Tangling With Phicops

The wonderful Diva over at the I Am the Diva blog has challenged us, the Zentangle community, to our first challenge of the new year! Woot!

This time the goal of the challenge was to use a new tangle that the Diva's husband, B-rad, invented. It's called Phicops, and it's a really cool one. Here's what I came up with:

Tangles used: Phicops, Crescent Moon, Beeline, Auraknot, and Tipple.

Phiclops is really a great tangle. Simple, quick, but you still end up with that "how did I do that?" effect. Shading adds a ton to this tangle - and I mean a TON! I thought my tile was a flop until I shaded it - wow!

I tried something a little different with the photography this time. Instead of using my DSLR camera, I used my new iPhone's camera and the various apps for photo editing. Not quite as high quality as the "real" camera, but it did work pretty well! 

In case some of you coming over here from the Diva's blog haven't seen it yet, I want to invite you to watch my recently released video, Zentangle in Motion 2. Enjoy!

Also, I'm just about to begin my adventure in becoming a Walt Disney World cast member, so forgive me if the blog posts are more infrequent. 

Blessings!

-Zach

Dance, Dance, Yeah!

Laura Harms, the Diva over at the I am the Diva blog, is celebrating this week! It marks the two year anniversary of the Zentangle challenges she brings us every week, and the 100th such challenge. Congratulations, Laura!

As an extra special treat, Rick and Maria created a special tangle for the occasion, called Diva Dance. It comes in several variations, including Waltz, Foxtrot, and Rock N' Roll. I love the analogy to dancing! You start with lines, and on the downbeat you add a weight. Weight two three, weight two three. Just like a dance.

Here is my tile:

Tangles used: W2, Jonqal, Hollibaugh, and Diva Dance.

I really enjoyed watching the Waltz unfold as paper danced with pen. With Christmas lights all around, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a bokeh background. Dancing lights and dancing lines.

Thank you, Diva, for presenting a new challenge each week! I have enjoyed being a part of this community, and am blessed by the welcome I have received. Thanks to everyone who has commented with such lovely words of encouragement. 

Proverbs 25:11

Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Keep Moving Forward

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

-Walt Disney

I was delighted when I saw the I Am the Diva blog post this week with a challenge from guest poster Courtney Frantz! Courtney (A fellow Texan!) challenged us to create a Zentangle to pay tribute to Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, or Walt Disney. This is very appropriate, for I am not only a big Disney fan (my family has a bathroom that is entirely Disney themed! I brush my teeth every morning under the constant supervision of many Mickeys...), but I'm also gearing up to participate in the Disney College Program (which I wrote about near the end of this post). I'm getting very excited as the day draws nearer!

Ever the oddball, I wanted to do something different and unique with my tile. First off, I pulled up a Disneyland map and a Magic Kingdom map to look for string inspiration. The parade routes really caught my attention, red dotted lines twisting and turning across their respective parks. I wound up tracing those parade routes onto my tile for a string, incorporating the Disney parks that inspire me so much into the Zentangle.

Next I started tangling, but I didn't use just any tangles. I chose patterns that would correspond to the name "Walt" - W2, Auraknot, Laced, and Tipple. I had to use a few more to fill in, but you get the idea. I didn't think about it at the time, but Tipple is perfect for this tile because you can often find hidden Mickeys in it. See if you can spot one (or a bunch!):

Of course, as an added tribute to Disney, I had to play some Disney music while I was tangling. My all-time favorite Disney song is "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. Love it!

Posing my tile with our Mickey photo frame wasn't actually my idea - I have to thank my wonderfully creative mom for coming up with this one!.

As Walt said, "...keep moving forward..."!

Trying On a New Socc

Socc. A tangle born of an "ah-ha" moment. Wonderfully light and puffy. And the tangle chosen to be the Diva's weekly challenge this week.

You may have noticed that when I try a new tangle, I always exclaim over how much I enjoyed it. When I say that, I mean it! It's one of my quirks - I really like to try new things. Tangles, food, music, experiences, hobbies, etc. As long as it isn't directly harmful to my health or out of line with my convictions, I'm game. Last weekend I tried fried alligator and calamari. That was fun! This weekend I'm going to try studying, for my first time. Okay, not really. It will be something along the lines of my four-millionth time. But hey, I've never studied four-million times before, so I guess it really is something new to try!

