Blind Tangling

After this week's Diva challenge featuring a blind string, I decided to try a blind tile.  I looked away from my tile, and tangled.  It was freeing in some ways because I didn't have to care how it looked, and I could focus on the process.  Then again, I really missed watching my design evolve and looking for shapes that called out for a particular tangle pattern (triangle and Paradox, etc.).

Overall, I'm somewhat impressed by my blind Paradox attempt.  Everything is fairly disjointed because I had a vague sense of where I had tangled already so they look like seperate designs.

If you haven't tried doing a blind string or blind tangling, I encourage you to try it.  For CZTs, it might be a good reminder for how it feels to be a beginner learning the Zentangle® method.

Let me know how your blind tangling experiment goes.  :-)

Blind tangle experiment.

Diva challenge 84

This is my first time posting for a Diva challenge!  This week's challenge was to create a blind string and just go with it.

Here's my blind string:

Here's the finished product.  I am actually quite excited by this one!

I've been thinking it would be interesting to do a blind tile--not just a blind string.  If it's about the process and not necessarily the product, it should work.  Granted, it would be a pretty messy tile, but it would be interesting to see if it would be freeing to not have to think about which tangle fits into a specific spot.  Maybe I'll try that next.

From a different pen

I've mostly been doing traditional Zentangle art--black on a white tile.  At my CZT training, I started to play with some variations with surprising results.  I started these tiles at the training but didn't finish them until yesterday.

Here's my first white on black tile.  I absolutely love the shading and highlighting effect the Gelly Roll pen has, although I missed the feel of the Micron.  I didn't think the lines were as sharp, but the pen was also a bit more forgiving in that the first stroke was often lighter.

Next I played with my green Micron on a white tile.  This had some fun effects too especially once I shaded.  I think Fengle is going to be one of my new favorite tangles!

Ok, this one isn't a different color, but it was also started during my training and finished when I got home.  I learned Betweed at the training and love how Mooka fit right into the center ribs so it looks like the fronds just curl right from the center.

Tiles for lunch?

I was looking for a way to store my completed Zentangle® tiles so they'd stay nice but still be easy to find.  As I dug through my scrapbooking supplies, I found a mini lunchbox that I'd never gotten around to using.  I figured I could try to tangle it, and it worked.  The project didn't take that long.  I used an extra fine Sharpie.  I tied a bunch of black and white ribbons on top for extra fun.

Getting into a good head space

I'm experimenting with creating a Zentangle® tile or ZIA (Zentangle inspired artwork) before I go to work each day or if I arrive to work early.  I'm hoping that this process will help me get into a good place before or after my commute.  I'm usually pretty good about letting a bad drive or a rough night go once I walk through the door, but I thought that using the Zentangle method would make it easier to do.

Here's my first project before work on 8/23/12.  I had a very busy day, but I felt great the whole time and didn't feel stressed despite how much work I had.  I'm chalking it up to the tile, but who knows?  :-)

My New Tangle: WGT

At my CZT training, Rick and Maria asked us to find something in the hotel for inspiration for a new tangle pattern.  We were to deconstruct the item into individual parts.


After looking at a variety of beautiful picture frames, carpets, fabrics, and wood items, I was still at a loss for a pattern that I wanted to turn into a tangle.  When I went back to my hotel room, I saw an item that inspired this tangle, WGT (weight):

The item reminded me of a globe.

Next it evoked the idea of Atlas with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Basically, the item reminded me of weight since it was a ....

bathroom scale!

I'm a CZT!

It was an honor to attend the ninth Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) training in August 2012 with Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.  My love of Zentangle® grew even greater after hearing inspirational stories, helpful tips, and expert instruction from Rick and Maria.

It's official!