Saturday, March 31, 2012

Submissions for I am the Diva's Challenge #64: Fortuneteller

My previous post showed my experiments with I am the diva's Weekly Challenge #64 during the week, but these two are my favorite. They were too hastily done and with a pen that is running out of ink (!) but I liked the designs.


This one inspired by the trees that are beginning to blossom...Simple branch lines with the 'blossoms' formed by making a quick '88' at the ends.

Experiments with I am the Diva's challenge #64


I am the diva's Weekly Challenge #64 is a "String Theory" challenge. The challenge here is for everyone to use a common string in their work. The string in this case was four intersecting lines that look like the folds on a kids folded paper fortune teller. Here are some ideas that I came up with. My two favorites which will be my submissions for this week will be in my next post.

Now when I see lines radiating from a central point I think Fengle, so...


Ended up not sure where to go with this one, but like how the circles inside the loops of the vine work...


Had to try some Paradox of course...


Zentangling while waiting for the concert to start... inspired by rhododendrons...


One last one... back to Fengle : )



Catching up...The Diva's Weekly Challenge #63 and other Zentangling practice

Finally time to update the blog! Zentangling became established as a new habit very quickly, but finding time to upload photos and add to my blog has been a challenge!

Although I managed to miss the official Saturday cutoff for last week's challenge submissions it was not for lack of Zentangling... Weekly challenge from I am the diva #63  involved the new official tangle Fengle just released by Maria and Rick, founders of Zentangle. Instructions are in their latest newsletter.

Here are my first Fengle experiments...(PS.see my previous post for How I Tamed the Fengle's Arms!)




A pageful of Fengles...

Closeup of this one... Fengles can be VERY playful!


They lend themselves very easily to 'seascape' ideas...


 Also played with Paradox tangle some more...


Same Zentangle, different orientation; a true Zentangle does not have an obvious orientation...


And discovered instructions for Dust Bunnies tangle Dust Bunnies on Margaret Bremners blog) and used them at the top of this Zentangle. There is a touch of Mariƫt Lustenhouwer's Golven in here too. Other patterns were of my own invention but may well be named tangles also!


This one more of a quick sketch but the idea has potential. Note to self to play with this design some more at some point...


How I tamed my Fengle arms!

Weekly challenge from I am the diva #63 (see my next post for Zentangles and experimental sketches with Fengle) involved the new official tangle Fengle just released by Maria and Rick, founders of Zentangle. Instructions are in their latest newsletter. It was tricky to get the hang of... hard to get the radiating arms to flow nicely and behave themselves in a repetitive way. Definitely helps to rotate the paper as you go! I also found it helped to imagine a straight line coming out of the center. Then the ''S' curve I could create by bringing a curve out of the center above the line, crossing over and dipping below the imaginary line and then  up back to meet the line... like this...




Varying the number and position of the lines and how 'stretched' or 'crunched up' the 's' curve was gave me different sizes and shapes for the Fengle skeleton...


After some practice I found I could just place a dot where I wanted the end of each Fengle arm and quite comfortably draw an s curve from there to the center or vice versa.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Two circle designs by paradox

Played some more with the 'motif' I was experimenting with in paradox; created twisted columns and fans with leaf/bud shaped openings...


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Paradox Tunnel

In my entry for The Diva's Challenge this week I noticed a 'tunnel' type image appear in addition to the fans and twisted columns...


Margaret Bremner's tutorial "Paradox and then some" and other tutorials/step-by-step instructions have been really helpful for me so I thought I would try to deconstruct this pattern...



Below is a closeup of the last stage where I added a black area in the center of the paradox, shading all around, a half circle at the bottom of the pattern and some lines to make the 'inside' of the cylinder and at little addition on top of the pattern to try to give the impression that the 'tunnel' continues at the back of the paradox..


Monday, March 12, 2012

The Diva's Weekly Challenge #62


The Diva's Weekly Challenge #62 - "Use Spiral together with Paradox" - This is my first time doing the Diva's challenge. I found out about Zentangle a week ago last Saturday, spent an amazing week reading Zentangle.com and everyones wonderful blogs, and just set up a blog today :) Will post my rapidly growing collection of Zentangles and ZIAs shortly.
The adventure begins :)