Now you know that when I say I had a blast tangling Erin Olson's tangle Socc, I am absolutely sincere. I didn't fill in the middles of the sections like Erin does, and I think next time I use Socc I'll do that. I tried to get a fading out effect, where the lines that form Socc become lighter at the edges. Cubine got in on the fading action too. Not sure how successfully I pulled it off, but it is what it is. Take a look:

Tangles used: Cubine, Ix, Auraknot, Crescent Moon, Hollibaugh, Paradox, and, of course, Socc.

I got some funny stares from passersby as I took this photograph. I just tried to look like I knew what I was doing, and that it was perfectly normal for someone to crouch on the ground with an optical light-recording device pressed to one's face. Yup. Normal as seeing Bigfoot in pink and purple polka dot footy pajamas (I love the fact that spell check made me capitalize Bigfoot!).

At least I was able to find a manhole-type cover that wasn't in the middle of a street! That would have been interesting...

Hey, before I sign off, I just wanted to give a quick little reminder that if you'd like to support me in my blogging efforts, there are multiple ways to do it. You can read posts, like you're doing right now! Thanks, by the way. You can comment on posts - it encourages me to keep going! You can tell your friends about the blog. You can even support financially by buying an original piece of art from the Designed to Create Store or by utilizing the Donate button on the left column. I appreciate you, my readers. Y'all are the best!

Snake String

Rick and Maria have done it again! The founders of Zentangle released a new tangle last week. It is called Bunzo, and I absolutely love it!

The Diva's challenge this week was to tangle a tile utilizing Bunzo. I'm always up for trying a new tangle, and since Bunzo consists of only one shape, how hard could it be?

Here the writer would normally state how difficult the seemingly easy task he just mentioned was, but in this case it actually was that simple, and I'm no normal writer! So if you haven't tried out Bunzo already, go do it! Now!

Last weekend I was watching my little 3-year-old brother, and he sweetly drew me a picture of our pet snake (the one featured in this post). It reminded me of a Zentangle string, especially since he drew it on a square piece of paper. So I adapted it into a string for my tile:

Thank you for the string, Seth!

I think my enthusiasm for this new tangle is evident in my final tile:

Tangles used: Bunzo, Paradox, Knightsbridge, and Bales.

I mentioned recently on Designed to Create's Facebook page that I wanted to do some night photography with my Zentangle tiles. Halloween offered the perfect opportunity! Of course, you need some light when you take photographs in the dark, or else you wouldn't be able to see anything. Desiring an unusual light source, I ended up using a candle's flame as my illumination. The long exposures required for the darkness allowed me to play around with the candle, moving it around while the shutter was open. Here is the result:

Thinking Outside the Comfort Zone

Do you like challenges? Or do you shy away from them? I think my answer would be a little of both, depending on the situation. Challenges take you out of your comfort zone, throw you off balance, make you think. They also cause you to grow, improve, and truly live. I can't think of a challenge I haven't come away from without feeling it was worth it and improvement was made.

This week's Zentangle challenge truly challenged me. The Diva asked us to take inspiration from a charity called Beads of Courage. I think it's an awesome organization, but how do you boil something like that down to black and white, ink and paper? I could have gone the way others were going, and while I loved what I was seeing, it wasn't speaking to me saying "this is what you should do too."

The essence of the Beads of Courage program is the beads, and the essence of a Zentangle is a string (at the least it's what you build the rest of the tangle on). So I decided to make my string with ball chain to serve as a string of beads. Spontaneously arranging the string and tracing it onto a tile, I was off and running!

That's It (not!)

Well, kind viewer, that's my tile for this week. That's it. Have a good one!

Just kidding. This wouldn't be much of a blog if that's all that I said about my pictures, now would it? Although pictures speak a thousand words, here are a few more to explain the story behind this Zentangle.

Thread

Tangles used: Sankegg, Ixorus, Ix, Paradox, and Hollibaugh.

Do I have your attention now? In case you missed it, that is a Zentangle on a snake. Bet that's the first time you've seen that, huh? I'll explain why there's a snake in the picture later...

Unintended Destinations

What is that?

Is it a Zentangle tile?

Peaceful

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 

John 14:27

The Zentangle challenge this week is to tangle a pinwheel for peace, tying in with an organization that encourages the making of these pinwheels for the International Day of Peace, which is today. I decided to follow the template provided in the post, and do a mandala-type design.

My pinwheel. Crescent Moons, Cubine, and Paradox.

The Rhythm of Tangles: Weekly Challenge #85

This week was a tangly week! For one thing, we had Labor Day on Monday, which threw the whole week into a tangle (it feels like it should be Saturday when it's actually Friday!). For another thing I've tangled nearly every day this week - and only completed one tile!

