Diva Challenge # 234: CanT

I have to say, that I've heard so many wonderful things about the CZT gathering and learning event this summer in Saskatchewan, Canada: CanTangle! It's on my list of travel/Zentangle events to attend. A new tangle named (appropriately) is "CanT" by Chris Titus, CZT.
     This week Laura Harms chose this tangle for her Diva challenge.
This is a FUN tangle to do. It's based on Florz, one of my favorite tangles. There are some wonderful variations and tanglations. Shading choices also give it a variety of appearances.

I would love to hear your ideas, comments, etc!
Happy tangling, everyone!

Diva Challenge #233: Zenith

Laura Harms is back from her busy summer activities, and has chosen the tangle "Zenith" for her weekly challenge at her site,  IAmTheDiva.  Zenith is one of the newest official tangles, created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, and was released to the newest CZTs at the last certification seminars.  

The step outs for Zenith can be found HERE in the latest Zentangle newsletter. 

This is a tangle that I hadn't tried previously, so it was a good learning activity for me. I'm posting two versions of the same tile. With the first version, I thought it might be done ....

 ..... but after some thought I decided to be bold and add the black background. I think it helps make it "pop" more dramatically.









I would *love* to hear your feedback, comments, etc! Thanks for visiting!

Home party . . . . and art store class!

      Welcome to nine new tanglers this weekend! I had the pleasure to teach two classes: one at a home party, and the other at Jerry's Artarama in Fort Collins.
     On Saturday, Monica and Dave hosted a home party/class. This was my first home-based Zentangle class, and it was so much fun! We started out with time to chat, have some great appetizers and wine, and get to know each other. Then we tangled!

From back to front: Kelly, Susan, Monica, Sheron, and David. (We also had great help from the two "fur babies"!)

... and here are the completed tiles!

Then, on Sunday I taught a class at Jerry's Artarama in Fort Collins. I have to say, Zentangle just attracts the nicest people! Again, what a fun group!

From left to right: Marion, Jan, Jen, Barbara, and me.

Here are their tiles!

Happy tangling, everyone!

On being a teacher and a student!

At the beginning of August, I had had the opportunity to participate as both a student and a teacher of Zentangle! I was able to teach a wonderful group of new tanglers at Jerry's Artarama in Fort Collins, and the next day I was in the role of the student, taking a class. I have to say that I enjoyed both roles equally well!

Our (very) talented class at Jerry's Artarama in Fort Collins. What a fun group!

As you can see by both of these tile mosaics, they were "naturals" at tangling!

The next day, I took the student role and went to Patricia Dusty Darrah's class in Denver. We worked on Fantasy Letters as Zentangle Inspired Art.

First, we discussed tangled that would be good fillers for our letters, spent some time practicing and "warming up", and then started tangling.

The next step was to color the tangles, cut out the negative spaces (a new skill!), then mount the letter on a black background.

(No band-aids were harmed in this phase!)

Here is the final letter, mounted onto a black background.

Diva Challenge #227 ~ Circus Life!

This week, Lee Darter, CZT 15 is the guest host for the Diva's challenge. Lee was in Sarasota, Florida which is the home of the Ringling Brothers circus and museum. This challenge was near and dear to my heart, because we spend part of the year in the Sarasota area.
       The challenge, itself, however was definitely a challenge! Lee asked us to create a tile with the tangles: Tropicana, Cack, and a choice of Florz, Linq, or Fescu. It was a trick to integrate these very different tangles into a somewhat cohesive group. After a while, however, they decided to play together nicely.
I hope this takes you to the circus! Enjoy!

I Am The Diva challenge: Simplicity!

After lurking and enjoying the responses to Laura Harms challenges ("I Am The Diva" at http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/), I am **finally** stepping up and diving in!
This week Katie Crommet is the guest host. Her blog can be found at http://www.katieczt.com/. Katie chose the challenge of "simplicity".  She challenged us to be simple, know when to stop, and know that "we are enough".
     I enjoyed this ~ no over-thinking or stressing. It was one of the most effortless tiles I've done. Thanks, Katie!

Tangles are: Florz, Msst, Tipple, Printemps, and Flux.

   

Zentangle community

 What is it about the Zentangle community/family that makes it so supportive?  The Zentangle process does attract people who are (for the most part) friendly, sharing, and caring. The whole method itself is based on mindfulness, relaxation, and appreciation. Tanglers focus on being in the moment, letting go of expected outcomes, and "expecting the unexpected". In Zentangle, "there are no mistakes"!
     The practice of Zentangle not only attracts people who understand the philosophy, but it is self-perpetuating. I've seen this happen at gatherings (from over 100 people at TangleU to 4 friends getting together at the coffeehouse to share Zentangle) as well as online.
     On Facebook, there are many groups who share Zentangle- and Zentangle-Inspired Art. The     comments and feedback are consistently helpful and supportive, no matter how new or experienced
    the person is. I've been inspired by other tanglers who share new tangles, give challenges, and     contribute new techniques.    
     That being said, here are a few new tiles of mine which are the results of this sharing community: new tangles, ideas, and techniques!

Shelly Beauchamp  brought us Mak-Rah-Mee (here is a link to her blog: http://shellybeauch.blogspot.com/)
Jane Monk developed this curved variation of Hollibaugh  (http://janemonkstudio.com/)

 . . . . and here is my first (finally!) post to The Diva's challenge, which is SO much fun to watch and be inspired by!
You can find Laura Harms, the Diva, at: http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/

. . . . So, I hope this gives just a taste of how we all inspire and support each other in this Zentangle journey.

PS ~ I've also been having fun with apps and my tiles:

     Enjoy ~~ and happy tangling!