Learning from My Student

I love to share the Zentangle® Method with my daughter.  She enthusiastically tells everyone that she loves tangling because there are no mistakes.

Before Christmas, we went to a paint-your-own-pottery place so she could make some holiday gifts.  I felt inspired to try to tangle on one of the ornaments.  I had wanted to create Waybop but didn't have enough room and decided to try the lovely Stella instead.  The paint bottle nozzle wasn't quite as fine as I had hoped, and I thought my ornament came out too blobby.  I was about to go wash it off and start over when my daughter stopped me.

She reminded me that there are no mistakes in Zentangle and that every piece is beautiful in its own way.  She told me that her art teacher says that a true artist knows how to turn a mistake into something new.  I could hear my voice in hers as she mentored me in this moment.  I heard her teach me as I teach her about embracing opportunity, being accepting, and learning from each experience.

I didn't erase my blobby Stella and added some dots and Printemps.  I signed and dated the back.  This piece will be a lovely reminder of how much I learn from my daughter.  She teaches me to live in the moment and to appreciate everything.

We had been watching the Grinch Who Stole Christmas a lot at that time.  I think my art heart grew two sizes that day.

We went back to the pottery place around Valentine's Day to create some new projects.  I had always wanted to make this tree platter and finally found the nerve.  It's not tangly, but it was so much fun to do!  I was proud of myself for attempting something new.

Let It Snow

In November, I had the great pleasure of attending a retreat for Certified Zentangle Teachers in lovely Ogunquit, Maine.  I learned a variety of inspiring new techniques from fellow CZTs and was taken away by their creativity!  I reconnected with my tangling friends and made new ones at the fabulous Beachmere Inn.  It was a rejuvenating weekend for the body, mind, and soul.

One of my favorite new projects included techniques taught by Lynn Mead, CZT.  We explored the idea of creating open space for tangling or shading inside our tangles, convergent shading, and this stunning snowflake design.  I adored Lynn's classes and was thrilled to be able to experience her clear and inspiring teaching style.  By the way, if you'd like a fantastic tangle book for on the go, check out her Tangle Decks!

Here is the original piece that I created in Lynn's class.  It's shimmery and elegant in person; a photo doesn't do it justice.

 

I've been playing with different open snowflake designs to prepare for an upcoming winter class I'm teaching.  It's been fun to try these techniques on Opus and black Zendala tiles along with different pens and inks.  I love how the shading/coloring technique really makes the snowflakes pop.

Merry Oopsmas

I was having so much fun celebrating Christmas with my family that I completely forgot to share my cute little tangled tree with you.  Oops!  I hope I won't get coal in my stocking this year.  Since there are no mistakes with Zentangle®, maybe you'll give me a pass on this one.  Teehee.

This little tree was created on one of the fun new 3Z tiles with black, green, and red Microns and some gold and clear sparkle Gelly Rolls.  The tree was inspired by the stunning work of CZT Ann Clapper.

I hope you had a lovely holiday season and that your only tangles were art.  

Gone Crazy for Molygon

Are you loving the official new tangle, Molygon, as much as I am?

At first I wasn't sure when most of my shapes resembled banana bunches. If tangles make me hungry, it defeats the purpose of keeping me from snacking!

Then I tried Molygon as a bezel around my tangled gems and was hooked. I love how the "arms" look like robotic tentacle when done this way. Here are two Bijou tiles I made for a swap:

I've been playing with this look a lot lately. Here's a Molygon gem on an ATC for another swap:

I have been playing with some fills and expect I will decorate the bananas in my regular tangles. I just can't stop making them this way...yet!

Check out the Diva challenge this week for lots of amazing interpretations of the fun new tangle at http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/2016/02/weekly-challenge-253.html.

When We Gather

I love getting together with friends or family for any occasion.  It is fun to catch up, share what's going on, and play!  I recently had the opportunity to gather with a group of CZTs in the Massachusetts area for a little meet up.  We had a great time sharing ideas and working on different projects together.

Our first fun project was this zen ball, although I've seen it referred to by about 20 different names!  It is a lot of fun to tangle paper strips and weave them into this cool 3-D ball for decorating.  

We explored some embossing techniques and played with an exciting woven variation of Rixty by Sarah Del Mastro, CZT. 

I love getting together with friends especially when they are so creative and inspiring!

What do you like to do when you gather with others?

April Showers Bring May Tangles

It seemed seasonally appropriate to offer a My Tangled Garden class now that it is spring.  We had a lovely evening growing tangles reminiscent of vines, grasses, and blooms.  Some fluttery friends even  visited the gardens.

