tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55371591009790107822024-03-13T08:31:09.543+00:00THE RAGGED RAYRagged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-42307386312601533292024-03-11T13:55:00.001+00:002024-03-11T13:55:07.068+00:00something spiky<p>It's been a very long time since I posted here, and just as long since I shared a new tangle. Despite appearances I haven't fallen away from Zentangle, I still love it as much as ever, although life doesn't allow me to spend quite as many hours with tile and pen these days. Any tangle time and energy I have I use to make art, rather than writing about making art.<br /><br />Over the years I've gathered lots of scraps of paper with ideas for potential tangles. Some I revisit, play with and put aside as something isn't quite working. Sometimes I return to them and discover what was missing. Last year a tangle originally conceived at the end of 2018 fully came to life – and that tangle was Blap. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje_e6cpqv3kW5zgWgr86jc3426izIQU1jCY1fayM9bml5p0px7b3qPO8WeTdr5h-wXvmMBNP3acAwxKCAnjDoIZ7MmrBVhEPujj5MfcLyiYlqZ30-tEGDToOKnvMiQmBOMgS_GKEoLsZLIHQLShTOnV7dA41h2qx_tZi7m7OAVyra4CBiSF3rDzy3a2E/s2293/Blap%20Step-out.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2293" data-original-width="1700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje_e6cpqv3kW5zgWgr86jc3426izIQU1jCY1fayM9bml5p0px7b3qPO8WeTdr5h-wXvmMBNP3acAwxKCAnjDoIZ7MmrBVhEPujj5MfcLyiYlqZ30-tEGDToOKnvMiQmBOMgS_GKEoLsZLIHQLShTOnV7dA41h2qx_tZi7m7OAVyra4CBiSF3rDzy3a2E/w474-h640/Blap%20Step-out.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><br />I submitted Blap to Conzentric's Step-Out of the Month and they shared it
with the world last November. You can <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/n0k9c0" target="_blank">sign up to their monthly mailing here</a> – you will receive an exclusive new tangle on the first of every
month. You can also see the list of <a href="https://conzentric.art/en/blog" target="_blank">previously featured tangles here</a>.<p>As I said in the text accompanying my step-out –<br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"Blap began as a simple ribbon tangle... recently I noticed how Blap's potential could be extended if I considered one section and used it almost like a fragment. From there it's easy to adapt it to a grid tangle, or a circular design.<br /><br />Drawn entirely using C curves it clearly shares DNA with tangles like Zenith, Goldhan and Double Double and no doubt others.<br /><br />My top tip is to always draw the inset curved V shape first, as it's far easier to fit the next parallel V inside than it is to draw it outside!"</p><p style="text-align: left;">Each month Conzentric invites tanglers to share their explorations of the monthly tangle in a dedicated Facebook group. It's always an honour and a thrill to see people using a tangle you created, and it inspired me to work further with Blap.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWqDNUJkPpm3dJVREIwQr6KxNp0NWOJ9imGAaP70_2VfIEUceNAr7rPAEe1l3KgoLoRhWqjiCDTF5z3RW3f5sWr0OIRY4AfSF-y1iUMtAmWCGPrL4oxh_H8aRJO4ytpEN0kRmsqQVz2NeDajP8sapqkY94OrwQrpIMtBZZ3HRx0bucSl6NJVMn_-ZLbY/s3600/tiles.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="3600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWqDNUJkPpm3dJVREIwQr6KxNp0NWOJ9imGAaP70_2VfIEUceNAr7rPAEe1l3KgoLoRhWqjiCDTF5z3RW3f5sWr0OIRY4AfSF-y1iUMtAmWCGPrL4oxh_H8aRJO4ytpEN0kRmsqQVz2NeDajP8sapqkY94OrwQrpIMtBZZ3HRx0bucSl6NJVMn_-ZLbY/w640-h640/tiles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blap can take on a new look if you make the V shapes U's instead. An orb to aim for might help.