Open Seed Arts: Calendar Giveaway!

Open Seed Arts: Calendar Giveaway!

" Purple Haze " - Weekly Challenge #54

It's time to open your box of colored pencils or paints.... because this week's challenge involves.... a color!  

And as the Diva says:  "Traditionally, Zentangles are done in Black and White and Grey - sometimes with a splash of Sepia for good measure.  I know that, for myself, one of the reasons i love to Zentangle is because i don't have to think too much.  So the challenge is to use the colour purple in your piece.  You can use purple pens, a purple marker, a splash of purple paint, maybe you want to work on purple paper? So play with violet, mauve, amethyst, lavender, periwinkle, plum or just plain old purple.  Have fun! " 

I loved this challenge.  (I'm free to be me ..... just added some purple!!)

Zentangle - 3.5" sq. tile; Sakura Micron Black #01; graphite shading; Prismacolor pencils

Happy tangling...

...and thank you for stopping by. 

Tangle-a-Day Calendar 2012

I love, love, love this new "Tangle-a-Day" calendar created by Carole Ohl, CZT.  Everything about it just makes me happy:  the ink glides on like butter; no smudging and no shadow; each page has space for three daily tangles;  the overall size of the 'book' is perfect and comfortable to handle; the fine printed lines (strings) are a muted grayish color which allows the strokes made by the Micron pen to stand out nicely.  The calendar is a great 'journal' for tangling.  Wish I had ordered one last year!

 Tangles drawn with Sakura Micron Black #01

Tangles drawn with Sakura Micron Black #01

These are photos taken in pure unadulterated daylight with a Canon Power Shot SX20 IS, without a flash.  Everything has a lovely blue tint in the photo... but that's not how it looks in real life!

Sandra Straight (Life Imitates Doodles) has written a very nice review of the "Tangle-a-Day" calendar.

And if you'd like to have fun tangling in your very own calendar, you can find them here .

Happy tangling...
... and thank you for visiting.

" Diva Tangle - 'Undine' " - Weekly Challenge #53

For this first challenge of 2012, the Diva says:  "A few weeks before Christmas, i came up with this tangle, and i named it "Undine".  My Undine love for my husband. :)  heart."

 

Zentangle - 3.5" sq tile - Sakura Micron Black #01; graphite shading.

Now that I look at it again, reminds me of some sort of.... creature.  This is one of those tangles that needs a bit of practice before I can do it justice.

Thank you for visiting.....
... and happy tangling.

" Give " - #52 - & Happy New Year!

 This is the holiday season of giving... and, thus, the Diva's Weekly Challenge is "Give".  Our mission is to create a Zentangle tile or a ZIA..... then give it away. 

I met the challenge.  Created a simple little traditional Zentangle tile, tucked it into my purse and drove off to do errands.  As I emptied my shopping cart and placed the food items onto the conveyor belt, I remembered the little 'gift' in my purse.  The cashier handed me the receipt.  I handed her the 'gift' tile and said, "This is for you.  Merry Christmas."

And since I forgot to scan the 'gift' before giving it away, I'm posting a "stand-in" ZIA.

ZIA 4"x6" Bristol; Sakura Micron Black #01 & #005; graphite shading.

And Happy New Year to you! 

ZIA - 4"x6" Bristol; Sakura Micron Black #01 & 005; graphite shading

~ "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better person."   Benjamin Franklin

~ "Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you.  But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others.  Author Unknown

~ "In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want."  

An Irish Toast

~ "People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas."   Author Unknown

Thank you for visiting....

...and happy tangling.

" Fife " - Weekly Challenge #51

Recently, Molly Hollibaugh (Zentangle Product Manager) created and published a new tangle - "Fife".  And The Diva has challenged us to use this tangle in a Zentangle or ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art).  This tangle is very similar to a tangle called Versa which was created by Laura Harms a few months ago.  And as tangles go, there may soon be numerous lovely tangelations created from this inspiration.

ZIA -  5" x 5" Bristol; Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 005; graphite shading.

Tangles:  Fife and Mssst.

Thank you for visiting....
.....and happy tangling!

