Friday, 24 January 2014

long in the tooth

Sometimes what appears too good to be true probably is. The inviting surface of my test piece of Fabriano 5 looks almost like a closed-mesh fabric. It's the whitest of the lot, and I want to work with something white for those stark, extreme black and white tangles.

I did this tile without a string, so I could place tangles as and where I wanted as I went along. A few Peppers, crowding round a central Aquafleur. A couple of Dyons to soften the sharpness of those jagged old Rains.

The tangles worked well together, but me and the paper didn't get along. Every stroke was an effort, a real rough ride. And while it looks good Zentangle doesn't seem intended as a no-pain-no-gain pastime. The process itself is the central part of the pleasure. This paper, while wonderful, is not good for tangling on. But sometimes you have to eliminate the competition before you find the perfect match.

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