Pen Dancing Lightly : drawing in Time

This week I was challenged (by Laura Harms a.k.a. "I am the Diva") to "do a Tile or Zentangle inspired piece within fifteen minutes.  Dots, Border, String, Tangles and Shading - all in fifteen minutes."

This may sound a little daunting... especially to those of us with a tendency toward careful, exact drawing techniques, but here's a tip for you.

I've discovered a fun way to approach Laura's 'challenges.' I just picture her, way up there in Saskatoon, thumbing her nose at me, and saying, "I dare ya!" And, if it's a particularly daunting challenge, I also check out her local weather... which is often a bit of a giggle (for me). Et voila! There I am in a playful mindset. Ready to dance my pens across the paper to the tune she has set for the week.

Before I go on... for those of you who like musical accompaniment to my blog posts (Hi Shelly!), here's the song I've chosen for this particular pen dance. ♪♫♫♪♫

For fifteen minute drawings: you can play this song four times
(and still have 36 seconds left over for a final shading touch
...and don't forget to write your initials on your artwork)

What fun this challenge turned out to be!
I so love playing these mini drawing games each week (thank you, Laura ♥).
First, here is what I accomplished, blank paper (tile) to end product, in fifteen minutes:

(Click images to embiggen)
Shattuck, Flux, Mooka, Jonqal, Paradox, and others

Process: I set the timer on my watch (without looking at it as I drew) and, on my first attempt (just) made it from start to finish in the time limit.  I admit to drawing a smaller string than usual (no edge to edge work for this one!!), and to shading it with my finger rather than taking the time with a paper stump... but I didn't 'rush' this drawing.

Technique: I drew at an easy but continual pace, using my current fave tangle patterns, and used faster variants for some of them as I drew.  I drew Jonqal with stripes instead of solid shading; and I drew big fat tendrils for my Mooka furls.

Bonus: There was a happy 'chewy centre' with this challenge, too. Quite serendipitous. I went to get the kitchen timer today to photograph the tile I'd drawn Monday night. Yes, it's a Panda timer. 1, 2, 3, "Awww!" But, see if you notice what I did...

Yep! 

It's white and stationary — a Chancy State of Existence in this household, as my ever-moving partner will tell you. (Of course, stationery is fair game too, but that goes with saying... doesn't it?!) So, of course, it was just begging to be tangled! And, of course, I did (and used some great new tangles on this one – click through on the links in the caption to find the instructions for each).

(Click image to embiggen)
Flux, Donna Hornsby's Keenees, Sue Jacob's Ace,
Cristine Letourneau's Esses, and Laura Harms' Artoo

I think that the message for this week is all about Participating in Life, and Making Time to do so.  So I strongly encourage everyone ("all humans eligible," as one blogger commented!) to go and check out Laura's weekly "I dare ya!" games.

Here's the place to start dancing the fun!

Also, check out Shelly's poem "Today" (and her fifteen minute tile, too — wow!).

You can do this.
Take the Time...
Make the Time to be the Living Embodiment of your Dreams.

This can be a scary path to dance, I acknowledge that, certainly.

Although, as Willian Shedd wrote, "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." But, with great respect for William's wisdom, let me propose an alternate view for you to consider: much as it may seem safe to stay 'in the harbour' or 'on the sidelines,' a spectator, there is no safety in living your life without thought and awareness.

Following on from there... I'm reading a book at the moment by one of my favourite authors (and poets), Oriah House: The Call. I would like to share with you two of her poems (knowing that you'll likely go looking for the rest!). [Note: these are only excerpts... click on the titles to read the full poems. And find Oriah's books on Amazon (or Book Depository for free shipping).]

In The Call Oriah writes:

I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

But always it says: Wake up my love. You are walking asleep.
There's no safety in that!

.....read more.

And a natural segue to that prompting (just right for this week's post) 
in The Dance Oriah writes:

I have sent you my invitation,
the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living.
Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!”
Just stand up quietly and dance with me

.....read more.

---

I'm sending love today to a dear friend,
who loves Ronan's song too (and introduced me to it).
Hugs to you, girlfriend! ♥

I Hope You Dance 
[Ronan Keating]

...and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,

I hope you dance (Time is a wheel in constant motion always)

I hope you dance (rolling us along.)

I hope you dance (Tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder)

I hope you dance (where those years have gone?)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,

Dance! 

