#4 - This is the fourth in my series of fountain pen, shimmer and sheen ink tests.
J. Herbin, Amethyste de l'Oural , a dark, purple ink with a beautiful crystalline-to-silver sheen, is such a deep, royal color. It’s beautiful with any tangle that has some filled in portion which allows the variations to shine when rotated in the light.
I wish you could see here, in the scan, the beautiful sparkle along the bands in the Jetties tangle. You’ll just have to try it for yourself!
#3 - This is the third in my series of fountain pen, shimmer and sheen ink tests.
I think I am in love with this Jacques Herbin ink, , Kyanite du Népal ! It is a beautiful, turquoise-blue with a sheen consiting of turquoise and silver metallic flecks. It’s an ink that will make any mermaid swoon!
Although you can’t see it in the photo above, slightly rotating the tile under good light or outside in the sun causes the droplet ends of the opus to sparkle like a beautiful lagoon!
#2 - This is the second in my series of fountain pen, shimmer and sheen ink tests.
The ink used here, Jacques Herbin, Rouge Hematite is perfect for the second tangle in this series! Pepper reminds me of those red and white peppermint candies that you see everywhere during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season!
While you can’t see the pretty, gold sheen in this gorgeous ink, you can see how it affects the color and variations created when it is used to draw the stripes in the peppermints.
#1 - This is the first in my series of fountain pen, shimmer and sheen ink tests.
I am currently using the 2019 Gratitangles list. The first tangle is Rain.
What ink could me more appropriate than the Jacques Herbin Stormy Sky ink! This ink is a deep, flannel grey color with very tiny, sparse gold flecks. It worked well in the fountain pen and covered nicely in the areas that are filled in. The drying time on a standard Bijou tile was very reasonable.
Sometimes, what you’re looking for is right under your nose… and you don’t see it!
I’ve had this Jane Davenport fountain pen for a while now. It’s an inexpensive workhorse that I don’t worry about trying things with.
It comes with three ink cartridges, and a “converter” that you can fill with any fountain pen ink you wish. You use the converter instead of a cartridge.
Recently, along with a glass pen, my husband purchased two shimmer ink samplers from The Goulet Pen Company . One is a set of Jacques Herbin and the other is Robert Oster . I want to play with these for calligraphy and creating some interesting tangling effects.
One day last week, my husband was anxious about a package that was being delivered. His concern was that it would be by the front door on Halloween eve. And we were not going to be home.
As it turned out, it was put into the mail box and everything was fine!
In the package was this glass pen, which he bought for me as a gift. He got it from The Goulet Pen Company . This pen is a Herbin Large Spiral Glass Dip Pen in the Royal Blue color.
On Wednesday, I went with a group of friends to the Art Resource Center . This is the first time I’ve been there, although I have donated to them in the past. They accept donations of cash or new, or partially used art materials. But it doesn’t end there! They have tons of interesting things from craft magazines and instructions to pieces of wood and metal, all kinds of containers, fabric, trims and buttons, books, stickers and binders… and more! Everything there has been donated by someone. Donations are tax deductable.
Throwback Thursday!
Three years ago today, I did a reset on this website. I changed the style and the content over to be able to show you my art. While I have been tangling, more than anything else, I also do other kinds of art. But I have to confess, tangles often slip into it.
This quick Halloween drawing was created with colored pencil. But you’ll probably find a couple of tangles here and there!
Did you notice that I skipped a number in this series of ATC cards? While this one was actually the sixth one I did, I saved it for the last because of the way it came out.
Ok. I had this idea about using Paradox to make a symmetrical design. I think it sort of worked… but not at all what I imagined it would look like!
ATC #6. Project done!
Sometimes the simplest tangles can have a powerful impact. It depends on how you treat them.
Here, I used Hollibaugh, but gave it a bit of a curve. Then I made it holey!
And a little touch of blue just makes it magical.
ATC #11
Zentangle drawn on a cut down, grey, Official Zentangle tile using a blue, Micron pen, cobolt, Copic Multiliner, and white Gelly Roll. Shading done with graphite, Copic marker and colored pencil.
“Fishy, fishy in the brook, Daddy catch him on a hook, Mommy fry him in a pan, Johnny eat him like a man.”
– Unknown
Looking for a simple tangle that can be use in a variety of ways? Take Indy-Rella out for a spin!
Depending on how you draw it, you can suggest flames, or fish. You can add them to the ends of Fescu, turning them into some kind of plant, or follow various contours to create a nice, organic fill.
Diva Dance is such a fun tangle. Although the concept is very simple, it can morph to fit almost any shape. Or, it can take on a life of it’s own, depending on the variation.
Here, it has been wrapped around itself in a spiraled style that gives the appearance of full-blown blossoms.
ATC #9.
Zentangle drawn on sahara, Fabriano Tiziano using a black and tan, Micron pens and white Gelly Roll. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Aquafleur, the tangle used on the heart-shaped string was one that I didn’t understand well for a long time. I tried it, as it was shown to me, and I just couldn’t figure out how those ribbons wrapped a given string.
Finally, one day, I just sat and played with it in my sketch book. And all of a sudden, it just “clicked” for me.
Here, it is used in an elegant, but simplified version. It’s easier to understand when wrapped around a single, simple shape.
If you follow me, then you know I’ve done this tangle, which can look like a sprig of Rosemary, or a pine bough, or a feather, many times before. I enjoy drawing it and it’s one of my favorites.
ATC #7.
Zentangle drawn on sahara, Fabriano Tiziano using a black and tan, Micron pen and gold gel pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Marasu Tipple Verdigogh
Note: Some of the inks used did not scan well. There are silver and copper dots which here, appear to be orange and white.
There are a lot of differences in composition when you work on a rectangular piece, as compared to a square. However, this one works on either. The only difference is that I like it better with a horizontal emphasis. On the square version, I liked it better with a vertical emphasis.
Printemps is one of my favorite tangles.
It can be made large, with a heavier hand and used as central motifs. It can be drawn small and numerous to fill in a background.
You can completely cover an area with it, overlapping where needed, or you can leave negative space around and between each fragment.
No matter the over-all concept, it’s a wonderful tangle to draw for the Zen flow!
Ruutz, a tangle created by Eni Oken, is a wonderful subject for tangle fractalization. I chose, in this example, to use a different color ink for each iteration. My hope was that the designs would appear to fade out going into the background.
If you want more information about this tangle technique, check out Eni Oken's Fractalized Tangles Lesson Bundle !
ATC number three… done!
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen and a brown and grey Copic Multiliner. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Perhaps those pumpkins are taking on a life of their own; creating a ballet as they rise up. They leave the garden trellises behind as they creep around the Halloween garden!
Another ATC.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with Distress markers and colored pencil. Decorative elements added with various gel pens.
Tangles: Crazy Nzeppel Mooka
The Hunter’s Moon has passed. The pumpkins are ready for picking. Soon, there will be the smell of freshly baked pies in the air!
This ATC was created with these in mind!
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Highlights created with colored pencil.
Tangles: Gourdgeous Icanthis
Pink and grey is one of my favorite color combinations. So I thought I would give it a try on one of the new, grey tiles from Zentangle.
Here is a quick study on a Bijou tile, using Molygon, wrapped around a central orb and filled with Marasu.
I think it’s interesting enough that I may repeat something similar on a standard-sized tile.
Zentangle drawn on an Official, grey, Zentangle Bijou tile using a pink, grey and dark grey, Uniball Signo pens. Shading done with graphite pencil. Highlights created with white colored pencil.