" Biggify " - Weekly Challenge #50

Here's a new twist on tangling.  Biggify.  The Diva says:  "This week's challenge is to push your comfort zone and biggify your tangles.  Don't biggify your canvas, try sticking to the size you generally work on to get the full effect.  (Zentangling on a large surface is a whole other ball of wax - fun though) so if you work on tiles, biggify on a tile.  If you work in your journal, biggify in your journal.  You get it.  Have fun!  Try it a few times and see where your comfort zone lies.  Put your toe over that line and test the waters."

Hmmmmmm. Pushing the old comfort zone again.  (Well, isn't that what a 'challenge' is all about?)  I thought I would have difficulty drawing "larger than normal" tangles, but once I drew the string, I was on a roll.  This was a fun challenge.  Thanks, Laura.

Traditional Zentangle on 3.5" sq. tile - Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 03, 05, 08; graphite shading.

Tangles: Cubine, Hibred, Rain & Snail.

Thank you for visiting.....

...and happy tangling.

" Red Thread " - Weekly Challenge #49

 "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." - Chinese proverb

And so begins the Diva's weekly challenge by guest challenger Cris Letournea, CZT.  Cris says:  "...your challenge this week is to create a traditional black and white tangle tile with a single red "thread" running through it."   The idea for this challenge comes from the work that is done by the humanitarian group called The Red Thread Promise.

As I remembered my 5th grade teacher's mantra:  "Pay attention!!!",  I realized that I was not paying attention to the instructions when I began my tile.  (But that's just the point:  I didn't use a tile!  I used a 4" x 6" bristol paper.  The challenge specifically said "tile".)    *big sigh*

But my heart was in the right place...... even if this ZIA took the wrong path.  My idea was to show how the red thread wraps itself around fragments of an idea, then joins the fragments together in a cohesive composition.  Sorta like trying to tell a story without using words.  (Okay, okay.  I'll keep practicing!!)

ZIA - Bristol; Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 005 & Red #03; graphite shading.

Thank you for visiting..... Happy Thanksgiving....
... and happy tangling.

PS:  Happy Birthday Frankie!!

" Tri - Shapes " - Weekly Challenge #48

Our guest Challenger this week is 'the lovely and talented' Sue Clark, who says:  "Three basic shapes (circle, square, and triangle) when combined, can be used to create a string.  Just like the infinite possibilities of putting tangle patterns together, using these 3 shapes together and altering their size and placement on the tile would create infinite possibilities for a string idea.  I thought it would be fun to also 'tri' all new tangles (ones you have never tried before)."

Good one, Sue!!  And here is my attempt at this challenge.....

ZIA - Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 02, 08; graphite shading.

Tangles:  Fish, Flux, Kandysnake, Sea Shell and.... the tangle around the triangle (which I created but have not given it a name yet).

Thank you for visiting....
.....and happy tangling.

" Lest We Forget " - Weekly Challenge #47

This week, I'm submitting my tile to this challenge..... late!  For the challenge, The Diva says:  "When you create your tile or ZIA, the challenge is to remember - what this means to you.  Remember your fallen loved ones, your long lost friend from childhood, remember when your 3 year old was once a tiny bundle in your arms, remember the feel of your aging grandmother's hand... remember laughter and tears, friends and family, fallen heroes or quiet bravery." 

Most of the wonderfully creative ZIA's and Zentangles that have been posted/submitted relate to the poem, 'In Flanders Field', where the poppies grow.  In my work, I have deviated a bit from the symbolic poppy, although the message is the same.

A few weeks ago, feeling drenched with inner spirit, I was overwhelmed by the presence of angels and spirit guides in my life.  Don't know what the heck was going on, but when my Zentangle spirit sat me down, all I could think about was angels.  So, today, on what would have been my Grandmother's 105th birthday, I remember... and submit this tile for the challenge... "Lest We Forget".

*** Traditional Zentangle 3.5" tile; Sakura Micron Black #01; graphite shading

*** Tangle inspiration is from "Totally Tangled" by Sandy Bartholomew.

Thanks for visiting.....

... and happy tangling.