One of the tangles we grew was Scrolled Feather by the fabulous Heather Williams.  It is a pattern that requires a little bit of extra focus, but the end results are so worth it.

While illustrating this stunning pattern, I thought about how I approach challenging tangles.  If I see an inspiring pattern, I often sit down to try my hand at it.  Some flow from my hands easily, while some take a little bit of practice.  Scrolled Feather, though beautiful and elegant, took me a couple of tries to feel the flow.  I think that if a pattern speaks to you, it is worth it to try a little longer to make it work for you.  We all have things in life that we have had to practice until we became comfortable with them.  Like walking or riding a bike, sometimes tangling or practicing certain patterns can benefit from a little extra perseverance and focus.  The results will be worth it!

My New Pattern: Flitter

My daughter loves the Disney Fairies movies.  They are sweet, fun, colorful, and clever.  The animation is stunning to go along with the fantastic natural world of the fairies.  I enjoy the films too (I'd better since we watch them so often) and would love to think of sweet fairies helping the seasons change.

In the first movie, Tinker Bell, we learn the story of how the fairy is born and learns about her true talent.  I have always loved watching as Tinker Bell is born from a baby's first laugh.  She floats through the sky in a flower seed until she reaches Pixie Hollow, gently lands, and is magically transformed into a fairy with the help of a little Pixie Dust.  I've tried to find an image online, but the closest I can get is right after she is transformed (from The Disney Wiki).  For a feel for the beauty and a look at her seed-turned-dress, check out this video clip from Disney.

The shape of the floating seed has always captivated me.  I was tangling in my Tangle-A-Day calendar one night while watching the film with my daughter.  I started adding simple curved lines until they made a small, delicate cup.  Next I added a swan like stem with a little top to it and added some shading.

I showed my daughter, and she said, "It's Tinker Bell!"  Whenever I use this pattern, she squeals with delight that I am drawing little fairies being born.

I present the step outs for my new pattern, Flitter:

Flitter can be used as a border, a fill, or a focal tangle, depending on your piece.  I look forward to seeing what you create with my fun little pattern.  Let's channel a little fairy magic into our tangling, shall we?

This Boot is Made for Tangling

There is a fantastic group on Facebook called Ornation Creation featuring artwork created by tanglers around the world.  What makes this group special is everything features, and is inspired by, templates and art by Ben Kwok.  Ben generously provides the templates for everyone to enjoy, and the resulting art is amazing.  His templates yearn to be tangled, colored, and explored!

I have only done a few so far, although I love many of his templates.  I think I got overwhelmed thinking that I had to produce large versions of the templates.  I just realized that I can print the templates in a smaller scale to work on them in a more comfortable format or size.  I created this vintage boot in my 5x7" journal using an 005 Pigma Micron.  

It was fun to think of patterns to use in the different sections.  My scan doesn't seem to show all of the shading, which is my favorite part of this piece.  

I studied Victorian culture throughout college and read many long, obscure novels from the era.  I always joke that I could have been a Victorian in another life.  The second I saw this template, I knew I had to tangle it.  I see many tangled boots in my future.

Templates, stencils, and other tools can be a lot of fun to enhance tangling.  They can inspire creativity and encourage us to try things in new ways.  They can also introduce some additional stress.  Once I start to add other tools, I can find a little intimidation and questioning creeping into my process.  As much as I loved the boot, I found myself looking for patterns that had the shape I wanted rather than freely tangling.  I enjoyed tangling this piece and am pleased with the end result, but it wasn't quite as relaxing as if I had randomly picked patterns and let the process carry me on my creative journey.  I practiced a bit on a scrap paper first rather than letting the artwork unfold as it wants to without a preconceived idea.

Working with a template or on a specific project can move away from the intention of the Zentangle® method but can still be enjoyable.  Once I selected my tangles, I enjoyed the relaxation of tangling in small areas.  Sometimes I like working on a piece like this to push myself creatively.  

I also love knowing that I can return to the relaxing, free-flowing Zentangle® method anytime I want so I don't have to think about what comes next.  It is freeing to realize that the method is always there and only a tile away from me.  

Tangler's Block

It happens to many of us.  Tangle, tangle, tangle, block.  Either life gets in the way or we just get stuck. Sometimes it's life stress, and sometimes we can be become blocked about our tangling.

I recently taught an amazing private lesson with a talented tangler who had been feeling stuck.  She has eagerly learned many exciting techniques and patterns and has been exploring larger works in her sketchbooks.  When I visited, she had half of this page completed and kept talking about how she just couldn't finish.  She was stuck, blocked.  She didn't know where to go.  She sounded discouraged.

