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.  

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

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.)

A Tangle with Sheaffer

Tangle pattern 'Nzeppel.  Lady Sheaffer Skripsert EF with Sheaffer Blue-Black.  

I love this ink!  And my Lady Sheaffer!

Iroshizuku Tsutsuji (Azalea / Japanese Townflower / Deep PInk)

I'm back with another pink ink.  I guess I really like pink.  Which is interesting, because in real life, I don't really do much pink.  There is a lot of black, navy, turquoise (or Robin's Egg for those of you who care about that type of thing), and golden-green such as sage, for example.  I also prefer darker wood furnishings.  Generally, I'm pretty neutral and conservative.  But, with inks, I can't get enough pink.  I don't know.  I can't explain it.  =)

I must extend a heartfelt thanks to my pen friend, Shaylen, for sending me a generous sample of this luscious stuff.  Thank you, Shaylen!  

I had the pleasure of playing with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji this weekend, and I've been using it at work for the last week for note taking and editing (just to shake things up a bit!!!).  As an aside, the paper at work is really poor quality whether note tablet or copy paper.  I have found that I have needed to "dial back" the ink flow on all of my pens to prevent feathering and the like.  Same here.  I used both a LAMY Al-Star and LAMY Vista.  I typically don't have trouble with my Lamy pens or Pilot inks on cheaper paper, but I guess there is an exception if the paper happens to be exceptionally cheap.  

So, once I dialed back the flow on my pens, it was smooth sailing even on the sub-par, cheap paper.  When weekend time came, I needed to dial the flow back up on the LAMY Vista, because it was sporting an Extra Fine nib, and I wasn't getting enough inkflow when I tried to draw tangles with it.  

So, now that we have the technical formalities out of the way...phew!  This is a really fun ink, and if you like the Pilot Iroshizuku line, and you like pink, or you just want something a little different to spice up your ink drawer, why not take this for a whirl?  It's summer time, and this is a "summer-y" color.

I find that although the Iroshizuku inks are expensive ($28.00 - $35.00 USD per bottle), you at least get a value for your money.  Some folks balk at the price.  But, since I have begun using inks, I have to say...you really do get what you pay for.  I don't mind paying a premium, if what I will receive is quality.  

Pilot Iroshizuku Inks come in a 50 ml per bottle, which is a decent volume.  Pilot Iroshizuku inks tend to be known for being exceptionally well lubricated with "just right" flow properties making writing and other creative activities a pleasurable experience.  Tsutsuji follows suit.

Tsutsuji, specifically, is a very saturated pink.  I've read reviews where the authors have indicated that this is the "pinkest" ink they have ever used, and that it's so bright that it's eye searing.  I would not go that far.  Certainly, while it is bright, it is not offensively so.  It does jump off the page, but I don't find it screaming at me.  It is a bit brighter coming from an Extra Fine nib, as shown in the photos below.  However, my LAMY Al-Star Fine nib is a bit of a wetter writer, and the line it laid down with Tsutsuji is simply dark and luscious.  Because it is more saturated, there is a bit less shading with Tsutsuji.  Shading is not non-existent, but you will not find the type of dramatic shading that you would see with Yu-Yake.  Yu-Yake (or Sunset) is Iroshizuku's orange-y/yellow (or is it yellow-y/orange?) that gives such amazing shading that the words on the page appear to be on fire.  At least to me.  With Tsutsuji, there is much more subtle shading, but it is shading nonetheless.  I think choice of pen makes a big difference with the satisfaction you find with this ink, and I've provided a side-by side comparison so that you can get an idea. 

Wider, wetter nib = deeper pink, more saturation, a little more shading.  Finer, dryer nib = brighter pink, lighter pink, still shading, but less pronounced. (Please excuse the shadow/ showthrough on the reverse side of my notebook page.  lol.)

I liked this ink so much, that I decided that I wanted to draw some tangles with it this weekend.  So, I drew a few things.  I found Tsutsuji to definitely be a "summery" color so I tried to draw a couple of "summery" things.  The photos I've included here were drawn with a LAMY Vista EF. 

This is the tangle pattern "Sanibelle".  You can see a nice range of color with this doodle.  The range of pink that Tsutsuji has to offer is evident, and shows that it's shading can be dramatic after 2 or more passes.  I really like the range of pink here.  It can be bright and it can be dark.  I think that helps to give this drawing a more animated appearance.

