This monotangle Zendala is from Project Pack 1. In the video , Molly tells us that the pre-strung zendala in each pack was chosen at random, so there were several different designs. I didn’t have a pre-strung tile, so I copied the string from the tile at the beginning of the video. This is the second Zendala tile that I’ve drawn on. For this one, the bigger size didn’t bother me.
For my final Crazy Huggins sampler, I cut a large, apprentice-sized tile from a new paper I got recently. I filled the tile with Crazy Huggins shapes, then filled each element with another tangle. Somewhere along the line, the design developed a mind of its own, and decided not to be symmetrical anymore. But, honestly, I think that just made it “interesting!” This tile took quite a while to complete.
Testing 1-2-3. I wanted a relatively simple project because I’m still shuffling stuff from the old studio to the new one. I used a small, bijou cut from some black paper. Working on black is my specific project for this month. I chose Toodles because it’s a nice, graceful tangle that I like to draw. It also provided me with some larger areas to fill with color. I wanted to experiment with colored pencils on black.
Sugilite is a rare purple cyclosilicate mineral. It was named after the Japanese petrologist, Ken-ichi Sugi, who first identified it in 1944 in Iwagi Islet, Japan. It is found primarily in Japan, Quebec, Canada and at the Wessels mine in South Africa although other deposits have been found since 1977. It is often has inclusions of Richterite (blue) and rusty looking Bustamite. It‘s color ranges from royal purple through fuchsia.
I‘ll have the cabernet. Actually, this is more the color of Welch‘s Grape Juice! I really liked this color combination. The gray and purple played nicely with each other and allowed for a good amount of contrast. Zentangle drawn on gray print making paper using wine and gray Copic multiliner pens. Shading done with Polychromos colored pencils. Tangles: Crescent Moon Cubine Ixorus Knightsbridge Locar Quipple Rain Rixty Swarm Ynix
Twisted Ropes. This is my first attempt at trying the twisted rope techniques introduced by Eni Oken . I had a small problem with my pink pen… it started puddling and making inconsistent lines shortly after I stared. I decided to carry on with it anyway because I didn‘t want to start my tile over again. It turns out that, IMHO, the blooping pen actually added to the designs.
Fire. Black opals are the most valuable opals in the world. The most beautiful examples of these come from the Lightning Ridge mining area in Australia. Opals are classified according to the pattern of the fire within the stone. This example is a cross between pinfire and palette. While some lists show that Tourmaline or Pink Zircon is the gemstone for those who were born in October, opal is actually the traditional stone.
Sizzle. It‘s hot here. The other day, the outside temperature on my car dashboard was 108˚. And it‘s not even summer yet! I think that‘s part of what influenced the coloring on this monotangle. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using Copic Multiliners and Sharpie no-bleed art pens. Coloring done with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Polychromos colored pencils. Highlights and other markings done with various gel pens. Tangles: Opus
Graphic. I love this paper! Using a tan paper allows me to add both high and low lights to the various designs. In addition, this combination produces a very graphic effect. I bought a large sheet of this paper for a few dollars and cut out my own “tiles. This makes using the paper very affordable. Zentangle drawn on BFK Rives tan print making paper using brown, sepia and black Micron pens.
Maui. This is the second day of the Moana movie‘s influence on my daily tile. This time, I used a few of the symbols from the movie directly, namely Maui‘s fish hook and the shell from Moana‘s necklace, represented by a mother of pearl Zen Gem. Unfortunately, the stone just didn‘t scan well. It is actually stunning. I used Pearl-X on top of the colored pencil and it came out fabulous!
Sometimes you just need a little color in your life! I recently got a set of Faber-Castel Polychromos Artist‘s Pencils . I‘ve always used Prismacolor pencils , but over the last few years the quality of the pencils themselves has gone down hill. So I was looking around to see if there was anything better and found the Polychromos. For starters, they are oil-based, instead of wax-based. That means the pencil lead is harder, and puts down a more vibrant layer very quickly.