Just Breathe...

This week's challenge from I am the Diva: "Breathe." 

A little back story... 

In April 2010, I fell in love with Zentangle. It was, indeed 'love at first sight' for me... exploring the world of tangles: because of the infinite possibilities; because it was truly about what is Reality in any given Moment; and because it narrowed my focus down to a 3.5" square of reality. 

Meditation – being still, grounded, centred, and (imagine me using Nigella Lawson's voice to say this last bit), "deep, deep contentment." Zentangle improved my focus, concentration, mindfulness, and – an added bonus – all my other artistic endeavours benefited from time spent tangling.

At times I have found I'm almost watching my pen to see what will emerge from my creative subconscious. Not directing the design but, one pen stroke at a time, waiting to see what happens... and then developing that idea (a great way to avoid rules!). This is something I learned many years back, when I first started studying Chinese Brush painting. That art form never really clicked for me until I just 'allowed' the brush to make the marks it was designed to make and stopped trying so hard to produce a specific effect.

I haven't felt, these last ten months, any hint of hard slog practice with Zentangle – only Play! And the more I play, the more I want to. I breathe, relax, let go and I allow the Zentangle or ZIA to happen – not stifling it with any rules that it 'ought' to follow, or preconceived ideas of what it 'should' look like when complete. I believe that, once an idea (artistic, or in any walk of Life) becomes a dogma it ceases to grow. So I push at the boundaries constantly. 

Back to the topic of breathing... these last few months I have also made new discoveries about the way I draw. For example, my pen will draw more flowing, 'dancing' lines on an exhaled breath (it's true!) than on an inhaled breath. So, by becoming aware of my breathing as I create each stroke, the way I draw has been transformed. Here is the Zentangle (traditional format) that I created for the "Breathe" Challenge. 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Being reminded (once again) to observe my breath, I found that I was creating a very playful design (some elements of which weren't really 'proper' tangles!). Once I'd finished, I finally coloured the Laced blue, as it ran through, across, and around the tile. This brought all the various elements together, to create a linked harmony to the finished piece – and I (yet again) changed the orientation of my tile.


A little more on my philosophical wanderings through Zentangle land?

I've also studied what I watch when I am drawing. For example, if I'm drawing a line parallel to another, I look at the line I'm following (not the line my pen is making). What else do I watch? When I was speaking with a wonderful Chinese calligrapher (a Master of his art), William Lai, he asked me, "What is the most important thing about a beautiful vase?" The answer seemed obvious to me, so I answered, "The empty space within." He smiled his unique and twinkly, wise smile and I knew I'd said the right thing (I was rewarded with a Chinese candy!). So, when making pen strokes, I'm nearly always watching the white space I am drawing 'around'. This, of course affects not only the way that I draw, but also the way I think about the way I draw. (How very existential that is!)

As I contemplated this week's challenge, my mind kept coming back to the chorus of this song by Anna Nalick, "Just Breathe." Of course, while actually tangling, the song in my head was replaced with beautiful, tranquil, silence (tangling being one of the few activities capable of stilling my mind!).

Just Breathe

Because I have received a great deal of feedback about my inclusion in this blog of all the tangles I use, I have included a digitally edited version of this week's Zentangle, naming each of the tangles (if I have any of them incorrectly labelled, CZTs, please let me know!). They are: Laced, Verdigogh, Printemps, Jonqal, Ennies, Pokeleaf, Pokeroot, Fescu, Betweed, W2, Huggins, Cadent (those last three used the same grid, and flowed from one to the next).

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Now that I've bent your ear... I'll go back to my drawing board. For, as much as I love keeping up with what others are creating and sharing inspiration and encouragement (the reason I'm on the Internet so often), I am not able to resist the siren call of my first love for very long — tangling with paper and pen.

A shady mug shot!

Yes, I'm milking the 'mug' pun for all it's worth! [grin]  

Here are the final photographs of my ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) mug for Laura's Weekly Challenge this week, using the new tangle, Ixorus. 

Another photo collage of the completed mug.

The (now shaded) insert unfurled.

Close up 1 (showing Ixorus) – before shading

Close up 1 (showing Ixorus) – after shading

Thank you everyone, for the lovely comments and compliments about my mug this week... what a supportive, uplifting community to belong to! 

