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!

Peacock Feathers

As I wander the internet and blogosphere, I meet some wonderful people and some crazy awesome talented people. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon Tina/Aqua-Art new tangle pattern that she calls "Yuma." I like Tina's style and I was intrigued by the Yuma pattern, as I am Arizonan, after all.

Yuma gets a bad rap for being just an overblown trailer park for snowbirds. It's hot, it's sandy. It's everything that people think of when Arizona is mentioned. I've not spent much time there, usually stop for a bite en route to California. Supposedly, it's the lettuce capital of the USofA. If you have a head of Fox lettuce in your fridge, it most likely came from Yuma. But none of that comes to mind when you see her new pattern.

I also participate in Adele Bruno's weekly challenge, and sometimes I actually submit my response by the Saturday deadline. She also came up with a new pattern she dubbed, "Uncorked." There may have been wine involved. I immediately thought the two patterns could do a duotangle tango. Again, there may have been some wine involved. (Usually). Her challenge this week is to use her Uncorked, with or without another choice.

I also participate in the Diva's weekly challenge by Laura Harms and this week the challenge is to use the tangle Yuma. (Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, BTW). She is quite talented and manages a huge community of tangle artists from around the globe.

So, Lo! and Behold! Twist all of these together and I got this:

Oh! and full disclosure: I had to get Photoshop involved and I know, that's a big NO-NO! But in order to fully realize that artistic vision in my head, that's where I had to go. (That and the Morgue Files to see what peacock feathers look like!)

Other tangly people drag out their Copics and Sakuras. I use a Sharpie, plain paper and voila! So many blessings for a brilliant, sunny Arizona day to all the viewers of this blog entry! Be sure to check out the multitude of talent across the planet for the two challenges from this week.

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!