The book

Today it arrived! Zentangle Primer Vol. 1, or as it is called in German: Zentangle Grundkurs 1. So now I have taken my German dictionary out of the bookshelf and yes, I am reading it!

Of course I had to jump to the chapter about Reticula and Fragment at once. I have just started to read but it is interesting and I think it is worth the effort! I couldn´t just read I had to make a tile too where I picked two of the fragments and made a simple reticula to draw in:

I just picked them out as I saw them and did what I did. Not much to say about so far, I have to study the chapter more. But the book is beautiful and very inspiring. Now I have to go to my choir to reherse so this is all for now.

String 200 and a fragment

The pattern Sindoo I call a high-focus pattern. To me that means I have to make an effort to learn it. I have to explore it before I can make it "mine". What I have done is to break the pattern down into a fragment. So now I am in that fragment-reticula thing again. Today´s meditation might make it clear what I mean.

The second pic is the scanned back side of the tile and I draw the fragment there to remember what I have done. The reticula is obvious in this tile I guess.

This is also a monotangle in my way to see it. Yes there are some small round orbs too. But I decide it is a monotangle. This was not planned but it went that way and I used string 200 (Margaret Bremner). Of course I could have filled all the spaces but I didn´t. And I am satisfied with that.

String 198 and 199

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent here in Sweden. It is special, with stars, lights and candles that are coming up everywhere there are people in this country. And in many countries around the world. It is the beginning of christmas season and it affects almost everything if you are a christian or not. You simply cannot avoid participating this strong movement through society. I did spend some hours in church rehersing and singing in the choir at the worship. Then home, getting the stars in the windows fixed and the candles and the red curtains in the windows and whatever. It all came out the usual way: very cozy when the evening came, the dogs exhausted asleep because of all our activity at home and us sitting at the table with the candles burning and resting. Then my tile grow from string 198 (Shirleen Long): 

I usually sits on my own in my studio tangling, but not last night. But it was very peaceful and the focuspattern of Square One, Sindoo (Sharon Robinson) was a perfect match to the string. 

Today´s meditation went in a totally different direction:

There are some worries in my mind right now which affects me. I started with string 199 (Mei Hua Teng) and Reel (Lily Moon). Moowa (Anya Ipsen) was moving in. I wasn´t satisfied with the start at all but took a deep breath and decided to just go on and not condemn what I just did. Let it be there and se what the finish would lead to. More Moowa. A Beadline (Margaret Bremner) and then Amaze as a filler. Despite of the outcome I feel satisfied with what I have done and I am happy I didn´t give it up at a certain critical point but went on till the finish was done!

Black Friday

Why do we have this BLACK Friday? And why call it BLACK? It has popped up during the past 2 years in Sweden and is all about commercial stuff. Buy whatever, if you need it or not. I admit. I did buy something but I won´t tell what! I love BLACK but not in combination with Friday. So I didn´t make a black tile today. I went for my personal project with strings and I have come to string 197 (Nancy Smith). A very geometrical string and I love geometry.

I started with a favourite of mine, Lollywimple (Sandy Hunter), and then followed: Cubine, Starmap (Suzanne McNeill) and Appearance (Sandra Strait). These four are all such patterns that just appear unplanned and so easy to learn that anyone knows them by heart very quickly! Very relaxing! 

Listening to the inner circle

Sometimes it is important to step aside. I belive I am at that point right now. There has been a lot of input. So I will take a rest from challenges a little while. I need to melt things and make them my own. All this about Reticula and Fragments for ex. today I have ordered the Zentangles Primer in German language (Amazon) and hope to get it in a few days. Thank´s to Ria in Belgium for her kind help! Bonus: The German edition is cheaper than the one in English! I can read German, I read it better than I speak, but not as easy as I read English! But as Ria said: it is good for the brain to work a little! 

This is what I made today. Doing it I became aware of the importance to listen inwards, not plan the outcome and appreciate it whatever. Let the line flow out of the pen, breath. No judgement. This is what it is like. I used string 196 (Beth Snoderly) and the patterns: Zonked (Barbara Finwall), Marnie (Chrissie Frampton), Starmap (Suzanne McNeill) and `Nzeppel.

Reticula and fragments 2

One more round with Anya Ipsens Moowa. the Reticula/Fragment challenge is so interesting. Ofcourse I don´t know anything about the fragments published in Zentangle Primer. But I make it my own way, either using patterns I know or trying to do something I don´t know if it exists.

I used string 195 (Nancy Domnauer)today and this is where it went. Moowa is followed by Shiraz (Linda Farmer). I love the way these two patterns go together! 

