Zentangle Challenge #228 - Guest Blogger, Cari Sultanik: Organic Tile

This week's Zentangle Challenge is by guest blogger Cari Sultanik, and it is to do a tile using organic or natural tangles. This is what I came up with. Summer is always busy, but it's been super busy and spectacular this year! I got back from CanTangle in Regina just over a week ago, and am still buzzing from adrenalin because of meeting wonderful CZT's, the amazing workshops, and learning so much! So HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!

Zentangle Challenge #225 - Color (Guest Post - Jen Crutchfield)

Wow, I managed 4 tiles for this week's Diva Challenge presented by guest Jen Crutchfield, CZT. We were asked to introduce colour… something I'm not comfortable with, but LOVE! I started with a grey tile and used blue and sepia ink and chalk pencils. I actually drew out this tile last week for the Square One Challenge to use Meer, but didn't like the tile so set it aside. I love it with colour!) My two pinkish tiles were background dyed using watered down Tombow markers and have been sitting around for a while - this was the perfect chance to play with them. I used Tombow markers to colour and shade the two more colourful tiles. What fun I've had using colour, and also trying a few new to me tangles! Great challenge!

Zentangle Challenge #220 - UMT (Use My Tangle): All Boxed Up

This week's challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca is to "use my tangle" (UMT), and the tangle chosen is from Alice Hendon called All Boxed Up. I didn't love this tangle at first glance, but once I started playing with it, I had lots of fun - hence the three tiles (smile). My scanner is not great, so I apologize for the quality… really, they all look better in person, I think. I'm looking for good tangles to do on black tiles because I really think I need to start investigating those a bit more, and get more experience with them (and Renaissance too). I think All Boxed Up has potential - and while I like the black tile I did here, I think it could be better if I knew how to bring out the white a bit better. I'd love to take a course just on the black tiles… anyone? (in or near Toronto) Thank you for looking and I know it's very time consuming, but I appreciate it when people take the time to leave comments.

Zendala Dare #96

This week's Zendala Dare was a challenging one, I thought. Love these dares and challenges though - they make me a bit uncomfortable, yet stimulated. I did the outside bits first, got stuck and was just about to set this particular dare aside when an inspiration came to me during a yoga class (yeah, I know I'm not supposed to let my mind wander…). And so again I'm reminded that it is best to just let the tangles just happen rather to try to plan it all out and try to find new or perfectly complimentary tangles… It doesn't show well in the scan, but the colours are a bit more intense, the printemps has a sepia tone, and there is blue between the flowers and the border. I'm quite happy with this one, and to me it feels like a bit of a rock garden….

Zendala Dare #57 - Tangled Time #3 - It's five o'clock somewhere (second entry)

This is my second entry to this week's Zendala Dare. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds that once I start to tangle, time takes on a new dimension and usually flies by. I also find that other things that needed doing seem suddenly less important. So, I am working on a series of "Tangled Time" clock Zendala's that indicate that time becomes confused and or elastic once I put pen to paper. This is my third, and there is an added twist to this one. The three tangles at the 5, 6, and 7 o'clock placement are in honour of cocktail hour (it's five o'clock somewhere, as Jimmy Buffet sings). The tangles I've used in these positions are wine inspired tangles created by Linda Farmer: Chard, Rose, and Gewurtz. (I'm still waiting for Merlot to be created...). This was fun and maybe will inspire those of you out there who are good at coming up with new tangles to design tangles for some cocktails like martini's, gimlets, mojito's... ha, ha!

Zendala Dare #53

Another wonderful Zendala template from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.ca! With the last few templates she's posted, I've either removed or changed some of the lines. This time I decided to go with the pattern. I didn't have trouble choosing the tangles for this zendala = they just flowed from the pen so this was a very easy, very zen project. Thanks Erin, and thanks to everyone who takes a look!

Zentangle Challenge #103 - Moebius String

The Diva Zentangle Challenge this week is to use the Moebius string. I had an idea to make it into a pathway - good idea, right? Hummm, but things got out of hand and two days (and nights) later I was adding more, and more.... It's fussy, but I got to try some tangles I hadn't used before, and the concept of a journey, meditative gardens, and Zentangle just seemed to flow. Don't love it, but it's the thought that counts. My thoughts go out to Laura and Artoo and family, and everyone else else dealing with Moebius Syndrome.

