Diva's Challenge Week 8

Zentangle Heart

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The Week 8 challenge from  CZT Laura Harms - Create a Heart, using two of the previous challenge themes and send along some healing intent for her baby son Artoo.

Challenges of simplicity and orbs to send along healing energy to the hearts of Laura and Artoo.

Breathe - Week 7 Challenge

Breathe

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 Betweed - quite rhythmic creating each stroke.  With a bit of concentration I was able to synchronize my breathing to each stroke of the pen.  The fun part - subtly changing the speed of the pen stroke and being able to match it with each breath.  Inhale Exhale ---> Betweed.

Ixorus Challenge 6

BBL with the rest of the story -

Ixorus

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Zentangle Name Challenge

Tangle Your Name was a challenge recently posted on TanglePatterns .  The challenge was to take the letters of your name and use official tangles - those that started with the letters of your name - and create your Zentangle.  Turned out to be a rather interesting challenge - it provided the opportunity to use some tangle patterns I haven't used before.   It was also a challenging to create a seven chambered string - I ended up abandoning the string and created it on the fly.

Tangles used - Sampson, Umble, Zander, Ahh, Nekton, Nipa and Emingle

 Name Challenge

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Orbs

The Week 5 challenge from  CZT Laura Harms is - Orb.   Click on the Diva Weekly Challenge button to read more about the Orbs Challenge.

For the challenges of the last couple of weeks it felt like I spent more time thinking about the challenge than actually creating the tile, then being too worried about the outcome and racing to get them posted before the deadline.  Decided to approach things differently this week.  Free my mind, just go with the flow - it is a challenge after all - a time to stretch myself,  experiment, try new ideas and push myself beyond my comfort zone.   Finished fairly quickly, kept an open mind and need to post it before I start critiquing it!

Orbs

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Starry Eyed Surprise!

The Week 4 challenge from  CZT Laura Harms is Starry Eyed Surprise - a song she has posted on her site.  The challenge - listen to the song and tangle whatever it inspires in you.  Laura's questions for the challenge - "Stars.  What does that mean?  A string?  a feeling? A tangle/pattern? Some other thing i haven't even thought of?"

The challenge is open to every Zentangle devotee - details are on Laura's blog here  I Am The Diva.  If you missed the first 3 weeks and want to be inspired be sure to click on the Weekly Challenge tab at the top to view slideshow of each week's challenge entries.

In a galaxy far far away you might find this star - then again maybe not.  When I first read through the challenge on Monday - first thought was oh, this would be easy - stars - I can do that.   Turned out to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated.  In this case how I arrived at the finished tangle isn't all that interesting lots of navel gazing - when I probably should have just gone outside and gazed at the stars instead.  I've worked on this one way too long starting and stopping, thinking I was done but not feeling satisfied so kept adding bits and pieces here and there. Not sure it feels like a zentangle.  It didn't flow, feels a bit disjointed, yet in it's own quirky way it pleases me.

Starry Eyed Surprise

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Eyes Wide Shut - Week 3 Challenge

The Week 3 challenge from  CZT Laura Harms is Eyes Wide Shut - draw your string with your eyes closed.  The challenge is open to every Zentangle devotee - details are on Laura's blog here  I Am The Diva.

Little late getting to the challenge this week - almost passed on doing it but now I'm so glad I completed it.  Most of the time I don't use a string.  I think that started because I felt stuck at what to draw or I was too quick to judge any string I drew as not acceptable - forgetting that it's just a starting point.  It became easier to just start with a pattern and proceed from there to the next pattern.

Much to my surprise I actually liked the very first string I drew.  I didn't have to put any thought into it - the string just appeared on the tile as if by magic.  Very freeing.  Just for fun and to see if I'd have the same reaction I created several more strings with my eyes closed.  I liked all of them.   I now have a nice set of pre-strung tiles to tangle.   I also think I've been short changing myself in not using strings - it really does add another dimension to creating tangles.   I just might have to do all my strings with my eyes closed!  Thanks Laura a very good challenge for me.

The String

 Week 3 Tangle

2 by 2

Week 2 challenge from  CZT Laura Harms is 2 Pencil String.  The challenge is open to every Zentangle devotee - details are on Laura's blog here  I Am The Diva.  Margaret Bremner  CZT describes the 2 Pencil technique on her blog here Enthusiastic Artist

This challenge was exactly that - a challenge.  I often don't work with a string so that was a challenge. I tend to do pretty dense tangles so the string kept getting lost in the tangle.  I also use a lot of tangles that have multiple line borders so coming up with different tangles was another challenge.  Even though I didn't set out to have such bold borders - every time I sat down to work on this challenge that was what the tangle wanted to be - after fighting that for awhile I finally gave in or I never would have completed any.

These two that I did manage to finish don't really excite me but I've learned over the years with other artwork that it's not always about what I like - somewhere out there is someone that will like it.

 Week 2 Challenge - 2 Pencil String

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Simplicity

A fellow CZT Laura Harms is hosting a weekly Zentangle challenge open to anyone that wishes to join in.  You can find more details and follow each weeks challenge on her blog I Am The Diva.

Simplicity is the challenge for this week - "How does this word speak to you, and how do you translate it into Zentangle®?"

Sounds simple enough to do - then again maybe not.  My first thought was to use just one tangle - what could be easier (simple) than that.  After a few attempts working with just one tangle it was pretty clear that I needed to redefine my idea of simplicity - at least as far as a Zentangle was concerned.

I was over thinking things - never the best idea - so instead decided to look at some of my other tiles hoping for inspiration. Oops, I tend to use lots of tangles in each one and very often work right out to the edge of the tile.  Not finding simplicity there, decided I just needed to clear my mind and start over.   Spending a little time quietly watching outside my window as the steadily falling liquid sunshine washed the dry season dust from the plants was just what I needed.

