One Tangle

My circuits have been short (i.e. mis-firing) lately but they are functioning again, a little slower but I am happy they are functioning. I will be catching up on some of the Diva's challenges.  This was from a couple of weeks ago, a one pattern challenge.  Here I tangled Nzepp'l, on a tile I dived in four.
  

Doodle for Health

 I need to get back into tangling (doodling with purpose) again! It can be very creative not to mention relaxing, it relieves stress and promotes calm pleasureable thoughts, one stroke at a time.  Anyway, today's Daily Challenge at You and Me Health was to doodle for a few minutes so this might just get me back to it.

White Space Challenge

Laura Harm's Challenge this week is White Space. I did this first one last night but now feel it was only a warm up. Sometimes more ideas come while I am actually playing with a tangle. I used to think I had to have one already in my mind...but when I just tangle, more come. Guess what I will play with tonight!

I'm off to the dentist before work. Maybe I can tangle in the waiting room.

Click on this to see more about the Diva's Challenge.

Phoenix

I wanted to combine two patterns, W2 and Paradox.

However, as I filled in the W2 spaces with Paradox, I began to see I was loosing W2!  What to do?  This was not in the plan.

Not what I expected . . . so how will I shade this? Breathe!  As I looked at it, I began to see lots of possibilities. I have no printer for now so I couldn't print a few copies and try them.  Relax! Finally, I decided to try and resurrect W2

Et voila!!  W2 rose like a phoenix!  It turned out quite dark--darker than I usually tangle--kind of heavy with the blocks and dark shading, but that suits my mood today.  Tomorrow is another day and probably another mood.   The Diva has challenged us to work with white space!   Now that my dark side has been appeased, I look forward to some clean white space.  ;-)

A Grid Tangle in sequence

Grids are not my favourite kinds of tangle patterns but today my head needed something very ordered.  I began with a grid, added the string over the grid then picked up Totally Tangled to look for a few patterns I haven't tried.

First pattern I added is Kuginuki.  It was fun and relaxing, I didn't have to think too much about it, just enjoyed seeing the pattern develop "one stroke at a time."

When I added Pollen (upper left) I made some mistakes (my hands were not steady--sometimes I just have to accept that) but continued with a variation of it in the middle section.

Lower left is Buttercup--this one was fun. Lower middle and upper right is a variation of N'zeppel--I always enjoy shading this one.  I guess what I like about this tangle is that each pattern area is different but the grid is uniform.

Added a little more detail to the middle section.

And then shaded a few of the sections.

This isn't the best Zentangle I have done, but I did enjoy doing it and learned a few new-to-me patterns.

It takes all kinds . . .

It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round.  This was my weekend tangle; I went back in my journal and completed a page I had left undone.  Tried some patterns I had not tried before...the finished tangle looks a little disorderly, a bit raucous even...these completely different orbs bunched together remind me of different types of people...each beautiful in their own way, each entirely different from the bunch.  Each bring their own gift to the group.   I was added to the Zentangle Group at Facebook--some CZT's, some  experienced graphic artists, and some beginners like me.  Each tangler brings something to the group.  Cool huh? :-)

 
Before completion and shading.

Breathe!

Here is my response to The Diva's  Breathe Challenge this week.  She said,"Your challenge, should you choose to accept it - is to create a tile or piece using conscious, even breath. To Relax. Breathe. Smile."

What a blessing this challenge has been!  I have been playing with Paradox for the past few days and enjoying it...the more familiar I became with it, the more soothing I found it.  The final tangle is more of a variation I guess...it is paradox melted down.  I did the four dots, joined them to form a border, then drew a string, and filled each section with paradox as much as the string allowed.  I was relaxed, aware of my breathing.  I did each of the tangles below at bedtime...as I said the other night, it was better than a sleeping pill!  When finished this one I thought it looked like a wood spirit. (or maybe a wood nymph)  

This one I call Tumbling Paradox, it reminds me of ice cubes tumbling from a glass. 

The more I became familiar with this pattern, the more it's repetitiveness relaxed me.  A cross made four squares to tangle.

The first one I posted the other night and called Soothing, began with an X inside the border making 4 triangles to tangle with Paradox.

Soothing

I figured out why I love Zentangle so much...it has a soothing effect on me.  I did this just before bedtime; I felt good doing it, shading it, and looking at it.  Better than a sleeping pill!  Good night!

Plaid

This tile started with Jane Monk's Plaid, featured in Tangled Patterns this week. I would like to work with this one again, now that I am a little more comfortable with it. I have no idea what that black line is down the middle...it is a zig zag thing that went quite wrong, but there it is.  

My Zentangle Kit Arrived !

. . . and I am delighted with it! :-)

Playing with Ixorus

Ixorus is stuck in my brain, I keep playing with it, and now I am chasing it!

Ixorus Challenge

The Diva's challenge this week is Ixorus, the newest Zentangle® pattern.  Read her blog and check out how others did this challenge.  My lines are always unsteady but I enjoyed this pattern and will work more with it.

Tangle Your Name Challenge

Since I began to tangle (sounds like a dance doesn't it?)  a little while ago (I'm a newbie to Zentangle® ) two people have been special mentor/teachers and my main resource for learning.  Kit Murdoch, introduced me to Zentangle and became my tangle mother, (I know I am older than she is!) encouraging, supporting, teaching, and showing the way.  I am thankful to this special lady, far away, on the opposite-underneath-side of the world for her friendship and encouragement--in many ways!  

My other mentor doesn't even know she has been influential and a great help. I have been one of  Linda Farmer's lurkers at TanglePatterns.com , happy just to sit in the shadows and learn.  Not only does Linda  create her own tangle patterns, she has created a central place with one huge organized listing of patterns. What a great resource!   I joined the site and look forward to email updates a few times a week.  Her site is THE place to find every tangle pattern on the internet...if she has missed a few it won't be long before she finds them!  

Recently, I have been coming out of the shadows and joining in...here and there.   The Diva has a weekly challenge that has been fun.  Then I saw Linda put one out a while ago...she asked us to tangle our names using patterns that begin with each letter of our name.  I was a little daunted, there are 13 letters in my online name, 7 in my first name...didn't think I could do it.  I decided to have a go at it and here is the tangle.

I decided to begin with a sort of string that are the letters in my name.  I liked the look of it and had great expectations for this tangle.

I looked up patterns with the letters I needed (thank you Linda) and made some choices.  Once the first h and t were tangled, I realized I could have made a better choice, hindsight is so clear...the h and t almost blend, there is little difference in tone...sigh!  I liked the letters empty but once tangled, the white spaces looked strange but I didn't want to add other patterns, maybe I should have repeated some but I decided to try to unify everything with the lines in the background.  I think I got in a fuddle. ;-)  Breathe in, breath out slowly!

I was going to redo it but decided to post it and move forward!  I am still learning and this has been fun, a fine lesson and another step.  Smiling, breathing and learning here!

Orbs Challenge

Laura Harms, aka The Diva, challenge this week is orbs or circles or hopefully anything roundish. This is what happened when I tangled.  I could not, for the life of me, draw a steady line this evening...but as they say, there are no mistakes in Zentangle. :-|

Starry Eyed Surprise

Laura Harms' 4th weekly challenge was a surprise!   I tried a few stars free-hand but couldn't continue, I needed a more repetitive way so I used my own version of a star, one I learned as a child, and then it was easy to do them quickly and use them as fill.  This was fun and whimsical.  I finally did a tangle in record time!  The shading here is done with a silver pencil but it doesn't show very well in the photo--I think it is quite pretty on the paper.  Thank you Laura or another fun challenge!