Composites for Zentangle tangle settings...

8.5 x 11" copy paper
Ink and colored pencil graphite and acrylic paint

One of the goals and purposes of my over-zealous interest in putting together "groups" of Zentangle® patterns (regardless of the actual month it happens to be now) is to enjoy seeing new tangle patterns in a "setting" rather than just as a step out or sample. 

My goal has been to include at least 4 or 5 new tangles each month.  This month was quite extraordinary as almost ALL the tangles are new.  For some reason I have come upon a great number that caught my eye.  Only five of the tangles are familiar to me:  a version of Hollibaugh (on day 23), Black Pearl (on bright green background,  and the background behind days 17 and 18 which is Printemps in graphite.  Also Agora which is day 2 has been used before. There is also  a version of Striping in the center area that is an old friend.  

The new tangles are Puffties, Trills, Sextant Border, Side Eye, Gemma, Hamsix, Dayz-E Fleur, Banner, Funsin, and Auwacka Too.  

Diva Challenge: Black and red

Black, white and red challenge/ink and colored pencil
Veezy, Inowi, and a variation on "Well"

8.5 x 11 copy paper
Ink and  Prismacolor pencils

Whatever you do, do NOT look at the date on this calendar.

I know, I know.  2017?  January? WHAT is that?  

What has happened is that I got caught up in Tangle A Day calendars for my daily Zentangle several years back.  So after awhile you need to push out to something else and I found Tanglalendar which is a sub group of calendar nuts that is doing their calendar a different way.  Stephanie puts out the blank formats for free, we download them and do our daily Zentangles as we wish.  Posting on her Facebook group.   

None of us makes much effort to let the # on the days even show up so it's not the kind of calendar you would actually use to track days!  Obviously we don't even stay in the squares!  It's totally fun.  (Although many people do this differently than I do.)

You can also download free blank calendars online.  

SO…I have this phobia about practicing my tangles on this format.  And since I work fairly quickly, I have done all 12 calendars for 2016 already. You can actually find them under "Zentangle calendars" on the side bar on my blog.  Crazy.  

My goal is to use at least 3-4 brand new (to me) tangle patterns on each sheet.  

Washi Tape made easy

Home made Washi Tape 

I think this is the 3rd time over the years that I've posted this "recipe" for home made "washi" tape.  (My sister will know exactly what I am doing!)  I probably do this twice a year so I keep my tape supply available whenever I need it!  Great for decorating cards and letters, journal pages, collage work, etc.  I think these are tons nicer than commercial washi tape!  

I use first aid cotton tape that you can find in any drug store or dollar store.  And I lay it out on a non-stick surface.  Freezer paper works the best, I think, but this time I used waxed paper for the first time and I think it went fine.  I taped the wax paper down to my work table first.  2-2.5 feet across.  Then I laid out the paper tape in strips across the waxed paper leaving just a tiny bit between them.  After I apply the first coats of base paint you can't even see the spaces anymore.  

(I just use inexpensive craft acrylic paint form hobby store or WalMart).  Pick bright colors that you enjoy…some dark and some light.  After the base coats dry apply more printing, stenciling, spattering, and line work however you like to do it.  Mostly I love just random marks, but you could be as planned out as you wish as you might want a certain look.  Gold paint spritzed on with a tooth brush on a dark back ground is very effective.  Fine line work with fine liner bottles is very effective too.  You might just want stripes or dots painted on with a Q-tip.  Hand made stamps work well and I enjoy using stencils printed on with make sponges.  Let dry again.

I wind my tape onto "smoothie" drinking straws and stick them into a cup on my work table so they are handy at all times.  Voila.

Baby Owlet under a Mushroom

Acrylic 11 x 15 gallery-wrapped canvas
"Owlet and Mushroom"

Evidence of me gridding this image is still on the canvas, of course.  So the background is yet unfinished.  And some little details I'd like to add here and there yet.

The class was taught by Wausau artist, Cindy Markowski.  

Just a short one day class…10-2.  Since I do very little acrylic I found it refreshing to try it out again.  

I think he'll turn out "okay"…nothing spectacular but it was fun.  Cindy had lots of tips on feathers and eyes.  

And it was a lovely day to avoid noticing the north woods weather.  Yes, you guessed it…rain again.  Really a deluge all day and storm after storm has roared through. 

No winds this time thank heavens.  We are all recovering still from a big wind storm last Friday that left 73,000 homes in the northern WI without power for as long as 4 days!  Ours was out 30 hours and that was bad enough!  Temps around 70 but so damp and dark.  Not a very fun opening this year.

Christmas in June

8.5 x 11 wc pencil and ink on copy paper

You knew this would happen eventually.  That I would flip out and post Christmas in June.  You knew it right?

Well, you saw November so what could possibly be next?

I love how I can look at this and see lots of tangles and think about other possible ways to use them!  

At present I am just putting them in plastic sheet protectors and enjoying them as a sort of flip book.  Can 2017 be far behind?