The translation of the challenge for me - use less than 5 tangles and work on a small portion of the tile. Oh, and a splash of inspiration from Mother Nature.

Simplicity Zentangle

 

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Holiday Zentangle

A little holiday cheer - Zentangle style.

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Pyrographic Zentangles

Pyrography has always been a meditative art form for me - I often lose all track of time with a hot pen in hand.  While I love tangling with black pen on paper - tangling with a pyro pen is an added joy.

Woodburned Candleholders

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PoBox Clock

The creator of the HumanClock is now working on the PoBox Clock.  When you select your time increment you'll receive the address to ship to and your due date to preserve the time you selected.  My time?  It was a very good year ;>)

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Back Home

The CZT seminar - what an amazing experience -  Zentangle immersion, meeting wonderful artists from all over the world and making new friends.  Yes,  I am now a fully Certified Zentangle Teacher - CZT.


Took some time after the seminar to visit family and friends in the Midwest and then enjoyed a nice leisurely train ride across the country to return home. I've so neglected this blog, but I'm back home and ready to go, creating Zentangles - will be posting photos soon - still learning the new camera.  I'm also exploring venues where I might teach Zentangle classes.  If you have any suggestions of suitable places in the San Diego area I would love to hear from you.


The Zentangle Classes tab  - it's new - it's a start on what I will be offering - more details and schedule coming soon.

Whitinsville

I thought this day would never come but yes I finally made it to Whitinsville for the CZT Training Seminar.  The train ride - a bit of an adventure.  The last leg from Chicago to Worcester the most problematic - for a variety reasons ended up being almost two hours late.  Thank goodness for the patience of Nancy and her husband who hung in there, picked me up and delivered me tired but safe and sound to Oakhurst late in the evening.

I did meet the three other folks that had already arrived, Jane and Andrea from Australia and Holly from Virginia - that is before we all needed to get some much needed sleep.  Now I'm off to explore the grounds a bit and head to the main house to see meet others as they arrive.

I'm so excited to be here - more later on the adventures of the week

Organize Tangle Patterns

The more tangle patterns I acquire the greater the effort to keep them organized. I've tried several systems - printing out patterns, Sandy Bartholomew's ATC cards, different sized card templates of my own making and a variety of storage systems, sleeves, boxes and 3-ring binders. All of these have distinct pros and cons. I want something that is easily portable and convenient to access. After several starts and stops I think this latest attempt to get organized just might stick. Thanks go to several different folks for sharing their ideas in different forums and venues - I've incorporated and modified many of the best in this latest attempt.

A list of resource links is at the end of this post.

Since I have not been able to find a one-size-fits-all solution I'm using 2 methods – one electronic, one hands-on. Electronically I have several photo albums on my iPod Touch devoted to all things Zentangle – patterns, ideas for patterns, and photos of tiles mine and others. The photos were either scanned in or acquired using my favorite screen capture program SnagIt. Having all this at my fingertips wherever I go is really nice and a great way to share Zentangle with others.

Update August 2012:  on the Videos page here I've added two short videos showing some of the features of and how I use Snagit and Evernote to keep my tangle patterns organized.

Electronic Version Update April 2012:  I've added a new tool for my electronic stash - Evernote  There is a free and a premium (annual subscription) version.  The program allow me to "clip" images from the web, add tags and notes, organize in folders (notebooks) and the best part with synching the patterns are available on my laptop, my iTouch and on the website from any computer.  I still use Snagit when I want to modify or otherwise manipulate/optimize an image - and the latest version of Snagit allows for a direct output to Evernote.  Moving to Evernote has really simplified the steps for collecting new patterns.  Now instead of having to create separate databases to upload to the iTouch it's all handled seamlessly via the Evernote app.   Works in both the Mac and Windows world.

For the hands-on part I cut card stock into 2” squares, round the corners, punch a small hole for stringing later. Next step - draw the tangle on one side, draw a condensed set of instructions on the flip side for the more complex tangles, laminate the card, trim it re-punch the hole and then string them together.

Hands-On Version Update April 2012:   I still have my trusty 2" squares for hand-on but I now use 4 1/2" Pull Apart Rings to hold them.  The rings do not have the pinned hinge found on many rings found in office supply outlets.  Instead they have a connector that holds both ends of the ring that you pull apart to insert new cards.  I've found them a few places online but the best price I found is at CKI Wholesale Lock Supply 

A few photos of the hands-on option -

Laced together

Buttercup Tangle 
(from Totally Tangled)

Buttercup Instructions On Flip Side (Upper Left Card)

Resource Links
Sandy Bartholomew's Blog -  ATC cards
Organize Your Patterns  Thorough discussion on tanglepatterns.com
blank pattern card templates  available to download also at tanglepatterns.com

Margaret Bremner Enthusiastic Artist - great blog post sharing her methods for organizing tangle patterns - includes links to other blogs with organizing tips.

I'm a big fan of SnagIt a terrific screen capture program from TechSmith.  They have had a PC version for years and recently released a beta version for the Mac. I don't have any affiliation with them other than being a long-time and very satisfied user.

SnagIt - from TechSmith.  PC and Mac versions -  they offer a fully functioning 30 day trial download.  The PC version has been around a long time and has more bells and whistles but the cool thing about TechSmith - besides making user-friendly software.  When you purchase SnagIt you get a license that allows you to download and use both the PC and Mac versions.

Evernote -  Online organizing tool, "clip" images and/or text from websites, organize in notebooks, add tags and notes.  Your notebooks when synched are available on your computer, mobile device and on Evernote web from any computer.