Happy 200 to the Diva

Our beloved Diva reached a huge milestone this week--her 200th challenge!  We were invited to create a monotangle with one of our go-to tangles.

I immediately started adding Flux leaves in the center, randomly building outward. I used to not like Flux because I hadn't found my groove with it. Surprisingly, while teaching the pattern in a class, I admired how my friend and student interpreted the leafy shape. Ever since, I have created my Flux like she did--a looser, more leaf or teardrop shape than a comma shape. A new love was born. 

I especially love drawing Flux as a flower or in random spurts with a string. I enjoy letting the petals float, swim, or bloom in various directions. 

It only seemed fitting to think about inspiration for this challenge. I hope that I inspire others when I teach. I am always fascinated by how inspired I am with each of my students. 

Happy 200th, Laura!  Thank you for inspiring us all!

I couldn't stop myself after this one and created a couple of colorful Flux flower ATCs too.  I think I'll be sending these to some of my CZT friends.  

Never Give Up

I've learned that I should never give up on a piece even if I don't like it in the beginning.  One of the joys of the Zentangle® Method is not knowing the end result.  It's an exciting journey to see where your artistic muse will take you.

I try to be open to the process and just create, but sometimes, I feel a bit stuck.  When that happens, I immediately put the piece aside so I don't become bogged down with frustration.  I pick up another tile or paper and start again so I keep the creativity flowing.  I'm always pleasantly surprised when I pick up the piece I had cast aside and I find new inspiration to keep going.  I look back on those pieces fondly because I remember that I need to have a little bit of patience--with myself and with my art.

Since the Diva's challenge using the new official Zentangle® pattern Aquafleur, I've been playing with that a lot too.  This swap is to create a deck of cards, and I toyed with drawing the card suits.  I drew the shamrock/club outline but didn't like how it came out.  I put that ATC aside for a while until I figured out what I wanted to do with it.  I decided it was perfect for some Aquafleur and was thrilled with the end result.

Many of the ATCs I've been working on for my swap have been monotangles, or pieces using primarily one pattern.  Once I discovered the pattern Wheelz by fellow CZT Joyce Block, I had to make several!  I love this pattern and how easy it is to create.  It's a fun, flowing pattern that can fill a variety of spaces.  I enjoyed playing with red and black on these ATCs.

Playing with Patterns

Do you enjoy playing with tangle patterns?

I love challenging myself to try different patterns.  Sometimes I can get stuck on a handful of favorites, and I enjoy mixing things up and trying new things.  I never know when I'll find a new favorite!

I've been playing with a variety of patterns referenced on TanglePatterns.com or the Diva Challenge.

Last week, the Diva asked us to play with the pattern Jailed Johnny by fellow CZT Sadelle Wiltshire. I'm finally getting around to posting my response to this challenge.

Here is an ATC with a variation of the pattern.  I played with it in my Tangle-A-Day calendar and found that I enjoyed using the pattern in a band or border.  It was fun to alternate the heart shapes.

This is a timely pattern for Valentine's Day too.

I Think I Can

Like the Little Engine That Could, I'm thinking I can stick with my New Year's Resolution of creating art every day!  My Tangle-A-Day calendar is a big help in that regard.  My 2013 calendar was abandoned very early on and ended up being a random sketchbook rather than a daily artistic journey.  Not this year!  I'm having a wonderful time playing each day while working on other projects too.

After last week's Diva challenge, I felt inspired to keep playing with Aquafleur.  Here is a stack bursting out of the page.  I love how this one came out.

Here's the beginning of February.  I was playing with different strings and patterns.

I have to figure out a better way to get this calendar to scan so the shading comes out right.  The color is all off no matter what I tweak.  I hope you get the idea.

One Little Word

This week's Diva challenge asked us to think about one word for the year. This word can be a motto, inspiration, or focus.

I thought about where I'm at in my life and what I'm looking forward to in the near future.  I have had a lot of changes recently, including leaving my job, and I'm still happily adjusting to my new life.

My word for 2014 will be:

I choose to embrace my life, my new adventure, and everything that comes along with it.

One of the reasons I left my job was to be happier, healthier, and to be able to live each day with the Zentangle mindset.  I am embracing my choice and my efforts toward a more mindful life with less stress.  I truly believe the Zentangle motto that "Anything is possible, one stroke at a time," and I embrace living positively and reducing the negativity in my immediate world.

