Fasset and Slits

Double the Challenge, Double the Fun

(not part of the Mysterious Mega Zentangle Challenge)

Doing the Double the Challenge, Double the fun again with Eni’s FB Slits Challenge, and The Diva’s Fasset Challenge. Double the challenge, double the fun, and double the tiles! I rolled the two challenges into one and here’s what became of it on the first try.

 

As with first attempts at any tangle, there is always a learning curve. For this one, I did as the original Fasset challenge suggested and went for a random array of triangles as my base.  Sadly, I was so consumed with how this was going to turn out, I didn’t take any before pics.  I found some of the “triangles” sort of worked themselves into a pattern, while others, not so much, making it look kind of messy. When I finished the tile, I shrugged and thought, “hmm… well it’s alright, but it could be better.”

So I got out another tile and tried again, this time with more uniform triangles and I liked the results so much more.  This one pops and there is no “Where’s Waldo” effect to it, which is definitely an improvement.

 

On this one, I half-heartedly remembered to take before pics. 

Before connecting lines

 

After connecting lines but before Shading

But the final piece is the one that puts a smile on my face.

Here's a double shot of the two together

Fasset and slits Zentangle Shaded

Knightsbridge #4 – Race it!

Knightsbridge #4 – Race it!



Knightsbridge Zentangle Racetrack

As I scrolled through the amazing posts for the Knightsbridge challenge on Eni Oken’s FB page, I kept seeing the same thing.  Racetracks. Racing flags. Those netty things over race-car windows (I’m sure that ‘netty thing’ is the technical term).  Now of the pieces were probably intentionally supposed to remind me of a Indy 500, but for they did.  So I thought, “Hey, why not do it on purpose?”

Then as I started my string the same thing kept popping into my head.  Mario Kart.  Yeah like the original Mario Kart, cuz yup, I’m that old. Especially the last race with the rainbow bridge? Anyone else as old as me remember that one? Well that’s all I could think about when I was doing this piece.  I considered adding mushrooms and turtle shells and little yellow stars everywhere, and making the knightsbridge pattern in psychedelic colours – but I figured it would lose some of its charm.

So here’s the progression!

First pic, basic outlines:

Second pic, after color, before shading and background:

Third pic, before shading, after background:

Final Piece! All shaded and stuff (sadly the sunlight was fading when I finally finished so the lighting isn't great):

Zentangle Mugs as Easter Gifts

Zentangle mugs as Easter gifts

Zentangle Easter Mugs

I’ve been slacking on the challenges this week because I’ve been working on this lovely little Easter mugs.  I forgot how hard it was to go from tiny-tipped micron pens to big, clumsy, temperamental oil based sharpies.  What a difference, and not a good one.  But by the second mug I got a “handle” on it again, sort of.  I did have an incident with the marker exploding paint all over one of them, but I worked with it, for that is the Zentangle way. Ommmmm. ;)

For all my tips and tricks of working with sharpies on porcelain, see this post. It covers everything.

After hours of painstaking messiness, I cooked em and filled them with “Easter Grass” and some chocolate eggs.  I think they make a funky little gift for Easter, or Spring, or whatever you might celebrate at this time of year.

 

Tree of Life on Tile

Tree of Life on Tile



Tree of Life on Tile

I’m working on a larger piece of this tree of life when I’m not trying out tangles and doing challenges.  I just love her. I need to find a way to make her pop a little more, so will be practicing the smaller versions for a while.

I used prismacolor pencil crayons, copic grey markers and micron pens (different sizes).

Yuma Zentangle

Yuma Zentangle 

Last one of the challenge

I’ve posted quite a few Yuma Zentangles in the past week, working on Eni’s Challenge.  This is the last of the bunch before I start on the newest challenge of the watercolor backgrounds.



Yuma Zentangle Shaded

This piece is done on card stock using microns and Copic grey markers. The lovely shaders in Eni’s facebook group pointed me towards this set.  I started with the prismacolor grey set but they weren’t a good fit for me (and some had dried out).

 

I’m quite pleased with the final piece. It’s officially one of my favourites to-date.

Sadly, no before piece.  I was too far in “the zone” to remember. So I figured why not post the other Yuma Zentangles that got me to this point.

3D Metallic Triangle and Zonked

Double the challenge, double the fun!

The Diva’s challenge this week was to use some sort of metallic.  Eni’s challenge was to use one of two patterns, I chose zonked.  Put the two together, and voila! A fun tile!

3D Metallic Triangle and Zonked

You can view my super-easy-to-follow 3D triangle step-out here. 

First Attempt at Zentangle Pattern Bunzo

First Attempt at Zentangle Pattern: Bunzo

This pattern is fun, if not a little dizzying.  The pattern tends to spin as you focus on one spot, at least until the shading is done. 

I half remembered to take a before pic; had just started the shading when I thought of it.

First pic shows the finished piece, second pic shows a side by side (though badly put together) of the unshaded and shaded contrast.

Bunzo done

 


Before and after shading

Zentangle Masked

Zentangle Masked

 

This was a complex piece to put together.  It took about a week to finish.  The hair was the goal, the funky border and mask were just a bonus. 

Zentangle Masked

Tree of Life WIP

Tree of Life (WIP)

I thought I would share the stages of the zentangled/doodleart Tree of Life I've been working on.  It's not exactly a step-out so to speak, but the pictures should provide a general idea on how this piece came to be.

Below is the picture of the first stage, no color or finished work here, but I'm loving her just the same. 

Stay tuned for more Tree of Life pics as the project progresses.

Tree of Life WIP part 1