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.

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.

Thistle Bee Good, I promise!

I'm settling into some of this weeks challenges. At the Diva, it is a LGBT theme: I'll be getting to that, just not right this minute. For now, I'm focused on a cause that's more to my heart--October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I love to watch football with all those macho NFL players wearing pink gloves and athletic footwear. And if anyone is interested in supporting the cause, send money directly to something you feel deeply about. (really, that applies to any cause whatsoever--the closer to the matter, the better. Buying pink "stuff" doesn't really get the $$ where they need to go). So, for the weekly Twinchie, I had to go with "cupcakes." A local group, which did the 3-day cancer walk, used to be called the "Cupcakes." Their husbands wore pink t-shirts that said, "I'm here for the Cupcakes." That's what THAT's all about.

For the Inchie, I pulled out a photograph I took that I call "Thistle Bee Good." Har-dee-har-har. I peeked at some of the offerings this week at EIM and there is some beautiful embroidery and drawing. For whatever reason, it's all women who "do" the inchies and every one of them is super talented. Check out their thistles. It'll be good, I promise.

And I had to include a picture of the woobie I finished over the weekend. Not your typical 'baby blanket,' I hope the child can use it for many years, she's an autumn baby after all.
Thanks for taking the time to view my work and for the wonderful comments that you all leave behind. I really take them to heart.

String Thing 58

While I'm working on this weeks "It's a String Thing" challenge, I'm still gathering all the responses to the week before last. I never did get to post any of them on time, but it was, all the same, an interesting experience.

The first one was just a little too fussy, but I liked the gingham part (even if it's not quite right). The second one is what I really had in mind, to go "macro" on the patterns, but I caught a peek at Lori Byerly's response on her blog "All Things Tangled"--I love her elegant style--and felt I couldn't own it as far as originality is concerned. The third looks like a strip tease to me, complete with stripper poles! The last one is my favorite, even if I had to sneak the pattern "Girdy" in with pencil.  They're all pretty similar--"Gerlande" follows the string while the fabric patterns create the background, but they're all unique.

I can't quite figure out why I can only post one image at a time and I'm sure it has to do with my "ancient" operating system, so these are all batched together. They are on separate pages on my Flickr feed, along with most every Zentangly-related drawing and some of my other creative meanderings. (Warning: Unabashed self-promotion!) Thanks for looking!

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!

More Leaves Falling

This morning I decided to finish tackling this week's Diva Challenge, to tangle "leaves." I was going to get very elaborate and collect leaves from about the yard--I have pine, olive, orange, lemon, grapefruit, mulberry, palm, palo verde, mesquite (and I know I've missed a few trees) plus the saguaro, prickly pear and agave--but I thought I'd better leave that for another day (get it? Leave? HA!) I haven't even considered the flowers and shrubs...SIGH.
.
I did a little twinchie thing yesterday and posted that on my Flickr page. Very simple and the holly leaves are a recurrent pattern in my drawings from, well, a while ago. There was a holly that grew up to my bedroom window of my childhood home, always colorful with the bright red berries and my father-in-law had one that was going to take over his porch and always poked whoever walked by. And it's not too early to think about the Holly-daze if Costco has had ribbons and bows in their warehouses for a month already!

But, I digress.

This is my Leaves v2:

If it bears any resemblance to the It's a String Thing Challenge #59, it's not coincidental, as I used the same patterns. But, I didn't cheat as I made a separate response as a zendala (see yesterdays post or here).
So, hopefully, the Leaves have fallen where they may and I can get back to summer around here. Have a brilliant, bright and sunny day!