<br />My blue bijou with 4 Blap fragments was duplicated in collage software.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><br />Recently I gave Blap a couple more outings, with some satisfying results. The first takes on a more ornate style - with detail lines, Beadlines, Mooka, and other bits and bobs.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXHg3AOHmZ9PUbjmfi39l0o3LYcsLghSC9J6TGv2l83o81jpI9jRb15jWvRdeZSC1aVbLmEXrs15ufr8gQSx4rJ7NT5G1KNa0_PswcovoUlLYhrZPH4RN0VlC7Ap4CKf3Dwux6JNCtJE0hu8zddVGfegtawPb7izFR09nbPbwJCxyh4BeYfPUSKPhI5A/s1386/ornate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1386" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXHg3AOHmZ9PUbjmfi39l0o3LYcsLghSC9J6TGv2l83o81jpI9jRb15jWvRdeZSC1aVbLmEXrs15ufr8gQSx4rJ7NT5G1KNa0_PswcovoUlLYhrZPH4RN0VlC7Ap4CKf3Dwux6JNCtJE0hu8zddVGfegtawPb7izFR09nbPbwJCxyh4BeYfPUSKPhI5A/w400-h400/ornate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangled in black on an ATC coloured with Eau de Nil ink by Diamine.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The second shows another way to use Blap in a circular design, but with a less spiky appearance than the one featured on the step-out image. The difference on this tan pastel tile is down to the orientation of the Blap fragment. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJAb95X7gTOm-nQYGq-XL36yp8DLim0Cg_Jlj_BbKzxiNOBLlxkKWj8udjTQxcMAlvKuM8Rg0gp9IDGHRBuFVBLfx-o2VAmr_2tPHatX6sL0hfERs8_GtR1sG7puedqCYCW0L-cNE-0QXGgt4PA05QGtYmZNStI4grvPiIdQlZiRO6IUyLb8mPsM0rVM/s2367/shading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2367" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJAb95X7gTOm-nQYGq-XL36yp8DLim0Cg_Jlj_BbKzxiNOBLlxkKWj8udjTQxcMAlvKuM8Rg0gp9IDGHRBuFVBLfx-o2VAmr_2tPHatX6sL0hfERs8_GtR1sG7puedqCYCW0L-cNE-0QXGgt4PA05QGtYmZNStI4grvPiIdQlZiRO6IUyLb8mPsM0rVM/w640-h322/shading.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before and after shading - proving once again how much it adds to your work!<br />There were different ways I could have shaded this, <br />but I opted for block shading to create a puffy appearance. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"> <br />I like a tangle with plenty of potential for variation and I certainly think Blap has that. I'm looking forward to seeing what more it has in store for me – and I'd love to see what you do with it too.<br /></p>Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-25760183606489575502021-09-16T15:14:00.002+01:002023-12-22T07:49:15.773+00:00gathering dust<p>My 'newest' tangle has had a strange evolution - born in disregard and rapidly abandoned to the care of others, I felt it was time to welcome it home and show it some love. <br /><br />For the first half of 2020 I worked on Alice Hendon's <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/search/label/Zen-untangled" target="_blank">Zen-Untangled</a> project, working through the entire collection of 'official' Zentangle tangles. I drew mine onto ATCs which I keep in a small tin. It's become a handy resource I dip into whenever I need inspiration.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJUxxpPfb_fi8L4w9bEixNAgbzWNCDt5I-blfXojIHFm9TEP3CW5hkj2IqNLabrTxKnkDDW4qEEGYwzIQz0XxTRyg1k31IaE6rDukTbRwICxcRUNweAA7UDCs8feVYW2HSshEoDi18dE/s1124/61.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="826" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJUxxpPfb_fi8L4w9bEixNAgbzWNCDt5I-blfXojIHFm9TEP3CW5hkj2IqNLabrTxKnkDDW4qEEGYwzIQz0XxTRyg1k31IaE6rDukTbRwICxcRUNweAA7UDCs8feVYW2HSshEoDi18dE/s320/61.