To Not Fitting In

This week's Diva challenge by guest blogger, Elisa Murphy, CZT, really spoke to me.

She wrote about the worries and joys of not fitting in.  I had immediate flashbacks to my middle school and high school life when I, too, did not fit in.  I was voted "most unique" in my senior yearbook because I didn't buck the system; I went to another galaxy, found their system, and bucked that one too.  I was the crazy metal chick in a sea of preppies.  I took every '80s fad to the Nth degree.  When neon was in, the kids turned off the lights to see which parts of me would glow.  When spandex was in, I rocked it like a hurricane (please tell me my fellow glam rockers got the reference).  When it was time to feather my hair, I teased and waged war with my curls for hours until they succumbed to a swooshlike backwards wave.  I defended students' rights to wear ripped jeans to the Vice Principal.  I did all of these things simultaneously, ironically, and happily.  I loved my style at a cost.

I sought to be popular but just wasn't that kid.  I looked different and thought differently.  I embraced my uniqueness but struggled like most new-to-hormones pre-teens do.  It's hard to be one of the herd when you're the spandex-rocking, jelly-bracelet-covered, blazing neon sheep.  Even the coyotes are afraid of you.

Over time, I tamed my ways (damn boring '90s).  I settled into a great adult life with my family and friends.  I learned that I can be who I want, quirks and all.  I don't need anyone's approval; I can fit in with me!

'Nzeppel is a favorite tangle of mine.  Elisa picked it because it is a weird tangle that doesn't quite fit in.  Sometimes it's a grid, and sometimes it's random.  It can fit into any shape or flow on its own.  

For this challenge, I decided to try my hand at the new overlapping technique, Tranzending, on a Renaissance tile.  'Nzeppel and Flux can be misfits together.

Thanks for the trip down wacky memory lane, Elisa.  I laughed at the store the other night when I saw the '80s influences--ripped jeans, studs, and open shoulders.  I wasn't a misfit.  I was just ahead of my time.  Rock on, tanglers!

Tile by Emily Classon, CZT, MomZenArtist.

Flurries

Winter in New England is always weather mystery.  We can have a mild winter or one that ranges from deep coldness to mountains of snow.  One day can be freezing cold; the next day might be 60 degrees.  One of the things I love about living in this area is the fluctuation and variety.  Our weather is creative!

Speaking of creative, I'm having so much fun creating these Lynn Mead-inspired snowflakes!  this one was done on a Renaissance tile.  I love how the shading and highlights make the flake pop.

The Renaissance Reveal

I had the pleasure of teaching a fantastic Renaissance Zentangle® class recently.

We tangled our first tile with some familiar and new patterns exploring the use of black and brown Micron pens.  I asked everyone to look at the tangled tile, and I noticed they weren't quite impressed… yet.

Then the magic started to happen.  As each student applied shading, highlights, and colored contour, the tiles transported us back to the Renaissance days of chiaroscuro art.  The tiles came to life filled with vibrant texture all created by different pencils.  The room filled with oohs and aahs!  I am still in love with the Renaissance tiles for this very reason.

I think the tiles make it easier to begin to play with color in a way that is warm and comforting without needing 100 colored pencils, although that is wonderfully fun too.  I love how these tiles pop with just a little added highlight.  It becomes fun to adorn tangles and to see how dramatic the tiles can become.

Check out the amazing tiles that everyone created:

February is for Love

I had the great privilege of teaching a class at the Hamilton-Wenham Library near Valentine's Day.  It was a lovely evening of tangling.  We had the goal of finding some creativity and relaxation despite the wintery mess we have had in the area lately.  I think we did a great job accomplishing our goal.

Everyone created a stunning tile!  I am impressed by the amazing job they did.

Here is my sample piece I created on a Renaissance tile for the night:

Since the class, I have heard from six participants who professed their love for Zentangle®.  I love when people find a new passion especially when I get to be part of that discovery.  It touches my heart to help someone uncover his or her inner artist through the Zentangle method.  Each of the women has continued to learn more, seek out new books, and ask questions.  One was kind enough to share her beautiful ZIA (Zentangle-inspired artwork) of a tangled heart.  I only taught a few of these tangles in our class together.  :-)  I hope they will all continue on a wonderfully relaxing and creative journey through the Zentangle method.

Tangled heart by Linda Ashley

Insane for Renaissance

If Einstein's line about insanity (expecting different results from doing the same thing repeatedly) is true, then I am insane for Renaissance tiles.

I love the variety and depth these Zentangle® tiles provide. It is wonderfully fun to use different pens and pencils to achieve such interesting and vintage looking pieces. 

I've always been inspired by the art of Dr. Meredith Yuhas, CZT. Some of her recent Renaissance work inspired these in me:

Ready for Renaissance

I think I am in love.

Okay, I know I'm in love with my husband, our daughter, tangling, and many things, but I think I have found a new love.  When Zentangle® first came out with the Renaissance tiles, I wasn't too sure about them.  I found the paper a bit less enjoyable than the white tiles and wasn't as excited about my early attempts.  Of course, that didn't stop me!

