I am beyond impressed with this lovely card created by one of my students, Beth, after just one Zentangle class! Obviously, she had lots of talent to start with and Zentangle added another technique to her artistic quiver.
After I snatched it out of her hand, Beth agreed to let me to share it with everyone ; ) Her ornaments include each of the tangles we did in class, as well as a couple of additional ones. Beautiful, isn't it?
Bette Abdu and Christine Britos, hosts & facilitators extraordinaire for the Certified Zentangle Teacher's Retreat in North Andover, MA this summer, planned a group project. Each of us chose a section to tangle within a 'pre-strung' circle. Best of all, everyone received a copy to take home (which I must frame for my office!). Here's a shot of the entire piece; just click on the image for a larger view:
I decided to draw a fun border tangle I dreamed up and named Frippery. Below, you can see a close up of it within the group project; it's the diamond shaped border right below Suzanne McNeill's red heart and hands. Christine did her section after I completed mine and I love the way she shaped her Betweed columns under the Frippery border to integrate the two patterns. Looks great! Again, click on the photo for a larger view:
I finally got Zentangle's delicious new Artist Trading Cards, also known as ATC's, up on our web site. Switching to a new web site host and aching wrists and fingers (don't want to hear the 'CT' phrase please!), have slowed me down. Still... I managed to find time to Mooka-up this baby:
And... it was fun, relaxing, invigorating. As mentioned, the tangle is Mooka, with a little Flux thrown in because I wanted to. Also, some doo-dads. Next up, one of the new Black ATC tiles and my trusty White Gelly Roll Pen ; } Stampassion.com also carries ATC's from Ranger, including Manilla and Glossy White papers and... ATC's made from Claudine Hellmuth's fabulous Sticky Back Canvas. Lots of options for creative opportunities!
For those familiar with the method developed by Zentangle® creators, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, you know that we start Zentangle tiles and ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) with a "string". This helps to segment and frame the space, gives us structure and something to "hang" the tangles on. As an art stamp lover, retailer and etailer for lo these many (18!) years, it's natural for me to reach for a stamp. The structure of the stamp has now become my "string".
I had tons of fun working on my latest class, Zentangle & Art Stamps, combining these two mediums. The samples for the class are shown in prior posts, but I also wanted to create a tile to give my students a peek at how the tangles would look in a conventional Zentangle format. Here it is:
The tile includes the tangles...
Pepper
Shattuck
Finery
Poke Leaf
Take a look at my two prior posts to see the tangled cards created with rubber art stamps and how tangle-ations of these patterns were used within the stamp. Too fun!
I was up til all hours finishing this bit of Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) for my July 13 Zentangle & Art Stamps class. Not because it was difficult—it wasn't—but because I could not STOP. Adding a little more color here and some additional shading there.... I was having a blast, just me and my pencils. Goofy, but true. I can proudly say that I color for a living (and live to color too).
(click on either photo to see a larger image)
The Open Poppy rubber stamp comes via one of my favorite stamp purveyors, Memory Box. Open is good when you're tangling, so this choice was a natural for our new class on combining stamp art with Zentangle®. The repetitive patterns in both this ZIA card, and the one in my prior post, are official Zentangle-tangles that I've altered to fit the project, which is called a "tangle-ation". The flower is tangled with a version of Finery and the leaves are Poke Leaf, embellished like crazy 'cause, again, I was having way too much fun to quit ; )
Here's a close-up of just the card:
Like the other class project, this is colored with PrismaColor Pencils and shaded with them, along with a regular #2 pencil. I tangled using several different sizes of Black Micron Pens. You often need a smaller or larger nib, depending on what you're doing, so the Micron Pen set is a sensible buy for tanglers. I added Black Glaze Pen to the center of the flower, along with some black gems for a little sparkle.
Life has been hectic (as usual) but I finally put the finishing touches on the ZIA projects (Zentangle Inspired Art) for our new class, Zentangle & Art Stamps, on Wednesday, July 13. It's all about combining rubber stamped images with Zentangle®. The stamp, aptly named Flowers in a Pot, is from Lockhart Stamp Company and is perfect to tangle within. As you can see from the photo, the stamp is open and not too big, so it's quick to color and tangle—so fun. Stampassion carries the full line of Lockhart Stamps, as well as Zentangle products, and you can find them all here on our web site.
