Diva Challenge #88: Official Tangle: IX

I started this tangle at the beginning of the week, but it appears as though I'm fighting off the seasonal cold or allergies, so I didn't really have a chance to work on it much.  I did most of it today, while waiting for my car to be serviced at the dealership.  Each week, I try something new.  This week, I tried my hand at a "defined string".  I think I kinda like it.  IX, on the other hand, is not all that new to me.  I did try it s.e.v.e.r.a.l. times when it was first introduced, and I really just couldn't get the hang of it.  This time around, I think I made some improvement.  Also, I decided to "draw outside the lines" in past Diva challenge fashion.  Not sure if I like it here; I'm on the fence about it.   

Additionally, I was inspired by "soda bubbles" at our office pizza party yesterday, and that is reflected here, as well.  Speaking of pizza, I picked one up after I left the dealership and waited a few minutes for it.  I decided to sit at a table near the cash register to put some finishing touches on this week's challenge.  The very nice young lady behind the register complemented my tangle saying that she thought my "artwork" was "lovely".  Artwork????  Not bad!!....considering that I'm really feeling under the weather and I think it shows in this week's challenge submission.   

Thanks for visiting!  Have a great week!

All the best,

kp

Weekly Challenge #87: String Theory v. XII: Pinwheels for Peace v. II

This week's challenge over at The Diva's is to create your own pinwheel for peace.  My personal challenge was to create something that did not use my "usual tangles", i.e.: mooka, 'nzeppel, flux, tipple, tripoli, etc., etc.  

So, I started with one of my favorites which doesn't really get much use: Betweed.  (Those inner triangles were just screaming out for some Betweed.)  And then, I wanted something flowy (because I like that.)  So, I added this modified Ixorus.  I like how it came out.  Then, I wanted the flow to continue.  I usually can't help myself with the flowy stuff, so I let the Ixorus continue flowing off of the pinwheel in two directions.  I stopped there, and left it as is.  

In the end, it is understated and perhaps a bit plain even, but it says "peace", "live and let live" and "changing seasons of life" to me.  Interestingly, as I was drawing this tangle this morning, I could not help but think about the things that I do not feel peaceful about in my life.  People, from present and past, came to mind.  Hopes of reconciliation.  Fear of reaching out only to be rebuked.  I will continue to meditate about these things, and potential resolutions.  

I think people from the past that I haven't seen in 20 years are probably best left there, with perhaps a sincere prayer of blessing said in their honor.  People from the present probably deserve an apology or other appropriate "olive branch" type of gesture, depending upon the situation.  So that just leaves one thing left: Courage.  

I accidentally used my "03" Pigma Micron this morning.  oops.  Funny thing is, I can't really tell the difference. 

doodling with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses.  

Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo: Revisited

Earlier this year, I purchased a sample of the fabled Tsuki-Yo, a fountain pen ink that (by popular opinion) exudes subtle and complex qualities, and is much adored at FPN.  My week with Tsuki-Yo was underwhelming, and I've not written with it since.  However, I continue to see remarks and ongoing conversations at FPN about how lovely this ink is.  As I read, and re-read, I am compelled to find out what I'm missing.  (Read Sandy1's review: here and saskia_madding's review: here.)

My first encounter with Tsuki-Yo was with a Broad-nibbed TWSBI 540.  I enjoy my 540 and had initially thought that the nib was somewhat juicy.  But, since that time, I revisited Tsuki-Yo in two different pens.  That changed my opinion of my TWSBI, and the ink.  I have no issues with my TWSBI, but I now think it does write more on the dry side thus when I inked it with Tsuki-Yo, it went down onto the paper with a greenish, or "teal" cast.  I like teal, except that in some of the reviews I'm reading on FPN, the reviewers refer to it as "blue" and not "teal".  So what am I missing?

I switched to two pens that I find to be very wet writing.  I also tried writing samples on various papers such as: Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, Apica and Clairefontaine Graf-it.

White Paper
On Rhodia, it does have a little tiny bit of a slate hue, that if viewed at a certain angle, and with one eye closed (*wink!*), could translate greenish (to some!).  Overall, however, it does "read" blue.

Rhodia.  Photo is slightly out of focus at the top, but the ink shade is accurate.

Rhodia.