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On one card, created in early July <br />I tangled a variation of Static <br />(alongside Jonqual and Orlique)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My good friends Debbie and Stephanie from 7F5R enthused about my tile, particularly my version of Static. They encouraged me to name and claim the tangle as my own. I was stubborn and reluctant, insisting it was merely a tangleation and sure that others were already using it. No amount of cajoling would encourage me to draw a step out and share it at that time, however I gave them my blessing for them to share it, which they did. You can see Stephanie's step out for Ecstatic, her example, not to mention her perspective on my reluctance <a href="https://sevenforests.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/ecstatic/?fbclid=IwAR1dwdTdZH6eX0Zua9-YCaVjin7FHbofJAvTYC6z3TVyO-bG1eIifZWGCIk" target="_blank">here</a>!<br /><br />I'm thrilled to learn that Ecstatic will be featured in <a href="http://www.everythingis-art.com/2021/08/inktobertangles2021.html" target="_blank">Stephanie's selection of tangles for this year's Inktober</a>. In honour of this I thought I would spend a little time getting to know my orphaned tangle. This time with my heart and mind a little more open to its potential.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWROy7KE6TFuWFlGAJ2UGbHoXLjhyl4JP7ZqqMFRAZvTwHq2oYicyNkYotmoENe1jI2fVvh-wiy_cq9wPwIPRtyXLi7fhl2ywAmtaeXfGKnpkwMVaoUrYc2urxlilqaLLsRGDrIbapDA/s2048/BeFunky-collage2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1879" data-original-width="2048" height="589" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWROy7KE6TFuWFlGAJ2UGbHoXLjhyl4JP7ZqqMFRAZvTwHq2oYicyNkYotmoENe1jI2fVvh-wiy_cq9wPwIPRtyXLi7fhl2ywAmtaeXfGKnpkwMVaoUrYc2urxlilqaLLsRGDrIbapDA/w640-h589/BeFunky-collage2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The evolution of Ecstatic<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br />Static was one of the very first tangles I learned, but I've never
particularly enjoyed using it. Those zigzags rapidly start to round
beneath my pen and it only ever becomes background patterning rather
than anything particularly exciting in itself. However in my 2018
sketchbook you can see that I started to play around with a variation,
which appeared again when I was practicing tangling using purple ink on
the back of a tile.<br /><br />The key difference between Static and Ecstatic is that you don't draw every line of the zigzag, some are cut short.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe_1OdYYArTD4c6fvkp4W6f4QcQmzFRMcJ6gsmPVHszT7yak3hmkzCTTyiegLWBP6ICD0uvCSs_KNDpHnW8uYSJhO3q0EGwjSFMpHc-0wo2JclKUkeRSVMgTiTx97tImv-HOdgfQcu0I/s2048/step+out.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2037" data-original-width="2048" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe_1OdYYArTD4c6fvkp4W6f4QcQmzFRMcJ6gsmPVHszT7yak3hmkzCTTyiegLWBP6ICD0uvCSs_KNDpHnW8uYSJhO3q0EGwjSFMpHc-0wo2JclKUkeRSVMgTiTx97tImv-HOdgfQcu0I/w400-h398/step+out.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br />My
stepout differs slightly from the way that Stephanie drew hers, both
work equally well and you may have one you prefer. As I've worked more
with Ecstatic a number of variations have appeared. Extra interest can
be added to the tangle by rounding, or blacking out sections of the rows
after drawing them. The lines themselves can be thick or thin, or even
a mixture of the two, and can be kept sharp or more rounded. Shading
can be done in blocks like we do with Static, or each row shaded
individually to give a sense of texture.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FzdBomkC6RXpnaKWpNfzb4HwKfCGBdidt1-UD9obqKMTGaUuL02X_Ubodf8KINYTteqHGvvHNrpopf9-MnHkI9dmgNM3y7TRkqm6lJXFSpxkJfUdmtJ07iqN0v7J54xaHI7ujQ7mvAE/s2048/variations.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1315" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FzdBomkC6RXpnaKWpNfzb4HwKfCGBdidt1-UD9obqKMTGaUuL02X_Ubodf8KINYTteqHGvvHNrpopf9-MnHkI9dmgNM3y7TRkqm6lJXFSpxkJfUdmtJ07iqN0v7J54xaHI7ujQ7mvAE/w410-h640/variations.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Because