(click on either photo to see a larger image)
I absolutely love being able to take two of my passions, art stamping and Zentangle, mush them together and end up satisfied creatively and happy, happy, happy. Zentangle is fun and so adaptable—as I've long said about rubber stamping, you can also tangle on anything that isn't moving too fast : )
I'll post the second project later. For now, here's a close-up of just the finished image...
The image was colored with PrismaColor Pencils and shading is a combination of color pencils and a regular old graphite pencil. The tangling was done with a .01 Black Micron Pen and the flower center is accented with a White Sakura Glaze Pen, which will be up on the web site soon.
Here are step-out directions Rick and Maria have kindly provided for the new tangle, OoF. Take a look at my earlier post for an abbreviated explanation of the name, and be sure check out Rick's tile, illustrating one way to use this new tangle. You may stop at the last step of this pattern or continue, as Rick did. One hint from R&M, the Masters, "When you draw your arcs, draw them all the way alongside the diamond edges, not just point to point."
There's an often-asked question from my new Zentangle students, and it's an excellent one. Specifically, what tangles fit well/look good together? I find the best way to explain this is... balance.
Each Zentangle tile or piece of Zentangle inspired art (ZIA), needs a balance of light and dark, as well as a balance of line and curve.
So, no hard and fast rules or easy explanation, just... balance. It is a combination of patterns that allow your eyes to move around the tile, while still having a focal point to draw you into the piece. The principle of balance is certainly not unique to Zentangle. It is the foundation of any good photograph, handstamped greeting card or work of art.
How do you learn it? There's nothing better than experience: practice grasshopper, practice ; )
Why am I thumping around the house, inexpertly tap dancing and having such a good time doing it? There's a new tangle in town!
Here's a tile that Rick Roberts did with the new tangle, OoF*. OoF is in the center of the tile, surrounded by the more organic tangle, Flux.
Rick is the co-founder, along with Maria Thomas, of Zentangle®. *As usual, Rick and Maria have a story for the unusual name given each "official Zentangle tangle". The genesis of this one is an "out-of-focus" recognition of how to break down a pattern he and Maria saw at The Cloisters. Apparently we do need to close our eyes, or in the case squint, to see!
The Cloisters, a pattern-rich branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, houses their medieval art and architecture collection. I've never been there, but think a visit is definitely in order. Tangle step-out coming up next!
Wandering around the internet, I ran across this poster, which is free to download, on the web site Kind Over Matter. I love it and think it is just too special not to share. If I had a public space, I would put it up, for certain! It reminds me of the principles of Zentangle and what drew me to the art form that is so much more than pen and paper.
The thoughts represent all the good choices we have an opportunity to make each day, but often don't, me included. So, pop to Kind Over Matter, get yourself one of these Zen babies and let's all have a positive thoughts week!
It's another exciting day in Tangle Town folks! Rick & Maria, the founders of Zentangle, have come up with a beautiful new tangle called Mooka.
I'm going to need more practice with Mooka to emulate Maria's elegant lines. Rick's tiles are great too and it's so good to see a more masculine viewpoint in his art. What a talented pair!
Go to the Zentangle Newsletter here to view their full post. It has a number of completed tiles and some tanglations based on Mooka. Gorgeous, as always!
Mooka is based on the work of artist, Alphonse Mucha, a favorite of mine. Even if you don't know his name, you will recognize his work. His style of painting became knows as... Art Nouveau. To see his work, take a look here.
An interesting tidbit: in 1878, Mucha applied to the Prague Academy of Fine Arts and his application was turned down. They recommended that Alphonse, "find yourself another profession where you'll be more useful". Hmmmm. It's a story to remember when someone (maybe even yourself?), says you aren't...
good enough
talented enough
strong enough
pretty enough
smart enough
creative enough
worthy
It's in our DNA - we have just the right amount of 'enough' to accomplish anything. Don't listen to those who would have you believe otherwise. Alphonse didn't.
Wishing you a beautiful Sunday, filled with artful blessings.
