Blanes part II

Sometimes a pattern takes time before I can see the possibilities to go on with it in more than one direction. It is not only about embellishments. It is something else. After the last blogpost I haven´t used Blanes, I felt a little stuck with it. But then all of a sudden Debbie Huntington made a post on Fb where she had used it in a Dingbatz kind of way and all the bells started to ring! I asked her if I could use it in this blogpost and she said yes! So here it is:

She had made it on a Gray tile and used gold and the rest of rennaisance colors. I loved it so much! Now I am convinced about this pattern and now I also can go on with it and just having fun! Today´s meditation between baking bread and buns, I spent with Blanes on a Rennaisance tile:

I used fragments all over this tile and a random string. A fragment of Zonked (Barbara Finwall) in the center and the petals could be a part of Batumber (Kelley Kelly). There are other fragments too. I found that Blanes is fun to use with layering techniques. When I did Blanes at the start I was aware of the metapatterns that easily came around depending on the shading. But I wasn´t too excited about the rest. Now I am happy to be able to go on from here with it! Thank you Debbie, you opened my eyes! 

Hump Day 06 and a peep into my Journal

Recently I was invited to "Hump Day Challenge" on Fb. This is a weekly challenge from CZT Suzanne Fluhr and I thought it would be fun since "I am the Diva" is taking a break. But I have been so busy last weeks so I haven´t participated until today and this challenge was right up in my alley and I loved it. You find the challenge in her blog here. And if you, like me, don´t know what Hump Day is she gives an explanation in her blog.

Here is my entrance on rennaisance tile:

The prompt was to use a tangle as a string. I choose Hollibaugh

I am not sure that Hollibaugh is the string though I tried to think of it as a string.The "over and under" technique is so much this tangle and I love that. I used Diva Dance Rock n´Roll, Shattuck, Tortuca and fragment T7, which is one of my favourite fragments from the Primer. Everyone talk about the heath right now and I am happy to say that my studio is the coolest place in this house! So I had to have some soothing, cooling dewdrops on this tile as well.

My journal has become an important space to go to thank´s to the prompts published in Our Tangled Life. Though it was a little difficult for me to keep it up in June/first half of July, I have done them.

The 13th prompt came from Priscilla DeConti and she wanted us to tangle an animal. Since The Zentanglemethod to me is non-representative which means freedom and this is very important, I didn´t know how to approach this prompt at first. Then I looked into my other artjournal and found something I did during a workshop led by Carla Sonnheim earlier this year. To see an animal in cracked pavement! So I brought that workshop into tangling and this was the result. I used Arukas, Tagh, Crescentmoon and my newest tangle AAW. I had fun and I enjoyed it! 

Patterns: Doo Dah, Tripoli, Scena, Crescentmoon, Scallopillar (Karin Tarter)
AAW (mine)

This page I finished yesterday and this turned out in a special way. The prompt said Let´s map it! First I was in trouble not knowing how to do this. Maps are special to me, almost magical. I always keep maps I have used on journeys and hikings. When I was younger I was an eager hiker in the Swedish mountains. The nature, the wilderness, the lonliness, all of that was essential to me. Yes I kept the maps in a nice and tidy pile. Among the maps was one over the Abisko-Kebnekaise area and this map was so much used it had fallen into parts. I took one of those parts which happened to fit perfectly in my journal, so I glued it there and started tangling. Someone hade spilled some coffee on the map, it might have been me... As I tangled on I was sent back in time and I could see the stony paths for my inner eye, the amazing views from high points, the marshlands, the clear water, the wild animals, birds, flowers... And I could feel the gratitude that I once have been able to be a part of this wonderful landscape that forever will stay in my heart!

Through this prompt from Malia Benson I got some new ideas to work on in my collages/paintings too! 

Tangledeck 3 CZT edition is here!

