in all that white space!

Aquafleur

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