" String Theory v.8 " - Challenge # 90

Using a string to guide in the placement of tangles (within a Zentangle®) is one of the most unique and clever aspects of the Zentangle® Method of Art.  Dots, lines, string, breathe, focus, pen line, repeat pen line...... and so on.  Diva Laura explains this week's challenge and offers her beautiful Zentangle®  as an example of String Theory v.8.

There is truly no BPS (blank page syndrome) when your string is already created on a pre-strung tile - or when someone else has accomplished the task of string-drawing for you!  Really did love the theme of this Challenge.  Totally zenned-out.

ZIA - Bristol 6"x6" - Sakure Micron Black #01; graphite shading; Prismacolor Pencils

 

 

.....and here is the string, which I rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise before adding tangles.

This string pattern and other strings and tangles are found on Linda Farmer's fabulous Tangle Patterns site. 
Hope you'll visit.



Happy Tangling....

... and thank you for visiting.

~

 

 

" Sankegg " - UMT - Weekly Challenge #89

This week's Challenge is a UMT created by Maria Vennekens, CZT, from the Netherlands.  The Diva's challenge and Maria's breakout instructions of Sankegg are here.

This was the most difficult/challenging tangle for me to draw (of all the Diva's 89 weekly challenges).  I am still struggling with the concept of drawing Sankegg.  Drawing a single row of the tangle was as far as I could go before my work turned into..... alien pen lines!  And today is Saturday... so my options were:  either post it now or forfeit!  So, here it is. 

I don't usually give a title to my Weekly Challenges, but after I finished the tangle and did the shading, I held it at arms length for a final review and appreciation.   That is when I started to laugh so hard that I cried.... and decided to name this piece of art "Gabrielle" ***

My final ZIA design was truly a surprise.  I don't know WHAT I was thinking!!




ZIA - "Gabrielle" - Bristol 6" square;  Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 08; graphite shading

Thank you Maria and Laura.

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

 ***Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio, 1523-1562, noted for his studies of the human reproductive system. The Fallopian tubes are named for him.

~

" IX " - Weekly Challenge #88

This summer, at the 9th CZT Seminar in Providence, RI, Rick and Maria released a new official Zentangle® tangle.  As they have done with other official tangles, they were cleverly cognizant of the "here and now" when it was time to give the new tangle a name.   Read more about "IX" and see step-out/instructions here.

This was a hard one for me to sink my teeth into.... but the 'process' (of drawing it) made it all worth while.  (It always does!)  Breathe, relax, enjoy.



ZIA - Bristol 6"x6" - Sakura Micron Black #'s 01, 05; graphite shading

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

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower."

                                                                             ...Albert Camus

" Pinwheels for Peace" - String Theory Challenge #87

September 21 is Peace Day.......the International Day of Peace.   The Diva's information about this year's Pinwheels for Peace is found here.

My ZIA is very plain and simple. Almost looks bare.... like maybe I forgot to finish tangling.  But it IS completed.... and hopefully reflects my sentiments.... and thoughts for someday being wittness to "world peace".... (which reminds me of the movie Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock. Remember the Miss Rhode Island contestant? All she wanted was "world peace", too.)

Plain and simple:  Peace

ZIA - Bristol Vellum 5"x5" - Sakura Micron Black #01; graphite shading

Happy tangling.....
... and thank you for visiting and sharing your comments.

Explore the Peace Wheel.

 

" Break Free " - Weekly Challenge #86

The Diva has challenged us to "Break Free" this week! 

What a liberating idea.......

ZIA - 4"x6" Bristol Vellum; Sakura Microns Black 01, Sepia 01; chalk pastels; graphite shading.

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

 

" Copada "-UMT - Weekly Challenge #85

The first Monday of the month is reserved for a "home made tangle"** from a randomly chosen Zentangle  aficionado.  This week we are working with a tangle called "Copada", created by Margaret Bremmer, CZT.