I've been playing with color and shading more, thanks to classes from fellow CZTs, and I have been enjoying trying things in different ways.  Now I am loving the Renaissance tiles.  I like how I can take patterns that I've used for years and make them look completely different with a little boost of color.  I think the combination of black, brown, and white create an interesting depth and richness in the piece.  It is fun to play with shadows and highlights through colored pencils, and I get to play with my beloved Prismacolor pencils more too!

I've added a couple of tiles I created recently to get ready for my class in January 2015.  If you're local, I hope you'll come see how fun these tiles can be.  It's a great way to start playing with color for anyone who is interested in dabbling.  

Thanks for Supporting Tangle-A-Thon 2014

It's been a blur since Tangle-A-Thon 2014!  We had a wonderful day filled with creativity and fun all while helping others.  A lovely group of CZTs and fellow tanglers gathered to create several interesting projects together at Lowell General Hospital.

The group raised over $1,500 to benefit TeamWalk for CancerCare at Lowell General Hospital.  I was thrilled with the generous contributions that everyone made to support this event.

I would love to extend a special thank you to CZT Teresa Hathaway for her support in brainstorming projects for the special day and teaching some fun mini lessons.  Terry taught interesting border patterns and the beautiful Stella by Jana Rogers on seasonal spiders.  Check out this beauty by fellow CZT, and my former student, Suzanne Crisafi.

Tangled spider by Suzanne Crisafi, CZT

Next everyone worked on different make-and-take projects including a cute Bijou envelope and pull-out card taught by Terry.  

After lunch, I gave demonstrations of blown ink strings.

Blown ink string sample by Emily Classon, CZT

Blown ink string Renaissance tile by Emily Classon, CZT

For our final lesson of the day, we explored some patterns, including a variety of flowing or botanical ones, for some peekaboo cards.  Here are a few samples I created for the lesson:

Peekaboo card by Emily Classon, CZT

Peekaboo card by Emily Classon, CZT

I would also like to thank all of our wonderful artists and CZTs for their generous prize contributions.    We received amazing prizes from the following:

• Emily Classon, CZT, MomZenArtist
• Sandy Steen Bartholomew, CZT, Beez in the Belfry
• Sue Jacobs, CZT, Sue's Tangle Trips
• Marizaan van Beek, CZT
• Karen Izzi, CZT, The Peaceful Healer
• Cris Letourneau, CZT, Tangled Up in Art
• Genevieve Crabe, CZT, Tangle Harmony
• Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, Zentangle®
• Chris Titus, CZT
• Sakura of America
• Kate Lamontagne, CZT, Kamala Boutique
• Terry Hathaway, CZT, Terry's Tangles
• Jean Theurkauf, CZT, Art of the Tangle
• Susan Nutting, CZT
• Wendy Brown, CZT, Let's Go Tangle
• TeamWalk for CancerCare

Thank you all for your support and for making Tangle-A-Thon 2014 such a success!

Boogie Woogie Bugles

I love the UMT (Use My Tangle) challenges when the Diva poses them.  It's fun to play with new patterns created by fellow tanglers.  This week, we are asked to test out bugles by Joyce Evans.  It's a pattern that goes together fairly easily and looks like it has a lot of possibilities for tangleations.  You could made the initial bean shapes small or large, this altering the size of your bugle cones.  Then there are all the filler options for the cone and/or the negative spaces in between.

I grabbed a Renaissance Zentangle® tile and started with a wide border.  I wanted to try Bugles as a border.  I didn't worry about where they would meet in the corner and just worked on one side at a time.  I visualized the pattern a little and chose to do one central stack of Bugles.  I left the pattern unfilled while I worked on the rest of the tile because I wanted to see if an idea spoke to me.  

Next I worked inward.  I created a bit of a crescent moon border that immediately made me want to use Tripoli.  That's a big deal for me!  Tripoli is one of those patterns that often makes me cringe.  Patterns that I think look better with a little more precision sometimes stress me out a bit.  If a pattern causes me stress, I immediately avoid it in favor of anything that helps to promote and continue my relaxing artistic journey.

I have to say I'm pleased with how Tripoli came out.  After a training by Zentangle's Molly Hollibaugh, I am no longer afraid of Tripoli.  Her suggestion of creating a triangle, then adding an aura of one line really worked for me.  I just built one triangle at a time not worrying about if they stayed the same size or got a bit wonky at times.  Collectively, I knew that all of the triangles would pull together as a great team.

I decided to finish up with an inner aura in the negative spaces of Bugles to carry the Tripoli feel a bit further.  I love how even a new pattern can call to mind other patterns.  It's like books and movies--there are no new plots.  Everything is just an exciting new reinterpretation of another creation.  I love how patterns evolve and morph enough to become something new while being reminiscent of something else.  It shows how universal patterns are and how we all have similar yet different views of the world.  I find it rather comforting to think of everyone having a similar exposure to shapes and patterns.  We may speak different languages, but we all have fundamental exposure and experience with shapes.  

I ended with some shading to recess the Tripoli area and to highlight the central border.  I used an Irojiten colored pencil that closely matched the brown Micron pen.  I love playing with blacks and browns (and often whites) on these tiles.

