Rainbow Vertigo

In order to get to this week's posting for the Diva Challenge, I need to get up to date on some older work. I got bogged down trying to follow "One Zentangle a Day," when it came around to drawing a feather. That and doing a little traveling, I got off the Zentangle train for a few weeks.
Here are days 27 and 28:

Then it was time for Day 29 and this feather pattern, which I've been avoiding. Until now.

I decided to tackle it along with this week's Diva Challenge. I didn't want to play with rainbows and bright disparate colors (as my collection of color pens is paltry) or to have to explain my politics.

So I stuck with a fairly straight forward Zentangle drawing and drew little compartments full of B&W rainbows. It's a little dense overall, but I think the verdigogh pattern still stands out.

I hope I did that project proud.





Lastly, for the week, it is "The String Thing" challenge using a bunch of tangle patterns I've not tried before and one, called river, that is reminiscent of doodles I've done since high school. I think the result looks like a mummy in the center, an attempt at Halloween, perhaps?

Check that blog next week to see what others have done, always beautiful work and nicely curated by Adele Bruno.

Blind Faith

The Diva Challenge this week was to draw the string with eyes shut tight. My first was not one that I really liked, but I posted it on my Flickr feed for full disclosure. It lacks contrast and some of the patterns are kind of squished into the small spaces. So I tried again and I'm much happier with my official response:

This one has contrast, movement, flow, space and a bunch of favorite tangle patterns: crescent moon, nipa, sez, cadent, facet and fassett with holibaugh ribbons following the string. I didn't use all the teenie spaces the string created and I think that worked out just fine.
Thanks so much for the kind comments that have been bestowed upon me and for taking the time to view my work. Be sure to check out all the tangly people at the Diva Challenge, each and every week. This week in particular the responses are sure to be very different as everyone is starting from a different vantage point. It's definitely a method I'll try again.

Ode to Commode, etc

On the Every Inchie Monday, this week's challenge was "throne." I drew mine up on Sunday after debating how to go about it. I was not going to shy away from the inference to a toilet, my boyfriend works for a plumber, after all (and if you're ever in need of one in the Phoenix--Arizona--area, I can tell you I know of a couple guys you can trust!). I first went to his stack of trade magazines and they were woefully deficient in potty pictures. Cool faucets, lots of fittings and fixtures, but really only one good johnny and it was, as they are, without a lid or seat. Pooh! So behold, my throne with my royal sceptor and crown. For more serious attempts on this challenge, be sure to visit that blog, there is some beautiful work there.

 

I also am trying to keep up with the weekly twinchie challenge. The word for last week was "circles" and I've been drawing the pattern "Sez" a lot. I did these with Sakura glaze pens, including white for filler circles. They're barely visible, but I liked the white-on-white effect. This week's challenge word is "purple." It's a color that either you like it or you don't and I fall squarely into the latter category. My daughter, who is struggling with the income from being a teacher paraprofessional, has a baby shower to go to next week. I offered to make a blanket for her friends baby and now I have a new challenge: to get the woobie finished by Tuesday! (See the movie Mr. Mom for where the word woobie comes from. It's what we call blankies). It will also be number 496 of my all-time woobies. When I get to number 500, that'll be a story unto itself. Stay tuned.

 

And don't forget: a Royal Flush beats a Full House anytime. Whoosh!

Water, Water Everywhere

Last weeks Diva Challenge was to do some Zen tangling with water. I have a few VERY different renditions that I drew last week and each has a very different view of water. This is my most challenging piece as I had been knee deep in water the better part of Tuesday. I pulled out a coffee-stained watercolor paper from a different challenge a few weeks ago as that's what color the water was all around my house. I didn't post this or any of the others to the challenge as I was kind of pre-occupied.

 

This drawing is fairly representational of the chaos we were experiencing and my general state of mind. That the coffee stains were a mess to begin with just adds to the tension here. I'm not too happy that the weather wonks have been forecasting more rain today, thunderstorms and more flooding. So far, that hasn't happened, but the day ain't over yet!