The Diva is back

So excited that Laura is back from her break. I didn't realise how important my weekly date with her was to maintaining my Zentangle practice until the challenges were gone.

Speaking of dates, I am only a couple of weeks away from 2 days drawing with Shelly Beauchamp CZT. This will be my 4th visit with her. Each time I visit we spend time doing the latest Diva challenge. This year, with the Diva on a break, it was looking like that part of our tradition was not going to happen. But no, she is back and I'm happy for her and the Zentangle community she supports.

Challenge 366 - back to basics

There is a Z string in there somewhere.

Half way between challenge 366 and 367

Challenge 367

Have a great week and happy Diva tangling.

Karen

Zentangle

Diva #363 - Laura's Auras

I've been playing around with variations of radial blooms lately, thanks to an Eni Oken video. That theme fitted nicely into this week's Diva challenge. Tangles I used included Fengle, with perfs in the aura, Dewd as a frame and Baton as infill.

Tangle a Day calendar

More radial blooms.

Where the blooms started 

Plus Zen Gems and watercolour pencil backgrounds.

Thanks for dropping by.

Karen

Zentangle

Dropped by the Diva's blog today for the first time in a while. The featured tangle is Somnee which is a tangle I played around with recently in the Tangle a Day calendar.

Here is my Somnee page.

At the time I did this page I was also rediscovering Zen Gems. I've found a different method to create them that is working better for me than my previous method which used a base of grey Copic markers. The link to the method I'm using is on the Zen Gems Facebook Group. Here are some of my Gemy calendar pages.

People who have visited my blog in the past may have noticed that I rarely post these days. I'm still drawing but doing it more for myself than to share online. I'm also drawing less often, mainly doing the Calendar every week or so. 

Anyway, thanks for dropping by.

Karen

Tangle challenges

I have been absent from Diva challenges for a few months, haven't posted on my blog for a few months, and have been doing very little drawing for a few months.

No particular reason for this other than lack of inspiration. I've been drawing pretty consistently for a couple of years. Maybe it's been time for a break? There also hasn't been much going on in my life other than work, so nothing much to blog about either.

Here's my Diva tile. I've kept it simple. The green eye shapes are where my wrinkly knuckles are.

Here's my latest Tangle-a-Day calendar page. I've decided to stay with official Zentangle.com tangles for the time being while I get my groove back. Maybe I'll also stop being overly critical of my work - so many days started but not finished.

Thanks for dropping by.

Miss L

Zentangle challenges and drawing

We are in the middle of a heat wave. While the northern hemisphere is getting snow, we are getting heat.  Days and days of high 30s and low 40s. Our backyard weather station (which includes a sky cam - how cool!) has been registering temps of 41 and 42 degrees.  While our house has very good air conditioning, the heat just saps your energy. Even the birds are quiet. This has given me plenty of time for Zentangle. 

Diva #348 - Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day

I kept my tiles simple, adding purple with a touch of blue using a mist spray. However, in the photos the purple has come out grey. Oh well. 

This tile uses Kuke and Florz.

This one uses D'Rua and Flux.

Made by Joey #200

The challenge was to use string #165 and the tangle Exeter. I added 'Nzeppel and Footlites, which are my go-to tangles at the moment. I'm pleased with how my 'Zneppel has been turning out lately so it appears a lot in my work.

Tangle a day calendar

This brilliant tangle calendar is produced by Carole Ohl CZT and features the work of Margaret Bremner CZT.  This is my first time using the calendar and I'm enjoying it. The paper is smooth and the results of the Facebook group page inspiring.

This is one of my pages from earlier this month.

Other drawing - going really, really big this time

During this week's heat I've been working on an A2 sized ZIA. The coloured leaf pattern is inspired by something I found on the Sakura website. I used Faber Castle water colours, random black pens (waiting on a new batch of Sakura microns) and Copic markers for the shading. 

This is my first time using the Copics for shading. I highly recommend them for shading larger works. I found the process much quicker and resulted in a cleaner finish.

Here's my master piece. I'm very pleased with it. It's going in my lounge room soon.

Arthur the Cat got involved too. He is sitting on my computer desk right now, getting in the way of the screen. Mmmm. Love that cat. He'll get bored and move away soon.

Here's an early photo of my ZIA. I do use strings sometimes.

Have a great week and thanks for your comments. They help me improve my art and make my day.

Karen

Zentangle challenges and drawing

It's interesting to read Zentangle blogs are most bloggers that I follow are in the northern hemisphere and in the middle of winter. While the Diva is experiencing temps of close to 40 below, SE Australia is in the middle of summer and we are getting heatwaves of close to 40 above. 

I've been lucky so far to have been on holidays near a beach for most of the super hot days. Back home now and getting ready for a new school year - or I would be if I wasn't drawing.

Diva #347 - string theory - traced objects.

The objects I traced were a cup I use for water colour painting, a stapler, a fidget spinner, and an old tile I use to test pens.