Ecstatic grows one row at a time it allows you to tuck in other tangles
as it builds. I like this as I'm always looking for easy ways to get my
tangles to meld with one another.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0J2bUyUL-AfNFxPwCjnX-PqZlpXkAPkFWg1nyKLdMazunD48Xfk5j8kovHoLaiPyad2FUTvhrcVGRwrxbTG17DvyDllCloCFxD9cw7t4ZeZtAUBY9hunnR0-m_z8gUvsMPh0U7zEOvs/s1220/kraft+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0J2bUyUL-AfNFxPwCjnX-PqZlpXkAPkFWg1nyKLdMazunD48Xfk5j8kovHoLaiPyad2FUTvhrcVGRwrxbTG17DvyDllCloCFxD9cw7t4ZeZtAUBY9hunnR0-m_z8gUvsMPh0U7zEOvs/w400-h400/kraft+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ecstatic running sideways for a change - joined by<br />Rumpus, Pokeleaf and Damsel Leaf on a Kraft tile.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Another simple
way to bring additional drama and layers is to tangle your Ecstatic
first, and then go in afterwards with your black pen (maybe a thicker
one if you're impatient) and adding solid black tangling or ribbons. The
following progression shows how this tile came to be and also
demonstrates how forgiving this tangle can be – the original lines are
pretty wobbly in places but that soon gets lost when more tangles,
rounding, shading and highlighting added.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4tWUzn2ibixFvuD7sQvpowxa9X-ie2GzYo7PaxIX_dBb4EPj6jK7TqfgpFqs1cMAtf5mDE6W2IV05fP03TEyH00GkTmpZRqgEE6nhZZnFJMFKClsxFlOz5QOtF5j7-L3SMlG8AJ93Nw/s2048/prog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1529" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4tWUzn2ibixFvuD7sQvpowxa9X-ie2GzYo7PaxIX_dBb4EPj6jK7TqfgpFqs1cMAtf5mDE6W2IV05fP03TEyH00GkTmpZRqgEE6nhZZnFJMFKClsxFlOz5QOtF5j7-L3SMlG8AJ93Nw/w478-h640/prog.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An intense Brusho coloured tile.<br />First add Ecstatic, then pen in some additions.<br />Darken them, and add highlights, texture the background.<br />Shade and add more tiny highlights.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />A year on from casting
this little tangle into the hands of others I've learnt a lot. About
being willing to come back to an idea and look at it again with fresh
eyes and a less jaded heart. Not to mention the importance of listening
to friends when they tell you something has merit! Thank you Debbie,
thank you Steph – there would have been no Ecstatic without you!<br /><br />I hope fellow tanglers enjoy using Ecstatic - I'd love to know how you get on with it!<br /></p>Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-66664471573330545212021-03-11T13:20:00.007+00:002021-03-23T16:12:17.673+00:00out of the darkness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsDTGZJ8BkRGZMgDnB1QRxGW388pULhmQjTNxBsHf6jo4579GJHNHEOF6e5G2Q80M-_fH6bOy7fEmfhV_OjigOdYb00XRzdd9Rj9JS4UtstX0XkdZ6pcFIVWYM3yJY_l24mLoRRe5mmo/s2641/header.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="2641" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsDTGZJ8BkRGZMgDnB1QRxGW388pULhmQjTNxBsHf6jo4579GJHNHEOF6e5G2Q80M-_fH6bOy7fEmfhV_OjigOdYb00XRzdd9Rj9JS4UtstX0XkdZ6pcFIVWYM3yJY_l24mLoRRe5mmo/w640-h288/header.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Despite
my love of all things dark and dingy I really struggle to find
pleasure when working on black tiles. The white gel pen feels too
thick, the extreme of white on black too harsh, and the shading
effortful and hard to control. And that's just the basics -
introducing colour onto black tiles becomes even more baffling to me.
