Two New Tangles

The diva's challenge this week focuses on the official tangle Aquafleur since the steps were recently posted on Zentangle's website.

I decided to start with String #43 from TanglePatterns.com Strings Guide, Volume 1 (1-50). I was looking for a string with large round shapes, but I ended up with these nested quadrilaterals instead. I gamely tried Aquafleur. I used the posted instructions for the star shape as my guide, but later I realized the triangle example underneath the step-out instructions would probably have been a good reference as well. Oh well, next time!

To fill in the outer diamond, I decided to try another newly published tangle called Fassett. I liked the ease and versatility of Fassett, and it worked surprisingly well next to the Aquafleur. Now I just need to learn shading to add that extra pizazz.

I finished off the tile with a simple border, and I love the result!

Tangles Used: Aquafleur and Fassett

The Word of the Year

The Zentangle challenge given by I am the diva this week is to pick one word to be a focus for the year and then tangle it in some way. I chose the word thrive. For my zentangle, I started with the 35th string in the Tanglepatterns.com Strings Guide 1-50 and used Bridgen (with solid dots) to outline it. The remaining tangles all begin with one of the letters in thrive.

The zentangle below is actually my second attempt. I'm still learning the tangles, and in my endeavor to not over-plan I tangled myself into a corner with no room to finish with Verdigogh. Oops! I learned a few other things as well, so for Take #2, I switched out a couple of tangles for ones that better suited the string. I also balanced the light and dark elements more intentionally.

T: Tripoli, Twing, Tipple; H: Hollibaugh, Hibred; R: Raddox; I: Isochor; V: Verdigogh; E: Ennies

A New Creative Outlet

In the midst of an incredibly busy December 2013, I stumbled upon an art/meditation form called Zentangle. It was love at first sight. The patterns are beautiful, and they are all composed of simple strokes. I have found it very relaxing. To learn some patterns, I researched websites and bought a how-to book as a Christmas present to myself. Here is an example of a tangle I completed (actual size is 3.5" square):

One of the popular Zentangle blogs, I am the diva, posts a weekly challenge. When she posted the first one after the holidays, I decided to try it. Here is my entry for the Diva's Weekly Challenge #149 with the theme of New Year or 2014.

The tangles used (from left to right): Quandry, Zedbra, Barberpole, Onamato (in the 2), Angelfish, Tagh, Pea-Knuckle, Phicup and Beadline (in the 0), an elaboration of Screen, a variation on Crescent Moon with Black Pearls, the 1 is Cruze, Holllibaugh with Rain, Paradox (in the 4), a variation of a tangle I saw but don't know the name of (with Tipple), something that evolved from 2-N-5, and Wildwood. Actual size is 7"x3.5".

If you're interested in Zentangle, I suggest starting with www.zentangle.com (the website of the founders of the method). Two other informative and interesting sites that are just the tip of the iceberg:

www.tanglepatterns.com

www.enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com

A New Year

One of the things I decided to do this new year is publish this blog. I've been writing posts for a while, and it's time to move forward.