Zentangle Birthday CardsThis

This one has the new tangle "Eclipse" on the top of the "J".  I really like this tangle!  

Had fun creating two birthday cards for friends for this weekend.  Done on 4 x 6 Strathmore Greeting card stock.  

Fine Arts Show: Leesburg, Florida

Hawthorne Park Fine Arts Show (Leesburg, FL)  Feb 24, 2013

I am finally getting to the end of my two-year term as chairman of the Fine Arts group here in my retirement park.  It's really a great park and has so much to offer!  The arts is really valued here and that is one of the reasons I was drawn here!  

The show mainly features original art in all mediums... but there are always 3 special tables.  This year one of them was dedicated to Zentangles. I am standing in front of the tables.  

 The "reception" is from 1-4 in the great hall and we had I think well over 300 people...maybe more.  People came and went all afternoon.  Violins/pianos played in the background, punch and cookies were served, and people chatted and enjoyed and discussed the art.  It is not a judged show...just a display of great talent.  One section is set aside for photography as well.  

A delightful and successful tribute to art here in Central Florida among the seniors.  (But it is nice to have it finished with too.)   

Knightspeek Zentangle®

Knightsbridge (v)

These are all various versions of Knightsbridge.

The one in the center is a new one called Knightspeek.  Very fun to draw.  The one that looks like balloon flowers on a vine is called Knightsbranch.  The other variations are one's that Margaret Bremner posted on her her blog on the 23rd.  It's a veritable "workshop" on using that one tangle pattern!  Fun. (Note directions for drawing Knightspeek is on Margaret's blog.)

Don Getz Demo

Don demonstrates his "position" for the first ink sketches that he does on location.  Tilted up on his knee in order to get the perspective correct. 

He then drops his sketchbook down to a flat position on his knees to add watercolor washes.   Light washes of color and not too watery.  He carries a bag (similar to Brenda Swenson's) with his supplies.  

Don is traveling around the US doing demos and sponsored by Cheap Joe's Art Supplies.

He did a demo for the Leesburg, FLorida Art League today.  Just marvelous!  So enjoyable.  You can read more about his trip around the US here.  He squeezed us in after Winter Haven, FL.  

He also has a website and a blog. You will see a lot more examples of his fabulous travel journals on these sites.  

A few notes from the demo...he says he used to use an identi-pen for sketching.  But now he uses Sakura Micron Pigma pens (just like all the Zentangler's use).  Same pens.  He also likes to do some sketching with a china pen (which I found interesting). He does not usually add color to those.  

He shows his palette which is a converted Russian Yarka watercolor palette with the paint removed and his own American Journey paint squeezed in.  I seriously doubt that the palette is all that important...it should be one that is fairly small..has about 12-18 places for your tube paint to be squeezed in.  Brenda Swenson uses a Heritage folding palette with a lid that seals.  I have used that too for quite a few years.  Reasonable priced and sturdy and has a lift out mixing tray too.  

Hint: He suggested using only distilled water.  I have heard that before too.  You will never get mold on your paints if you do.  He mixes his colors on his paper. (He likes Cheap Joe's journals...I wonder why?)  I find them pricey but they are very nice.  

He always draws with his pen first (no sketches in pencil) who, like Brenda, believes this helps to make you draw better and keeps your sketches fresh.  He does sometimes add a little ink line here or there after the paint is dry.  

One of Cheap Joe's gray paints is named Getz Gray (I have some) and it is a lovely pre-mixed gray that can be added to any color to achieve a new tint.  He also like an American Journey colors called "Tangerine" and "Sky Blue".    

Watercolor and Zentangle

"Add  Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves"
Watercolor/pen and ink/graphite
11 x 15

This was inspired by a spice cabinet I saw at a garage sale recently...but obviously MY interpretation.  I am not sure if the background reads "wallpaper" or spice cabinet.  But either way I sort of liked it.  I think I ready to sign it.

Time now to get ready for the Hawthorne Fine Art and Photography show that starts at 1 pm tomorrow here at our park in Leesburg, FL.  This piece is for another show. I still have some wires to put on paintings for that.  I am showing 4 pieces AND in charge of the Zentangle special exhibits table!  Set up for that starts at 9 am Sunday!   

Today is going to be one of those wonderful but too wild days for me today...Leesburg Art Association has a demo being offered at 1 pm (Don Getz).  I would hate to miss him.  I have some of his videos.  And to top it off it will 87 degrees and I would die to be at the pool!  

So my goal is to get all my errands done before lunch, hit Don's demo, and then go to the pool.  HA.  I'll let you know how THAT goes.  But our forecast has rain for Sun-Tuesday so this my chance. 

Zentangle Varieties

Neuron, IX, Jalousie, Jilli, Jester

Following a theme of finding unusual strings...this Zentangle tile is made up of the numbers one, two and three.  