Reticula and fragments

Reticula is the new name of the grid. And fragment is the name of the pattern in each part of the grid. The terms Reticula and Fragment are introduced in Zentangle Primer Vol.1. I haven´t got that book. I would like to have it. But to order it from US is not to think of, since I have to pay more than double the price with taxes and fees shipping it to Sweden. I have to live without it as long as it is this way. But I like the new terms.  the Diva´s challenge this week is to make a Reticula and fill it up with fragments. It is a way, well known to create patterns, working with textiles, ceramics, tiles or other stuff. Yes, even painting, remember Matisse and Mondrian! Maybe come up with a new personal pattern if you are lucky! Here is my first try in the challenge:

I had a lot of fun doing it. Don´t know if anyone out there created a pattern similar to this one, but I bet there is. Please tell me if there is a name on it already! 

Last night i also made a black tile with string 194 (Anette Plaga-Lodde). 

I used Ceil (Sandy Steen Bartholomew), Papyrus (Suzanne McNeill), Meer and Tipple.

 

Triangles coming out.

Recently Zen-again gathered CZT:s in Newport. Yet there hasn´t been much published from this event, but there will be ofcourse. One thing has appeared from the event and that is a new tile, a triangle, called Z3. The sides of the triangle is the same size as the side of the squares. That means the angles must be 60°. I wanted to try this since I do love triangles in patterns and you name it! I cut my own from Fabriano Tiepoli and here they are:

My first try went like this with Arukas somewhere in the middle, Betweed, Knightsbridge, Yah (Emelie Classon), Rainking (Leona Shih) and LO´s (mine). It was fun. I didn´t use a string or cornerdots for the first one.

The second one i used both cornerdots and string. My pattern Kassandra became the border and then I only used Tripoli. I was more happy about this outcome! Maybe because i followed the basics in Zentangle!

Moowing ooon.

Yesterday we had a tangler-gettogether-event here were I live in Gärdebyn. We had a great time and here is the outcome:

Today I am laid-back and not doing much, but I wanted to try Moowa (Anya Ipsen), the focus-tangle in Square One.

Moowa is moving around the space going it´s own directions with string 193 (Barbara Finwall)! Printemps, Tipple and a Zengem also showed up. Moowa reminds me of a wave or long fingers or a special mushroom I know. There are a lots of possibilities to add embellishments or transform it into other tangles. It will be interesting to see what is coming up in Square One when tanglers use this!

Goodbyes

This will probably be my last Rainking for a while. Today is another focustangle coming up in Square One; Moowa (Anya Ipsen). But I had to make one more Rainking as a goodbye for now. That pattern has gone under my skin and will ofcourse not leave for so long I guess.

I tried the shading that Lynn Shelton Mead used. The other patterns are Amaze and Appearance (Sandra Strait). The string is no. 192 (Nancy Eaton).

2 challenges

 I  am a little busy these days. I have made my daily tiles but the post will include both yesterday and today and I won´t speak too much about it. First one I made yesterday, but finished it today.

Joey´s challenge no. 139. A finish-my-tile-challenge. Joey´s start is the Mooka. I added Tripoli,Diva Dance, Tipple, Seawave (Ginny Lu) and Off Key (Lori Byerly.

The next one is for IAST 171:

Crescentmoon and Seawave (Ginny Lu). Crescentmoon is one of my favourites. It always make a tile dramatic in my opinion. The string for this challenge was aimed for Seawave! 

Monotangle Keeko

Keeko is the pattern in Diva´s challenge 293. I learned it first from Bekah Krahula´s book "One Zentangle a Day". It is a pattern that is known everywhere and used on many things, as weawing, decoration on ceramics, textiles and so on. It is easy to learn and to remember because it is already known deep inside onself. Beckah demonstrates the pattern drawn with 3 lines. Sandy Steen Bartholomew has made a step-out with four lines. But it is still the same pattern.

I used both ways to draw it and I used string 191 (Audirie Wiesenfelder). String 191 is also a very simple string that leaves many possibilities to tangle in many directions. 

Focus on Rainking

Rainking (Leona Shih)is the new focustangle in Square One. It is new to me and I do love to learn new patterns. This pattern is special. It is made in a grid, but it is possible to turn the fragments in several ways and it can be used in a lots of shapes. My first try:

A duotangle in string 189 (Dorothy Allison). This string is a string I like because of it´s simpliness. Tina Kirchhübel´s Wallbreak together with Rainking. Check the story behind Rainking and the analyziz of the pattern made by Linda Farmer!
Next try:

Here it is a ribbon together with Fassett (Lynn Shelton Mead), Keeko and Tipple. As Kekko is in the Diva´s challenge this week I let this one be my first tile in that challenge. Since I haven´t used Keeko for a long time I want to play with it more. In this tile I used string 190 (Joan Lilley). 

