Spotting Dew

Zentangle Inspired Art Part 12

Spotting Dew

            I need a better scanner, since the shading is barely showing up on this one.  And there is a lot of shading.  I actually acquired a shading pencil and one of those white sticks that blends it all in.  I loved the effect and I’m quite disappointed that it doesn’t show up in the scan. 

            This was my first attempt at a “dew drop” effect.  If I were to wager on the main booboo in this one, it would be that I made the line around the drop too thick.  I’ve noticed in other pieces that the outline of the drop is usually very thin, to the point of being barely visible.

            Regardless, half way through this piece I started using my new pen set.  Good Bye Sharpies! Loving the new dimensions.

Fantasy Garden 1

Zentangle Inspired Art Part 11

Fantasy Garden 1

            I named this Fantasy Garden 1 because I imagine I’ll be doing a bunch more.  The Dragonair tangle is now one of my favourites.   The mushrooms were a lot of fun too, and I’m loving the vines and dangle-tangles. 

            

            It's hard to tell on the scan, but I added a little colour to the dragonairs in this piece.  I grated a pencil crayon with a knife and smudged it with a tissue and Q-tips to add a green tinge.

            I got some actual pens, not dollar store sharpies but I didn’t have the chance to use them on this tangle.  Having the 5 different sizes (.005, .01, .03, .05, .08) and some very funky micron color paint pens is allowing for some awesome effects, to be seen in future ZIAs.

Screwed-Up Circles

Zentangle Inspired Art Part 10

Screwed-Up Circles

            So this is one of the ZIA’s I screwed up, but I finished it anyway.  It did not turn out at all like it was supposed to.  I shouldn't have used the coiled rope design on the strings going through the circles, but I liked how well they turned out on the border so much that I wanted to keep using them.  It did NOT give the effect I was hoping for.  But… live and learn.

            Also I tried my hand at the Zendala and that didn't exactly turn out either.

 I attempted to do a sort of paisley yin-yang symbol with the top left circle and though it looks pretty cool, I don’t think anyone would guess that it’s a yin-yang sign.  I’ll be trying that again on a larger piece in the future.

The good news is, I got myself some real micro pens (no more dollar store cheapies), a shading stick and some coloured micro pens.  I'm excited to start using them, they should allow for more intricate designs.  

Switching things up/ Easter Baskettangle

Zentangle Inspired Art Part 9

EASTER BASKETTANGLE

           

            I ordered some Zentangle books from Amazon and they arrived yesterday.  Through them I’ve learned that my pieces aren’t actually Zentangles, but instead are Zentangle Inspired Art, (a.k.a ZIA).  So I’m changing the numbered titles from here on in.

            The books have been great for inspiration, technique and general Zentangle knowledge. I’ve learned so much in the little time I’ve spent with them.  Also, I’ve got a million ZIA ideas running through my head at all times now.  So many tangles, so little time. 

            Below is the challenge I did for Easter.  It didn’t quite work out as I had hoped, but the end result isn’t that bad.

Cigarette Style

Zentangle Part 8

Cigarette Style

            I’ve officially botched two of my Zentangles to the point where I won’t be finishing them.  That’s tough for me, since one of the things I love about tangling is the feeling of completion. I never start one Zentangle before I’m done another.  Regardless, I trudge on. 

            I started “Cigarette Style” the same way I was inspired to put a clock in the mushroom in Zentangle Part 2.  I looked around my room, my eyes set on the object, and a Zentangle was created.  Because I’m new to Zentangles, I always want to try out new patterns, but found it hard to work those new patterns into the swirls in this piece.  So it was a challenge, but I do love the end result.

Zen Hooters

Zentangle Part Seven

ZEN HOOTERS

While scrolling through google images of Zentangles I noticed quite a few animals, and a repeat of owls.  If you’ve been following my Zentangle journal, you’ll remember I can’t actually draw.  So I searched for a how to on drawing a basic owl base.  I found absolutely nothing easy enough for my feeble little talents to duplicate. So I screwed around with circles until I came up with these two little sweeties.

I admit they both look like they got into the wrong type of mushrooms on their nightly raid, but regardless, I think they are adorable.

Scroll of Zen

Zentangle Part 6

Scroll of Zen

            This one was a lot of fun because I went pretty wild with the designs after the initial drawing of the scroll.  I had the chance to try out a bunch of new tangles.  One thing I have to say about Zentangling is that even though I know I made a few dozen mistakes, in the end, when it all comes together, they don’t matter.  There’s so much going on that the booboos don’t actually matter in the grand scheme of the design.  Not a bad lesson to apply to life.  

Sun Burst

Zentangle Part Five

Sun Burst

            I got to play around with the patterns on this one, and it truly was exciting to do.  It was my first solid attempt at the weaved pattern in the bottom and the top right.  Many, many practice attempts before I put ink to paper on those, but because they were harder to do, I enjoy them that much more.

            “Sun Burst” resembles a lot of the samplers I see out there but with a twist, as it did come together quite nicely. I’ll be referring back to it often for inspiration.

Eye of the Beholder

Zentangle Part Four

Eye Of The Beholder

It took me two nights to complete this one.  I wanted to fill it in further but found that the white space added its own effect.  I’m sure I’ll make more eyes, and fill them in differently.