Tuesday was my lucky day (not the only lucky day but one of them)! At last Tangledeck3 CZT-edition landed here at my postoffice! It was stuck in the costumers for more than a week, I had a mailconversation with them telling them that this was a non-violent package, I wasn´t going to sell it to anyone, no commersial purpose and so on. I told them I was honored to be a part of this and I wanted to have it in my hands as soon as possible. When I got the message that I could come and get it at the postoffice, I thought that I would have to pay some costumers fee, since they didn´t drop it in my mailbox, but nothing like that happened! The only thing they wanted was my drivers license so they were sure I was the right one to get it!!!!

The tangledecks are special. I have all three of them and I love to use them. They are not only cards with step-outs. To find step-outs on the internet is very easy. But Lynn Mead has made variations of the pattern on one side of the card and the steps on the other side. The cards work like an inspiration to go on with a pattern in a playful way, and make the patterns come alive.

As I got my copy of Tangledeck 3 I couldn´t wait to start exploring! I had already started on a journalpage for My Tangled Life-group on fb so there were already other patterns done, but I finished the page with patterns from the tangledeck. On this journalpage I used patterns I already knew except for Keystone.

Patterns I already had started with: Bekk (Cyndi Knapp)
Diva Dance and Msst. Patterns from the Tangledeck: Dorsal
(mine), Keystone (Dennie York), Moowa (Anya Ipsen),
 Pixiose (Margaret Bremner),Ruutz (Eni Oken), My Swing
(Simone Menzel)and Wig Wag (Judy Genovese)

Then I went on celebrating with a Renaissance tile with a pattern picked randomly: 

Patterns: Just Lines (Jane McKugler) in focus
surrounded by Pokeleaf and Pokeroot.

I like the random thing so next tile went like this:

All patterns from Tangledeck: Hexonu (Cherryl Moote)
Pip-In (Anoeska Waardenburg) and Line Dance (Alice Hendon)

And this evening´s meditation:

Patterns: Runway (Cris Letourneau) and Yah
(Emily Classon)

This is so thrilling! I never know what will happen when I pick a card from the deck, only that something will happen! All these amazing patterns deconstructed by CZT:s all over the world, is such a great inspiration! I do admire Lynn Mead´s work with all this! And I look forward to find out what every single card is bringing to me!

If you are interested you find all the tangledecks in Lynns blog (shop) and this specific deck you find here.

Inktober Calendar and DC370

This time inktober just went over the edges. It was fun to revisit patterns I have tried before, but maybe not experienced the posibilities with! Facets (Nancy Pinke) is such a pattern. Now I am going to use it more often I am sure. Fleavy (Hanny Nura) can go anywhere! And at last Pais (Mikee Huber) is also a pattern I haven´t revisited since I first tried it. So much fun to do with this!

Then it is time for an new UMT-challenge from the Diva. UMT = Use My Tangle. Laura pics a random tangle from other tanglers and this time it was a pattern from Heidi Sue, Mezzanine.

I have not seen this pattern being used before, nor have I tried it. Maybe I wouldn´t have found it if it wasn´t for this UMT-challenge! It reminds me of Abeko from Lynn Shelton Mead but different. Easy to learn and fun to do. Mezzanine worked nicely with Onion Drops (Shasta Garcia). I tried it on a selfcut zendala (!) on the cardstock I have been using for a while. To cut out a zendala is not easy for me but I got some ideas about how to do it from my friend Susan Kelley Pundt. First I traced around a circle I have cut in thinner paper (zendalasize) with my circlecutter. I used a Sakura pen, well used and almost dried out for the tracing part. Then a pair of scissors (sharp one) and cut it as neat as I could. The last step was to use sandpaper around the edge, very lightly.

For the string I used my youngest son´s name, Erik. Almost invisible, but I draw it on white paper first so here it is:

To use a name on a zendala as a string is fun. It is also such a pleasant way to keep someone in focus involving a lot of warm thoughts! 

