collecting color.

Hi, tanglers!

Remember those coin collector pages I posted a few years back, that I used to organize tangle patterns? I've been using them to sort watercolor swatches. The name of the color and the manufacturer are written on the backs. There's also room for the pigment code, lightfastness ratings, granulation and staining info on the back (unless your writing looks like mine did in seventh grade).

The benefit to sorting paint swatches this way is that they can be pulled out and grouped so it's easy to figure out what colors should go together for a particular project. I'll be doing this with my Inktense pencils too, and then put them in a tabbed binder by medium. And then colored pencils... and my Sparkling H2Os... ooh, I think I'm gonna need more tabs! Where's my paper punch??

FYI, CropStop has started selling pocket pages similar to these in clear acid-free plastic that won't yellow over time. I have the pages for regular tiles and I'm happy with those, so I'll try out the little ones and see if they're lighter and less smelly (not even kidding). If anyone has experience with the pocket pages for two-inch tiles, I'd like to know whether the tiles are secure or if they slide out. Can't have my swatches jumpin' ship!

• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ • ✿ • ✽ • ❀ •

Thanks for stopping by! 

Feel free to join me here, 

where I frequently share artsy things that inspire me, 

invite tanglers to share art,

crack silly jokes, 

and offer up the 

occasional 

tangle 

prompt. 

:oD

❀

Weekly Challenge #164: "Amanda (Earth) Day"

I spent Earth day at my allergist's office (seven hours of it, anyway) taking part in RUSH immunotherapy. One shot of my own personal allergen cocktail every 30 minutes, for the purpose of reaching a maintenance level dose faster. Fall is my suckiest time of year, so I've got some time to build up my resistance to ragweed and mountain cedar. I'm also ok with rounding it all up and burning it down to the ground. I'll even bring the marshmallows.

Anyway, my mom kept me company the whole time. I beat her in one round of hand and foot out of nine (almost two), and that's kind of a big deal in sandyland. My mom's a total card fiend... she's not completely unbeatable, but there is some high-level strategy going on upstairs... whereas I'm usually pondering whether she's got all the ingredients in her pantry to make chocolate chip cookies as we play. :o)

mom's:

mine:

• ❃ • ❋ • ❁ • ✿ • ✽ • ❀ •

Thanks for stopping by! 

Feel free to join me here, 

where I frequently share artsy things that inspire me, 

invite tanglers to share art,

crack silly jokes, 

and offer up the 

occasional 

tangle 

prompt. 

:oD

❀

Weekly Challenge #104: String Theory v. XXIII - TanglePatterns String #03"

I'm so glad to get back to the weekly challenge! I took a little time off because I've been busy... then I was having such a good time with the flu that I couldn't be bothered... and once I recovered from that, I went on a sewing/tangling retreat in Missouri. I frequently post Zentangle-related things that are short/small/not really blogworthy on my facebook page, so please feel free to drop in over there to see what I've been doing to avoid the things I *should* be doing.

Now and then the Diva issues a weekly challenge that involves using a particular string, which is the pencil outline that goes down first on the tile and gives a tangle its basic structure. Strings are merely guidelines; they don't have to be followed exactly, but they're essential to the Zentangle method. Drawing a tangle without a string is like trying to balance on a bike that's standing still. With a micron pen balanced on your nose. And a goldfish balanced on that. You get the point.

This week, participants in the challenge are using this string in their tile.

This is a sun I drew last week using Inktense watercolor pencils and a Copic Multiliner on Aquabord. I liked working on Aquabord, but it's really toothy and I'm hoping there is a smoother version of it out there. Gradients and larger fields of color were tricky for me on this. I want to try Tombow watercolor markers on it, but I'm pretty sure it will chew them up. My Multiliner is permanently out of commission, and it was new. I think I mostly liked the Aquabord because it's so... unbendy. Any suggestions? 

Have a good week! 

And also, please... no matter how tempted you are, don't get the flu. There are much better ways to get ice cream.

Weekly Challenge #82: UMT v. VII "Brayd"

Hooray... it's the weekly Diva challenge! I skipped the last two weeks, and I've really missed doing them. I took a swing at last week's zendala dare, but so far I have found zendalas to be a little too structured for me. Maybe I need to start with a simpler one and work my way up... so. many. sections.