When tangling becomes frustrating, it's a good time to get back to basics:

• Breathe.  
• Appreciate.  
• Start small.
• Find comfort in dots and a border.
• Hug your canvas with a string.
• Embrace your personal tangle.  Start with the pattern that comes naturally to you.
• Start and enjoy.

Her piece was, in fact, stunning as it was with the portion above the center band tangled.  Throughout the lesson, I offered several options but knew that only she could choose her outcome:

1.  Accept the piece for what is and consider it finished.  White space can be fantastic in a piece!
2.  Turn the page and start again with a clean and less stressful page.
3.  Put it aside for a while and come back to it when ready to try again.
4.  Breathe and dive in by adding tangles below the border.
5.  Add string lines below the border to fill.
6.  Get back to basics by tangling on a tile to get the creative juices flowing again.

She loved what she had created and really wanted to finish the page.  I admired her determination and hoped that I could help her to get unstuck.  After our breathing exercises and playing with tiles, strings, and patterns, I think she felt freer to explore her piece.

We spent a lovely afternoon tangling, talking, and breathing.  Sometimes we just need a reminder of how wonderful this process truly can be.

I was thrilled when she wrote to me later the same day to thank me for the lesson.  She told me that I had made the process much more enjoyable for her.  Tears came to my eyes when I opened the attachment.  She had finished her piece!  In the same day she was stuck, she discovered the key to unlock her creativity and her passion.  I was proud of her and happy to have been a part of her journey.  She's even sent me additional pictures of additional pieces she has created illustrating that she is still tangling.

The amazing thing is just how much my students inspire me each and every day.

Hooray, Diane!

ZIA by Diane Gray

A New Calendar for a New Year

I had decided that since I was unable to complete my two past Tangle-A-Day calendars from Carole Ohl that I was not getting the 2015 calendar.  Then I got very sad.  I was inspired by all of the wonderful pages people were sharing on Facebook.  I also buy into the starting anew idea each year and love seeing a blank book just waiting for art.  I changed my mind and decided to buy the calendar only to see it backordered.  The Fates agreed with my original choice.  When I checked a few days later, it was in stock again and in my shopping cart.

I am having a blast with the calendar as I get caught up this month.

I think I haven't finished my previous calendars because I got caught up in trying to figure out a plan each day.  Some days were random art, and some were for testing out new-to-me patterns.  I enjoyed the calendars and still go back and fill in empty dates when I want to play.

This year, I am using each lovely block to experiment with a single pattern.  The patterns may be new or familiar to me.  It takes the guesswork out of it and makes it interesting to try new things.  By the end of the year, I'll have a lovely tangle compilation to refer back to while working on other projects too.  Here are a few pages I've enjoyed doing so far:

I tried a few border-style tangles on this page.  Nautica was a fun one with a lot of variety. 

I love Ruflz.  What an elegant tangle.

These were all new to me, and I liked them all.  Jesterz was fun and appealed to the Cadent-lover in me.  Tleaf is quite lovely and delicate.  3 To Go reminded me of cute little break dancers twirling around on the ground.

Mr. Postman, Is There a Tangle for me?

I am finally finishing my 2014 creative pay-it-forward gifts. I've had most of them ready for a while but let life get in the way of my actual mailing. Maybe I just do so much online now that it takes me ages to dig out my address book, stamps, and envelopes. Then addressed, envelopes sit here waiting to actually be sent. I used to be such a great written pen pal back in the day.

I sent some of my tangled dresses from the Christmas tree. I had a fair amount of time and had poured so much love into them, that I thought they would be perfect to send. I also created some artist trading cards (ATCs) to accompany them. Here is one of the items I sent to a fellow artist.

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:

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.  

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.  

Daily Tangling

I have always found that my stress level remains lower and my creativity flourishes when I tangle daily.  Sometimes I play with a pattern or work on a small area if I don't have time for a larger piece.  I am enjoying the new Bijou tiles for some tiny tangling too.

Another great reminder is the Tangle-A-Day calendar from CZT Carole Ohl.  I have used these calendars for a few years.  They are nicely made with daily spots for art.  The calendar illustrates a few patterns as well as sharing some of Carole's beautiful artwork for inspiration.  I usually start off in January and tangle in the calendar daily, but then I lose track of it.  I continue to tangle but usually do so in other journals, tiles, and projects.  

I have two unfinished calendars that I would like to complete.  I've decided to treat them like a new, blank calendar disregarding the dates.  Here are a few pages I've created lately:

 Verdigogh is a pattern that I really enjoy creating.  It seemed fitting for the Christmas page.