And the Rain, Rain, Rain Fell Down, Down, Down.

Since my life is a Disney movie, I must quote a favorite song from Winnie the Pooh in my title.

This week's Diva challenge was an easy one for me--playing with the official Zentangle® pattern Rain.  I like this pattern and think it can be a good one for tangleations or variations.  The construction is fairly easy, and it's a wonderful way to relax with some very simple auras and lines.

I picked up my tile and immediately pictured a Rain-styled border.  I drew the structure but didn't fill in the triangular shapes until I saw how the rest of my tile developed.  I then knew I had to draw one of my favorite patterns, which starts out with a mini Rain, Cat-Kin by Mimi Lempart, CZT.  Next I filled in some big pearls in my border and loved how those came out!

I think I should have stopped there.  I'm not always good at knowing when a piece is done.  I know it doesn't matter as long as I am having fun and enjoying my sense of relaxed focus and creativity.  I think I got hung up on the fact that I was using a Renaissance Zentangle® tile and thought I should manage to fit some brown in too.  There are no rules, Emily!  After drawing my first brown background line, I knew I'd taken it one line too far for my taste.  I was having fun exploring, so I kept going (that's a good thing!).  I added more skinny Rain and filled the centers with tiny lines.  Still not knowing when enough was enough, I thought it needed more contrast and added some white Rain bolts without the aura since the white pen was thick enough.

I think the piece is interesting, but I still wish I had trusted my instinct to stick to the border and Cat-Kin.  Maybe I could have created an inner border with Rain in the brown pen to satisfy my idea that the Renaissance tile had to have brown.  To quote my daughter, I was just being silly.

I sometimes have to remind myself to let the rain wash over my preconceived notions sometimes and just let the tile take me where it wants to go.  Or when I do let it take me, like in this tile, I hope I can  remember to enjoy the journey even if my ideas get a little wet along the way.

I Got It!

Even CZTs struggle with patterns sometimes.  After years of tangling and creating countless tiles and ZIAs, I find myself stuck on occasion.  It's not surprising since I continue to learn new techniques, tangle patterns, and ways of exploring my favorite art form.

Enter Quandary.

I have built up a mental block about this pattern and have struggled with it ever since it was released by Zentangle®.  Every time I created it, I'd start out okay, and then my orzo shapes would get all wonky and not line up.  I know, I know, there are no mistakes in Zentangle art.  True, but when a pattern causes me frustration, it becomes a barrier to my creating and enjoyment of the process.  I'm willing to put in effort to make a pattern work for me up to a point.  If I start to get frustrated, I put it aside and come back to try again another time when I'm up to it.  Sometimes it can take a while... like with Quandary.

The Diva posed a real quandary for me this week.  The challenge was to use Quandary in a piece.  I guess if the Diva asked me to use the dreaded pattern, I would try.  I know it's good for me.

I once again practiced the pattern in my Tangle-A-Day calendar first to get a feel for the motion.  I tried creating the triangular seeds in different ways.  I used the Diva's recommendation of creating a single seed first then building out.  That produced better results than usual for me but still didn't feel right.  For me, this pattern is tricky because it seems like the orzo shapes have to line up and be the same length to get the pattern to work.  Of course, it doesn't really matter if they line up.  Collectively, the pattern works beautifully and looks so interesting, but I still wanted to find a way to make it work that felt comfortable to me.

Next I built a six-petaled flower in the center, added the outer ring, then built triangles from there.  I think it looked pretty similar to the first one with more of a gap in between the shapes.

My favorite attempt had the triangular shapes touching at the points.  This seems to be the most consistent and least frustrating way for me to explore this pattern.  So, I think I'll stick with this way for a while.

I think it's wonderful that we get to make tangle patterns our own.  Sometimes the step outs just don't work for me or for my hand, or I build up a mental resistance to the pattern formation for some reason.  I love being able to make a minor alteration to make a pattern work for me.  It's not about doing it the "right" way; it's about doing it in a way that provides me with relaxation, an enhanced sense of focus, and the joy of creating something handmade and unique.  If I have to tweak a pattern to achieve those goals, I think it's worth it.

Here is my tile in response to the Diva challenge.  I used one of the lovely Renaissance tiles with black and brown Microns, white colored pencil for highlights, and woodless graphite pencil for shading.

I started with the brown Quandary in the center panel.  I built my triangles touching each other and was pleased with the result.  I added little circles where some lines didn't quite meet in the center.  Next, I expanded the shapes on the right to form larger seeds.  I created an inner triangular aura with circles to give a different feel along with some heavy shading.  On the far left, I built my seeds in a different way. I created bulbous triangles thinking I'd do a variation of Tripoli.  When I added interior shapes similar to Bales, I noticed that I ended up creating Quandary in a different way.  It looked almost exactly like the center section so I thought it would be fun to fill it in with black and a brown inner triangle.  I can't believe how many ways I explored to make the same pattern!

I can honestly say that I had a great time working on this tile and that I enjoyed exploring Quandary in a way that worked for me.  I think I'll have to keep it up.

If you're struggling with a pattern, maybe you just need to find a way to make it work for you.  Hmm, does that logic apply to other problems in life too?