String Thing #25

This week String Thing #25 uses String #025 by Hope Martin 

 

 and the new tangle, Fassett by Lynn Mead. This is to be a monotangle, using only Fassett, which offers a multitude of  opportunities for variations.

Here's mine:

 Since the String has 4 sections, I used 4 variations of Fassett. I didn't do any shading; instead I completely inked in some spaces, filled others with lines, and highlighted with soapstone. When I finished, I sort of liked it; but something just wasn't right. I tried the usual holding the tile at a distance, and close up, but it wasn't till I tried rotating it that I hit paydirt. One quarter turn, and Presto! it was right.

Be sure to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday when Adele Bruno posts them. The vast differences that can be achieved using the same tangles on the same string are truly incredible. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing yourself, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Diva's Challenge #152: Aquafleur, My new favorite Tangle,

The Diva's Challenge this week is to try out the new Tangle, Aquafleur. I had been playing around with it ever since it was introduced last week, and I already love it. It's definitely my kind of tangle.  So this is what I came up with; but it's possibly/probably not my last entry for this challenge.

 I used Sakura Micron 01 in Sepia to draw it, and the Sepia brush to fill in.  I then used sepia and burnt ochre Prismacolor pencils to shade, and a sort of Orange/Copper Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll pen for the embellishment. The metallic shine doesn't show very well on this scan, but trust me, it's there. I really enjoyed doing this one; I hope you all like it as much as I do.

Be sure to visit the Diva's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Challenges yourself.
 

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention. 

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Zendala Dare #89

Have you ever been feverishly/doggedly (choose your own adjective) working on a project, and you know just what you want to do; but something's not working quite right, and you realize that you're tired and should probably take a rest? Of course you have. But, since you know just what needs to be done, and you can't wait to see the finished project, (or perhaps you're anxious to show it to someone, or post it online) you keep on working at it anyway. And the end result is a little sloppy sometimes. Well, that's my dilemma. I just couldn't/wouldn't stop working on this Zendala when I should have, and while I'm really happy with the overall effect, there are areas that are a bit sloppy; The lines are not as crisp and smooth as I'd like, but I think that to the naked eye (one that's not looking for mistakes, which we don't have in Zentangles anyway) it's OK.

That said, let's backtrack to the template: 

 

When I first looked at it, I wasn't sure what I could do with it. It seemed a little static, a little more geometric than what I usually like to do. But I started playing around with the center, which I first thought could be kind of flowery, (I was wrong) and then everything fell into place. I just decided to go with the geometric look, and, as you can see, I don't think there's a recognizable tangle or pattern in the whole shebang. I just worked within each shape, and this is what I came up with.

 In spite of the not so perfect lines, here it is:

 It's a little different from what I usually do, with a few exceptions, but I'm really happy with it.

I used Sakura Microns in various thicknesses, on Strathmore 400 Series Gray Scale paper 8.5" square, shaded with a graphite pencil. (which I just dropped and broke!) and lightened up with soapstone. 

Be sure to visit the the Bright Owl's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Zendala Dares yourself.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Diva's Challenge #151, String Theory: Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day

 As the Diva, Laura Harms explains; Moebius Syndrome is a congenital nerve disorder affecting cranial VI and VII nerves controlling the lateral movement of the face. Moebius is a spectrum disorder, not a disease - so some cases are more severe than others. Laura's younger son has this syndrome, hence this week's challenge:  

To raise awareness for this disorder is this week's Challenge. Use the Moebius Syndrome Foundation's logo as your string, or create a moebius strip out of paper and tangle that... or some other awesome creative thing that i haven't thought of.

 

Friday was Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day, and since Purple is the color for MSAD, it was suggested that we do the challenge tile in purple, and/or wear purple on Friday (1/24/14). I did both.

Here's my one and only entry for this challenge. I've been playing around with it all week, with very little to show for it. It's probably not my best effort, and I'm posting it at the 11th hour, but of all the stabs I took at it, this is the most usable, or the least objectionable.

