I haven’t posted a Zentangle from Amanda Higbee, CZT in a long time. The camera on her phone has been broken and other life things have interfered. But I have one for your pleasure today! I love the way she used strips of Ambler to draw the eye into the center of the tile. I also got a big kick out of the list of tangles on the back of her tile. She called Bronx Cheer “boo boo berries”!
Amanda created this tile with the help of her family! She has four children that range in age from 7 to 17 years old. She started by creating the string and then, each child would roll a dice and select a random tangle. The child would also choose where the tangle would go in the string. The kids got a big kick out of challenging Mom, and they had a ton of fun. In addition, the final Zentangle came out great!
Textiles. She looked at varied shapes and textures hanging all around her in the stall. Of all the places on merchants row, this was the one that brought her the most inspiration. It was a never-ending kaleidoscope of color and patterns that constantly changed with the light. Looking for new inspiration for strings for your tiles? Grab a magazine and open it to a random page. Look at the picture on it. How can it inspire a new string for you? For this tile, it was an architectural image of part of the front of a building showing how the stones were arranged along one side. Try it and see what you discover!
Wrapped up. This Zentangle is the result of two different Facebook posts. In one group, someone asked about shading a Zentangle that was drawn in blue ink. That got me to thinking about how I would handle the situation. So, for this tile, I’ve used blue ink. For the shading I used both colored pencil and graphite. I think the combination of the two allows for more dramatic depth than using the blue pencil alone.
A party on a tile. Beads, flowers, bold costumes and wild music. To me, this tile feels like a party! Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen. Tangles: Chillon Cyme Ixorus Poke-Root Raddox Rain Scoodle Warble
A little gold. Sometimes, a little touch of gold can add a lot to a simple design. Here, I used a gold Pentel Slicci pen to add a bit of glitz to these Christmas ornaments. Zentangle drawing done with Micron pen Pentel Slicci pen , on Strathmore Vellum Bristol . Tangles: Aah Myrtle Scoodle Strata Twisted Ribbons Xyp
No borders. By now I‘m sure you‘ve noticed that I usually draw a border around the edge of my tiles. I‘ll admit, I‘m trying to contain my drawing and keep it under control. Having that border does that for me. But every so often, I have to escape and live life on the edge. My art will often reflect that. Zentangle drawing done with Micron pen on Strathmore Vellum Bristol . Tangles: Ammon Boss Locar Puf Scoodle