Diva Challenge #268 Bit-O-Black - and SQ1 Fugu - with SKYE and a Story, and Yew-Dee Shading

Gentle Readers,

This week I will be brief!  I have a party coming up, and if you want to know what kind, witness the fruits of our quick wine run! :-)

Also, I spent the morning cooking up the custard for Gabrielle Hamilton's amazing brown sugar ice cream.  Last time I made it, people were practically licking out the container.  So good!  I have shopping, patio and lawn furniture washing and cooking left to do before Saturday afternoon, so not a lot of time for tangling. 

The latest buzz on the Zentangle boards is Margaret Bremner's new tangle SKYE.  It is not the easiest to draw - requires focus!  But every Bremner tangle involves strong blacks, so perfect for this week.  Also, I was getting it ready for Eni Oken's Shading Zentangle FB page when I saw the Diva Challenge.

DIVA CHALLENGE #268 - BIT-O-BLACK, AND SQ1 FUGU AND SKYE

OK, here is the STORY/CONFESSION time for this tile...  I was working on adding Fugu to the SKYE pattern I had drawn.  Fugu is the feature tangle for the SQ1 FB page.  I had practiced SKYE enough that I could put it on a "real" tile, and then was adding Fugu around and underneath it.  Oddly, it has quite a bit in common - shapewise - with Margaret Bremner's other recent tangle, Pixioze, so I thought it would work well.  Ah, relaxing Zentangle...until I fall asleep and the pen shoots across the tile leaving a very big "opportunity".  CONFESSION:  I decided, fie on the rules, it is my tile and I will just fix that little slip with a white gel pen just like Whiteout back in the old typewriter days!  So I did, and was reasonably satisfied with that.  I continued to work on the tile, and then realized, "hey, it's Monday!  Diva Challenge!" I had just been thinking that my tile needed some bold black and maybe the structure of a border treatment. 

Serendipity!  I decided the side of my tile would look great with a black fill.  I also decided my penance for disregarding the "no mistakes" rule was to add the black side-shot line back in and proceed from that point.  I didn't even finish filling in the Fugu shape as I had started.  This is my Amish Quilt mistake moment. 

So, here is my Bit-O-Black "opportunity"!

Last week the Shading Zentangle focus was Yew-Dee.  I gazed admiringly at what others were posting on Facebook, but just couldn't get my groove, as it were.  Finally, I was fooling around in the sketchbook and hit on something I liked.  I had fun shading both the individual elements and the bigger form.

So, Dear Readers, that is it for this week.  Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments.  If I am not completely undone by the festivities this weekend ;-), I will report back next week...

Namaste,
Antonine

Diva Challenge #276 Duotangle (really #267, but more about that...), SQ1 Batumber-Hollyhock and A Bit of Color

Welcome Gentle Readers,

I got my Diva Challenge tile finished on Monday, but have been fooling around all week trying to complete a couple other focus challenges.  Bust...  When the inspiration dries up and you have other things going on (good stuff, really!), you end the week with not much to show. 

Just a bit of local color to start:

This is what you get when you throw in a $1.59 pack of seeds into a pot.

Marigolds started from seeds from last year's blooms

Aloe, Vinca and Hibiscus are all happy in this moderate weather.  We'll see what survives the coming inferno.

Speaking of color:

I have an upcoming "Sip and Tangle" type party at a friend's home, and thought I would pre-string some tiles for the guests.  Cabernet takes center stage, but I used a bit of Moscato to add an "optional" additional line.  I'm anxious to see how these turn out!

DIVA CHALLENGE #276 (I say it is #267 since last week was #266, but who am I?) DUOTANGLE POKEROOT AND DRUPE

I have been fooling around with my watercolors and managed to come up with this.  I am pleased, and now motivated to look into a watercolor class.  I have avoided them because I'm not a landscape girl, but maybe...

SQ1 BATUMBER

I had just been playing around with the newly published Hollyhock by Jason Lau when the focus on Square One came up with Batumber.  I think they must be related!

More stuff...

JUST PLAYING

I saw the tangle Fluxogee by Hanny Waldburger, and gave it a try.  I wouldn't say this is totally perfected - the shading could be better - but I had fun, so here it is, folks!

So, Dear Readers, that's it for this week - late again, but mostly because I was procrastinating. Thank you for stopping by and know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments.

Namaste,
Antonine

Diva Challenge #266 Crux, Kaleidoscopic Color, 14 Shades of Gray and Ellish...or Allish?

Gentle Readers,

I appreciate your patience in waiting for my post - it seems I'm moving ever farther past Thursday to now...Saturday!  I guess I get so involved with the tangling that I don't stop to record and organize.  I must admit, that is one of my lifelong challenges.  I used to HATE when the powers-that-be at work asked us to keep track of everything we do.  That takes way longer than the doing!  Thank goodness those days are gone.

Before I forget, Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful, loving, supportive, challenged, overwhelmed, affectionate but frazzled, totally human (and even the non-human!) mothers out there!  May all your progeny shower you with every accolade on your special day.  My own mother departed so very many years ago, just four days after her 30th birthday, and I never had the opportunity to share a Mother's Day with her.  I still love you, Mommy!

On to this week's "Zentanglish" musings:

DIVA CHALLENGE #266 CRUX

Last week I promised to work in some color.  I have been playing around with new watercolors and trying out various papers, stretching techniques, brushes, washes, etc.  This is all new to me - I haven't really used watercolor since I painted them into my childhood coloring book pages.  So much to learn!  When I started working with the featured tangle Crux, I thought from the start that it cried out for color.  Somehow the crystalline forms reminded me of what I saw peering through the opening of those little Kaleidoscopes I loved as a child.

I applied the color sparingly in this case, but added lots of black to simulate that feeling of the dark hole in the tube with the colored light shining through. 

NO COLOR BUT BLACK, WHITE AND 14 SHADES OF GRAY

On the other end of the color spectrum, I received my 14 Shades of Gray kit from the supremely talented Sonya Yencer and Jenny Peruzzi.  This kit describes a method of taking your featured tangle from black and white to a misty gray on your tile.  It is such a lovely transition and way to soften the look of a bold tangle.  I have lots more to learn through practice and inspiration from other 14-Shaders, but here are my two contributions to the mix.

Ciceron

Eye-wah

ELLISH OR...ALLISH!

I tried the new official tangle Ellish, but it kept going its own way, turning into an "A".  One of the FB group commenters said "I love your Allish!", so that is what I will call it.

Allish on a Ring

Allish with Ruutz

So, Dear Readers, thank you for stopping by today.  Have a beautiful Mother's Day weekend and enjoy your families.  Know that I cherish all your thoughts and comments and would love to hear from you.

Namaste,
Antonine