Good Things Come in Small Packages

I am loving the new addition to the Zentangle® family--Bijou!  In addition to his lovely story, he offers a fun tin of tiny tiles.  They are 2 inch squares of the same paper as the larger tiles, and they are so fun to play with!  They're great for monotangles, creating a smaller reproduction of a larger tile, letters, and more.

I especially love Bijou's reminders to slow down, breathe, and relax.  I've been feeling a little stressed this week, and I really need a kind little snail on my shoulder to remind me about these simple things I can do to improve my life and my art.

For this week's Diva challenge, I created a mini mosaic Zendala with four Bijou tiles.  I lined them up and then loosely drew a Zendala design.  I didn't grab a ruler or stencils.  I breathed and let the shapes form.  It's okay that they don't all line up perfectly.  It was quite freeing to just guess where a line might go and to let it evolve as it did.  I pictured Bijou gliding across my tiles, changing his mind slightly, then wiggling back on his original course when my pen skipped a bit.  Pens, like snails, don't always follow a straight path, right?

I enjoyed filling in my shapes with different tangles and adding some shading.  The process was relaxing and inspiring.  I realized that I never color the tadpole-like blobs in Ennies and thought I'd see how they came out.  I really like the contrast of the bold shapes against the gentle orbs in the center.

Thanks, Bijou, for reminding me to take a little break for myself.  I needed it.