Zendala Dare #40

This is the Zendala template for this week's Zendala Dare #40 from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.ca

I removed a few lines and voila - a pinwheel! This is my first entry - I'm working on another using the original template - I really like this one!

Zentangle Celtic Challenge #10

This is my first time doing the Celtic Challenge (www.creativedoodlingwithjudy.blogspot.ca). I loved this template and so I added another copy of the template and one more ring to make a ZIA... The original template is the two squares and one circle in the lower right hand corner. You can see her original template, and the 9 other celtic templates she has done so far by visiting her blog.

Zentangle Dare #26

Ooops, - when I started looking at others contributions, I realized that I had missed the whole point of the fall or halloween theme... so my contributions aren't theme related (I may need to do another in this case.) Hope you take the time to look at them anyway. I love the template for this week's Zendala Dare from Erin at (www.thebrightowl.blogspot.ca) because it incorporates a grid, triangles, and more flowing lines. This first effort includes a few of my favorite tangles that I'm fairly comfortable with: Inapod, Paradox, Hi-C's, and Cadent. I did it on a white tile, but felt I needed to blacken the outside to balance the dark areas within.

My second tile is the larger size template, and I used a couple of tangles I wasn't as comfortable with, but have come to really enjoy ('Nzeppel and Verve). The other tangles I used are Arcles, Flourish, and Florez. Thank you for taking the time to look - your comments encourage and motivate me!

Zendala

The Friday Zendala Dare has been delayed - so I opened my tin of pre-strung Zendala's and chose one - this is the result. I had fun doing it, but discovered that I really don't understand Opus and need more practice. I'm going to try to do one of these pre-strung zendala's every week - after all, that's what I bought them for, and they've been sitting for the perfect opportunity for a couple of months...

Zentangle Challenge #69 - Groovy

This week's Zentangle Challenge from "I am the Diva" (www.iamthediva.blogspot.ca) is to create a zentangle using the tangle "Groovy". When I mentioned to my husband that I was looking for inspiration for "groovy" he suggested a peace sign, thinking that the theme was groovy, not the tangle.... well, I couldn't get his suggestion out of my mind so went with the general idea. It's not what I envisioned, but hey, that's what tangling does.... I like the tangle groovy and now that I'm submitting, I'll go back and see what other glorious interpretations there are! I love doing these challenges then looking at what others have done - often thinking "why didn't I think of that?"

Zendala Dare #4 - Mexico

Erin at the "The Bright Owl" http://thebrightowl.blogspot.ca (for some reason I can't provide the direct link) has provided us with templates of a mandala to tangle as part of her Zendala dare. This week she has also asked us to use a theme of Mexico and/or Ocean. Erin has been on a Mexican cruise and thus the inspiration! Love this "dare" as my husband and I didn't get away on a Mexican vacation this year so I went back to some photo's of our trips to Mexico over the past three years and it brought back so many memories! I love the colors of Mexico, in nature and art and clothes and buildings.... I couldn't get sombrero's out of my mind while I was tangling... so I've added some in as part of the border. Thanks Erin - great dare!

Zentangle Challenge #61

Zentangle weekly challenge #61 is to use the tangle "Golven" I love it! This is a tangle that is quite versatile and can be very detailed, or left quite simple; can be used as a border, or to fill a space... I was working on a ZIA of overlapping ovals and when this challenge came up, I decided to add this tangle, so I've included the ZIA as well.

Twisted borders

I was working on this ZIA for a couple of weeks. The general outline idea came from a knotted zentangle I saw online (sorry I didn't the name to pass on credit). There are three interwoven pieces; one with three tangles, one with four, and one with six. I was experimenting and practicing with tangles that are good for borders, though there are three tangles that I've seen but don't have names for. I'm quite happy with this!

This is my second entry for the Zentangle Challenge #58, Diamonds. The challenge was to use the symbol for the Four Diamond Fund (my previous post explains the fund a bit more). I had started another piece first but didn't like it, so I started this one, then got stuck on it. I worked back and forth on the two pieces. Love/hate the frustration that goes with having an image in my mind of what I want, but not getting there, yet when I push myself to let go and just keep working at it - something seems to come together. Zentangle gets me to release some control and yet pushes me beyond my comfort zone - 'specially these challenges!