Diva Challenge 202

I feel like I am soooo out of the loop! I'm rusty, I can't find my art supplies! I haven't drawn up anything beyond a grocery list in over a month!
This week's Diva Challenge seemed like a good place to get back into things. The objective was to make a duotangle of Margaret Brenmner's (the ENTHUSIASTIC artist) "Copada" and "Chabacto." All I was thinking about was ciabatta, so I fixed myself lunch, THEN I pulled out a bar coaster. Not having seen or nor tried either, I think it's okay! Certainly a respectable attempt.

(For the record I had the most sinful baked potato with butter, sour cream, broccoli, cheese and bacon. It's how you take a very healthy 100 calories and turn into a 500 pound cholesterol monster!)

Now back to my grocery list!

M M M M M

Do any of you crazy people remember a cartoon on Sesame Street with Margaret; she ran around saying, "M. M. M. M. M. M. M."
No? Then, I'm sure that I'm a LOT older than you are. If you DO, lie about your age, please?!
Well, that's what's bouncing around in my head while I've been working on some mandala challenges. Krishna of Her Sketches blog took up the challenge of creating weekly templates from which to draw. Here are a few from the first two weeks and then my response to this week's MM3.

 Okay, this one I indulged in a little Photoshop action, including dropping in a full moon!

This one reminds me of a lotus flower

Check out Krishna's blog and see what she and others are doing and join in the fun. I've been having my share; don't want you to miss out!

Betwixt and Betweed Challenge

The challenge from the Diva this week is to just use the pattern "B'tweed." Immediately I figured it would be a zendala on a bar coaster. I'm itching to drop random acts of bar coasters, but only have a few so far. I'm fairly certain that bar coasters and Zen don't really mix, philosophically speaking, but I like working in the round.
The examples of official Zentangles for b'tweed all show the pebbly 'tipple' pattern, so even though this is supposed to be a monotangle, I've included some orbs. Actually, a lot of little bubbles.

The mandala is to be for focus and the object of the designs is to return focus to the center; I think this succeeds in that manner. I look forward to dropping this one into the environment and to see where it goes!

Autumn Challenges

It appears that everyone on the planet has autumn on the calendar, and yes, elsewhere this time of year means "fall" (in the Northern latitudes). Here in the desert Southwest we're just getting out of "Inferno" and heading into just "Hot." Autumn is yet a couple months away.
Some recent travels to Northern AZ and Southern Utah reminded me, that yes, it is September and leaves turn pretty colors, while we're still almost entirely green (which is in itself an anomoly as the monsoon season has been, ahem, generous in its offerings this summer) in the heart of Arizona.
Thus far, I've only really completed one of those challenges, the It's a String Thing 59:

 

The patterns are Oke by Michele Beauch and Meringue by Kelley Kelly on a string by Adele Bruno, the mastermind behind the String Thing. Clever. I added some acorns (and the ubiquitous Tipple) on the bar coaster. The pencil shading has already rubbed off, but I like the medium, working in the round.

Thanks for taking a look see; hopefully I'll finish up those other autumny ideas before autumn actually arrives here! 

Diva Zendala

Oh, joy! The rural mail carrier brought prezzies from Amazon today: a set of Faber-Castell Manga series PITT pens and a stack of round bar coasters to draw on.
So, break out the new art supplies and go to work on this week's Diva Challenge! The parameter this week was to create a duotangle with Phicops and the Diva's Dance, patterns by and for the Harms, the couple behind the Diva's blog. This is my response:

I'm sure this may have worked out better if I had not hand-drawn the geometry of the mandala, but that's part of the charm of all this, the quirkiness of line and pattern (this is such a far cry from my former self who would've gone bonkers over a wonky line or anything out of square or place). I added a bunch of perfs (circles) and if some of them happen to look like "Black Pearls," that's how it goes.
The coaster paper doesn't like to be worked too hard; filling in black spots was kind of a chore. They are thick and absorbent, as they should be. I don't know how functional these coasters will be if I actually used them for drinks, we shall have to find out soon (although, I think this is too pretty to use!).
For now, it's hatches to batten down as another hurricane is headed to Arizona. Oh, joy!

Zendala Dare 94

As I wander the treasure trove of the internet and meet some tangly people, I come across variou ideas and challenges. You, too, huh? This one from Erin Koetz Olson is a bit of a challenge for me. I've studied some mandala art and it was always full of a lot of angles; this one, not so much.

I started to add some straight lines, ever so much, and it started to flow, just as it should. I like the movement. So my contribution to Zendala Challenge 94, I call "The Blossom Within."

This art deserves a second look, but with color. For now, the drama moves me; to pause and separate from the drama, if you know what I mean.