DC #318 ~ Diptych & DC #317 ~ Photo Tangle

I can hardly believe that it's June already - where is this year going anyway? I haven't accomplished nearly what I set out to do, but luckily for me, I don't have deadlines (thankfully) because I am retired. Pretty much things get done as they get done. We have had a windfall and were able to help our daughter get a new car when hers broke down. With 2 little girls, she HAS to have reliable transportation, especially since she is a single mom. The girls are 9 and 7 and were thrilled to have a car that nobody had owned before them. It really made our day to be able to help them out!

They are out of school now for the summer and want to come over a few times so I can teach them to draw "like Grandma Leslie" does. They are both quite artistic and imaginative, as are most of our granddaughters. As a matter of fact, our eldest granddaughter just graduated from a liberal arts high school and is going to Singapore to study design over there. She received a prestigious scholarship, and so will be heading off there soon. I am terribly proud of her and know that when she was little, we used to do "art" together every day.

So with artistic thoughts in my mind over the last little while, I have been playing around a lot with different ideas, but mostly trying to clean out my art supplies because I have some VERY old ones around from my college days. I kept a few sketchbooks and have one abstract painting I found. As soon as I clean it up, I'll likely post it here on the blog.

But this latest challenge from the Diva has really caught my fancy, so I made a few this week, but am only posting one right now, since the others are in various states of completion. When I read about the challenge

      "So, this week's challenge is to create a Diptych. A diptych is two panels joined with a hinge
                        - and the panels are mirrored - and i use the term 'mirrored' loosely" 

I too opted for a zendala, only because I like the way it is folded and decided to make a 'hobbit door'. I can only imagine that Bilbo and Frodo and all the other hobbits might approve of this and use in their little hobbit holes. So here is my take on this weeks challenge "The Hobbit Door"

DC #318 ~ Diptych "The Hobbit Door"
Media: Hand cut Zendala Tile, Black Micron 01 pen,
Grey marker, graphite pencil and Prismacolor pencil
Tangles: Moowa, Mooka, Trefoil, Huggins (?)

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of my last challenge piece, so here is my take on DC #317 ~ Photo Tangles. I was going through some of my old magazines while trying to shovel the garage out and came across some of my artist doll magazines. At one time, I tried my hand at making and making over dolls into art dolls, So I found a lot of inspiration in those magazines. The picture I chose to use was in an ad for another magazine and the image and position of it really inspired me. Here is my challenge piece for DC #317

DC #317 ~ "Balancing Act"
Media: Yellow Photo Mat, Micron Pen 01 Black, Graphite, Prismacolor
Tangles: Molygon, Flux, Mooka, Diva Dance, Crescent Moon

I hope you have enjoyed my offering this week and thank you for stopping by! If you would like to see what other artists have shown, just head over to the Diva's place (here) and take a look at what everyone is showing for these challenges.

Again, Thank you for stopping by and all comments, good and bad, are welcome!

DC #316: String Theory ~ STRIPES!

Wow ~ it's not even late Sunday night and I actually have my challenge tile ready! Will wonders never cease? This week has kind of been rainy and dreary here, so I didn't feel like running around much, so as a result, I was at home more and decided to take time for myself to just play and I did!

Mother's Day was wonderful for me since I got art supplies for gifts -- new Micron pens (which I desperately needed - thank you son!), new white gel pens (the ones that I had been using quit working, so my son bought me two 3-packs in hopes that at least one would be a good pen), Distress Ink pads (6 minis from hubby), and Distress Ink sprays (3, also from hubby). I also bought myself a stamp and stencil package that was on sale, since I love stamping as well. So with all those goodies, I have been trying out different background effects and used one of my round pieces for this week's challenge.

Our challenge this week was to create our string with stripes, and although they aren't in a straight line, they ARE stripes. The first picture here is the penwork (I decided to change the central stripe so it's a good thing that I used a gray pen the first time around...lol) and the second is the completed zendala. I hope that you enjoy!