Ivory Paper

In my use of Tsuki-Yo earlier this year, when used on ivory colored paper, the teal hue was over the top.  Here, in my Leuchtturm1917 journal which has ivory pages, the green is not apparent at all.  I do think that the difference can be attributed to the use of a wetter writer.  In the samples below, I definitely see more of the fabled blue complexity for which Tsuki-Yo is known.  YAY!  In fact, on Leuctturm1917 it's absolutely lovely.  I think I even prefer it to the Rhodia, because, yes, the complexity really comes through.  I like it.  This was a total surprise, because during my initial experience with Tsuki-Yo + TWSBI = I avoided ivory papers.  What a surprise to see that I cannot see green here at all.  

Leuchtturm 1917.

I thought a side-by-side comparison might be interesting, thinking that a green cast would jump right out at me.  It doesn't.  

Grey paper.  Lovely Apica 6A10.  Italic nib in first sample; fine nib in second.

Slightly textured, white sketchbook paper.  Clairefontaine Graf-It.   Italic nib in first sample; fine nib in second.

The moral of the story:
Pen+paper+ink combo really does make or break it.

Here, wetter writing pens made all the difference.  The greenish-hue was far less apparent - if at all.  I'm enjoying Tsuki-Yo, and it is now on my "To Buy" list.  

TanglePatterns String 018

This was inspired by "string 018" found on the "strings" page at TanglePatterns.com.  I really enjoyed this string.  I like it when I draw something that I like.  I will probably use this string again.  Soon.

Links:
Zentangle
TanglePatterns.com string 018

TanglePatterns String 015

TanglePatterns.com has been a great resource for me when it comes to all things Zentangle(R).  This particular tangle uses a "string" from the TanglePatterns.com string page.  A new string is typically added each week.  I have been trying to use each one.  It certainly offers a new challenge.  This is string 015 which was inspired by an abandoned church.  I thought it turned out sort of interesting.  I do enjoy looking at it each time I go by it in my sketch journal.

Links:
Zentangle
TanglePatterns.com string 015

Diva Challenge #86: Break Free

I am back for the Diva Challenge after having taken last week off.  I enjoyed this week's challenge.  My submission to the challenge is actually my second attempt at "breaking free".  The challenge was to draw something that breaks outside our tile borders.  

I didn't really have any objective for this challenge other than to simply discover what I could make, and that always seems to be something that happens "in the moment", as opposed to precise planning.  (For me, at least.)  For whatever reason, this challenge made me want to use tripoli and mooka, and you can see that both attempts utilize both patterns.  My first attempt (Tile #2) actually incorporated the use of a free-hand string, while my second attempt (Tile #1) did not. I did however draw a line for my partial circle, which I later regretted when I wanted to connect with mooka.  oh well.  I went with it anyway. 

I don't find either tile to be all that dramatic, but, overall, it was nice to give myself permission to draw outside the lines.

I am still super-new at tangling, and am a non-artist trying to find my creative self.  Any and all feedback (constructive or otherwise) is welcomed.  

***edited to add:

In retrospect, I should say that I typically do not use a "border" in Zentangle(R).  I often will use a string, but no border, therefore using the whole tile with design.  What I find is that I will typically stay strictly inside the borders created by the string, and I will rarely venture out of it.  Because this week's challenge called for breaking outside the border, I actually made a point to draw the border and then draw outside of it.  Perhaps that is not the type of "outside of the box" thinking that the challenge was calling for, but for me, it was not easy to draw outside the lines.  While there are no "rules" in Zentangle(R), I often adhere strictly to internal borders of the tile, so it was definitely a step outside my comfort zone.  

Thank you for visiting.

Many blessings to you!

Tile #1: My second attempt.  It makes me want to say, "Make love, not war."  I don't know why.  lol.  I  did not use a string for this tile, but drew a border and made sure to draw outside of it.  

Tile #2: This tile was actually my first attempt at breaking free.  I don't love it.  I had an idea that didn't really go where I wanted it to go.  I drew both a border and string for this tile.  I made a point to go outside the confines of the border and the string.  

Weekly Challenge #84: Blind Sighted

I had fun with this challenge this week.  I'm too late to the game to submit my tile (deadline is Saturday), but figured I would post my progress for the heck of it anyway. 

The challenge entails drawing a Zentangle(R) string with your eyes closed, and then working with it.  As you can see, my string went off the page a few times as I did these in my sketchbook.  

The first one is interesting.  There is a lot of white space, but I didn't want to add more.  I like it from both right-side-up and upside-down viewpoints.  =)

  

upside-down.

right-side-up.

I improvised a lot with this one!

You can participate at:  http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/

It's Autumn. Time to Celebrate Encre Havane!

