Whimsical

Here are two new Zentangles from the weekend.

This first piece is called "Whimsy." It is the first time I did not feel compelled to fill the entire page. I think all of the white space sets it off nicely. There is also quite a bit of shading in this one--a technique which, of course, is lost in the scan.

I titled this second piece "Open Net." I did not set out to have the ragged edge to the netting, it just sort of happened. Once it did I thought having the fun elements floating out added a new dimension.

B's Border

Here is another tangle that I came up with last night. My scanner is not of a high quality so the example loses quite a lot of detail. The shading is lost.

My 1st Tangle Design

I am more than a little OCD and I never know when or what will drive me to a new obsession. Right now my obsession is Zentangle...not just drawing them, but trying to find ALL of the different named designs that others have created. There are over a thousand that I know of and more are being created all of the time. In fact, last night I created one of my own--at least I think I did. If this looks familiar to anyone because the pattern already exists please let me know. It was inspired by blocks I noticed on the wall in the apartment of a TV character--Kevin on The Young and the Restless. [Yes, I can admit that watching Y&R is a guilty pleasure. I do not get to watch it everyday--I was home sick when I was watching and noticed the wall pattern. How many times I I seen the same wall, but never noticed the design? I love that Zentangle makes me more observant!]

I also have a completed design that incorporates several different tangles. I'll post it for you next week.

Zentangle

For as long as I can remember I've tried to tap into the creative well that runs deep through my soul. I know creative ability can manifest in a multitude of ways and I have been blessed with the ability to write and produce creative ideas, but what I have longed for is skill as a creative artist. From time to time I gravitated toward drawing, painting, beadwork, crafts, but never really settled on the medium that was a perfect fit for me. For at least a year now I've sporadically been playing around with Zentangles--a creative art form created by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. It is basically a way to create art using repetitive patterns. In simple language--it is mindful doodling that is fun and relaxing. The beautiful part is that EVERYONE can doodle--the is no "right OR wrong" way to do it. You just get a pattern in mind, put pen to paper, then just go with it. There are a number of books filled with design ideas to get you started...and once you do you'll be addicted and eventually able to come up with your own design ideas.

I've spent this entire weekend engossed in tangles. I'm going to try and figure out how to scan a few of my favorites so I can upload them, or I'll take a few photos.

Here are links to some of the resources in case you are interested.