Diva's Challenge Week 15

Love Your Curves, Baby!

 

click to enlarge image

This week the 15th challenge from the Diva is the opposite of last week's straight line challenge.  This one is all about the curves.  Straight lines tend to dominate my zentangles but I do enjoy a well placed curve.  Doing all curves, of course, was a bit of a challenge but a fun one.  Even though it appears to have a deep sea theme, it was not planned or intended.

This one truly emerged One Stroke at a Time!  I like it - hope you will too.

Diva's Challenge - Week 14

The challenge this week - create your zentangle using straight lines only -  definitely my kind of challenge.  I've always been drawn to the straight line tangles, they seem to dominate my work.  I do like the curves but I find I use them more as seasoning rather than the main dish.  Had to laugh at my first few attempts - little circles and a wave or curve to a line kept creeping in.  This challenge was so much fun I created several - posting 2 here to get started.  Thanks Diva!

I Walk the Line

 

 click image for larger view

 click image for larger view

Diva's Challenge 13

Drawn with non-dominant hand - right!

click image for larger view

The challenge this week - create your zentangle with your non-dominant hand.  Yikes - this was not going to be easy.  Being left-handed in a right-handed world I've learned to do many things right-handed, but most of those are large muscle activities - like playing baseball - if you only have gloves for your left hand you learn to throw right handed!  Likewise with golf - it's hard to hit left-handed with right-handed clubs.  Then again they had left-handed foils and bowling balls drilled for lefties so I fenced and bowled left-handed.

However fine motor skills - they are all done left handed.   The few attempts I've ever made to write with my right hand - illegible - always.

To ease my way into this challenge - I started out just holding the pen and making marks on a piece of paper - needed to find out what my right hand wanted to do - how would it function - what would work and what wouldn't.   What I discovered - it felt better to grip the pen in a different way than I would left-handed.  Instead of holding the pen so that it rested between my thumb and index finger - it worked better to have the barrel of the pen resting between my index and middle finger.  Having both of those fingers on the top gripping the pen with my thumb supporting it from below seemed to provide a bit more control - it didn't feel like the pen was going fall out of my hand.  This grip felt more relaxed than when I tried to hold it the way I would grip it left-handed.

While my lines definitely had a shake to them I made another very odd discovery.  My normal stroke especially when drawing straight lines, is to draw the pen towards me.  Pulling it rather than pushing it.

Amazingly exactly the opposite was true with the pen in my right hand.  I started out pulling - result - messy uneven lines.  I had the most trouble with the start and end of strokes - blobs and shakes galore, but once I got moving, if I went very very slow the line was better.  Still uncomfortable.

Not sure what made me try it the other way - pushing away  - immediately I could tell the difference.  Out came a piece of scrap paper to test this out.  Sure enough if I pushed the pen away from me I had a better start, the line was straighter - I could hit my end mark most of the time.  Back to the tangle, it worked.  As I got closer to finishing it  I could see the shakes coming in again - by this time I think my hand was just getting fatigued from the workout I'd been giving it.

For this challenge it seems that it was necessary to do a lot of things in the opposite way not just hold the pen in the other hand.  Channeling  Arte Johnson here  - Interesting,  Verrrry Interesting!

Zentangle Basics Class

Doesn't this look like a fun group!!

Wonder why they're smiling?

They  just completed a Zentangle Basics class held at the Shepherdess  in San Diego

Thank you all it was a pleasure to share the art of Zentangle with you.  The tiles you created are all beautiful works of art.  Another thank you to Candy for taking the photos and sharing them with us.

 The beauty and wonder of Zentangle can be seen in the mosaics of the two tiles that were created in the class.  While all received the same instruction and used the same tangles you can see the unique art created by each student.  Enjoy!

Class Tile 1

click image for larger view

Class Tile 2

click image for larger view

Diva's Challenge Week 12

Blue Rebellion

click image for larger view

I had a lot of resistance to completing this challenge - ended up waiting to the last minute to attempt it. I really did not want to use color - the part of me that needed to rebel completed the tile above. Once I had the that bit of rebellion out of my system I completed the second tile using blue paper.

The center is a combination of Hibred and Rick's Paradox, the outside edges were just created as I went along. Reminds me a bit of wire work. Will have to play with that one a bit more. The shading really changed it, unfortunately the photo does not do it justice.

Blue Paper

click image for larger view

Diva's Challenge 11

Beeline

 
click image for larger view

The Diva's challenge this week was Monotangle - get creative using just one tangle.  I chose Beeline I really enjoy using this tangle - so many possibilities.

Diva's Challenge Week 8

Zentangle Heart

click image for larger view 

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

click image for larger view

 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

click image for larger view

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

 click on image for larger view

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

click image for larger view

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

click image for larger view

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

 click on image for larger view

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

 

click image for larger view