Linework - before adding color and shading
Background using distress inkpads and sprays

Completed challenge tile
Tools used: 01 Black Micron, graphite, Prismacolors, Grey Tombow Marker
Tangles (the ones I can remember...lol): Crescent Moon, Copada, Flux,
Joki, Ovy, Zinger, Springkle, and the last one may or may not be a real
tangle.....my pen just took over!

Thank you for stopping by and as always, I look forward to comments and critiques. If you want to see the other submissions, stop by the Diva's blog (here) and see what all the other artists have shared this week.

Happy tangling everyone!

Diva Challenge #230 ~ ZenDivaDala (& I'm Late Again)

Yes, it's me and I'm late again as per usual. No excuses, just fingers wouldn't work and then I was having all kinds of problems doing a zendala using a template. Erin Olson of  The Bright Owl  fame has designed a zendala template for us for the challenge this week and provided us with a link to 3 different sizes to print off and play with. Well, I printed off all 3 sizes and decided on the standard tile size thinking that it would be the most comfortable format for me. I honestly did try several times to make something decent with this template, but I wasn't very pleased with either of the ones that I actually finished. But.....I will present them here for your perusal anyway.

This one was my first attempt and I swear that there really were tangles in those spaces that just look like messy lines (oh yes, my hands and fingers were not doing the greatest), but my hubby generously said that he really kinda liked this one. I would love to get him to try some of these because he is a painter of miniature wargaming figures and has probably the steadiest hand I have ever seen. But he really isn't interested :(.  Anyway, here it is.....

Media: 3.5" square paper, Micron Pen Black, and pencil
for shading

I like this second one a bit better, and I think I may actually try again some time in the near future to use a zendala template. My son liked this one much better too. And yes, I always ask them for their opinions since they usually offer me good advice.

Media: 3.5" square, Black and Sepia Micron pens,
Pencil for shading

I can tell I need a lot more practice on using templates.  Here is a zendala that I worked for quite awhile on that was just drawn as I went. I think it probably took me a good 12 hours when all was said and done and I haven't shaded it yet as I was waiting to make copies of it so I could decide whether or not I wanted to color it. I really like the detail in this one and even though it was fussy and meticulous, it was at the same time very relaxing for me to do.

Size:  6 x 6 inches, Micron black pen only

Even though this is not strictly zentangles, it IS a ZIA and I now have ink, so I can make copies and attempt to color it. Wish me luck....LOL

I also have some tiles that I finished up for some of the challenges that I missed, but this post has been going on long enough, I think and I am getting tired. I'll post them next week sometime.

As always, thank you for visiting my blog and any and all comments are always read and very much appreciated. I have been lax, I'm afraid, on getting comments posted on the submissions lately. I have been looking at all of the wonderful work being done and I will try to do better next week on leaving comments. If you want to take a look at all of the submissions to this challenge, just go to the I am the Diva blog (CLICK HERE) and check out all of the artists submissions. Once again, thank you for stopping by!

Diva Challenge #220 ~ UMT - All Boxed Up!

I'm a bit late getting my tile posted this week and I didn't even make it around to all the submissions last week, but I really did try. My hands were giving me fits again and typing just wasn't in the cards for me. This week has been not quite as bad, but it has taken me forever to get my tile done. But, I did actually look at all of the submissions last week and they were ALL beautiful. And, once again, thank you for your gracious and kind remarks on my blog. It's always to see that people are visiting here.

It's been another fairly hard week this week, not necessarily for my hands, although they have had their share of hurting, but mostly because my son is having a hard time. As those who have read here before know, he is an adult autistic who was only diagnosed recently. His birthday is coming up and the autism for him translates his excitement into debilitating anxiety. All the time he was growing up, I never understood why he was never excited by things that were coming up and the new doctor he is seeing has tried to explain to me that people that are autistic experience emotions differently than some people, so I have been trying to ease him out of the extreme anxiety this week. I did manage to get him to try drawing and he drew a very nicely done picture and asked me to show him how to do a little shading. He definitely has a talent for drawing, so I hope that I can get him to try it some more, because it did tend to relax him for the hour he sat here with me. Who knows, I may be able to get him to try a bit of tangling. Cross your fingers with me to hope it helps calm him down.

