TANGLES BY THE SEA

Just spent a great Sunday afternoon sharing Zendalas with eight new friends at the Icarus Creative Arts Studio in the Bernardo Winery.  Had a brief show and tell to start, then we got into the circular art of the Zendala.

We used pre-strung tiles for our first attempt.  I gave a choice of a new pen (White Gelly Roll, Burgundy Le Penn or Graphic One) to each attendee.  At this stage of our class gatherings, we all have a mixed bag of pens so I was trying to bring everyone up to speed since we were going to be coloring some large black areas.  Plus, I didn’t want anyone to leave with a new pen of some kind!

I used three of the basic patterns – Hollibaugh, Poke Root/Leaf, and Purk to fill our string.  We all did the very same tile and yet, wow, how different they all look.  AND THEY ALL LOOK AWESOME!  Made me so proud to see them all.  The picture below doesn’t really do them justice as I took it from an odd angle.  But, I think you will agree how nice they all are.  Some who chose the burgundy pen, opted to use it in their tile, and it incorporated very well with the black ink.

We then started another one, but didn’t get those quite done.  I showed what patterns to fill in where.  I can’t wait to see them completed the next time we all meet.

My dear friend, Janet Masey, also a local CZT, came to my class today for the first time in my “teaching career”.  It was so awesome to have her there and to share with her just how far we have come since that day in 2013 when she introduced Zentangle to me and said … ‘let’s do this’!   Zentangle has enriched our friendship so much … and how do you improve on a friendship of forty-six years (yes, we were high school buddies … cruising the beaches of San Diego in her cute little dark green VW bug with our beach chairs hanging out the back!)

And, that is one of the things I LOVE about Zentangle … I have met and made so many wonderful friends through this experience.  It is so much fun to meet with other people who share their excitement over this art method.  I’m always looking to meet some more so come join us!

Beautiful work created by
Tess, “Judy, Judi, Judy”, Kathy, Karin, Sharon & Janet

Yesterday, I led a class entitled “Patterns & Paper” at the Icarus Creative Arts Studio.  Six ladies, who have recently discovered Zentangle, shared their Sunday afternoon together as we learned eight new tangle “patterns”.  The “paper” came into play when we folded Lotka paper into Beckah Krahula’s “Folders for ATC and Tiles”.

First off, we did the paper folding, creating two – one for regular tiles and then a Bijou size folder.  After learning the new patterns, each person took out a Bijou tile and created a monotangle with their choice of one of the new patterns they learned today.  Everyone went home with their Bijou Folder and one completed Bijou!  It would have been fun to make a 3.5×3.5 tile as well, but everyone was in agreement that they wanted new patterns to add to their Tangle Libraries.

It was a very good afternoon spent with new friends and followers of Zentangle!

Note: the Lotka paper came printed with
this nice black and white design.
We did not tangle the folders!

As usual, the first Diva Challenge of each month features a pattern created by “the tangling public”.  This months tangle was created by Lynn Mead called “Fassett”.  It looks complicated, but it is quite simple.  This is a fun pattern that can be used different ways.  I opted to do a mono-tangle for my submission this week.

Last weekend, I had the privilege of sharing an Introduction to Zentangle Basics class with six awesome ladies.  They learned eight patterns and completed two tiles.  Their first tiles look great …. and the good news …. they had fun creating them.  I’m looking forward to seeing them again soon and sharing many more patterns as they expand their pattern libraries.

Crescent Moon, Hollibaugh, Static & Cubine

Printemps, Poke Root & Poke Leaf, Zander, Festune

The Diva has a guest Blogger for this week’s challenge – Jane Reiter, CZT, who has given us a “Stacked Bijou Challenge”.  When I saw it my first thought was “this will take too long”, but I got out some paper this evening and worked my way through  five layers!  I used very simple patterns as I just wanted to see if I could get this done.  I really like the idea now that I’ve put one together and will definitely give it another try when I allot myself a little more time.  I think you could really come up with some pretty pieces of art.  (This kept me away from the bag of milk chocolate Easter eggs that kept calling my name ….!)

About a month ago, I started a “Cross Country Tile Collaboration” with CZT’s Lauryn Eldon, Charlotte Carpentier and Maria Pahos-Benson.  We each started three tiles, creating a string with four spaces.  After we filled in one of the sections, they were mailed “round robin” style to one another.   This was kind of a spin on the “Traveling Tangles Project” written about in a Certified Zentangle Teacher Facebook post.

Today, I received my original tiles back in the mail.  I LOVE THEM!  Everyone’s work is so beautiful.  How fun to see how we all interpreted the strings and what patterns we used.  I highly recommend giving this a try.

Made these Bijou Tangled Gardens to put in student supply kits for “Tangled Garden Class”. So fun to make and share.

I’ve scheduled new classes for April, May and June at Icarus Design Studio located on the grounds of the Bernardo Winery.  There’s a class for everyone in this mix!

Two Intro Classes are scheduled – Sunday, April 3rd and Sunday, June 5th.  In between those, a new class “Patterns and Paper” is set for Sunday, April 17th.  For those of you who have been coming to my classes, it’s time to expand your tangle libraries!  This class is about new patterns and new  papers to use for your tangling.

With May being a busy month with Mother’s Day and graduation season starting, one class is on the calendar for the 15th.  We will be tangling “In the Round”, creating beautiful Zendalas.  We will use a pre-strung tile, as well as learn how to create your own.

Besides the Intro Class on June 5th, a fun class with some color will be held on June 19th.  You’ll get an outline of a hummingbird, proceed to fill it with different patterns and then add some color.  It’s just another way to show how you can take your Zentangle method outside the 3×3 tiles and unleash your creativity!

Sign up now to save your place as seating is limited for each class.  Use the Paypal button over in the right column and you’re all set.  Hope to see you in the upcoming months!

CLASS IS FULL!

I have three seats left for the Introduction to Zentangle Class this coming Sunday, February 21st, from 1:00-3:00pm, in the  Icarus Creative Arts studio.  Icarus is located on the grounds of the  Rancho Bernardo Winery.  This class will show you the fundamentals of Zentangle and get you started on your journey into the world of tangling!

Grab a friend and a glass of wine from the Tasting Room, then treat yourself to a couple of stress-free, fun, inspirational hours while you unleash your “inner artist”! Sign up using Paypal on the right!

I signed up to participate in a ATC Swap titled “Hearts & Flowers”.  You could use a heart or flower shape as your string OR use heart and flower patterns to fill your tile.  I opted for the Diva Dance pattern (“Rock n Roll”) and created my version of “Tangled Roses”!  Red and pink were the only colors that could be used besides traditional black.  They’re calling out for some green, but I’m sticking to the guidelines for the Swap!

Zentangle introduced a new pattern recently … “Molygon”.  The Diva has challenged us to use this pattern in our work for this week.  It’s a fun one to draw, but takes a little practice.  Sometimes I found my “molygons” were too skinny or too fat, not just right.  Then I discovered that if you mix them all up, it makes for a more interesting tile! Enjoy all the other entries on the Diva’s website.

If you would like to give these patterns and many, many more a try, sign up for my “Introduction to Zentangle” Class coming up on February 21st at the Icarus Creative Arts Studio, located in the Bernardo Winery.  Grab yourself a friend and a glass of wine, and come learn how to unleash your “inner artist”!  Sign up now using Paypal … over on the right!