IAST 261

There are strings and strings. This week´s challenge from Adele Bruno offered a string I do like a lot! A string with straight lines as well as a beautiful curve. So here is my entry:

I used the cardstock I got from my printing friend and I like the surface more each time I use it. The patterns are 3 Loops 6 (Mina Hsiao) and Hexonu (Cherryl Moote). I have tried 3 Loops 6 once before, but as I almost forgot about it I am so happy that Adele reminded me about this pattern!

IAST 256

IAST 256 is all about Ria Matheussen´s patterns and doing it in a round.I have tried Hexa once before, Horti and Mazorito are new to me. I like them all but Mazorito is a tangle I took to my heart at once!

This is the way it went. I made Hexa in a wonky way and I liked the way it comunicates with the rest on this zendala. Thank you Ria for sharing your most interesting patterns! I will get back to them all I belive! 

16th-18th of July and IAST 252

The summertangles continues with Dillo (Lori Manoogian), a day for a Gem in company with a lot of stuff and then XYP (Zt) with Cubic (Karl Stewart) and Cubine (Zt). About the Gem. I seldom draw gems, though I find them quite interesting and relaxing to draw. I also find them meditative. But they are dominant and easily takes the focus from the rest of the drawing. Here with my gem the other patterns drawn are Meer, Tagh, Tipple, some baby Mookas (all Zt), Cruffle (Sandy Hunter) and LZ´s (mine).

IAST 252 was somewhat different this time. We should use Deeday (Angie Gistles) in a simple grid-string and then use this pattern also as a string. Here is what I came up with:

First I want to say that Deeday is an interesting pattern/fragment in itself worth exploring so I think I will go on with that further on. But here I used it as a string too and the patterns added are. Purk, Printemps, Striping (all Zt) an Zenplosion (Danny O´Brian). I made it on a tan tile, not original, but this surface is quite good to work on too.

Today I also finished a zentangle-inspired painting made in mixed-media. The heat outdoors makes me live in my cool studio which means I am very happy!!!

The pattern showing up in this painting is my latest favourite: Gottago (Lianne Woods). 

IAST 248 and 20th-24th of June

IAST 248 was challenging for me! A monotangle with Drupe. No it is not the monotangling. But to get it into the string! Not very long ago Imade friends with Drupe. This tangle has its own life and it can be very beautiful! But it is also one of those that doesn´t want to go with any string. So here it is as it went.  It was fun to do it! Thank´s Adele for this challenge!

As we have celebrated midsummer here in Dalarna Sweden, there hasn´t been much time for tangling. Midsummer is very special here where I live so it is just to go with the flow!

But here comes my calendarpages:

19th-21st I played with Lynn Shelton Mead´s Zentwining. It was fun and relaxing! An other way of  using the string and ribbons!

22nd-24th I started with the Drupe to get in the mood to make the IAST challenge! Beadlines followed, Arukas, Jonqual and then Nik (Bunny Wright) and Purdy, Margaret Bremner´s new tangle. I was happy with this page, it just draw itself!

I am the Diva´s challenge for Amanda Day - Earth Day

This challenge is all about recycling which I do as soon as I get the possibility to do! Watch Laura´s video here. Here is my work on a recycled wine-box:

I cut the tile simply with my siccors as Laura did.

Here is the result! The "sun" is Caracole (lily Moon Luna) filled with fragments and Tagh. The "sunbeams" are filled with Dorsal (mine). 

10th-12th of April and a tile for Cris

Amphora (Lily Moon) for three days. This is a beautiful tangle that I use now and then. It can take many shapes! 

Recently Cris Letourneau CZT, artist and author has been affected hardly as her husband died in a fire that totally destroyed their home. Cris and her daughter Alexa are safe since they were not at home that nigt. In the group Today´s Tangles were Cris is a member, Sandy asked us to make tiles, send them to her and she will send the package to Cris for comfort and support. Here is my tile for her, now on its way by mail.

The patterns are Flukes, Ing, `NZeppel and Peace Petals (Sandy Kelley-Jones). 