But drawing and tangling DO calm me down, so this week, we are to use a tangle selected by the Diva from submissions to her by tangle designers. This week, it was "All Boxed Up" by Alice Hendon, CZT. Step-outs can be found here  It's really a pretty tangle and even though I'm not a huge fan of straight lines, I found this very interesting to do. For some reason, after loads of practice drawings, I decided I wanted to draw it in a circle, and it actually looked pretty good, but then as I looked at it, I decided I would try a zendala (silly me!) I have been trying to do some of these because I think they look awesome. But I know that I tend to put way too much detail in things and I just know that I would overdo it. But that being said, I did it anyway. I like the way it turned out, although my hubby doesn't like the paper I did it on. I cut some of my stash of scrapbooking cardstock into a 5" x 5" square because I knew I wanted to make it bigger than a normal tile, partly because my hands are still hurting but at least it's bearable now.

So I hope you like my take on All Boxed Up this week.  I just designed the center and then in the first round used Maryhill, followed by two rounds of All Boxed Up and then finished up with just some random shapes. Enjoy!

Diva Challenge #220 - UMT "All Boxed Up"
Media: Scrapbook Cardstock 5" x 5", black Micron pen,
Sepia Micron Pen, Pencil for shading
Tangles: Maryhill, All Boxed Up, and various shapes

For those of you who haven't seen the rest of the submissions this week, please go check out the Diva's blog (click here) and see the awesome artwork this week on other blogs. This challenge is very well represented by lots of tanglers who do amazing work. If you find you have time, why not join us and share your work with us there. As always, I appreciate your visiting my blog and do appreciate any and all comments. Thank you for visiting!

Diva Challenge #204 ~ Valentangle!

I can hardly believe that this year is moving by so quickly...it's almost Valentine's day already. But I am trying to start out this year on a positive note, so I went to the Intermountain Tanglers group for the first time last Sunday and it was a great time. Got to meet David Hunter and HeidiSue, who started this group up. I had actually been trying to get there since they began the group, but one thing or another always seemed to prevent me from going. But it's a wonderful group and I can tell that there is an abundance of talent there, so I hope to learn a lot *smile*

And this week, I actually have something done before Saturday night! I know, I know....I even amazed myself, but with the new paper stock that David ordered and cut for us, I was thrilled to be able to draw on this beautiful paper. This is the same stock that is used for official Zentangle@ tiles, so it is delicious for me just to be able to make marks on it. David had actually cut some heart templates for the group as well, so I had my string with those.  So, without further adieu, here is my offering this week.

Diva Challenge 204 ~ Valentangle
Media: 3.5" Fabriano Tiepolo stock, Black and Red Micron Pens
Tangles: Florz, Flux, Bunzo, and Rain (sort of-around hearts), as well as some red pearls

So I decided to try to do a Zendala also starting on Sunday, and finished it on Tuesday. I liked the way it turned out; it was easy to make the divisions using the template that David made for all of us. This was my first attempt and I wasn't at all sure how to do any of it.

My first Zendala attempt
Media: 3.5" Fabriano Tiepolo tile, Black and Red Microns
Tangles:  Not exactly sure since I just started drawing without thinking *giggle*

And last, but not least, I was searching through some of my really ancient sketchbooks from college (1970's) and found this doodle that I had started and not finished.  I rather like it, so perhaps I will start it again and make something of it this time. If nothing else, it is bright and fun!

Vintage College Doodle, c. 1972

Ok, I've probably talked entirely too much now, so I'll quit for today. But if you want to join in the tangling crowd and see all the wonderful designs that everyone posts on here, check out the Diva's challenge HERE, and think about joining us. We have a great time here!

Just a note to those that have left comments for me in the past ... I always appreciate your comments and read them, but I don't always post a reply. Please note however, that comments are always appreciated and I try to get around to all the blogs and leave comments for others.  So if you feel so inclined, leave a comment below...it will be appreciated *big grin*