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"Firefly"
(Finished 4-30-12)



There are times when I look at a completed Zentangle tile and wonder "Where the heck did that come from?" This is one of those tiles and it is one of my more eclectic ones. Recently my husband and I finished watching the series Firefly and this reminds me of something I would have seen on that show. Bits and pieces of jagged edges along with smooth curves (that don't look like they belong together) combined in a way that they could be a functional space station for weary, wayward travelers.



Check out the Zendela Dare here

Check out Rick and Maria's site here to learn more about Zentangle

"Canyon Wren"
(Finished 4-30-12)



This week's Diva Challenge was to use two Tangles, Hibred and Strircles. I have never used Strircles before and had never really had a desire to, though I had played with Hibred from time to time. When I started this tile I had no idea that I would end up with a bird as the central feature. I first did the ribbon strips for Hibred and it was my friend Tani who "saw" the bird in the negative space in between. Once she pointed it out I could not "not" see the bird and an added bonus is that it was already shaped like my favorite bird, Canyon Wrens. From there it was just a matter of time for me to find a way to incorporate Strircles into the body. I have always enjoyed Norma Burnell's Zentangle birds and never thought that I would one day create a Zentangle bird of my own. If I had tied to do it intentionally I am sure my results would not have been as loose as this. For a personal touch, we currently have several Canyon Wrens nesting around our house. They serenade me in the morning and I love listening to their happy little songs. Through this tile they will now live on in my artwork.

(4-16-12)


[Patterns used: Betweed, Dragonair, Evol (designed by Sampada Agarwal) Sworra (designed by me) Twing (variation) and W2.]



Another Challenge has entered the Zentangle world and this time it is brought to us by Erin from The Bright Owl. Each week she will create a pattern and we are to use our imaginations to fill it in. (We can use either a Zentangle tile or a Zendala tile to do this.) The Zendalas have been  extremely challenging for me and I have struggled. Many attempts lay around my desk in various states of progress. Once again I thought I was doomed to the same fate when after my first attempt and my second attempt for this challenge turned out far worse than I could imagine. That is when it dawned on me that the template I used for both tiles were identical in terms of the pattern location. So, what you see above is actully the result of two tiles created separetly, cut, and then taped together. I also did  some additonal work after I pieced them together to create some continuity between the two. I am pleasently pleased at how this turned out and am happy to know there are always options in the World of Zentangle and sometimes our mistakes helps us to find them.


To see the Zendala Challenge of the week check out The Bright Owl

To learn more about Zentangle go here

This week's Diva Challenge was to use aura's on our Zentangle. The patterns were optional. Punzel has always been a challenge for me so I was quite excited when I finally drew it correctly (some varations are not better than the original). I also played with Funf since I thought it would also be fun to experiment and add auras to that pattern as well.

For this week's Diva Challenge go here
To learn more about Zentangle check here

Happy Easter!

Today was one of those days where I needed to tangle and since it was Easter, what better thread design than to use two eggs. I had a lot of fun and most of the pattern ideas were from Joanne Fink's book "Zenspirations". However, the border pattern on the bottom is Arckles which was created by Suzanne Wilka (a friend and fellow CZT) and Funf  (in the smaller egg) was created by Denise Rudd. I have not played with color for some time now but today when I finished my tile I could hear it begging for some spring color!

I've taken a few weeks off from the Diva Challenge (and creating) due to some personal issues, yet it was so nice to sit down today and take the time to do a Zentangle. This week's challenge was for all of us to use the same string pattern. I've been wanting to play with the pattern Umble for sometime now, but I am still a little intimidated by it. The answer, draw Umble in steps with only a few lines and I'll working up to a more complicated design in the future. I also found it fun to do the tangle patterns in a small area. This Zentangle reminds me of a wrapped package only without the bow.

To see the Weekly Diva Challenge, click here

Well I am having fun playing with Golven this week!
While at the CZT #8 training we were fortunate to have a demonstration of the pattern Fengle by Rick and Maria and I was very intrigued by it. So here is my Duo Zentangle of Golven & Fengle. This is one of my top favorite Zentangles that I have done to date.

This week's challenge was to use the pattern  Golven in a Zentangle which I had a lot of fun playing with. I am also getting more comfortable with putting my initials on the front now.

While attending the CZT #8 in Providence, Rhode Island, I took to the task of creating a new pattern for Zentangle. My first desire was to design a pattern from something natural, from nature so to speak; however, it did not take me long to realize that outside in Rhode Island during the winter time is not the optimal time to see a lot of nature. Not discouraged, a group of us went to the local mall where I then decided to use some stair railing for my pattern design. Once back in my room, and after several hours, this was not going well for me either. It was then I took a break and entered the bathroom. Much to my surprise I found my inspiration sitting there on the bathroom floor. After many attempts and a few hours later, my new pattern was finished. The next day I presented it to the CZT class and there I also presented the name, Providence.  Not only because it was the city where I created the pattern, but I also felt as though it was Providence that I was attending the CZT #8. Below you will find the pattern instructions and a couple of variations. Also, at the bottom of this post you will see a picture of what truly inspired me.



1. First make a circle and then be sure to add dots inside and
outside the circle at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions.

2. Use the inner dots as reference and make two curved
lines from this point to the outer circle. Do 4 times.

3. Use the location where the curved line connected to the circle and make
another curved line back out to the outer dot. Do this 4 times.

4. Draw three curved lines inside the triangles which parallel
the circle. Do this for all 4 sections

5. Connect the tips of the triangles with a straight line which intersect in the middle.

6. Fill in one section with lines that parallel the new lines. 

7. Complete the other three sections using the same pattern.

8. Make an X using the tips of the stacked triangles and
 shade the border for a thicker line.

9. Fill in and shade as you desire!



 Here are two variations I created using the same pattern:

(The two designs below are squares as I created these first and
 then changed my final design to the diamond shape pictured above.)





And finally...what my source of inspiration was:





The bathroom scale at Hotel Providence!

(Finished on March 3, 2012)

After taking a break from the Diva Challenge to get my CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) certification I am jumping back into the Diva Challenge this week. The objective for this week was to create a Zentangle using just two patterns, Cirquital & Munchin. I have never done either pattern before and this one took me some time and is my second attempt. While not one of my favorites, it felt good to get "back in the saddle" again and participate.