The 'guest tangle' for this UMT challenge is 'Brayd'. I like it. Drawing the main tangle felt more like sketching than tangling, though. It's the highlighted sections that make it feel sketchy, I think... because figuring out where the lines will break and resume again requires a bit of thinkery. And getting them consistent enough to look 'right' is like trying to nail jello to a tree (thank God for shading).

I added color because the final result was so dark.

Well, ok, and also because I look for ANY excuse to bust out my Inktense watercolor pencils. Remember the smell of newly sharpened pencils? You know what I'm talking about...that sharp, clean, woodsy aroma? I get that when I pop the lid off the tin... takes me right back to shopping for school supplies years ago. I still remember how erasers smell, too. And crayons.

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A side (bottom) note for journal lovers- or, more to the point, people who love the idea of journaling but don't have the time. I love journals.... love love LOVE them. I buy them all the time, and then they sit around and collect more dust than ink. 'Cause who has time for that??

Recently, however, I bought a five-year journal. 

Ambitious, you might think. 

Well... no. Not really.

It's not a big book, because you only have to write one sentence per day. You only get four or five lines at a time. The space is just big enough for a brief recap of the day. Or you can use it to write a short daily note to a loved one. Or for short prayers... or you can write down the things you're thankful for, if you want to use it as a gratitude journal. (They also make these for moms, FYI. And gardening. Et cetera.) A friend of mine is a teacher and I would love to see her use one of these to write down quotes from her second/third-graders, 'cause some of the stuff they say is hilarious. The possibilities! Anyway, the one I wound up with makes me think of blue skies and buttery sunshine, and makes me happy just to look at it.

If you want to know more, you can read a blog post from the author here.

Here's to happiness and manageable journaling. And shopping for school supplies, whether you need 'em or not. :oD

Weekly Challenge #80: 'Mi2' (with a side of 'Knyt')

This week's challenge is a moderately tricky pattern called 'Mi2'. I have discovered that the easiest way to draw it is to use a dot grid, so I have an approximate center for each 'seed' shape as I draw the skeleton of this pattern. Otherwise none of them line up right and it stomps all over the woven effect we're going for. At first, I skipped all the aura lines within each enclosed space. I know it's part of the pattern that makes it Mi2, but as I'm a victim of my own whimsical nature, I... uh, didn't.

THEN I realized I could do both flowers (actually, it's bales, if you look at it from a distance) and the aura lines...and I'm glad I did. I think I like it better this way, wonky lines and all. I used Inktense watercolor pencils and a ridiculously small paintbrush for this. Unlike my other watercolor pencils, once these dry, the color is set for all eternity- it doesn't budge. Soo, basically... it saves me from myself. 

This was my original attempt for this challenge: 

Anyone else been playing with Knyt? At least nobody can accuse me of having 'angry stitches'...*cough* Julie! *cough* ;o) If my stitches were any looser, I'd have to pull them out and redo them. Which gives me an idea...!

Some knytted variations...

And here's a loose and messy 'knytflake' with a smattering of Sanibelle :oD

Happy weekend, everybody! 

Weekly Challenge #72: "Tanglation Nation - Crescent Moon"

I had buckets o' fun with this weekly challenge. 

I learned how to draw Crescent Moon early on, and I didn't realize until recently that I was drawing it wrong. Yes, yes, I know there are no mistakes in Zentangle... but I can tell you that my crescent moon looks much better now than it used to. 

Because it was WRONG. ;o)

I could do this challenge every day until the next one surfaces. Thanks to Laura, as always, for the adventure!

 I was inspired by the little dangly things I've been seeing in Tangleville, so I test drove a few... gotta say, they're reeeally fun to draw.

Very soon I'll be kicking off a two-week contest for a free tangle jar, and once I get that under way we can get going on a bookmark swap. Keep an eye on facebook for info. Can't wait! I hope whoever gets mine likes those little dangly things, 'cause I am ALL OVER THAT. 

:oD

5.31.12 Adding a few more... I don't normally color my tangles, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. 

Size 08 Micron pen and Inktense watercolor pencils. And a waterbrush.

Copic colored pens and Gelly Roll clear stardust pen

pink Micron Pigma pen and Inktense watercolor pencil in fuchsia