Duo-colored surface and rescue tile part 2

One more round to gowith the duo-colored surface, since there was one more tile left out of the first one! Here it is:

I realize I should have taken a before-pic before I cut the tile in parts with the tan tile. I didn´t. If the first one was fun to do, this one was even more! I used Fragment Y4 (from Zentangle Primer; very useful fragment), Eye-Wa (Zt), Florz(Zt) and Knightsbridge (Zt). It is so satisfying to rescue tiles and give them a new life! I also put the two tiles together to see if something happened here:

And yes they can match eachother. Not a perfect match maybe, but good enough! This is a wonderful technique, learned from the Project Pac 2, which was a part of #12DaysofZentangle! I´ll find out a way to use this working with my other collages.

16th-18th of January and Diva challenge continued!

I like the idea of using the calendar as a resource. I continued using Lori Byerly´s patterns for the last three days: 3 To Go, Bublz, Abakus, Flip Flop, Paki and Off Key. I find these pattern so interesting, because they are all individuals, all very special, easy to learn and very relaxing to do. I love them.

I couldn´t keep my hands off going further with the Diva´s challenge. So here is my process for the next one:

My pencil-sharpener, the lid of my Bijou-box, and my scissors. Here is the finished tile on tan surface:

Patterns: Chain Gain (Aleesha Sattva), Organic (Sayantika Ray), Irradial (Tomàs Padrós), Shiraz (Linda Farmer), Tipple and Striping. Hm. Couldn´t help smiling as I saw the face!

The Diva´s challenge 346 and one more take on Christmas

The first challenge for 2018 from the Diva is a Duotangle with two wonderful patterns: Phicops (BRad) and Huggins (Zt). Who can resist this? I made my tile on a tan surface, not original rennaisance but almost the same color.

Maybe there is too much space to the right of the tile, but I kind of like the way it turned out.

I had to do  more on Bijou duo-colored (Twelve-days-of-zentangle, day nine) to get something to play with: 

The one to the left: Shnek (Hanny Nura) and the one to the right: Ginili (Randi Wynne-Parry).

And together:

The fun is to move them around and get new shapes and pics! I loved this technique! 

Adventure with Toodles and 12 days of Zentangle

I have revisited my old working place at school the last three weeks. I am retired but sometimes I luckily get the question if I can do some more working, meeting my old students. I appreciate every occasion I am able to do this. During this period Toodles was released from Zentangle. Couldn´t resist presenting Toodles for the students. They watched the video from Rick and Maria and then we went to work on it. We had so much fun and I want to show you some of the artwork they did. With their permission ofcourse!

They all look very different and unique. And we had a joyful time together!

Late the same evening I couldn´t stop myself I had to do one more for Twelve Days of Zentangle Day Six. Here it is:

Now they all have their Christmas holiday and I am preparing my own christmas here at home. What could be better than take a break, watching one more video an tangle? Lucky for me I had got one prestrung zendala from Ela Rieger, a couple of month ago! And it was a tan zendala. Exactly what I needed for Day Seven video!

Mostly when I do a zendala it takes a lot of time to finish it. But doing it this way with auras it didn´t take long at all! So relaxing and very simple to do! Loved it!

Striping with a Twist

As Margaret Bremner made her "Striping with a twist" she brought the tanglepattern "Striping" (official pattern from the Zentangle headquarter) to a new level. Many of us wanted to try this and so did I. Now this is the focustangle in Square One. Striping with a Twist. As a tangler you want to add something personal when tangling. Striping is one of those patterns I find difficult to add a personal Twist. It doesn´t bother me though, I use the Striping now and then and love it. But to take over another tanglers personal twist is even harder I think, without just being a copycat! This time I made it on a Rennaisance-tile:

The other patterns used are Sez (Zt) and Pixiose (Margaret Bremner). I also tried to practice some Tranzending on this. Somehow it just happened. I didn´t care about the outcome, I just enjoyed the process (which I am not sure I did when I tried Striping with a twist last time)and to be in the "zone". All of a sudden I had a great time, and fun too! 