I am sure the friendship, sharing and generosity of spirit in the world of Zentangle® traces directly back to Maria and Rick's wonderful, 'open hearts' philosophies.  (Not being a writer, I can't think of a better way to word the concept... but I'm sure you all know what I mean).

And thank you to Laura Harms, in particular, for knitting us all together with a myriad of interwebbed (pun intended) threads linking us across the globe.  Even beyond the world of tangles, the wellspring of support for Artoo this week has been Really Very Special.  And some of that magical 'knitting together' will be happening for him inside those spiffy casts he's wearing too, I'm sure. There's certainly a lot of good karma coming back your way from all those bonds of tangly friendship you've been instrumental in creating.

For those of you who asked where to buy 'photograph insert' coffee mugs, I have included a number of USA ('State side') links in the comments section below yesterdays posting. For other areas, a Google search on 'photo insert coffee mug' will lead you in the right direction.

Close up 2 – before shading

Close up 2 – after shading

Yes... suddenly Tasmania, Australia ('isolated, not isolating') doesn't seem quite so far away from all the rest of you.  Down under 'Downunder' is only a keyboard and screen away from each of you. I'm feeling positively girl next doorish. [smile]

I know we've all discovered new tangle buddies, friends, blogs, inspiration, and Community beyond expectation.  (If we could map the connections visually... wow, that would be fun.  Anyone else out there with too much time on their hands who'd like to give it a go?!)

Okay... before I get too carried away...

This 'Wanted' poster is just for Fun (and perhaps because I have too much time on my hands?).  If you enjoy the effect, you can easily create your own, by uploading your photographs at Photofunia (free and fun).  (I did further edit mine in Photoshop slightly, to change the text.)

"Anything is possible, one stroke at a time."™ – It's a LIFE sentence!

Just time for one last photo before I log off (blog off?) for the week.

This is my 'Starry Eyed Surprise' tile (unposted previously, from the challenge in Week 4).  I wasn't happy with it for the longest time.  It still doesn't look particularly Zen to me.  Perhaps even the opposite? I don't know.

So, although it was drawn on an original Zentangle® tile, I'm going to think of it as ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art).  It seems to be the week for ZIA this week. [smiles]

Starry Eyed Surprise, ZIA
(on 3.5" square tile using black & red Pigma Microns)

Namaste!

It's a mug's game!

A very quick blog entry tonight (for the origin of this post's title, read here).  For Laura's Weekly Challenge, both Mel (Lone Creature) and I drew (tangled) coffee mugs. (Travel coffee mugs: a sheet of paper - shown unrolled below - is inserted inside the outer, clear plastic mug cover.)  So, for a change, I did ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) for this Challenge, instead of a traditional Zentangle.

My new coffee mug - every side (finished, shaded pics tomorrow).

I started mine Tuesday (yesterday)... and have only – so far – taken photographs of it *prior* to shading.  But I wanted to share it with you all straight away. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out!  Today I finished all the shading, and I'll post that tomorrow, if I can find some spare blogging time.  

Section of my tangled mug showing Ixorus and an Ixorus tangleation.

Thanks, Laura, for yet another fun challenge.  

The entire tangled insert unrolled.

And I love Ixorus. Betweed may be finally going to take a back seat to this new love affair. You will see that I've used both basic Ixorus and also one of the tangleations* based on the structure of Ixorus - also seen on the Zentangle newsletter.

* "tan-gle-a-tion  (tan-gəl-ā-shən)  noun 1. A noticeable variation of an existing tangle" ← from Zentangle newsletter

Some close-ups of each section of the mug (you can click on any of the photographs below to see larger versions):

 

 

  

Very much looking forward to using my mug out and about.  I suspect it will become a great conversation starter!

Kit's new favourite mug.

Happy Tangling!

Simplicity

Welcome to my second blog post!

I'm participating in a Zentangle Weekly Challenge. If you'd like to check it out, visit the page here. The theme this week is "Simplicity" — so I decided to simplify my string, and do no shading. The tile gradually created itself (as they tend to) and I ended up making a feature of... well... nothing. Simplicity itself. I photographed the tile on the Zentangle kit box — because the beauty and elegance of it also represents 'simplicity' to me.

If you don't know about Zentangle®, do check it out. And watch this space - because my new tangle website will be up and running soon!

Until next week, have a Merry Everything.
Kit