a three-cornered problem

I have mixed feelings about Tripoli.  I quite like drawing it, and I like the look of it when it's done, and in some people's hands it is a wonderful tangle.  But I'm never really sure what to do with it.  And quite often, in fact usually, I draw a bit of it, on its own on a tile, and never really know what to do with it.  Whether to include other tangles, or let it stand alone.  In fact I usually end up with an unfinished tile.  I've got quite a few of them sitting in my little tangle basket - maybe I need to think about a project to finish the unfinished... 

But anyway, when the Diva challenged us to work with Tripoli I knew it would be a tough one.  I started well, laying down lots of triangles with my thick Sanguine Pitt Pen.  I like the way it looked a bit like potato-printing.  Once dry I went back and added some details with my Micron.

Work in progress

 But then I got stuck - with Tripoli hanging there in a unfinished state.  And it sat like that for days, and it could have ended there... but I risked inking in a few tendrils, so that the Tripoli looked like it was attached to something, like it belonged.

Done and dusted

And I think that worked out okay - I think it's good enough to call it finished.  Not an easy one, but a sense of accomplishment nonetheless.

whispering

For this week's Diva Challenge we were encouraged to give 'just a tiny taste' of tangle to our tile.  Easier said than done when that pen wants to lead a merry dance and fill every inch of those little paper squares.  But I was determined to make it happen...  I took a deep breath and waited a few days before even stepping near a tile.  Time to let all those crazy grand impulses subside.  Time to let the symphony settle down and just listen to the echoes.

XYP - with white highlights and arua

Hamail with Antidot-style fill and white highlights

It's a process I enjoyed very much.  It allows for a tile to be 'done' when there is less time available, but more than that it allows for far closer attention to the tangle in question, making it the star of the show.  And I felt thoroughly involved in the process.  Thanks to the Diva for the encouragement, it's a style I know I'll revisit.