I don't want my tangling to feel like a chore. So I was quite excited
when I stumbled across this technique towards the end of last year.
<br /><br />I discovered by accident that when you use white gel over certain
colour the colour is taken on by the white, and something almost
magical occurs. I've been refining the technique ever since and am
pleased to share ZenAurora with you. I named it after the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora" target="_blank">aurora</a>
(borealis and australis) - the elusive night-sky phenomenon that few
are lucky enough to see. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
technique is simple to achieve – three steps is all it takes.
Everything you need to know is contained in the following image.
However I wouldn't be me if I didn't go into greater detail about my
experiments and findings!<br /><br /></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TsCSqBaK1QAEqGzsGl3Argk8q_yLpW721n-40NRRu6edoTtJBRlk2FZ4AHpuIKbMQ8Fipac3buZGktdxhUnm9pf825zmVMc-YK14lHHoEq2pfcmomlPhzZLgWGgb70twEX_7DIx750Y/s2048/Method.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1950" data-original-width="2048" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TsCSqBaK1QAEqGzsGl3Argk8q_yLpW721n-40NRRu6edoTtJBRlk2FZ4AHpuIKbMQ8Fipac3buZGktdxhUnm9pf825zmVMc-YK14lHHoEq2pfcmomlPhzZLgWGgb70twEX_7DIx750Y/w640-h610/Method.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black ATC gains colour in 3 easy steps!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
first step involves getting the colour onto your black tile. I've
only tested this using the watercolour pens I have on hand. I have a
few Ecoline pens, a few Tombows and some Sai brush pens but mostly I've used Zig
Clean Color brush pens. I usually pick two or three colours and take turns to
lay the colour down covering the whole tile. Sometimes I do stripes,
or arcs, or blobs, or patches. You might worry about not being able
to see where you've coloured, but some shades lightly tint the paper, and also while the
colour is still wet you can see it. It doesn't matter if your colours
overlap, and it doesn't matter if you miss parts, as these will
appear as pops of bright whiteness. <br /><br />I discovered that not all colours
work equally. Some change colour quite radically, while others fade
to insignificance (as can be seen clearly on the chart below).
I've also found that intensity differs depending on the
paper used - it's more muted on the official Zentangle tiles -
possibly because of their rougher and more absorbent surface. On
smoother paper (Clairefontaine PaintOn, and Stonehenge Aqua Black)
the colours were more vivid. You might prefer it one way or the other. Leave your tiles to dry after colouring. I often prepare
a bunch and then tuck them away ready for when I want them.<br /><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBLj4s4tcAMmYTp4_8pffe_rEymSsRmxGR_reIp6wwvazLMEp3mDXbJN3jIMXd29ZknuQQPHt_3Lqfoy3z9yF7Z7rYsjRweUUChtempQEoR1v0f8qRkdgfBCC1EozrgpHN1dd0CBR9NE/s2048/test+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1291" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBLj4s4tcAMmYTp4_8pffe_rEymSsRmxGR_reIp6wwvazLMEp3mDXbJN3jIMXd29ZknuQQPHt_3Lqfoy3z9yF7Z7rYsjRweUUChtempQEoR1v0f8qRkdgfBCC1EozrgpHN1dd0CBR9NE/w405-h640/test+2.jpg" width="405" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how some colours change and some lose their intensity<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
second step is where the surprises really happen. Grab a pre-coloured
tile and a white gel pen. I've used Gelly Roll in all my examples but
I tested a couple of other brands and they worked pretty much the
same. Remember that you can use different widths of Gelly Roll which
will give you different looks to your lines. Simply tangle across
your tile and your lines will magically pick up the colour that you
pass over, shifting as you move from one patch to another. Fun