A Garden in Madison, WI

Small landscape Moleskin sketchbook
watercolor and ink

Such a nice day in Madison, WI on Sat June 11.

Our grandson Ben graduated from high school!!!  We drove the 4 hours south to be with the family that day.  

We gathered with my daughters and with Ben's other grandparents and some friends for a picnic in the garden after the ceremony (Madison West High School).  It was 95 that day in Madison!  This was our 5th grandchild to graduate from high school (only 7 more to go!)  

This building is actually Julie's garage with a pergola out front of it that you drive under to get into the garage!  Never seen anything like it…covered in gorgeous vines that will flower soon and some roses as well.  

Lots of beautiful shade and lovely plantings left by the former owner who was quite the gardener!!!  I never knew there were peony "trees".  Yup.  I looked it up.  THERE ARE!  And a ton of different plants I've never seen before!  Lots of work thinning this garden out!  I could stay all day and paint there!  

En plein air painting in WI on Thursday June 9

Chippewa Retreat Resort in Manitowish Waters, WI

There were nine painters this morning.

I took some liberties leaving a lot of things out of the 

sketch but this was my first time in this size Moleskin sketchbook and

I did have some "issues" with the paper.

I drew everything in ink with a fountain pen….no pencil.

Added color afterwards.  I think the sketch needs a few more dark darks.  

Tools of the trade...

8.5 x 11 Calendar/ink and colored pencil

As I started these calendars back in Florida as a relaxing respite from packing hassles…I am not finishing up the year with respite from the unpacking hassles.  Note: if you look closely you will find my birthday AND Thanksgiving hiding in the calendar somewhere.  

6 x 10 Log Book

I picked up a little "Camp and Cottage Log Book" at a garage sales a few years ago and stowed it in my studio up here in the north woods.  It is published by NorthWord Press here in Minocqua, WI.

I loved the empty pages AND the little "botanical" type paintings on some of the pages.  The art work is done by Laurie Caple and they are precious.  So the little maple seedling to the left is already on the page.  

The tools are my addition and were sketched while I waiting to hand tools off to my hubby during a project.  I loved the one on top which I had never seen before.  I know that it is used to cut copper pipe.  I am not sure what you call it.  

The paper is a gloss coated paper sort of slick to work on like a Bristol paper.  It takes ink fine but is not too happy with watercolor.  I may try colored pencils next time.  

Arriving at our north woods cabin

French Camp, MS  Moleskin sketch book

We had a wonderful cross country trip from central FL to northern WI and we could sleep for a week now!  But no rest for the wicked and we are busy unpacking and trying to "open" the north woods cabin which is no small task!  

And the next task is also not one for sissies!

So this is the first order of business…a new pump for our shallow well.  Yikes.  This is the old one that served us so well for over 40 years! (with tank beside it).

And  this is the well pit where it was and the new one will be installed.  How fun is this!!!? Working in a pit?  Oh boy.

AND just to make things worse, there is no water in the house until this gets done!  OH boy.  

Wish us luck on this task!!!  AND soon.

Art is on hold for a bit longer yet.

Relaxing With Less Stress

8.5 x 11" on copy paper

Since all my studio stuff is either packed to go or packed to stay, I have these little down times between packing and cleaning and laundry, etc. and these Zentangle calendar pages have been a life saver.

You can just sort of "carry on" and my mind is very relaxed.

It's kind of funny to be working on October in May.  I'll be humming Christmas carols pretty soon!  :-)

Packing is stressful for me.  We leave on Tuesday for WI.  So this just relaxes me to no end.

And if a new tangle arrives while in the midst of one of these I just throw it in to see if I like it.  The one on the top left is a very new one called "Sun Sun".  I cannot remember why.  But if you look closely it is made of the number 3 printed in a column first one direction and then the other.  Very interesting.  Then over on the right side is one made up of the numeral 5 and one of 6/9.  

I expect my time to do this sort of thing to be limited soon.  

The last minute things are just that…last minute and you can't do them ahead of time.  Packing the car is a test of our marriage vows.  

Weather in central FL is HOT HOT HOT…95 again today.  Whew.  Greg is so happy to see 70s in WI.  We need a break.

Back to the Future

I know, I know.  Fall?  We haven't had summer yet.  
But look how great it makes you feel to look at YOUR calendar and, whew, what a relief…it's only May.  

In my "Back to the Future" calendar I am looking at this as just a nice excuse to make a Zentangle "collage" of tangles.  The fact that it's on a calendar is not really relevant.   Just enjoy.
I have put in several new tangles and then also gone back and enjoyed some old favorites.  

Big big storms here in central Florida this week and we have picked some 3-4" of needed rain.  But yesterday and today the winds and rain were sort of scary.  Big time winds!  Lots of lightning.  

Temps drop 15-20 degrees as the storm goes through and then rise right back up again two hours later.  With humidity added.  

Our trip count-down continues fairly smoothly. We've done this more than 10 years now so our check lists are fairly accurate although things change from year to year.

We will miss our little home here in FL but look forward to our summer adventures in WI and seeing our family again.  