The tangles I used this week are from my new Random Tangle Generator. I created my randomiser by cutting up my 2017 Tangle Patterns guide and keeping all the tangles I know or want to know. The dots on the back mean the tangle is either a grid, organic, ribbon, or complex. The hearts mean the tangle is a Zentangle Original.

Here's my Diva tile. I used: aquafleur, gotcha, star map, betweed, coral seeds, sh'rock and paradox.

Made by Joey #199

This tile uses string #237 and the tangles Didada, Arukas, Crescent Moon and 'Nzeppel.

Other Drawing

I've been doing a lot of Tangling over the past weeks. Mostly Opus tiles or bigger. 

Here's my latest Opus tile, playing with circles and triangles and colour.

I created the ZIA below for my foster daughter and her partner. Their initials are in gold in the corners. The ZIA is on A3 card stock. The colours were inspired by the beach house we were staying in.

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Karen

Zentangle challenges

Hi. It's the last week of school here. Lots going on at school, lots of very stressed teachers and kids craving the long school holidays. The heat has arrived, with temps around the mid 30s this week and next.

Today my son graduated high school. He is now looking for working, probably as a carpenter as that was his best subject this year by a long way. We now have no children at school, it's just me, teaching English to high school kids.

I'm taking a couple of days holiday on my own next week. The place I've booked is only minutes walk from a beach. During those days I will be walking on the beach, swimming in the beach, sitting on the headland looking at the beach, then reading, drawing and sleeping. 

Thanks for visiting my blog this year. Thanks for commenting. 

Diva #345 - happy holidays

The Diva asked us to be inspired by the holidays for our tile. I took that idea and added it to the 12 Days of Zentangle Day One challenge.

My Diva tile used the 12 Days concept - a border deep within the tile, a Z string, Hollibaugh, Crescent Moon, Printemps and a grid Tangle. My border space was in the shape of a Christmas tree. 

Here's Moo and the Husband choosing our tree last weekend. Having a live tree and having the house smell of pine tree is a tradition in our family. Notice the dry grass and how hot it looks. We got there early before it got too hot and before the flies came out. Flies in Australia in summer - hate them but have to live with it.

12 Days of Zentangle Day One

Trying to keep up with these challenges. I'm posting my tiles on the Zentangle Mosaic.

Other drawing

I spent hours working on this piece recently. It is A3 sized. The coloured leaves are inspired by a downloadable design on the Sakura website. There's a video that goes with it, explaining how to blend watercolour paints.

I made a photocopy of the artwork and gave it to my Deputy Principal. She's going to hang it in her office.  It made her happy.

Health and fitness

I had my last personal training session for the year yesterday. My present to my trainer, Mean Man, was to do a very difficult type of push up. He was impressed and surprised. He then proceeded to give me super hard exercises to do, and didn't expect me to be able to do them. He was speechless when I did them so well that he needed to increase the weights. The weights we use are kettle bells and free weights - lots of fun and lots of variations. Love it.

I started training with Mean Man in Feb this year. I did not expect to become as strong as I am now, or to love the gym as much as I do. I get so much satisfaction out of smashing out circuits that Mean Man has created for me. Love seeing and feeling the improvement. I have abs of steel. Yay me.


Happy and safe holidays.

Karen

Zentangle challenges

Not much drawing going on this week for various reasons: time, tiredness, Christmas shopping. 

Before I get to my Diva tile, I was wondering if anyone has noticed that the number of participants in the Diva challenges has been decreasing? A year ago she was getting over 100 entries each week but now she is down to about 40 or so.

Anyone know why this is so? Where are people getting their challenge fixes from or is the Zentangle community moving away from weekly challenges?

For myself, I used regularly visit people's blogs and comment on their tiles, particularly Diva challenge tiles. This year I changed schools and other life matters changed too, leaving me less head space to comment and visit. 

Thoughts?

Diva challenge #344 - Afterglo

My tile is based on something I saw on the Zentangle App Mosaic. The colour was created using Faber-Castell water colour pencils.

Here's a version using Mooka instead of Afterglo.

Cats and Kittens

A work colleague is foster mum to some kittens. They can't be left alone all day so she and her partner are taking turns bringing them into work. They are just 4 weeks old and sooooo cute. I am NOT taking one home.

Here's Arthur wanting attention.

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Karen

Zentangle this week

Hi, thanks for visiting. I'm typing this with one hand and one finger. See the story below.

This week my son finished high school/college. Now it's up to him to apply for work as an apprentice. My days of being the mum of school children are now over. 

My daughter got accepted into Honours for next year. This adds another year to her Arts Degree and should help her employment prospects. 

The Husband continues to work ridiculously long hours at a job he loves. 

And for me, only a couple of weeks left of my first year at my new school. It's been a wonderful year but am ready for the summer holidays to come along.

Diva challenge #343: Dewd

I've seen this tangle in the Project Pack series but hadn't got around to trying it. Today was my first attempt. My first includes Ilana and Cadent while my second adds Flux and Printemps. Currently enjoying using white on black.