Quandary, Paushalov,Paradox, Bubble Bobble Blup, Germie, Palrevo

From time to time I like to add a tad bit of color.  Black and white is still the most elegant of tangles to my mind.  This one has a bit of watercolor added AFTER the tangle. The tangle at the end has the watercolor FIRST. 

Mooka (v)

This tangle has no string. I've always had issues with Mooka...it never comes out just the way I hope it will.  I figure I need practice.  So I keep trying.  

Tripoli (v), Float Fest (v) (black and white)

in color

I kind of had an out of body experience with this one!  Hahaha.  I had not done Tripoli in a long time and I decided to enlarge it...when you enlarge some tangle patterns they become a different animal altogether.  I didn't actually do a string on this one either.  I like working over watercolor randomly placed.  Rather than "painting inside the lines".  Seems fresher to me.  

Zentangle: Two Pencil Strings

To my mind, you will NEVER run out of "strings" in Zentangle...but...sometimes you can sort of get stuck in a rut.  Same ole, same ole.  A while back, Margaret Bremner made a suggestion on her blog.  She suggested rubber banding two pencils together to make a string.  I never got around to trying it until last night.  

Now I personally have found it a little more creative (for me) to hold two pencils at a slightly different angle (with one hand at the same time) and then draw the string.  (Rather than using a rubber band.) But I'd suggest you try both ways.  

After I draw the marks...I stop and lightly redraw the parts I feel are the best parts and sometimes "erase" a line or two where something crosses or add a line to close a shape or run it off the tile.  

The three above are all two-pencils strings.  To me, they feel refreshingly "outside the box".  

Zentangle Display

A week from Sunday on Feb 24, our park here in Florida will have a Fine Art and Photography Show.  One of the special tables will feature Zentangle.  I did not do any of the work on the display (I did the 3 things sitting on the table below).  All the others are done by my students here in the park!  

When the table is all set up I'll take some more photos.  Should look great.  

Zentangle and a Watercolor

Quandary, Heartstrings, Bandola

I always like to try out new tangles right away to see if I like them.  

The Party's Over
Watercolor on Canvas
11 x 15

I think being at the Mt. Dora, FL  Art fair a few weeks ago put me back into a watercolor mood. This is "in progress" but I decided to show it as it moves along.

Looks like a chilly Saturday and Sunday here in central Florida but it won't last long.  Down in the 30s tonight and Sunday night!  Yikes.  I thought we were past all that!  80 for a high by Tuesday. It's really a roller coaster this winter!  

Quandary: A new tangle

Quandary (v), Auraknot, Hollibaugh (v), Perfs

Whenever Maria puts out a new tangle, everyone on the Zentangle "circuit" gets wild and crazy like immediately!  Hahaha.  So here is Maria's Quandary tangle (my version).  Well, it's actually HER versions...my interpretation!  She says they remind her of little pieces of rice.  She does her "randomly" without gridding.  HA.  I noticed Linda Farmer and I both had the same reaction to that.  Huh?  I had to grid mine (with triangle grids) to get the spacing right.  If anyone wants me to show how I drew the grids I can add that later.  Anyway, I kind of like this tangle!  

I am also creatively plagiarizing Maria's version of Hollibaugh with the ribbons.  I wanted to see if I could practice the illusion of roundness that she does so well.  It's not nearly as good as her's but I am getting better.  Some one online also combined Auraknot with Betweed and I LOVED that.  

Rainy and cool in central Florida through the weekend.  But we SURE needed the rain so badly that it's hard to get cranky about it.  Temps on Sunday will be downright CHILLY for this time of year.  But right back to 80 by Tuesday.  Not to worry.  I keep forgetting to post the photo of Lian Quan Zhen's demo.  I'll try to get on that this week.

He was amazing! 

Yoga for the Brain and for the Feet

Have you ever walked a Labyrinth?  Prayer in Motion is how some people describe it.  If you have followed my blog long enough you have seen photos of the labyrinth that my daughter built at our north woods cabin.  Having a "personal" one to use is an amazing piece of grace!  

Our church in FL has been wanting one.  But with an "older" congregation and limited funding, designing one was a real challenge!  It needed to be maintenance free and handicapped accessible!  Wow. We have plenty of space and a beautiful woods around our church.  But who will rake it, and how would people with canes, walkers, and sometimes a wheel chair be able to use it?  

So we are trying something VERY unconventional.  The labyrinth as been designed in overlapping sets of figure eights and painted on a piece of our winding blacktop driveway with it's "centering spot" in a little area where we already have benches.  The entrance and exit will have this little "folder-holder" as I call it on a 4' pole near the start/exit.  In it will be the directions for walking any labyrinth (in case the person is new to it) and a little map showing how the stepping stones (color coded) have been painted onto the blacktop.  