Margaret was in my CZT Class (class #3), and I so regret that I did not get to meet her at that time.  Margaret is a fabulous artist.   Hope you will visit her website. 

Here is my version of  a ZIA using "Copada".


ZIA - Bristol 6"x8"; Sakura Micron Black #01; graphite shading.

Thank you for another interesting challenge, Laura!

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"home made tangle"**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps:  Congratulations, Susan, for completing your 2nd Closer to Free Ride today for the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven in CT, USA.  We are so very proud of you.  Love you, Mom & Dad.
 

" String Theory-Blind Sighted " - Challenge # 84

Close your eyes - draw a string - now tangle within.  The Diva explains her rationale here. 

I love this kind of challenge.   Used some new tangles from TanglePatterns.com, and a couple of not-so-new tangles.  Thanks for a delightful challenge.

Pencil string drawn with eyes closed!    

ZIA - Bristol 4" x 5"; Sakura Micron Black #01, #005; PrismaColor Premier Pencils; graphite shading
 



Tangle patterns:  Tripoli, Scroll Feather, Angel Fish, Zixts variation.

 

Happy tangling....

..... and thank you for visiting.

 

" Mooka - Assunta Duo" - Weekly Challenge #83

Love these duo-tangle-challenges!  This week, Mooka and Assunta are front and center, dancing around tiles and ZIA's. 

Mooka needs practice (practice, practice) - but once your brain remembers how to swoosh the lines up/around/and back, it's really quite fun.  Assunta, on the other hand, requires a bit of concentration when plotting the grid.... then, connecting the grid-path is mesmerizing.
 

Art Journal page 5"x7" - Sakura Microns: Black #01, Sepia #01; Prismacolor pencils; pastel chalks; graphite shading

Great selection of tangles for this Duo-Tangle Challenge from the Diva.

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

" Brayd " - UMT - Weekly Challenge # 82

This week, the star tangle pattern is "Brayd" (instructions here), created by the very talented  Shelly Beauch, CZT.  I have not used this pattern extensively, and now that I've had a chance to study it a bit more by drawing it and viewing the fabulous Zentangles and ZIA's submitted for this challenge, (scroll down to Mr. Linky on the Diva's site), I think I'll be drawing it more.  It's so fun!  With lots of design possibilities........

While I was pumping gas into my car yesterday, I noticed an interesting design on one of the (many) 'CAUTION-HAZARDOUS-FLAMMABLE' warning stickers pasted to the front of the pump.  So, for my string on this ZIA, I penciled my interpretation of that design.

ZIA - Bristol 5" square; Sakura Microns black # 01 & #005; graphite shading.

Thank you Shelly and Laura.

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

ps:  Happy Birthday to my l-o-o-o-n-g time (since kindergarten!) friends, Joyce and Fran.

" Relay for Life Zendala " - Challenge #81

The Diva has recruited guest challenge host Erin Olson, CZT for this week's challenge.

Erin has provided the zendala template - and I just cannot believe the variety of beautifully creative interpretations that have been submitted so far!  I'm a bit embarrassed to post mine after viewing those other works of art. 

I thought a zendala needed to be very precise..... I mean, the tangle patterns needed to be drawn to fit specifically within the lines/string of the template.  This challenge has, perhaps, proven me wrong.  If you have not yet viewed the zendalas in this challenge, I hope you will take a minute to do so..... here  (then scroll down to Mr. Linky's list).

I used a 3.5" template, and perhaps it was too small for my drawing style.  It was frustrating to run out of space within a string segment and not be able to freely draw a tangle.  It was very tight!  My next attempt may be a larger template.  Or, drawing outside the lines is another option.  We'll see.  I'm not completely convinced that I want to attempt another zendala until I understand the ground-rules.  (Darn Type-A personality!!!)

Zendala - Bristol 4"; Sakura Micron Black #01, #005; graphite shading

Thanks, Erin, for a challenging challenge!!

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