 Be sure to visit the Diva's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Challenges yourself.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

 

Zendala Dare #88, Part 2

I said at the outset that this template has great possibilities. So I've been playing around with it all week. When the step-outs for Aquafleur were made available, I thought it would be perfect. But after working on it for a while, and seeing Jafael's beautiful interpretation, I realized that I need to loosen up a bit; this is a little stiff. But here it is anyway.

 I even did a little lighthearted version, but still not freeflowing, as Aquafleur should be.

Then I decided to forget about Aquafleur for the time being, at least for this dare, and try some color. So here's a little Zendala color-wheel:

All in all, I've enjoyed working on this Dare; it's really a great template.

Be sure to visit the the Bright Owl's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Zendala Dares yourself.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Zendala Dare #88

This is the template for the Bright Owl's Zendala Dare #88

 

 I immediately thought it had great possibilities. This is the first one I finished:

 I used Betweed, Paradox, Buttercup, and Antidots. And I'm quite happy with it.

Be sure to visit the the Bright Owl's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Zendala Dares yourself.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

It's a String Thing #23

When Adele Bruno posted the String Thing #23 challenge, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it work.

This is String #023, by Barbara Finwall

 

and we had the choice of these tangles:
Bales an official Zentangle® pattern
Bandola by Sadelle Wiltshire, CZT
Barberpole by Suzanne McNeill, CZT
Bask-it by Anna Houston, CZT
Basketweave by Suzanne McNeill, CZT
Batch by Helen Williams
Bateek by Linda Farmer, CZT
Baton by Carole Ohl, CZT

But knowing that I didn't have to use all 8 tangles made it easier to focus on which ones to use. I started with Bales, which seemed logical, and went on from there. I ended up using Bales, Barberpole, Bask-it, Basketweave, and Baton, a couple more than I'd planned. I used Sakura Microns in Sepia and Brown, and brightened it up with a White Charcoal pencil on this pastel gold colored paper.

 As usual, I urge you to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday when Adele Bruno posts them. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Zendala Dare #87

This is the template that Erin (the Bright Owl) posted for Zendala Dare #87:

 
And this is how I interpreted it. I really enjoyed doing this one; I might even do another one.

 Be sure to visit the the Bright Owl's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Zendala Dares yourself.
 Thanks for visiting; I hope you've enjoyed what you see. Please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Diva's Challenge #149 "Twenty-Fourteen"

The theme of the Diva's first challenge of the year is New Year, or 2014. I chose to go with 2014. Don't ask me why, I have no clue. I didn't get much chance to work on it either, so it's really pretty simple.

 Be sure to visit the Diva's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Challenges yourself.

 Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

String Thing #22

For String Thing #22 we are using String #22, 

 and the following 5 tangles:

Ragz, Rain, Raindotty, Reticulated, and Retro.

This is what I came up with:

 

My first look at the required tangles made me wonder how they would fit together. But once I took  a good look at the string, and set down the first tangle (Rain), the rest just fell into place. I really enjoyed doing this one, as it just happened, Zentangle style: little or no thinking or planning, just doing. All in all, I'm satisfied with the result.

As usual, I urge you to check out all the entries @ Tickled to Tangle, on Monday when Adele Bruno posts them. And, if you've a mind to try a String Thing, check back on Tuesday, when she offers the new ones. 

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. I'd love to hear your thoughts. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.

Last Dare of 2013, 2nd Try

Happy New Year, Everyone.

Not to repeat myself unduly, but for those who may have missed my NY greeting:

may it be Healthy, Happy, Peaceful (and Prosperous wouldn't hurt), and may the worst day of this coming year be no worse than the best day of this past one.

I finally got a chance to take another go at the Last Dare of the Year, even though it's no longer 2013. Leave it to me to not get it posted before Erin has posted the next Dare. That's me, always a day late and a dollar short, as the saying goes.

So here's my second stab at Zendala Dare #85. The shading was a little tricky, but I did the best that I could. I don't like it as much as my first one, but it has it's appeal. Let me know what you think.

Be sure to visit the the Bright Owl's site; see the other wonderful entries, and maybe try out one of the Zendala Dares yourself. It's a new year; time to try something new.

Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment, favorable or not. That's how we learn and grow; and how we know someone out there is paying attention.

Have a wonderful day, week, month; see you all next time.