The little box was built by a church member and I painted it this week. I used "oil-paint markers" for the design.  I still have to clear coat it.  The top lifts up on hinges so that folders can be put inside.  They will be laminated for moisture protection.  I will try to take a photo when this gets installed.  This Sunday the labyrinth will be blessed.

Diva Challenge: A snake?

Dansk, Voga (v), Flez, Tearce, Itch

The Diva Challenge for this week is to include a "snake" in your Zentangle.  This is a 3.5" tile (I prefer Canson Montval 140# wc paper for my tiles, by the way.)  

As you can tell, snakes, not being my favorite sort of thing, have to have a sense of humor in my art!  :-)

Flex has always always looked like a snake skin to me and so I don't use it much.  It sure seemed perfect here!  And Itch looked scale-y too. Anyway, it is obvious this snake means you no harm!  

A fun challenge.  

Last Valentine

Vortex, W2, Wobbles and Warts, Knightsbridge

Card sized (4 x 6) again. A little Rose watercolor. Voila. The last of the 12 grandchildren's Valentines.  Now off to bake the cookies.  

I got the idea for intertwining the hearts from Open Seeds. click here.   She does a great job of explaing it.  For my hubby I will also bake his favorite pie (pecan).   

Tomorrow Lian Zhen (the famous watercolorist) is coming to do a demo at our park here in Florida.  We are SO excited.  I took a class from him about a year ago and when we discovered he was in central Florida I contacted him about coming.  He was so nice to say yes!!!  We do not have a huge amount to pay demo artists!  Especially of his caliber.  So very very special to have him.  

I hope to post a few photos from his demo tomorrow or in a few days!  

Zentangle With 20 Tangles

Hypnotic, Kathy's Dilemma,Voga (v), Corn Row, Striping, Keenees, Zedbra, Diva Dance, Auraknot, Hollebaugh, Scallops (v), Chainging, Vortex, Zinger Feschu, Poke Leaf, Poke Root, Sedgling, Nekton.

I could not believe it when I counted them up...20 tangles in this ZIA.  Maybe the Diva will one day have a challenge to see how many tangles we can get on a tile?  Of course, this is NOT on a tile...it is a 4 x 6 greeting card.  

You could play "Where's Waldo?" and see if you can find them all?  

Looks to me like I am getting ready to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Reading Challenge (March 1).  Is this not a Seuss-like drawing? 

We are in the 80s in Central Florida right now and watching the New England blizzard is almost painful!  What a huge travel mess and so much snow and wind!  Be safe out there.  Stay home if you can!!!

Zentangle® Valentine for Ben

Laces, Chard, Y-Full Power, Dansk (v), Muzic, Cubine (v), Jester, Paradox, Golven (v)

Sometimes you just enjoy a Zentangle more than another one.  I found this one VERY satisfying to do. I did it in several sittings.  

It is on a 4 x 7 greeting card. When I listed the tangles I was amazed how many there were!  This is a Valentine for my grandson, Ben.   

I also tried scanning this one in instead of a photo. I have to get these Valentines into the mail pretty soon!  

Did you hear that come August there will be no more Saturday mail delivery?  Just heard it on Public Radio this morning.  Times they are a-changing.  

  

Zentangle Valentine

Valentine for Nate.

Diva Challenge: Dansk

Dansk, Vortex, Koryl, Y-Ful Power

The Diva's Challenge this week is to use Margaret Bremner's wonderful tangle called "Dansk" in a Zentangle.  

Valentine Zentangles Continue

Finished two more Valentines for grandsons...A for Alex and Z for Zach.  This idea came from Margaret Bremner as she suggested that one might try tangling OUTSIDE the letters instead of inside. Fun.

We were off to the Mt. Dora Art Fair today. Thousands of people there...but well organized!  Fun.  Great art.

I really enjoyed an oil/ink artist named Alain Bathelot.  Has anyone ever heard of him?  Me either.  No website.  I couldn't believe it.  He is a mystery.  

30 Day Challenge Day 30 (late)

I admit that I "fell off the wagon" on the last 3 days of the challenge.  Art work got done...but time on time to get posted.  Blah.  I did pretty well up to day 25!  Then life got ahead of art!  Oh well.  

I am continuing on with the Valentine project and so I posted some of them for my last day of the challenge.
These Zentangle-Inspired-Art Valentines have just been all I can handle the past few days!  

We are busy planning a 5 day auto-train trip from Sanford, FL to Virginia.  Lots of last minute details to get done.  (It'll be in March when hopefully the weather in the Washington/VA area will moderate!!!!).  We are hoping to see some spring!?  

Here in Fl we range around 75 most days early in Feb and then by March we start getting into the 80s and by April to the 90s!  A happy time of year.