I just love the "old" Waterman brown, otherwise known as Waterman Havana.  Recently, Waterman rebranded its iconic ink line with new labels and new names, but claimed that the actual ink colors themselves were not altered at all.

Waterman Havana is my favorite brown ink.  I'm not a brown ink lover, and I have very few brown inks in my stash.  I enjoy this one so much that I purchased an extra bottle of it when the new branding was announced.  I have not yet tried the new "version" of Waterman's brown, now known as "Absolute Brown", but from what I can see from swab samples at Goulet Pen Company, they seem to be the same.  

I find Havana to be beautifully rich in tone.  It displays nice shading properties in that it shades, but not too much, giving it a dignified nature.  I find it to dry pretty fast on most papers.  A little slower on Rhodia, though (used here).  I find the flow to be somewhat dry.  It works very well in my Sheaffer Targa which is a super wet writer.  

Waterman Havana reminds me of the reddish-brown coat of horses.  (But that's just me!)  "Brayd"; drawn with LAMY Vista/EF nib.

I am still working on this one, but thought I might post anyway.  "Mooka" with a cruffle in the middle. Drawn with LAMY Vista/EF.

I purchased this bottle at JetPens.com.

Something Different

There was no Diva challenge this week, because....the Diva is on vacation.  So, I ventured out of my comfort zone and I tried some new things and made something a little different.

There are a bunch of tangle patterns here, but what I tried to do was start with frickle.  Then I added some flux.  Then I tried to continue the flux theme.  In the larger drop-like shapes are: bales, purk, echoism and mooka.

My purk isn't looking so great today.  Normally, I love the way it turns out, but I was trying to draw while talking on the phone, and, needless to say, you can tell I was distracted.  (Doesn't it look like crooked teeth?  lol.)

Mooka + Assunta

For me, Mooka + Assunta = a. hot. mess.

But, for what it's worth, I decided to venture into the Diva's Weekly Challenge anyway.  Why?  Because, Assunta is a completely new pattern for me, and I actually tried to spend some time working with it.  In the end, I went simpler and tried to utilize shading, a Zentangle skill that I rarely employ.  I found that shading can really enhance a drawing without needing to "add" anything else to it.  Sometimes, with Zentangle, I think the tangle looks too plain, so I keep adding to it, but the end result looks "busy" which I don't care for.

I learned a few things this week, and while my art project isn't the prettiest one in the class, I made a sincere effort.


For the challenge:

I think it has a little bit of a celtic knot "feel" to it.  

Other attempts:

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

Vintage Camera fun:

love the sparkles.

All of these tangles were drawn in my Clairefontaine Graf-It sketchbook with a Sakura Pigma Micron.

Recent Tangles

Camelia

Crescent Moon and Fescu
I tried something new and used a "ribbon" as my string.  

Shattuck, Verve, W2, and random stuff.

Crescent Moon, Betweed, Auraknot, Flux.
I used a new tangle string for this one which made it really fun.
To me, this looks like a Tornado meets Stegasaurus.  lol.  :D

First Impression: Pilot Vanishing Point / Slate Grey / Binderized Broad Stub

I am a faithful listener of "The Pen Addict Podcast", in which Myke and Brad regularly discuss "the pen which cannot be named" - The Pilot Vanishing Point.  I have long desired the Slate Grey Pilot VP and was oh-so-close to picking one up around the holidays once Pilot announced that they were going to discontinue the body color.  I hesitated, and then they were gone.  However, by some strange miracle, Richard Binder still has them available at his website.  After listening to The Pen Addict week after week, and hearing about how amazing this pen is, I finally took the plunge, and there you go.

I am delighted with this pen.  I honestly don't know why I was such a goofball about it and waited so long.  I have been using it all week at work, and have used it for note-taking, signatures, and just plain doodling.  I honestly cannot stop using this pen.  As soon as I took it out of the box and held it, I knew I wanted another one.   

I find the Slate Grey a little bit difficult to photograph, but it is such a lovely, unobtrusive, understated, quiet color that really suits me.  This pen is a delight to look at and hold.  I do not find that the clip interferes with my grip on the pen.  In fact, if you are comfortable writing with a LAMY Safari, then you are likely comfortable with the Pilot VP.  I will add, that Richard Binder now offers a service for additional charge whereby he will remove the clip if it is an issue for you.  I think the charge is somewhere in the ballpark of $15.00 USD - a nominal fee considering the amount of use this pen will receive once you own it.  