Sunday - Zendaladay

Yesterday I tried to learn the tangleation of Well called Well Well Well! I watched the video Maria and Rick posted on Zentangle Mosaic several times and it looked so fun and relaxing. I did it in my calendar earlier... Here is my first tile:

I had some fun with it but I really felt like I wanted to do it on a Zendala! So today was my partytime with it and I did enjoy it a lot! There are many possible ways to play with this pattern Well! This is just the beginning!

Evoke joined and some Beadlines. And something else. I love to work on the Zendala. Most of all right now on a Rennaisance-Zendala!

Cozy tangling for the Diva´s challenge

The last guestblogger for the season at the Diva´s challenge are Juliette Fiessinger and Kellie Fellinge. Read about the challenge here. I am not sure I have got this right. We are supposed to use cozy tangles for the change of season. I listened to their podcast and decided to use one of my ECO-print tiles.

I am surprised myself how many tangles that appeared in this tile. It was meditative though. As a string I used the print underneath. Another surprise was that there actually came out a heartshape! No it wasn´t planned. Not the tangles either. I just tried to stay in that feeling I got from the podcast. The tangles are: Featherfall (Carole Ohl),Tipple, Ennies, Static, Diva Dance, Evoke and Hollibaugh. Except Featherfall, all are zentangles.

Something borrowed, something blue - IAST 204

Next part of IAST-challenge with weddingtheme. I found this string tricky! Check back on the link above, and then you might understand what I mean!

At last I decided to try it on a rennaisance-tile. Something blue is my version of Suzanne McNeill´s Blue Bonnet. The borrowed pattern is B´Tweed a zentangle original pattern. This is what I love about string: the result will be a surprise almost every time! I would never have done this in this way if it had not been for the string! The string thing is one of the challenges I always want to get back to, because the string keeps me from planning and the only decision I have to make is where to start! The blue tones in this one are made with pastelpencils, the rest is White charcoal, graphite and micron.

Zendala-time

Today it was my Zendala-time. I needed to take my time doing it. The Zendala is like a dance in slowmotion. It takes time. And it is an effort to stay focused longer than it takes to work on an ordinary tile.

In fact it was the recent pattern, C-view, from Ria Matheussen that pushed me into this. The other patterns are Camread (Susan Yeo and her Malaysian friends), Crescentmoon, Fescu with auras, and Printemps.

I started with a dot in the centre and then I made a string with my pencil, very lightly. I also made a circle to be able to do an even frame. I like to draw in a circle a lot. I do. The result is always interesting. I don´t want to use rulers. I don´t want to use tools as I draw a zendala. I have tried to use templates, there are a lot of them to be found searching the net. Right now I prefer not to use them. Don´t ask me why, I don´t have a good answer.

Drawing this, trying to stay focused, I find it very peaceful. Yes. I loved to do it!

  

Hearts 4 G - new pattern!

My oldest son, Gunnar, had his birthday yesterday. He is now 36 years old! I can´t belive time has passed that fast! I still remember everything about holding him the first time in life! Yesterday I concentrated my thoughts on him and then this pattern appeard on the paper. I decided to make it for him and draw it on a rennaisance tile. I don´t know what he will think about it, but he is coming here thursday next week and than I´ll know!

The other patterns here are Showgirl (Vicki Bassett), Apacore (Lori Manoogian), Tipple (Zt) and Maze (Zt). Well yes, it is a heart-tangle and there might be patterns like this around. I haven´t done any pattern using hearts before and this is quite whimsical. First I wasn´t sure to even call it a pattern, but sleeping on it I decided to name it and use it. The hearts are drawn close to eachother and drawn in a way that makes them fit in closely.

Next to do was to make step-out. And try it on a regular white tile.

Here it is with Papz (mine), Paizel (Angie Vangalis) and Cheesecloth (Suzanne Mc Neill).

Finally here are the step-outs:

This pic is scanned to get the ultimate sharpness, but the color 
is not right. The white is too white and the backgroundcolor should be like in the photo of the rennaisance-tile above.

If you like this pattern, let me know! You are of course free to use this pattern as you please!