Friday, September 28, 2012

Unintended Destinations


What is that?

Is it a Zentangle tile?

Why, it is!
Let's get a closer look:

 My tile for this week's Zentangle challenge is here! I decided to have fun with the photography this week. The little maintenance building you see in the pictures above is located on the campus of the college I attend. It just so happens that the doorknob is magnetic, and I have a few magnets in my Zentangle kit! Perfect!
The opportunity this tree provided couldn't be passed up, so I decided to take a photo there too.
Tangles used: Ix, Fife, Beeline, a variation on Swarm, Bronx Cheer,
ParadoxCrescent Moon,  Jonqal,  Shattuck,
 and you might even spot a variation on 'Nzeppel.
Whew! That's quite a list...I didn't even realize I used so many!
I originally intended to just offer a simple straight-on shot, which is what the one on the doorknob is, but if the magnet bothered you, here's another one, sans magnet.

This is an interesting tile because it wasn't supposed to be for this challenge! I started working on it for the Break Free challenge. It wasn't going well - I didn't particularly care for how it looked, not to mention that I didn't do the Beeline tangle "right" and that the Bronx Cheer is actually hiding one of my early mistakes. The challenge was over, the tile still incomplete, and I never went back to it. At least not until this week. I didn't have any blank tiles with me when I started this week's challenge, but I did have the unfinished "break free" tile. Since the challenge this time was to use the new tangle, Ix, I figured I could simply use the framework I started previously and include this great, fresh tangle.

So that's what I did. All in all I really like how it turned out. I like the overall composition now, Beeline actually looks pretty good skewed just a bit (who says there's a wrong way to do a pattern? Not me!), and Bronx Cheer hangs out so nicely in the corner. Ix doesn't play a huge role, but it holds its own. I love Ix - definitely one to come back and experiment with. Yet another example that there are no mistakes in Zentangle, only unintended destinations. Oh, and it also shows that shading hides a multitude of "mistakes!"

I tangled some of this while waiting for my first karate class to begin. It seems so fitting to be Zentangling right before performing martial arts. Both share an Eastern influence. I learned several kicks and punches during the class and the instructor utilized step-by-step demonstrations to teach new techniques, similar to a tangle step-out. They even require a similar level of focus and attentiveness. They seem to go hand-in-hand in many respects. Perhaps I'll plan to tangle before class every time! Whenever I see this tile, memories of that first class resurface: the anticipation of participating in a new experience, the expansion of my comfort zone, the sore muscles afterwards. Sometimes I give away my tiles, while some I deem too precious to let go of. This is one of those tiles I will be keeping, partly because I enjoy looking at it, but partly because of the nostalgic correlation with that first karate class, which was an unintended destination indeed.

15 comments:

  1. Great post, Zach! I especially like how you put white sections in your Shattuck:)

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  2. How fun, and what a great tile, glad you put it away and came back to it. Your photography is great!

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  3. What a great tle you made! And a nice way to present it.

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  4. A fun way to show off a tile - love it

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  5. Great way of chowing your tile. I like the different photos of the tile, and the story you told. It was sun reading it.

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  6. As always Zachary, fabulous job! =)

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  7. I love your whole presentation! Very entertaining. And nice job on your tile. Tangles mesh well together. I'm especially delighted that you did not trash your original attempt on this tile (as you called it: "mistakes"). Step back and be proud of your great 'recovery'. Great job.

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  8. It looks like your tile has been making the rounds...and everywhere it goes it leaves beauty in its wake!

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  9. I like your presentation..The world 'moves' by stories, and you are a great story teller, Zach. Keep it up.

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  10. Love your work, as always! Have fun with the karate lessons. (I'm a purple belt in taekwondo...really!) You are, indeed, a great storyteller. :)

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    1. Cool! Do you do taewondo now, or is it something you used to participate in? I'm really enjoying karate so far!

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  11. Zach...I found your blog by following a long string of blogs on Zentangles which is my newest addiction. One thing that drew me was that you are a MALE and I have not found many men in Zentangle blogging other than Rick (one of the founders, of course) and you are YOUNG. Both make you stand out as a really fascinating new voice in the tangle world! At least to me. I am thrilled to see some of your wonderful outside the box ideas (like tangling puzzle pieces) and your other creative ideas. You are really something!
    Wow. And I love that you blog frequently and are willing to share your creative ideas so readily and that you are VERY techie and willing to share that too. Anyway, you are definitely finding a following, Zach and keep up the astounding creativity. I will be back often! thank you and God bless.

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    1. Thanks for the wonderful comment! I guess I do have a unique niche in the Zentangle world, huh? I love this community - thank you for being a part of it! Tangle on!

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  12. yeah, my photos are boring. yours are fun :)

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  13. Love your blog. It's nice that you have pictures and a story to tell, not just pretty art. Makes things more interesting.

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