This is the tangle pattern "Squid".  Again, you can see the range of pink from bright to dark.  This drawing was also done with a LAMY EF; the ink gets darker after more passes.  The arms were generally one pass, thus lighter and brighter.  The circles drawn on the inside were often drawn over more than once to give them more emphasis, so they appear darker and shading is more evident.

Additionally, Tsutsuji did not clog and rinsed out of my pen relatively easily.  

Tsutsuji is probably best used for such activities as editing and drawing.  I have received personal correspondence where the writer used Tsutsuji and it was very pleasant, but I might limit its use to personal correspondence as opposed to business, and perhaps a notecard instead of an entire letter.  If you are a creative person, I think Tsutsuji is a nice-to-have because of its saturation and gentle shading properties.  The ink is not too difficult to manipulate when drawing, and doesn't "pool" like greater shading inks.

I liked Tsutsuji so much, that I have become much more willing to dip my toes a little deeper into the Iroshizuku waters and try Yama-budo (Wild Grapes, also referred to as Crimson Glory Vine).  Yama-budo seems like a purple (which I tend to dislike), and a bright purple (which I tend to dislike even more), but now that I take a second look at it appears to "read" magenta, which sorta straddles pink territory and I'm motivated to check it out.  Having experienced the bright and luscious Tsutsuji, I have acquired a "bright ink" addiction, and need more.  So, I will be trying to acquire a sample for myself in the near future.

Inks are fun!  Treat yourself to some samples of "fun" ink this week.  Set a limit of $10.00 or $20.00 and choose a few things that you wouldn't normally pick for yourself.  I often find that I am very surprised, and enjoy the trip down "the road less traveled".

Fiore di Pietro

This is a new tangle pattern introduced on http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/.  It's called Fiore di Pietro and it is a tribute in memory of the creator's brother-in-law who recently passed away.  The creator of this pattern is collecting tiles featuring this pattern in order to make a memory book for the family members, so I thought I might finally participate, and add my tangle to the bunch.  I found this pattern difficult to master, but I haven't worked with it very long.  I messed up the bigger side (the one on the right).  It doesn't really conform to the pattern, and I had to just go with it.  I tried to decorate the inside of the circles and triangles with Nzeppel, or Shattuck.  I added in some auras, and stippling.  I think it has an organic feel to it.

Edited to add: Rho, feel free to use my tangle.

Catching Up

I've been negligent with my posts lately because I was hit pretty hard with both a sinus infection and ear infection.  It's been an unfortunately long recovery, but I'm finally feeling like my old self again, and ready to post some of the tangles that I've been working on during my "down time".

Most of these were inspired by I am the Diva's weekly challenge.  I have not yet had the courage to post any of my tangles, but I'm sure I'll get up the nerve one of these days.  In the interim, I've been enjoying her challenges since she usually will focus on one tangle pattern each week.  A few weeks ago she was looking for challenge submissions using the pattern "Cadent".  What ended up happening was that I tried several different drawings using the same pattern and really had some fun branching out with it.

getting my bearings with Cadent, and trying to mix in Betweed and Tipple.

Monotangle with Cadent.

More Cadent but with more Betweed.

This is my favorite one.  It makes me feel relaxed. 

Then I decided that I wanted to learn the pattern, "Nzeppel".  I really like it!  I think it's pretty.

Nzeppel with Tripoli and Betweed.  Oh, and that random pattern I made up that looks like Spirograph.  

I tried using only Nzeppel with this one.  I really like it and think it has an earthy look to it.

This past week, the challenge at I Am The Diva is to draw a tangle that reminds you of something about your home.  Well, at the time, it had been stormy and raining quite a bit here in beautiful Connecticut, so I drew a tangle that (hopefully) brings that to mind.

Nzeppel, Pais, Printemps, Ixorus, Tipple.  Do the skies look dark and stormy?  Do you see the rain hydrating the dry, parched ground and making things grow?  lol.

And then, this weekend, I decided that I wanted to learn the pattern "Tripoli".  I am having a lot of fun with it!

Tripoli, with Mooka, Tipple, and a tangelation of Cadent.

A monotangle with Tripoli.

Another monotangle with Tripoli.  I like Tripoli a lot because it can look completely different depending upon the pattern you use inside the triangles.

I've been doing a lot of drawing in my Leuchtterm 1917 blank journal which has been great, but I find that the ink smudges a bit if I'm not careful and brush my hand over what I just drew moments after having drawn it.  I will need to find a sketchbook alternative, but for right now it's something I'm trying to remain conscious of.