Wednesday 17 February 2016

onwards and upwards

This week's Diva Challenge is another one of those that invites us to remember where we came from.  To take a tile from the past and recreate it.

And so to 2nd July 2013 - I'd been teaching myself to tangle from a book.  This was Day 5, tile 5.  I had a handful of tangles at my disposal, a basic pen, pencil and some tiles cut from thin white card stock.  But I could see something I liked in the way these strange shapes started to rise up from the paper as I drew.

Things I would have thought then -
  • that Printemps is harder to draw than you'd expect
  • that I didn't really 'get' Isochor
  • that I didn't really believe in all the 'talk' about certain pens, tiles etc
  • that shading seemed a bit like putting a load of graphite over something that looked neat until you did
  • that I couldn't imagine this Zentangle holding my attention for more than a few weeks

Then and now - the evolution of a tile
[click to enlarge] 

Fast forward to now.  The same tangles, a similar string.  And a world of difference.  And the differences mainly come about from confidence, commitment and community.

What I know now -
  • that Printemps is still a challenge, and Isochor is a odd one!
  • that better materials do help - not least because they make you value yourself and your art
  • that shading makes the ink lines come to life
  • that nearly three years later I tangle almost every week, and can't imagine ever stopping

10 comments:

  1. Both pieces are great. When I first started I'd never have been able to leave so much empty space, even now it's hard;-) I love the depth you've achieved. Your current piece is really stunning!

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  2. Look at the difference in your tiles, wonderful. I had to laugh at your comments, I have had much the same thoughts. I still struggle with Printemps and I also didn't understand Isochor although I love it now,

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  3. It is amazing to discover the improvement! What a journey!

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  4. It's good to look back sometimes and appreciate what became of us.

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  5. As I look through the entries for this week's Challenge, what I think I'm seeing is more about approach than mere skills development. (There is an improvement in people's skills, of course...) It's the confidence and pleasure and achievement and appreciation of a job well done. I feel these show all those things.

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  6. wonderful growth. I like how you expanded on the original string and first tangles to make it new and fresh.

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  7. I am so enjoying looking at the progress people have made. I love the new tile and think it looks a bit like an abstract drawing of an angel!

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  8. So great to see your evolution of style!

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  9. Love seeing the progress through everyone's art this week. Your string shapes are very interesting. I'm not sure on isochor either it is a strange one. But i love printemps I don't find them hard.:)

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  10. Your new tile is so full of life with the shading and the highlighting. Isn't it amazing how far we have all come in our journeys? I love your thought processes then vs now. It's fun to see how people think through things. Thank you so much for sharing!

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