Two challenges or more

Tomorrow I am going to Uppsala with my choir, Siljans Vocalensemble. We are having a concert in a medival church called Rasbo Kil. To sing is a very physical activity and it is easy to find similarities between singing and drawing. Zentangle is about focus. Singing in a choir is also about focus. To prepare myself I have done two challenges that became three. One last night, for Joey´s weekly no. 138 also became one more for the Diva´s UMT this week! 

This is also a "finish my tile"-challenge. Joey started it all with Twile (Lesley Scott Gillian). It is a nice little weavy-pattern that I have done before, but forgotten about. I added EAXY(Nadine Roller), just a little Cracked (lori Howe), Flux and Tipple. About the Cracked; I had made more of this, but then the tile felt to "Cracked", so I darkened a lot of it. Then I needed Wud (Joni Feddersen) as a border. EAXY was the reason I made it on a rennaisance tile, I was curious to see what i looked like. 

Next tile is today´s meditation and IAST 170.

The patterns are Oke (Michele Beauchamp) and Jelly Legs (Amber Davis). Jelly Legs is a new pattern and it reminds me of a sort of candy that is called "fried eggs"!

As I am going away until Sunday evening I won´t post anything. So until then, Happy Tangling! Now I am going into music!

Today´s tangle

Today´s tangles is a new group on Fb founded by CZT Sandy Kelley-Jones. It is a group for sharing daily tangles in b/w or color. I find it interesting when a new group of this kind is coming up. And I belive there are things to learn in this one as well. I will follow the group from the start which is also interesting, to see where it leads! Yesterday I posted a tile there which I made when I was invited.

I used string 187 (Mary Ellen Calhoun) for this occasion and the patterns Dreamcatcher (Daniel Lamothe), Fassett (Lynn Shelton Mead), Nymph (Melinda Barlow) and Tipple.

Today I went on with b/w original. It is a lot of black in it. There are so much darkness to relate to right now so I needed black as a shelter.

And tangles that would keep everything together in a safe way. Yes I managed to take a before-pic this time! Here comes the one after shading:

I used string 188 (Beth Snoderly). the patterns: Afterglo (Carole Ohl), Oybay (Antonine Koval), LO´s (my own), Kassandra (my own) Echoism and Hollibaugh. Looking at it afterwards I can´t help the feeling that this tile is about sorrow. But not without hope. The hope is about zentangle as a meeting-place for good an loving forces around our planet. And the hope is about how tangling affects my own worries - It helps to keep focus on what is importat here and now. 

Gettogether

Is it possible to match two very different patterns in a happy marriage? That was my personal challenge today using string 186. The Diva´s challenge this week is UMT, which stand for Use My Tangle. The tangle is EAXY from Nadine Roller. I decided to use EAXY together with my favourite for this week, Fassett (Lynn Shelton Mead).

This is actually my second try, not my first. The first one is not to be shown yet. It went too far in shading and to save it i colored it but even if I had a relaxing moment doing it I must admit I am much more satisfied with the second one in all aspects. I will have to give the first one a remake of some kind but as for now it is resting in my things-to-go-on-with-pile.

To get these patterns together in a way that gives both equal dignity wasn´t the easy way. But breathing, making it slowly and let the string guide was what I concentrated on. And I do love the final outcome!

Travelling Tangles from Joey

Last week I got happy mail from Joey and now I have finished her beautiful starts! 

This one with Pearly (Sandra) and Bublz (Lori Byerly) was so light and airy and I wanted to keep it that way, but how could I?

This is where it went. Well the airyness is not the same, Cubine made it otherwise. I added som more Bublz, Tipple and a spiders Web (Suzanne McNeill).

Next tile Joey had started with a pattern new to me: Oybay (Antonine Koval). I love to learn new patterns and this one I will have more fun with!  

I added more Obay, Phicops (B-Rad), Caviar (Lori Howe), Tipple and Mooka. I had a lot of fun doing this and one special thing is that Phicops appeared again into my mind! I haven´t used this tangle for a long time, but now it came back to me. It is a lovely tangle worth knowing by heart!

Fassett II

I am not finished with Fassett! The more I play with it, the more it is talking to me. I started in my sketchbook with my fountainpen today.

I tried string 185, but as I worked Fasset just took over the whole space and the string completely disappeared. But it is there. I tried Lynn Shelton Mead´s suggestions upon how to draw it, but as usual Fassett lives it´s own life! After this I tried the same string on a tile:

This time I outlined the string, to be sure not to lose it. String 185 is shared by Annette Plaga-Lodde and I find it very beautiful to work with. Fassett took another shape and another direction. That is so magical with this pattern, you never know where it takes you! Oh I love this!

