Growth.
At the center of it all, there has been a seed planted. And now the growth begins. The living towers still stood, although the lace dress and pearls were sold long ago. But the new growth was hope, renewed.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Avreal Courant Florz Jay Six Muchin Pokeleaf Y-ful Power
Portals.
The window was made of many openings. As she looked through each portal, she wondered why it was different from the others. What were those strange patterns. What kind of life forms were there. So many questions in need of answers.
I love this form of Hollibaugh, using rounding to create graceful openings between the crossed bars.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
In-between.
It’s what lies between that makes the difference.
This is actually a Monotangle, meaning only one tangle pattern was used on the entire tile. I normally post Monotangles on Mondays, but I had something special to post yesterday, so this is being posted on Tuesday, instead.
I chose African Artist because it is a pattern that has been difficult for me to execute. For one thing, sometimes I get the little portions going in the wrong direction. And drawing an ogee grid, which this is based on, I find very difficult for some reason!
Hidden.
She tried to hide from the outside by pulling the drapes, but the wouldn’t close completely. There were so many dangers she could not hide from around here. From the mystery under the pillow, to the strange marbles on the floor. She didn’t know how to escape the situation because she could not dream.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Unknown.
I don’t know what the tangle at the upper right is. I can’t find it in my step-outs. If you recognize it, please join in on Facebook and let me know!
Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Black Box Nipa Nzeppel Shattuck Tipple Wadical Yincut
Classic.
When I was drawing this Zentangle, I realized that it was becoming just way too complicated and busy. Even while I was shading it with the brown pencil, I knew I would have to do something to bring back some high contrast, or it would just be a really muddy tile. At first I was thinking I could add gold, metallic ink. But that really wouldn’t pop enough here. The center of the Arukas reminded me of a gem, and then the light bulb lit up: turquoise.
Patchwork.
The quilt made a strong contrast to the wallpaper in the room. She tossed her jewelry on the bed while she kicked off her shoes. It had been a long day and she was ready to wind down.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Aah Amphora Beedle Beelight Bucky Flooka Honeycomb Palrevo Quipple Wildwood Y-Knot
Remembrance.
I remember September 11, 2001 very clearly. My husband called from work to tell me about the first plane hitting the tower. My immediate reaction was “Oh, you must be seeing a scene from a movie.” He wasn’t. I immediately turned on the television and could see it for myself. I remember when the second plane hit the towers. I remember watching the towers collapse and knew there were still people in them.
Portals.
So many choices. Where will they all lead. Some appear to be places with natural growth and others more rigid, enclosed. So many choices.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Bucky Drupe Evoke Fescu Frondous Hollibaugh Sedgling Stoic Ticings Tortuca Vega
Window box.
As I sit in the chair by the window, perhaps this will be what I see.
Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Aah Bumper Ennies Fescu Keeko Meer Nzeppel
Blossoms.
Some tangle patterns are a self-contained motif when completed. Many people call these blossom tangles. Here, I’ve used three different ones in a composition. I just wanted it to be simple, because I’m having a very busy day and don’t really have a lot of time for drawing.
Zentangle drawn on pearl grey Stonehenge multi-use paper using grey and pink Staedler pens and grey Copic multiliner. Shading done with Copic marker and colored pencil.
Creatures.
As the ship floated just above the surface, she stared out the window at the myriad of creatures. She thought, “The Universe has a bizarre sense of humor!”
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Borbz Btl Joos Doodle Bugs Fern Grubz Magma Quabog Squirmy Twiggy
Succulents.
When you group a bunch of Locar tangles together they look a bit like cactus or succulents!
The techniques that I used on this tile are based on Eni Oken’s Distressed Tile Video . However, I didn’t follow the instructions exactly. (It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t baking a cake!) I already had this tile on my desk, with the Locars already drawn on it in brown pigma pen. I really wanted to play, but I also needed to complete this monotangle for this blog post.
Romance.
Since I am on a grey and pink combo kick this week, I decided to look around and see what else I could use to fit this theme. I found some old, pink cardstock in the paper craft stash. It had a kind of parchment or mottled coloring and the surface of the paper was nice, similar to the bristol vellum.
The random tangles that came out of jar were perfect, very organic, romatic, and feminine!
Again.
On monday, I posted a Zentangle that was pink and grey. I decided to repeat that color combination, but in a different way. Here, I started with a tile that was grey to begin with. I added a small amount of pink and then did the shading and highlights. It turned out to be an interesting effect.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Toned Grey paper using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Highlights done with white charcoal pencil and colored pencil.
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul” -Martha Graham
This tile is based on Eni Oken’s Tangled Words video . This was a lot of fun, and not as hard as you might think! I was a little worried about “lettering”, but it wasn’t that hard, and I think it came out well.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with Copic marker and colored pencil. Background created with Distress Ink, Zig Memory marker, colored pencil and gel pen.
Easy.
Some times, when you are tangling, you just want to do something simple, easy and relaxing. While I really love yesterday’s Zentangle, it was fairly time-consuming. As a result, I wanted the next one to just be something I could do to completely relax. I also didn’t feel like spending as much time on a single tile. And that’s perfectly OK!
So, even though it is simple, there is still a lot of depth and dimension. I like the way the Paradox section almost looks like the head of a strange bird. And Ennies looks like a ball-pit or a pool filled with pearls! Nekton is one of my favorite, go-to tangles, it looks like tossed bits of reed or straw.
Pods.
Today’s monotangle is brought to you by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault . If you don’t know anything about it, you should. You can go an a virtual tour of the vault via your own compter, without even leaving home by clicking here. The tangle Inapod has always been one of my favorites. I love the way the lines flip back and forth as it is drawn and how the pods emerge as you draw. It can be used at all different sizes as a ribbon, blossom or even a grid fill, as I did here for the frame.
Renaissance.
I really enjoy tangling on the Renaissance Tan tiles. Just as with the grey-toned tiles, it is possible to achieve a wide range of values. And then, with the addition of brown and sepia ink you can just go even further developing the design! The final piece can look antique, native american, or fresh and modern.
Zentangle drawn on Official Renaissance Tan Zentangle tile using a black, brown and sepia Micron pens. Shading done with graphite, colored and white charcoal pencils.
Lace and pearls.
They could see the honeycomb living towers through the window. Her pearls and lace-trim dress tossed on the floor. And while the great orb turned, they slept. Their dreams were filled with the lives of the rich and powerful.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Tangles: Awdry Centipede Icanthis Nzeppel Snail Strata Y-ful Power Zingo