Drawings June 2017

Hey there tangling friends!

Here are my drawings from the first week of June.
I had the theme of Peace in my Facebook group Wholehearted Zen, Gems and Inspiration in collaboration with the Zen n ZIA group. It was something I had been thinking about for a while - learning the words and lettering for Peace in different languages. I wanted to bring us together through our art...different people united by Zentangle. Doesn't matter what we believe, look like, wear, speak. Love is what we do. Peace is what we need.

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
Edward Everett Hale

Peace in Arabic

Darkness cannot drive out darkness;

only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate;

only love can do that.

Hate multiplies hate,

violence multiplies violence,

and toughness multiplies toughness

in a descending spiral of destruction....

The chain reaction of evil --

hate begetting hate,

wars producing more wars --

must be broken,

or we shall be plunged

into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Find my turquoise gem tutorial ebook here.

Digitangles

Hey there tangling friends!

You may have seen recently that I've been tangling digitally using th Procreate app and an Apple Pencil on my iPad. It's a massive learning curve and I feel like a beginner again. There are so many possible settings for colours, different types of brush/pencil/pen to create the most amazing effects. I haven't even begun to delve into all the possibilities, but wanted to try to translate what I do on paper to the iPad.

The one I'm going to share here was created with hand drawn line art, as I wanted to see the differences. I haven't learnt how to do a time lapse video on Procreate, but that's the next step! So, there's loads of progress photos for the digital version and the paper version.

Find Christel Foncke's fabulous digital Zentangle here. And some from Icy8600 here.

Find my Pinterest board dedicated to digital art here.

Roodee - my new design

Hey there tangling friends!

Here is my new design, Roodee, which I have been drawing for a while. I have created a step out, which is rather a long one, but once you get the hang of it, it's fairly simple. The middle area closest to the gem is betweedy - working the lines alternately to build the pattern. Then the outside is basically echo lines, or auras. You can stop drawing before you reach the echo lines to give you a mini Roodee.

Depression, Anxiety and Zentangle

Hey there tangling friends!

It is Mental Health Awareness Week this week and I wanted to share a bit of my story with you. I've suffered with depression, anxiety and post natal depression for the best part of 20 years and I'm currently struggling with crippling anxiety. It keeps me awake. It makes me exhausted. It keeps me stuck at home. It robs me of joy, friendships, being able to do activities with my children, being able to go to church...the list is endless. 

The stigma attached to mental health issues seems to be lifting a little, but it's still really scary to put this out there - to tell the world how I feel (although, depression takes away the ability to feel anything.) You might remember my word for this year is Courage, so this is my bit of bravery which will hopefully encourage others to open up about their own mental health. 

There is hope and there is help. I have had happy times in the last 20 years, times when I wasn't on medication, so I know I can be well again. I have to remember that This Too Shall Pass. 

I have found Zentangle profoundly important over the last few years - I find peace in the pen strokes and comfort in the shading. My worries and fears cannot find head space whilst I'm in the Zen of drawing. 

The first drawing is one that I've done today and the others are old ones - all with quotes that really resonate with me. 

N

 

This website has so much useful and helpful information - Blurt

The Samaritans are always available in a crisis - Samaritans Contact Info

Here's the link to the official Zentangle page - Zentangle Method

New Pattern - Spokies

Hey there tangling friends.

I have been drawing this pattern for a long time now. There are some pictures below of old drawings with Spokies in them. The tutorial is here too! I hope you enjoy drawing it and can't wait to see what you do with it.

Distress Inks Mandala

Hey there tangling friends!

I was feeling a little adventurous and decided to try a mandala on Distress Inks. Using the Bristol Vellum 9x12" 100lb paper again I marked out the circles for the mandala design. I wanted to depict the sun in the sky and, using Salty Ocean, applied the ink directly to the paper by rubbing the pad around the outside of my circle.  I then used a wet paintbrush to spread the ink around to create 'clouds' - this is so easy as the Inks react so much with water.

Then, using Scattered Straw, I rubbed the pad around - making it darker in the middle with more ink. I then spritzed it with water and used the paintbrush again the make the colour really fade out to where it meets the blue sky. I spritzed the whole lot again to get more of the water reaction effect and added some salt for good measure!

And then started drawing my mandala.