I started on Tuesday working on the Diva's Zentangle Challenge. You can see the tile below beginning to form in my post from Wednesday. On Wednesday I tangled a bit at work as a study break. Thursday night I took my Zentangle kit with me to my haircut and tangled while I was waiting. Finally, I finished the shading on the tile today, just in time to post it. It's definitely a here, there, and everywhere tile!

I see a spot where I forgot to shade a section - do you see it?

Tangles: Crescent Moon, Shattuck, Hurry, and Copada.

Typhlotic Foundation

Another week, another weekly Zentangle challenge (which Laura Harms hosts on her blog here. I'd recommend hopping around to all the other blogs that participate and seeing the diversity that abounds!). This time she challenged us to draw a string with our eyes closed. Here are the results of the eyes-shut strings:

That's my little brother modeling the Zentangles! He was
 coloring with an orange marker...either that or eating Cheetos!

Weekly Challenge #83, WOYWW #167

Okay, I'm doing something a little different and slightly odd. At first I was hesitant to try this, but then I realized it's my blog, and I can do whatever I want! So without further ado I want to welcome folks from the I Am the Diva blog for the Weekly Zentangle Challenge #83, folks from the Stamping Ground blog for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday #167, and those who just want to check out what this blog is all about from wherever you are right now. Welcome y'all (as we say here in Texas)! That's right: I'm combining the Weekly Challenge and WOYWW into one super-awesome post! Boo-yah!

The Diva's Zentangle challenge this week is to use the tangles:

Hurried Paradoxical Braid

Bloggers, I present for your consideration, education, and enjoyment a new Zentangle tile. This one is for the weekly Diva challenge (over at the I Am the Diva blog), which required the use of Michelle Beauchamp's tangle Brayd. I really enjoyed tangling this tangle - it quickly transitioned me into that automatic drawing mode. Plus it simply looks beautiful! Thanks, Michelle, for the tangle, and Diva for the challenge!

Me too, Me Too!

This week's Zentangle challenge from the Diva is to use the tangle Mi2. I've tried Mi2 a couple of times before, and I think I'll have to use it more often - it is such a great tangle. I started in the upper right corner with Mi2, transitioned to some W2, and ended with some "frayed" ends. I'm pretty sure that's an actual tangle, I just can't figure out which one it is! If you know, let me know, you know? :-)

W2 works great with Mi2, and it makes sense considering W2 helped inspire Mi2. I've been a W2 fan since I started tangling, but it's been a while since I've used it. It's great to bring it out again. We have an ample supply of craft baskets adorning our home, so I think that contributes to my love of this"basket weave-esque" tangle. 

If you're a visitor from the I Am the Diva blog, welcome! Since the last challenge I've added Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest follow buttons to the top of the right sidebar, and I'd love it if you'd join Designed to Create on any or all of those social media sources. Blog updates, interesting links, and contests are just a few of the things I plan to share via social media. Hope to see you there!

Auraknot

 I am in love with the new tangle Auraknot, so I was pleased to find that this week's challenge from the Diva over at I Am the Diva is to use Auraknot in a tangle. I attempted a step-out of this pattern when Rick and Maria challenged the Zentangle community to try their hand at it, but the actual steps are so much easier than what I came up with. It allows much more freedom, and is more relaxing. You don't have to connect the dots or pre-plan anything, you just put pen to paper and tangle. I didn't even use a string for this one, and I don't feel a string is necessary. The Auraknot becomes the string, the backbone of the tangle. Thanks Rick and Maria for what is quickly becoming one of my favorite tangles!

Home

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 

This week's Diva challenge really was a challenge for me at first. She asked us to take our home and interpret it in Zentangle form. Since I was homeschooled for so long, you'd think home would be an easy concept for me to illustrate. But perhaps, since I have been in the home for so long and seen the many facets home life has to offer (darn, I should have used the tangle Facets!), I couldn't pick which facet to tangle. I decided to go with the most important part, the basis for our home - God.

Cadent-ology

This week's challenge from the Diva (of I Am the Diva) asks us to experiment with the official tangle Cadent.  She says in her post that "This week is the study of 'Cadent'." The study of something is an "ology", right? Thus, Cadent-ology!

Eccentric Circles

Laura Harms, Certified Zentangle Teacher, hosts a weekly challenge on her blog, I am the Diva, in which participants are asked to do a Zentangle in accordance with guidelines she lays down. One week we may be using a specific tangle, the next playing with color. This week's challenge (number seventy-four!) is to experiment with strings. She asked us to use "eccentric circles", which are circles drawn a little wonky and lopsided.