Other drawing

Over the weekend I spent hours creating my biggest ZIA piece yet. It measures 60 x15 cm. The piece was designed to fit at the end of a bookshelf in my bedroom. The patchwork style backing is made from scrapbooking paper that I cut up and stuck on thick cardboard. The tangles are mostly official tangles from Rick and Maria. I find myself using their tangles more than any others. I also used the Zentangle Primer for inspiration (the name plate page) as well as Opus tiles I've created while working with Shelly Beauchamp.

My hand

Last night I was cutting up some herbs to finish off a pasta dish when I cut my finger. I managed to cut a chunk off. Lots of blood, lots of pain and the beginnings of shock so BoyBoy took me to hospital. Spent today surprisingly worn out from the experience - too tired to even watch TV. Effects of shock maybe? It was a bad cut. 

I did the Diva challenge with some difficulty, with my head not working causing as much difficulty as the hand. Here's me trying to draw.

Bloc Haus

Yesterday BoyBoy spent some quality time together at the bouldering centre. Climbing without ropes is so much fun. 

All my gym work is paying off. Stronger upper body and more confidence in what I can push myself to do. My personal trainer is very proud of me.

BoyBoy is so much stronger (and lighter) than me.

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Karen (aka The Creative Miss L)

Tangling this week

This week I've been continuing to play around with the new Zentangle Project Pack. I've been posting my tiles on the Zentangle Mosaic App.

Yesterday I went for my annual cancer scans - chest x-ray, mammogram and ultrasound. I got the all clear, as I hoped and expected. Come early January it will be 11 years since diagnosis. These scans don't get easier, I'm just more practiced at dealing with the stress. 

Diva #342 - duo tangle - Paradox and Bunzo

I love doing duo tangle challenges. I did one tile before I went browsing the work of other people. Mmm. Lots of ideas. Here are my second and third tiles. The third shows how much I'm enjoying white on black at the moment. 

I tried to do similar strings to see how the two tiles would look together. Same same but different?

Zentangle Project Pack

This is tile I created after doing a few of the activities in the pack. The central tangle is just a spiral of orbs with auras. The ribbon is a tangleation of Bales.

Another rock concert

Readers of this blog would notice that I've been seeing lots of bands and other artists lately. Last Friday was probably the best of the lot this year.

The Husband and I saw Midnight Oil at an outdoor concert in Sydney.  This was the final concert in their world tour, finishing in Sydney which is where they started playing together in the late 70s. While the band members are all in their 60s, they play with the energy of much younger men. Powerful stuff. Loved just being there, and the chance to not be stuck in a seat behaving ourselves. 

There were about 22,000 people all dancing and singing (shouting?) and getting into the music. It's pretty incredible experience to be in a crowd that big all joined in screaming out the words to songs we've grown up with/ grown old with. 

Before the support bands came on we had time to sit on the grass and enjoy a meal while getting in some people watching. Here's some photos.

24+ years together and he's still the best looking boy in the crowd.

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by. Your comments brighten my day.

Karen 

Tangle challenges

It's been a big week here. It's nearing the end of the school year so there lots of marking and school reports to do. Also a few annual medical appointments to get to etc. Busy, busy.

This week my daughter, Moo, had her final exam for her Arts Degree. Waiting to hear whether she's been accepted into the Honours program for next year. And my son, BoyBoy finished his final year of high school. His next step is to find an apprenticeship in a metal-based business. He'll do that while continuing his studies in ceramics in his own time. 

Big changes ahead for both kids and therefore for both parents. Future looks good for all of us.

Diva #341 - Go big or go home

I love that phrase. It is commonly used in Australia as well as, obviously, Canada and the US.

I chose to use an A5 sheet with Sharpie markers and some Inktense coloured pencils. My tangles are two variations of Bales joined with Hollibaugh and what was meant to be 'Nzeppel but it didn't turn out that way.

Zentangle Project Pack 01 

Not sure when Zentangle released this pack of goodies but it was in their online shop when I recently ordered more tiles so bought a Project Pack too. The videos for the pack were released on the weekend.

Since then, I've been madly tangling and posting my artwork on the Zentangle App, as have lots of other people.

You don't need the Project Pack to watch or complete the videos.  As you can see in my Diva tile, I used the Bales videos 1 and 2 in that tile and the pack certainly did not come with Sharpies. 

Here's two of my tiles.

More drawing

Following from the Diva's go big theme, I finished another Opus tile this week. I'm continuing to incorporate Bijouisms into these tiles. I'm finding it to be a very calming series of tiles. For those of you yet to try an Opus tile, they offer a different experience to the usual Zentangle tiles - more space for more tangles, more flow, more freedom and more space for your creativity to take flight. For me, they are an essential part of the Zentangle experience.

Ru Paul and my love of Drag

There is an English saying which is "Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt" (see more here). This week I saw another drag show and bought the T-shirt.

The drag queen was Bianca del Rio (look her up) and she is a comedienne. Her humour is nasty and very, very funny. Plus she always looks amazing. Here's me 'modelling' the T-shirt when I got home. The connection to Ru Paul is that Bianca won Ru Paul's Drag Race a few years ago. 

Have a great week and thanks for dropping by.

Miss L