Additionally, I do not find this pen too fat or chubby in the hand.  I have small hands, and sometimes have difficulty with pens in the grip section.  I have no problems with this pen and find that I am able to grip comfortably both lower towards the nib as well as a little bit higher up towards the clip.

Aside from the fact that Richard seems to be the only vendor who still offers this pen in this particular body color, he also offers a service whereby he will adjust the ink flow in the pen for an additional charge.  I routinely write on extremely cheap, absorbent paper at work.  I can only use certain select pens and inks with this paper, for example finer nibbed pens, dryer writers, and non-fussy inks otherwise I will see excessive feathering on the page.  I explained this to Richard, and asked if an ink flow of "4" would be appropriate.  Richard's standard ink flow adjustment is "6", which I find to be somewhat generous.  I intend to use mostly Pilot cartridges with this pen, since they hold more ink thus less high maintenance; a plus in a fast-paced work environment.  It is also my understanding that Pilot Blue-Black (the color I mainly intend to use) is very free flowing.  I was nervous about the ink flow adjustment at "4", and wrote a follow up email to Richard asking for his input.  He was very gracious and responded right away, and agreed that "4" was likely reasonable.  Thanks, Richard!

Since the pen arrived, I can't stop using it.  I inked it right away without cleaning, and the nib could probably use a good rinse, but the ink flow adjustment was right on.  Extremely minimal feathering on the cheapy-cheap paper, and it has written well on most other papers.  It hesitates a bit on smoother papers, but that's fine because this pen will see a majority of use on paper that is frankly better used as kindling than for communication.  

 

August 4, 2012: edited to add photos of writing samples.  Pilot VP with Pilot Blue-Black cartridge, ink flow = "4".

Exacompta Space 24 planner.  Ivory colored paper.

Exacompta Space 24 planner  Ivory colored paper.

The cheapest paper I've ever seen: Quill brand notepads.  Slight feathering seen.

The cheapest paper I've ever seen: Quill brand notepads.  Same page, but no feathering here.

Leuchtturm 1917 journal.  Paper is smooth; ivory color.

Apica 6A10.  Paper is smooth, with slight grey-ish tone.

I would definitely say that the ink flow adjustment to "4" is appropriate due to the combination of poor quality paper and the free-flowing nature of Pilot Blue-Black.  The combination balances out.  Notice that there is some very slight feathering on the Quill notepad paper.  The notepad quality is inconsistent.  I've seen pages with no feathering, and also feathering and no-feathering on the same page.  It's just garbage, but what can you do?  The amount of feathering is so minimal that it doesn't bother me.  I use these notepads for notetaking, listmaking, etc.

Links: 
The Pen Addict Podcast at 70decibels.com
The Pen Addict Blog
Richard Binder
Pilot Blue-Black Cartridges at Jetpens.com

Diva's Weekly Challenge #78 - Auraknot

The first photo is for submission to the Diva's Weekly Challenge.  The challenge is to use the new tangle pattern Auraknot.  I spent time this week trying to get to know this pattern, and attempting several different drawings.  This pattern inspires me to draw in color, thus there are several attached here.  Perhaps due to the fact that it's summer, several drawings took on either a flowery or beachy feel.  I am still getting the hang of this one, and tend to make a lot of mistakes with it.  I think this pattern is easy to over-do, and, ultimately, it seems as though less is more with this one.    

Spirit Smile.  I am calling this tile "Spirit Smile", because for whatever reason, it makes me think of a person's spirit bursting out of them with joy.  When I started drawing this tile, I didn't have anything in mind, but while drawing I simply wanted to keep adding auraknots.  As an aside, I used to draw flowers with this same type of petal shape when I was in high school.  Interesting that I wanted to keep using it with this pattern.   

A lone flower in a secret garden.   (Esterbrook Transitional 9461 with J. Herbin Perle Noir and Platinum Preppy with Noodler's Saguaro Wine.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

This pattern makes me want to add Mooka.  All the time. (Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu and Lamy Vista EF.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

Starfish.  I felt that it was lacking something, so I went back and added the grounding effect that you typically see in Betweed.  (Lady Sheaffer Skripsert EF with Sheaffer Turquoise.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)

Hydra.  While this isn't exactly a serpent with many heads, it is a bit of a water beast.  :D  I changed the way I drew Mooka here and wanted to add in the layered effect that you see inside the auraknot.  (Lady Sheaffer Skripsert EF with Sheaffer Turquoise.  Clairefontaine Graf-it.)