Tangling...

I would really have liked to tell you about the amazing adventure that Ruy and Romy had on Sunday when we visited the 'Amazonia Aventura' park in Granada as part of Ruy's birthday treat. It was a rope climbing, zip-wiring, tree-swinging time and I took lots of photographs as they dangled precariously above my head...but for various technical reasons, I am unable to extract said photos from camera. All options have failed me but hopefully, a small piece of technology is winging its way to me in the post as I type. And then I shall post - with great pride - the achievements of my adventurers.

So, because I should really be cleaning my house to impress Janice when she arrives in a couple of days - because sod's law has it that we are back in a state of total chaos just as my visitors are due (my mum arrives on Tuesday too!!) - of course, my blogging fingers have suddenly become irresistibly itchy. Janice won't mind if things aren't absolutely immaculate, I'm sure. She told me she doesn't mind what the weather is like either, which is good as it's forecast rain for the weekend (boo!) so just for a few minutes or ten, I'm going to share some pages from my notebook.

I have been seriously bitten by the Zentangle bug. (I'm suppose to put a little copyright symbol next to that word but I can't find it right now. When I do, I'll go back and put it on...) It's basically doodling with style and intent. It's something I have always done - repetitive, attractive patterns to make borders on pages or to fill the time in boring meetings. I found rather a nice one in an old work notebook that turned up in one of our many boxes - dating back to 2005 - so to discover that there are lots and lots of folk out there who also do this thing is quite a revelation. Especially as it's possible to become a teacher of it! CZT indicates a person is a Certified Zentangle Teacher....

I've spent time in front of the computer screen looking at the hundreds and hundreds of patterns for ones I particularly like and want to try, filling scraps of paper with complex patterns. I've started to put them all into one book so that I have them all together. Some people create individual cards with instructions on each one and then list and file them beautifully but I do feel that perhaps life is a little too short to catalogue one's doodles. Possibly if I'd started 30 years ago it might just be OK but it feels wrong at my stage of life...

Anyway, without further ado and with apologies that acknowledgements of where the patterns come from are only where I can trace them - Pinterest is brilliant for capturing things you like but not always easy to establish the origins of things - here are some of my Zentangle-inspired doodles, made in order to use in more complex pieces. Just a word of warning - if you are remotely interested in doodling and drawing, advance with caution. This is highly addictive!!

The circles are called 'Cruffles' and were created by Sandy Hunter. Not sure if 'Helena' is the creator of the border or whether that's the name of the tangle... Don't know where the shell came from  but I've used it quite a bit.

The 'Schmoozy' flower is by Kelly Yackel and Joanna Fink is the inspiration for the column tangles.

This one is called 'W2', created by the originators of Zentangle. 
It includes a note to self!

Carla Barnet's feather triangle gave me a few problems to start with but eventually, I got it! Rather like this one!
The bud's are quite sweet too and nice and easy to draw. I gave up on Paradox but didn't really follow any instructions. Most Zentangles are wonderfully simple requiring nothing more than concentration - not artistic ability. But if you try and work something out by copying what you see, it invariably goes wrong!

The top one shows the original shape on the right and my tangled version on the left - rather liked doing that one.

I sat and copied someone on YouTube making the Celtic Knot look ridiculously easy...I still made a mistake. I got sidetracked at the triangle one so just ignore that!

Again, a couple of  original Zentangle patterns. Aura Star and Mooka. I much prefer Mooka - when it flows, it really flows though it can take a couple of attempts to get started! Watch Maria doing it to really see how it can flow.

Leeann Denzer is an incredible artist - I love her work and her doodles in particular. I took a bit of time over 'Bracelet' and you can see the difference that the shading makes to a tangle! The idea is to make part of the tangle 'pop' out.  Don't know where the jester sun (my name) came from but I rather liked that. Cadent is an original tangle and 'Banners' is by Elaine Benfatto.

These beautiful stacked ribbon petals are by an incredible artist, Helen Williams, whose blog is entitled
'a little lime'. Check out how this can really look. Not sure where the budding thing came from on the right but the one on the left is called 'We three' by Cindy Pope. Also here is a bunch of 'Cruffles' and something else that I can't name...cos I don't know.

The top one is a 'Schmelly Fish' by artroom 46. There's a bit more 'We three' in the top right hand corner. The section through the middle isn't strictly Zentangle - it really is just 'doodling' though I don't know whether the untrained eye can see a difference....?
Underneath is one of my favourites and I feel awful because I really liked this woman's work and yet didn't reference her anywhere - I shall keep searching til I find her again. The 'Ferns' and 'Seaheart' aren't entirely my own design but I use them quite a bit and each time they 'evolve'. Can't find where I got the original from. Ditto the scrolls in the bottom right hand corner. They look great with shading!

Again, one of my favourites...no idea what it could be called. And some toadstools that followed naturally from it without seeing them anywhere else. More banners only with shading - look at the difference! And Rouche is by Rose Brown.

And here are a few of my little 'creations'. I need to improve my colouring and shading techniques but these are possibly the most artistic things I have ever done in my life!

 This one is called 'Sammee' and is for a friend  who inspired it. I ended up mounting it on a bright pink card and it stands out much better.

This is 'Seaheart'

This one is 'Seapearl' and was FR's favourite. It's his now.

 This one is called 'Tewlip' for obvious reasons though why I had to change the spelling is less obvious. This has a lot of detail that doesn't show up too well on the computer screen.

And this is 'Tiger Horns' - yes, I know, I need to think of much better names if I'm going to name them. I took a bit more time in colouring this one though I'm not sure if it's made much difference. 

Anyway, indulgence over. Somehow, when I look at them onscreen, rather than in my book, they come to life and I can take a more objective view. I am blown away by some of the work that people have created and this style of art really does appeal to me - lots of intricate detail and complex-looking patterns. I have started seeing patterns everywhere I go now - in the countryside, in the street, in architecture and just around me. 

This may not be the last you hear of me and Zentangle!