Creating something lovely with Opus tiles

This week I've been working on an Opus tile. Opus tiles are Zentangle tiles that are much bigger.

The standard Zentangle tile is 3 inches square. An opus tile is 9 inches. 

This the finished tile.

The challenge in moving from small to large is that there is so much space to fill. Errors in proportion and tangle selection really show up. Lack of confidence in myself as an artist is also a big issue for these sized tiles.

Anyway ....

When in doubt, go back to basics. For Zentangle that means:

• Be still: relax, be calm, allow yourself to let go.
• Frame: create the border on your tile
• String: divide the space into sections
• Fill: fill each section, focusing on each section at a time
• Shade: add shading and dimension
• Finish: take time to admire your art.

Additional basic steps for me are:

• Focus on each section as I draw and stop worrying about the next one
• Turn off the self critical person sitting on my shoulder
• Enjoy the process as a process and try not to think of the outcome.
• Admire my art at each stage of the process.
• Look for ways to add little touches to the tile to bring it all together.
• Celebrate my creativity by sharing it on my blog.

Below are some of the steps along the way of creating this tile.

Start with a string. This string has more elements that I'd use for a traditional tile.

My first tangle was barber poles. I like the 3D effect it has, even before shading.

I next added dex, which is a new tangle for me, then flux on one side, and poke root and poke leaf on the other.

Then I started to file the top half of the tile. I decided to focus on angular tangles as a contrast to the flowing designs on the bottom half.

The tile is almost finished here. All the strings have been filled. The next steps were to shade and then add final elements. Final elements included adding the tangle tipple into the spaces of flux and poke root and leaf, and to add little floating squares into the void between barber poles and dex. I also extended flux out just a little to break up the hard border.

Can you see the difference that shading and those final touches make? I learnt about the importance of adding those final, small details from Michelle Beauchamp CZT when I visited here earlier this year. 

I hope you enjoy reading this blog. Comments are welcome.

Miss L