This calendar page was inspired by the amazing M.C. Escher exhibit I was fortunate enough to see at the Currier Museum of Art.  I have always loved Escher and was thrilled to be able to see so much of his original work up close.  I was infinitely inspired by his line work, shading, and complex yet often simple strokes.  I created these three pieces and a sample of his chop after seeing the exhibit.

Working Together

I had the privilege of teaching a staff development workshop for the staff of the Billerica Public Library in 2013.  At the end of the class, I gave each participant a pre-strung piece of paper to tangle.  All of the pieces would form a larger piece of artwork when assembled together.

While visiting for tangle club last month, I saw that the library had completed and framed the mosaic.  It was on display in the main circulation area of the library.  I was thrilled.

Look at what can happen when people work together!  If they can create such beautiful art, they must make a pretty amazing team.  I love that they framed and displayed this piece so they can remember how they created something special together.

All Dolled Up as the Guest Diva

The famous Diva asked a few CZTs to fill in and write guest posts while her darling son Artoo had eye surgery.  Fortunately he is doing well and recovering.  I know how terrified I was when my little one had surgery.  I am sending healing wishes to the whole family!

This week, I had the fortunate pleasure of writing one of the guest posts.  I hope you had fun playing along with my challenge.  You can read all about it at I am the Diva.  It was an honor to help Laura (the Diva) as well as to serve as an inspiration for tanglers around the world.  I am loving each and every piece created.  I am going through the 50 plus responses posted on the Diva's site.  It's so touching to think that my idea has inspired people around the world!

I've been tangling quite a few paper dolls to adorn a Christmas tree at the Andover Historical Society for their annual event.  Each tree is decorated to accompany an inspiration piece from the collection.  My inspiration this year was paper dolls.  I created a paper doll dress template and tangled each using different patterns.  I had a wonderful time completing these and thinking about how the patterns could mimic folds of fabric.

Here is an assortment of my tangled dresses up close as well as the finished tree.

I love the Flux skirt on this one:

 Of course I had to use my pattern YAH in one of the dresses.

 I love the feel of the Printemps-stuffed Hollibaugh in this one:

Here's the finished tree.  I wish that my top hat tree topper idea had worked.  The hat was so large that it overpowered the rest of the tree so I had to scrap it.  Then I wondered if I should have added more color to the tree through balls or ribbons.  I wanted the tree to reflect the beauty and simplicity of the Zentangle® method without being too busy.  I wanted my hand-tangled dresses to speak for themselves.  I hope I made the right choice by keeping it simple.

Here's my Renaissance doll too.  She was a lot of fun to create!

Thanks for tangling with me this week!  If you haven't shared your creation on the Diva's site, I hope you'll share it with me on Facebook, by email, or in a comment here.  I'd love to see your work.

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!

Disappearing Tangles

It's fun to think of new places to tangle.

My daughter and I do a lot of art projects, and I love to incorporate my tangles into our crafts.  Whether we're playing with chalk on the driveway or coloring pictures, I often find little Printemps and other patterns popping up in my art.

One of my daughter's favorite activities is to paint with water on a chalkboard.  We were at a play place with a massive chalkboard wall.  While she painted shapes, I saw a perfect canvas for some Ennies.  It was fun to create the pattern on a bigger scale with water.  I loved watching the bold, black lines appear while others dried and faded.  It was like I was working on a large Buddha Board.  One space would start to dry so I went over it again with the brush.  It was wonderfully relaxing to tangle over and over in the same spot.  I didn't think about patterns or filling areas.  I didn't worry about the end product or if I'd give the piece as a gift.

I put water on a chalkboard.  I repeated my strokes.  I used the Zentangle® Method.  I was relaxed and present in the moment alongside my daughter making art that disappeared while it created a lovely memory for us.

New Toys

I love playing with new tangle goodies like pens, papers, colored pencils, and other tools.  Although it's nice that I don't need a room filled with craft supplies to enjoy my Zentangle® practice, I do like to experiment with different things.  Fortunately, they're still pretty small.

This week I got to play with my new "Zencils" or stencils by Acadia Laser Creations.  This Zendala tile features one of the Celtic knot stencils.  The second I traced the stencil, all I could see was a knot of Zander across the whole tile.   I had a relaxing time filling in all of the areas.  For the smaller sections, I wanted to continue playing with line work and added some Paradox and Betweed.  The shading was just as fun as the tangling!

I'm looking forward to playing with the other stencils soon.