right? Once you've finished tangling allow your white ink to dry. </span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uSrTQjV6tgyxyX-3cvGasl4zALOXesnJFrgSmyQrm_aGgK9Mc_ulb0Nj1mr0Yk_Fvdonwzw7Ve4FFri0Zy2GWLPhkkLYgTA_a9y2kdPfZMF8ujk3bI7AokYodOEM88w7MuvlS7bo5mE/s2048/final+collage+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="2048" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uSrTQjV6tgyxyX-3cvGasl4zALOXesnJFrgSmyQrm_aGgK9Mc_ulb0Nj1mr0Yk_Fvdonwzw7Ve4FFri0Zy2GWLPhkkLYgTA_a9y2kdPfZMF8ujk3bI7AokYodOEM88w7MuvlS7bo5mE/w640-h434/final+collage+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left a tile with no shading - on the right black coloured pencil shading<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />For
the final step you can shade if you choose to. I prefer not to add
white highlights but to darken areas of overlap instead – and for
this I use a black coloured pencil as to me it looks better on the
black tile than the shine left by graphite pencil. If you're wary of
shading I think there's enough interest just from the tangles and
shifting colours themselves. Certain colours of watercolour pen
leave a noticeable colour on the tile. Mostly this will be covered by
your tangling, but if any remains and it bothers you, you can calm it
down by going over that area with your black coloured pencil.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I also sometimes use my black ink pen to really darken some areas or add perfs or tiny detail lines.<br /></span><p></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb4b_ugyFsc0gnIIvkZgK3wM5GX0dGzv6ZRuIdeoKjZqnFVL7rLbgWTc0h-hSNYeD89CaoV1trjjy0rG99Jc012Ew1TDmb-_sPMcd-Q6kTGQcNCfMGC-Qi5xCQnAUvdZ88uPpskIWiD8/s2048/final+collage+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1813" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb4b_ugyFsc0gnIIvkZgK3wM5GX0dGzv6ZRuIdeoKjZqnFVL7rLbgWTc0h-hSNYeD89CaoV1trjjy0rG99Jc012Ew1TDmb-_sPMcd-Q6kTGQcNCfMGC-Qi5xCQnAUvdZ88uPpskIWiD8/w566-h640/final+collage+1.jpg" width="566" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An array of ZenAurora tiles. Different colours, different tangles, same magic!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Remember that ZenAurora
is not an exact science. You will have unexpected results, some might
be disappointing, but many will be wonderful – and I think it's
worth the risk.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNVureBcu4ciFa4xV1tRMle437CJWjNhBnWQi3O9M1Z3Hkrl0cDuIG75WZbTks9fDrj7T1cda4piyBFhxzh1hhZPxhz_Up_cD3174FTZKYVKKbVHrGJXxViftqa-rZMMLVyyjBqLRdAg/s1719/nine+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1719" data-original-width="1697" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNVureBcu4ciFa4xV1tRMle437CJWjNhBnWQi3O9M1Z3Hkrl0cDuIG75WZbTks9fDrj7T1cda4piyBFhxzh1hhZPxhz_Up_cD3174FTZKYVKKbVHrGJXxViftqa-rZMMLVyyjBqLRdAg/w632-h640/nine+collage.jpg" width="632" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An insight into my experiments. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
trialled many little scraps and Bijou tiles while getting to know
this technique. I found colour combinations that I loved, and many
that didn't appeal to me quite so much. I also found tangles that
worked better than others – but you may be drawn in entirely
different directions. Floral and organic tangles seemed particularly
successful - my personal preference was for tangles with lots of
detail lines and repetition. You might like to test out some
combinations before you start on full-size tiles. Or you might prefer