Diva Challenge: Using black

Using black in your tangles…

as part of a large group of tangles!

The Diva Challenge this week is to use black in your tangles in order to create a more dramatic point of interest.  This is Margaret Bremner's new tangle "Skye" and I think black looks very well with it.  

Faux Bontanicals

8 x 11 hot press Arches paper

This is not a very good image of my "faux" botanical painting.

For some reason the scan is shadowed.  I think I'll try a photo of it next time.  

The flowers are Bleeding Heart Vine that grow near our door here in Florida.  I actual blossoms are very tiny…about an inch long but they are exquisitely beautiful.  Bright red tiny blossom and pops out and then only lasts a few days.  

"Real" botanicals have to have a scale showing how much I enlarged the drawing.  AND even though I did use a magnifying lens, I know that I should have one that I wear on my face and then have better lighting.  

I also do not care for Arches hot press 140#.  

It is very unforgiving and tends to "pill" a little in a wash.

I've had this piece of paper for a long time and it may actually have some dampness in it.  

I read that most botanical artists prefer Fabriano hot press 300#.

Also once I made my initial drawing on tracing paper, I should have made more of an effort to compose the painting more.  I was just playing and trying things out.  I think the one little side drawing of the last stage of the flower should have been on the vine too.  I need to work on the leaf more too.  

I am in the packing mode right now and so I really do not have much time for this right now.  But it is fun.  I took some photos as well.  Some botanical artists keep their plants/flowers, fruits etc in the fridge so that they can keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible.  

So this is something to play with this summer.

There is a botanical course offered at Dillman's this summer that I am considering.

Margaret's new tangle: Skye

I know it's nuts.  Now I am almost done with August.
But it really doesn't matter what month I am on as long as I am enjoying myself. Love Margaret's new tangle Skye…which I really had to work on!  I am a slow learner on that one!  But it's worth not giving up.  I dropped a few words into this one, if you can find them.  

Gorgeous hot 92 weather here in Central FL.  But weather up north is not very great at this point.  We have about two weeks until we get up there.  I am crossing my fingers on weather improvement big time!  I know the whole upper midwest and Canada is cold and wet and icy.  

Is anyone having trouble with their FB account Sunday night?
I've never ever not been able to download a photo and it would not take any photos tonight…I even switched to another browser but it's FB and not the browser.  Wonder if it's over loaded on a Sunday night or something.  I'll try in the morning.  

Tangle over print with Margaret Bremner

Ink over print page…7" x 7"

Margaret Bremner just posted a similar piece..this is definitely HER idea but I decided just to try a sample.  She used a book page and I am sorry actually that I picked something with a bit of color illustration in the middle.  I don't think I'd do that again. 

 Although I am not sure I'd do this again anyway…:-) It's quite a bit of work.  But a fun little challenge…not all that different from my calendar work actually.  

I used Microns 05 and 08 on this so that the darker, thicker ink would show up better against the print.

Off to the pool for an afternoon swim.

The month to wait for in the North Woods

I am really looking forward to the month of July at the north woods cabin.
I heard that on May 14 (just two more days) it will snow an inch and temps at night go down to 29.  Okay guys…this is NOT funny…I hear you laughing.

It is 91 here in central FL and 29 there in northern WI.  
So do I need to say more?  ARRRGH.
Anyway this was a very fun calendar to do.

Diva Challenge: Drupe and Poke Leaf

All my calendars (Jan-June) are now posted on this blog.  If you are coming from the Diva challenge and are interested in seeing all the calendars Jan-June.  Click on my blog name and then scroll down.  With my limited time I decided to put the challenge right on the calendar!!

Graduation Cards: practicing font-making

Dean's card

Ben's card. 

These are normal greeting card stock from Michaels or WalMart.

Designing graduation cards for 18 year old grandsons causes me to pause.  

Flowers and hearts are out.

But I like the idea of BOLD color and BOLD print and not too much print.  Just the basics please.  

All the colors are watercolor.  Printing is inks and pens of various shapes and sizes.  Color blocks that go over ink are Tombow pens.

The money is held down with hand-made Washi tape.  I can do this because we will be handing the cards to the boys and they don't need to go through the mail.

Ideas from Joann Sharpe's book The Art of Whimsical Lettering.

A tribute to urban art

Journal prompt for this week…think about graffiti as art.

I didn't get any huge insight about this but learned a lot of interesting facts about the printing and about how amazing some of it is!  Greg and I see a lot of it on trains.  Lots of it I can't read but I can tell it's some code or message (gangs?).  Who else who stand in deserted train yards all night with spray paint?  

But some of it is actually commissioned work (on walls of buildings as murals) and some is in museums.  Rather fascinating modern urban art.  

Materials: collage, stencil, wc and acrylic and ink.  YES glue, and downloaded train image.  

It's gorgeous…I am going outside now!!! 

Diva Challenge in steps

Done in steps on a 3.5" Zentangle tiles.

Had 3 different groups posting 3 different tangles this week and I three them in together: Crux, Yew Dee, and Batumber.