I embrace my loved ones often, now that I have more time to do so.  I am approaching each new day I have with my daughter with excitement, energy, and the knowledge that each second with her is precious.  Okay, maybe the frustrating ones aren't always as high on that list, but I still treasure even those and our time together.  We are both happier, and I know that my being less stressed is helping my entire family.

I will embrace laughter, fun, and spending time with the people who mean the most to me.  I had been too busy and sometimes forgot to enjoy the little things.

I embrace my art, although sometimes I let the craziness of the world interfere with my passion for creating.  My New Year's resolution is going well; I am embracing a challenge to create art each day.  I love this challenge and the fact that I have given myself an assignment that inspires and motivates me.

For this challenge, I trusted myself to play with my lettering and a single pattern--Mooka.  In the past, Mooka posed a challenge for me; now it's one of my favorite patterns!  I embrace my art for what it is.

I embrace a healthy lifestyle.  In the last year, I have lost thirty pounds by changing my entire diet.  I am calmer due to my regular Zentangle practice, eating differently, and reducing the stress in my life. I will continue to devote my energy to these things that have made me successful and a better person.

I embrace myself and my ability to truly be the person I want and deserve to be.  I am happy, and I embrace the understanding that that is a wonderful thing.

What is your word, motto, or guiding force for 2014?

Lucky 13

I am loving this ATC swap!  Here are three more I created this week.  I have completed 13 out of 53 and am on a roll.  I used several of my favorite patterns to complete these three pieces.

I love the two with the Twinkling H2O backgrounds and glue resists.  The greenish one is a monotangle of Paradox.  This pattern is interesting because it has different twists and turns depending on which way you form your lines.  I think the two versions look like fans and rigatoni!

The pink bubble card features the random version of 'Nzeppel.  I started with the space between the bubbles then added a magnified version of the pattern inside the circles.  I enjoy how the colored pencil shading makes the bubbles look like they're floating.  

The center tile features Cyme and Poke Leaf and some quick colored pencil.

Paradoxical

I had a blast at this month's Tangle Club with five fellow tanglers.  Everyone worked on beautiful pieces, practiced patterns, and shared ideas.  I think it's truly wonderful when creative people get together.  Inspiring things happen.

Between club sessions, I'm giving everyone a mini challenge to practice new skills or patterns.  After giving a demo of one of my favorite patterns, Paradox, I decided to make this the monthly challenge. I love how this pattern morphs from one shape to many others.  It's hard to see where the pattern starts and ends!  

Feel free to share your Paradox pieces with me too!  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

If you are interested in regular tangle challenges, I highly encourage you to visit the Diva's weekly challenge.  Laura offers a variety of amazing challenges each week to help us all stimulate and stretch our tangling minds.  They're open to all no matter how long you've been tangling!  Jump in on the current challenge, or start at the beginning.  Either way, you'll learn a lot and have a great time trying new things!

A Zinger of a Diva challenge

This week's challenge was to use the new yet old tangle pattern named tangle Zinger.  Maria often uses Zingers to enhance her Zentangle art.  They are so fun to use!  The Diva has challenged us this week to play with Zinger.

In yet another sleepless night, thanks to repeat coughing fits from this obnoxious cold, I grabbed some Microns and tangled.  Looking at Zinger. I was reminded of the pattern Indyrella and decided to combine the two.  I thought it would be fun to use a little color so I selected purple, blue, and green 01 Microns.  I started with the Zinger frame then filled in with Indyrella.  I love to do monotangles or tangos (the new term for two tangle patterns dancing together) when I'm practicing a new pattern. I find I get a lot chances to see how the pattern evolves and what feels right to me--pen hold, stroke direction, and spacing.

Here's my end result this week:

A tangled Paradox

Sometimes I get going with a particular tangle pattern and just can't stop!  It's so freeing to fill an entire space or tile with just a single pattern, otherwise known as a monotangle.  I don't have to think about what comes next!

This tile took a little while to do, but I had a great time watching how Paradox developed over the tile.  This is one of my favorite patterns.  I think it's fun but challenging to try to find the original triangles.

Have some fun trying your own monotangle with Paradox or another tangle pattern.