Diva Challenge #220 UMT: All Boxed Up three ways in a monotangle.
Last week the Diva challenged us to use Alice Hendon’s All Boxed Up tangle. I generally try to not be influenced by other entries in the challenges, but when I procrastinate I do run across some entries in my blog feed or in the various Facebook groups. Here I was influenced by Helen Williams’ freeform All Boxed Up and decided to layer it over Alice’s two different orientations as a sort of study of the pattern. I ended up adding a titch of tipple to cover an oops. There are no mistakes, right?
Diva Challenge 221, a Beads of Courage tile featuring knase on a ribbon, BB, abacus and beadlines.
Between work and moving I can’t knit right now so I tangled during my SnB night on Monday. I ended up doing the this week’s Diva Challenge to create a tile inspired by Beads of Courage which you can read about on the Diva’s blog post. I thought what goes with beads more than ribbon? Add in that in the Weekly Zentangle Tangle Video Facebook Group is focusing on Knase which immediately grabbed me as a nice pattern for a ribbon and so I combined the two.
I Am Th Diva CZT Challenge number 2018, white Gelly Roll on black tile featuring tipple with cruffle, hako, henna drum, b’tweed and bannah shaded with zenstone and white charcoal pencil.
This was my first official black tile. I had played just a bit on a black ATC while going through “One Zentangle A Day” but didn’t like the result. I’m much happier with this one and keep looking at some of my favorite patterns and wondering what they might look like inverted. Though I really wish I had a finer tipped white gel pen. I’m very much a fine tip sort of gal. Have been as long as I remember using pens and even back to my pencil days.
I delayed posting this one thinking I’d do another, but didn’t get that far. Instead, I’ve felt more like just drawing step-outs this week. No pressure to make decisions beyond which pattern to try next. Plus I’m getting to catch up with a bunch of patterns I’ve learned recently in my Doodle Organizer app!
I Am The Diva CZT Challenge 119, the one with all the straight lines. I used hako as the string and then put shattuck, cubine and hibred into it all on a teeny tiny Bijou tile!
And another first for me – a Bijou tile! I just wanted a quick project last night so I finally broke the seal on my Bijou tiles and made this little guy. Having the constraints of all straight lines all the time (or as straight as I can freehand them) was helpful in it being a quick project. What fun the little tiles are! It probably helps that I enjoy working my patterns pretty small a lot of the time.
Diva Challenge #217 duotangle of Dex and Bunzo on a Renaissance tile in Zendala form with black, brown and sepia microns, zenstone, and pitt pastel pencils for highlights and shading.
Life has been pretty challenging itself lately so I haven’t been consistent in playing along, but an idea of this week’s Diva Challenge popped into my head over the course of the week so I sat down on Thursday and made this Renaissance tile. I was curious about a couple things:
How would Dex work in a circle?
How would using multiple colors of ink (in this case black, sepia and brown) helpcreatethe dimensionality of Dex?
The evolution of my Diva Challenge tile for this week. Upper left is just inked, lower left is with the highlights in place and the right side if a close look at half of the finished tile with both highlights and shadows in place.
For me, there is just something magical about creating a chiaroscuro tile, whether it be an official Renaissance tile or on the toned gray tiles from Strathmore. Add the highlights and everything starts to really pop, but then add the shadows and it has more dimension than you ever imagined. I’m quite pleased with this tile!
The Diva Challenge this week is to include a labyrinth on the tile. I tried several times to free hand my labyrinth onto a tile this week and I could not get it positioned properly. So, I cheated with Illustrator and made a template. It isn’t perfect. I didn’t get too fussy with my curves so you may want to tweak things, but it is a good start. And since I went to the trouble I figured I might as well share it in case anyone else has struggled as much as I have.
Zentangle Tile 2015-084, another spiral string ala Diva Challenge #210 with Mr. E and Tipple.
I suspect it is similar to the meditative qualities of walking a labyrinth, but I had to give another go at a single tangle along a spiral string this week. I’m struggling a lot this week with the reality of the upcoming move. While I still do not have a date of departure, DH leaves a week from tomorrow. I have my metro card which makes it a bit more real as well. Then there is the overwhelming amount of stuff we need to get rid of and it is rather difficult to do so without a car/truck. I kind of want to find a corner I can sit in and suck my thumb. So, extra meditative strings and mac and cheese patterns are what are likely on the docket for the foreseeable future.
Zentangle Inspired Art in Progress on some Strathmore Toned Gray paper featuring some flying cadents with a ribbon weaving through them.
Inspired by a combination of Cate’s flying cadents and ribbons and the spiral string thing I started this the other night on a sheet of Strathmore’s Tone Gray paper that Sue shared with those of us in the Renaissance tile class.
I’m still not sure what I want to do with the ribbon. I’m feeling pretty certain I want to put white charcoal in the light section of the cadents. Part of me is thinking of putting a monochrome Sunup Sundown in the ribbon and then shading the heck out of it to get some good dimension. Before I outlined it in black I contemplated using red and burgundy to color it solid with some sparkle, but I think the black outline has me tossing that option out the window, plus that is a lot of color to lay in with a micron. I suppose I could do a pattern in it with the combo of red and burgundy to do some of the initial shading… Then the keeping it simple part of me is thinking I should just shade it with graphite and white charcoal. What would you do with the ribbon?
I thought I’d finish it last night, but after a bad bus ride to work yesterday morning and lots of work stress I was nodding off early in the evening so I gave up and went to bed early. Surprisingly I slept more or less through the night so hopefully I’ll tangle this evening.
With Cate’s Sunday Smackdown this week requiring prep and dry time (and perhaps a 180 change in direction, we’ll see) I jumped right on the I Am The Diva CZT Weekly Challenge for this week. The challenge is to use a spiral string. Wow, that was more of a challenge than I expected and one I’m likely to revisit. Perhaps this week, perhaps later.
Zentangle Tile 2015-083, I Am The Diva CZT Challenge number 210 to use a spiral string turned into a BB monotangle.
As you can see, my spiral turned into a monotangle. I started off with BB and ended up continuing. I waffled for a bit, as I originally thought I’d end up doing some sort of background pattern like nekton or keeko. Then I realized I was filling up too much with the BB so then thought about adding a sprinkle of tipple. But I think it is done as a monotangle.
Be sure to check out all the other fantastic spiral tangles being made this week!
I couldn’t resist the I Am The Diva Challenge this week. Participants are to make a duotangle using cubine and pokeroot. I *adore* cubine, but don’t incorporate it often enough. I also enjoy using pokeroot as an organic filler. It makes me think of cherries most of the time which makes me think of my dad.
Zentangle Tile 2015-067, I Am The Diva Challenge #208 with pokeroot and cubine.
I opted to explore both at a bit larger scale than I tend to embrace. I liked it. It gave me more room to shade, LOL! Though I think my pokeroot, separated like that and at that size came out more like apples than cherries.
I’m uncertain if my last-minute frame, all be it light, disqualifies me? I just felt it needed a boundary. I may blame it on Day 31 (I think) of One Zentangle a Day. The focus of that daily lesson was framing.
Be sure you check out all the other participants. The work I’ve seen trickling through my Facebook groups and my blogroll have been fantastic!
Without an Eraser 