coming around again

I've carried the idea for my Diva Challenge tile all week.  I knew I wanted to take a simple tangle and aura it in different ways.  Which is what I did with Flux on this unstrung Zendala tile.  I knew I wanted to colour the sections between.  And all that went much as hoped -  but then it came to the shading, the part I often enjoy the most - and then I got stuck.  I find shading auras tricky.  And shading Flux can either be very time-consuming (if you shade each leaf) or a bit basic if you just run a line down the middle.  I went with the latter approach, but wonder if it's lacking something?

But sometimes the most important thing Zentangle gives me is learning to live with imperfections.  Inadequacies.  Of time, ability, energy.  It reminds me that even with short supply of any or all of those you can still make something and hold it in your hand at the end of a week and say 'I made this'!

Flux - aura - repeat! 

I haven't always had time, ability or energy to draw a tile for Adele's weekly It's a String Thing Challenge recently - but I've managed to catch up on those I've missed on the limited space of a Bijou tile.  I've played with different colours and shading techniques - some I like more than others.

Top row - IAST #232, #233 and #236 
Bottom Row - IAST #240, #241 and 242

Do you find your art seems to come in ebbs and flows? I have patches where I'm really feeling it, in tune with the materials, brimming with ideas and loving the results.  And then I hit a patch where nothing seems to come good.  And looking back you think that the work you were doing months or years ago looks better than what you're producing now?  But then another day you can see the progress you are making, the skill and confidence that is steadily growing.  Do you feel that and think it's just you - it's not - it's me too!

the sum of our parts

I haven't had that much time to tangle of late.  But I couldn't miss the oppurtunity to join in with the latest Mosaik Project run by Annette P.  I'd urge you to take part - copying the string is easy to do and the results are so much fun.  Even if you don't want to join in, please do take a look at the results of the previous Projects.

Each time Annette devises a string, asks us to copy it faithfully and fill it with tangles in black and white or suggested colour schemes.  Once she gathers copies of our tiles she works her magic, turning and flipping them into all manner of amazing permutations.  Not only that but she generously sends a mini-mosaic made with just your own tile.

These are the tiles I sent to her for the previous 3 projects -

For Project #11, an Escher-themed lizard, I sent two tiles as requested, one positive and one negative

And these are some of the mini-mosaics she sent back to me.

 

 

And that's just what she did with my tile.  Imagine the results with many talented tanglers tied together!  This time the string is simple and basic black and white tangling was asked for.  This is my contribution -

Tangles used - Krokus, Fassett, Moonpie

The deadline closes on the 15th May and Annette suggests she will share the results on the 23rd!  I can't wait to see what happens this time!