Zentangle Challenge UMT - Orbs-la-Dee by Anneke van Dam

Happy New Year! It's so wonderful to look forward to the Diva Challenge every Monday! (www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca) Thank you so much Laura! The first challenge each month is a UMT (Use My Tangle), and this month it's the tangle Orbs-la-Dee by Anneke van Dam. This is a tangle I used a few times when I first saw it, but then forgot about it - one of the reasons I love these challenges. So, my tile is busier than what I've been doing lately and I had intended to put Orbs-la-Dee in the centre but made a "mistake" when starting it - and that's how 'Nzeppel happened. I just love the way Zentangle tiles can end up so very different than what was envisioned… This is one of those tiles that I wish I had taken a before shading picture… I almost tore it up at that point! I don't love this one but it turned out better than I thought it was working toward. And I apologize that I don't comment on every post. I don't post comments on photo's taken on flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, and sometimes when there is a blog post with lots of responses to many challenges. I won't comment if I have to sign up for or or sign into something else - it's partly time management.

Zentangle Challenge #244 - Tripoli

Tripoli is an acquaintance that I admire, and am actively trying to make my friend… But I find it difficult, and I stress when dealing with it - not at all Zen-like! As with some friendships, sometimes you have to work at it more than others, and I will be friends with Tripoli… someday. This week's Diva Challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com is to use the Tangle Tripoli. I'm glad for this "opportunity" to push myself. My most recent tile, which I quite like, is with the word "Awe", which has become my spirit word in Zentangle. I chose a stone with Awe written on it at CanTangle and it travels with me in my pencil case, and I wrote the word on my arrow project from Camerida. I am in AWE of Rick and Maria and the Zentangle world they have introduced and nurtured. I am in AWE of all the truly wonderful people in the Zentangle Community who just keep on sharing and giving. I am in AWE of the fabulous Zentangle art I see every day. But also, I am in AWE of what I have been able to create and open my heart to! This picture with three tiles on it is of my first three attempts - all have aspects I like, and other aspects… not so much.

Zendala Dare #112

This is my tile for Erin's Zendala Dare (www.thebrightowl.blogspot.com). Love the template, but I didn't have much time to play with it. I really like the blue in 'Nzeppel and want to do more with blue… I see some on Renaissance tiles, and I'd love to try that! I'm off to Wyoming, N.Y. tomorrow to attend a CZT get together called Camerida. I'm so excited and nervous!

Zendala Dare #107

I had fun with this week's Zendala Dare from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.com. I had a tile that was coloured with inks I'm experimenting with; and I wanted to try unbalance a Zendala yet keep to the template. PorFin didn't turn out quite the way it's supposed to, or the way I wanted it to… but the strokes are all there :)

Zentangle Challenge #229 - Guest, Sandy Hunter "+/-"

This week's Zentangle challenge at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca, by guest blogger Sandy Hunter is to leave some white space. I used to be good at this, but as I find more and more tangles I love, I find I'm filling everything in, so this is a good exercise for me. I used a flame template, but didn't think it showed well, so I echo'd it…. Does that count as white space? And I had to shade it, so maybe not so white anymore. Anyway, great challenge!

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!

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 #81

This is my entry for this week's Zendala Dare from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.ca. I just had my first Zentangle Class today and am sort of flying high from it! It was a major success and I'm really happy! One of my students used the phrase when she thanked me: "nurturing my inner artist" WOW! I love that phrase! So, this evening my husband and I sat listening to some good music in front of the fireplace and did "the Dare". (I hope he posts his.) No planning, no hesitating… it just flowed, and I'm quite happy with it.

Zentangle Challenge #142 - Comfort/Danger Zone

This week's Zentangle Challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.ca is to take a look at what our comfort and "danger" zone are - what we tend to gravitate to or avoid. I had to think about this one - there is a lot about Zentangle that takes me out of my comfort zone, but is ultimately so rewarding that it's not really a "danger" area for me. However, it occurred to me as I was sorting through my Zentangle paraphernalia that my real danger area might be those tiles or projects that got started and never finished … for any number of reasons. So I chose one of my unfinished ZIA's and here it is. This was left over from the challenge that asked us to use a stencil. I had traced the holes from my laundry basket on a piece of pumpkin coloured card stock, but once I got started and made my first "mistake", I lost focus and interest. But I kept the barely started piece, so there must have been something about it that caught my attention. Once I went back to it, I couldn't put it down, so it just goes to show that it's worth hanging on to those unfinished projects and trying them again later. (Sort of like books - it might not appeal to you now, but I find that at a different time, not always, you might just be in the right head space to get into it). I'm glad this challenge got me back to the unfinished pile - there is more there to explore! Thanks Laura.

Zendala Dare #65

Here is my entry for this week's Zendala Dare from Erin at www.thebrightowl.blogspot.ca. As soon as I saw this template, I knew I would like it. Immediately I saw orchids and new I wanted to add color somehow. I started transferring the template off centre and then coloring the sheet by using watercolor pencils and blending them with water. Shortly after I started tangling I decided I better scan it because this is the first time I've approached a project this way and I knew it would look quite different when I finished. I'm glad I thought of it and took the time to do it. I was inspired to color the paper first by several of the entries I've seen lately. I'm really quite happy with the way this turned out, and once it's in a frame I think I'll like it more. By itself, I think it might have looked better centered. Thank you for looking and I appreciate comments, if you have the time or inclination.

Zentangle Challenge #108 - UMT - Whyz

This week's Zentangle Challenge from Laura at www.iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com, is to use the new tangle "Whyz". I started out making a frame, then drew a string inside of it. It's taken me all week because it's 8 X 10, I took extra care, enjoyed myself, and tried mostly new (to me) tangles. I couldn't figure out how to shade Whyz and looked at other submissions which I don't normally do because it intimidates me, but what a surprise! There were so many variations of this tangle and a lot of them were almost unrecognizable from the pattern, but I didn't see shading that caught my eye. I ended up tearing up a couple of pieces of paper and constructing an origami-like Whyz just to see where shadows fell. Fun again! I don't particularly like this as a whole, but I do like each part of it (if that makes sense), and I'm inspired to try some of the variations I've seen of Whyz. I'm sorry I haven't had time to comment on the wonderful submissions I've already seen this week.

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?"

ZIA - ovals, squares, circles - Zentangle challenge #65

The string for this ZIA was created using three things from the kitchen - a coaster, a martini shaker, and an olive dish - I thought about calling it "wasted martini's", but will save that catchy title for another ZIA. I had barely started when Zentangle Weekly Challenge #65 from "I am the Diva" came out asking us to use the tangle "Huggy Bear". I'd never used it before. I did a traditional tile and submitted that, but though it made me try some variations of Huggy Bear, I wasn't too happy with it. So I added it into this ZIA, and I'm much happier with how it turned out. I didn't try to be too original in variations - I'm working on learning and practicing tangles, rather than stretching creativity. Sometimes when I see how creative others are, I think "why didn't I think of that?". Hopefully that will come after I get better at technique. Love to hear any comments....