Fassett

The new focustangle in Square One is now Fassett by Lynn Shelton Mead! One of my favourites! It starts in a very simple grid and doesn´t look special at all and then all of a sudden it develops to a most intricate pattern that is easy to fall into, drown and get lost! It is so relaxing to do.

I used it with string 184 (Lianne Woods), Nymph (Melinda Barlow) and some beadlines.

IAST 169

After all colored tiles around Halloween I love to go back to basics, white tiles and black micron. So I went for Adele Bruno´s IAST 169. 

The patterns are Narwal (Sam Taylor), Viaduct (Wayne Harlow) and a pattern new to me; Onion Drops (Shasta Garcia). I loved to do this on a handcut tile of my own. I still have to work on my Narwal to get it done fluently and by heart. It was some time since I tried it now and I realized I am not sure of the way it goes yet. But Onion Drops and Viaduct are patterns that just flow very easily and that means a lot of relaxation!

Happy tangling out there and by the way I always appreciate your comments. They often makes my day!

Tickled To Tangle: We Are On The Tangled Map!

Tickled To Tangle: We Are On The Tangled Map!: We are literally on the map - my new "It's a String Thing Map". Let me explain... Some time early last year, our good frie...

Paper for white tiles

In previous posts I have talked a lot about the material recommended for zentangles and about the trouble to get the supplies needed in Sweden. The sun is shining again upon us, there is light in the tunnel, at least when it comes to white tiles! The paper in original tiles with the Zentangle trademark on is Tiepolo Fabriano 290 g. It is possible to get this paper from SKC (Svenskt Konstnärscentrum)in Kristianstad! Then you get it in sheets, 70x100cm, and have to cut them in tiles yourselves, get a corner-punch and there you are!

The paper is exactly the same quality as in original tiles. What differs is, you don´t get the Zentangle trademark on the back (which is nice but not necessary) and the edges are straight, not rough as on the original. As it comes to black tiles, rennaisance tiles and zendalas, well there is no alternative to going abroad to get it yet, as far as I know.

This is a solution for all of us who really appreciate working on the best quality paper for zentangles. Of course there is some job to do, to get the tiles ready to draw on, but as the situation is like it is, this seems to be a way to go! 

Halloween 2 and a happy mail of travelling tangles

Today I made one more Halloween-tile. This time for Joey´s weekly challenge.

I did this on a marbled tile and I belive the outcome is different than what I use to do. Unfourtunately I forgot to take a before-pic, the tile was really beautiful without  anything on. But that is me. I started with the Wud-pumpkin (Joey´s start)and I used the colors on the tile as a string. Wud is a pattern by Joni Feddersen. The other patterns are:Web (Suzanne McNeill), Quill (SSB), Boze (Jan Steinle), Cruffle (Sandy Hunter) and Tipple.

Here Is my pumpkin, grown in my garden:

Yesterday mail was so nice! I got one more happy mail from Joey van Oort! It is laying here in front of me waiting to be done. Here is her nice mail for me:

Thank´s Joey for these inspiring tiles! I look forward to do this!

Haloween in tangling world

Halloween is all over the web. Also in tangle-challenges! Halloween is quite a new  phenomena in Sweden and here it is driven by commersial sources mostly. That´s why I am a little split about the whole thing. I like party-feeling and celebrations, that is not the problem! I also like to decorate a pumpkin or two from my garden and eat something good. But some things has gone to far. You´ve all heard about clownmasks, which shouldn´t have anything to do with Halloween at all, but these clowns has exploded during this time of the year in Sweden, and that is totally a new and unpleasant thing for this year´s celebration. Noone should be afraid to take a walk or just being hanging out when it is dark outside... But I decided to not bother about these problems when I sat down doing the Diva´s challenge for the week!

This is my celebration-tile for Halloween 2016! I made it on a black zendala-tile and I had a lot of fun doing it. I haven´t worked on a zendala for some time, I don´t have many of them left so I only do that for special occasions and to make a Halloween-zendala is such an occasion! Patterns I have used: Boze (Jan Stainle), Web(Suzanne McNeill), Garlic Cloves (Jacquelien Bredenoord)and Tipple. This time

Boze are my Halloween-Bats! If they have evil minds they will be trapped in the Webs -Ha-ha-!

Boze and the first snow.

Today the first snow fell upon us. The winter is around the corner. I wanted to try Boze (Jan Steinle)and I think it was the right thing to do as most of us going outdoors do put on our winterscarf and boots. Boze reminds me of scarves.

Yes, there is an Oops in this one. But I just made more Oops in that part and let the rest be as it came out. The other patterns are: Chakra (SSB), Starmap (Suzanne McNeill) and Tipple. I have now come to string 183 (Judyellen Palumbo) in my personal challenge.

As I look at this tile I know there is a connection to the weather! No, I didn´t plan that. But as Boze took place the rest was there!