the thrill of just jumping in and seeing what happens!</span><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyJ1tjFGajVSNr9qotd2m6ZNAmss3Diy_WMWuh0jMBK9QIku2GaTSn6TALpoovvzJaN5h542dAjueCKEelrxsP-g6JKlNfYnFHSUzcpWAMNRstPXzTuupprvwq7d37dSNdBoc1i3YZ-w/s2920/final+collage+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="2920" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyJ1tjFGajVSNr9qotd2m6ZNAmss3Diy_WMWuh0jMBK9QIku2GaTSn6TALpoovvzJaN5h542dAjueCKEelrxsP-g6JKlNfYnFHSUzcpWAMNRstPXzTuupprvwq7d37dSNdBoc1i3YZ-w/w640-h236/final+collage+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite tiles - <br />cool and calming and celebrating the balance between darkness and colour<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Ultimately
ZenAurora is about having fun - watch as your humble white pen shifts
through the spectrum, illuminating your tile as if it were the night
sky. I hope you have fun with this technique and I'd love to know how
you get on.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
was almost finished preparing this post when I learned that Apple Lim had shared a video on her YouTube channel demonstrating the same
technique. With many miles between us we had no idea that we were
working on the same thing, at exactly the same time. Apple has graciously
encouraged me to share my explorations with you, so please do <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EVCXNFqU4A" target="_blank">take a look at her video</a> which ably demonstrates her process.<br /><br />I've also just learned that queen of colour <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hk_tanglerczt33/?hl=en-gb" target="_blank">Heidi Kay</a> uses this technique in a number of exciting ways. She has classes for bringing wild amounts of colour onto your black or white tiles.<br /></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks
also to Anica (Zen Linea) for encouraging me from the earliest stages of this
idea. She does some truly stunning work on black tiles - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zen.linea/?hl=en" target="_blank">please take a look at her examples </a>and <a href="https://learn.zen-linea.com/" target="_blank">classes</a>.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br /><p></p><p></p>Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-73860409180677123572020-11-02T12:56:00.008+00:002020-11-02T12:58:10.685+00:00the wisdom of snails<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfP31uEcj59sJFQI4N3VVmoKmdpCNjXkV2mMJ38M-n2YewTjPQEq3WNKli_pH-qIOnm0tAta7A4gbBWla_ypq04lElfRq1D5a7ZK0z_Z_Os-99mMfwAOIxStEyPSq_7TmJ0CEKk75FfUk/s2048/spread.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfP31uEcj59sJFQI4N3VVmoKmdpCNjXkV2mMJ38M-n2YewTjPQEq3WNKli_pH-qIOnm0tAta7A4gbBWla_ypq04lElfRq1D5a7ZK0z_Z_Os-99mMfwAOIxStEyPSq_7TmJ0CEKk75FfUk/w640-h478/spread.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I can't say that this year has seen me thriving, but I have been striving to keep up with the things that matter the most, and that in turn offer me the most solace.<br /><br />When I finished <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2020/07/taking-flight.html" target="_blank">the mammoth Zen-untangled project</a> which kept me busy for the first six months of the year I lost my tangling way a little. I drew bits and bobs but struggled to find proper engagement. When Inktober was first mentioned I couldn't believe it was already that late in the year. I planned to spend time choosing a theme and preparing the required tiles and materials... and then October got closer and closer and I felt less and less ready or able to join in.<br /><br />At which point I remembered one of the key principles that Zentangle teaches us - the elegance of limits. Our lives feel limited in all sorts of negative ways this year, but tangle limits were my saviour this October. I chose to work small on tan Bijou tiles. Just two square inches a day for each tangle. I limited my other tools too - working just in black ink, graphite for shading, and occasional white highlights.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR51Ok7Mzoe730EiYtHr1w0oVAIFjpUjHLMEUNf5UBUYRmARKkcTZkPHhCKZg6MpBT7LZcsdtKym5UcIsIjTBW9I_iTsSdVskRHM7lTHG77slofPiZUuJYLLDPsNlYpmPR1HDZ2xoKJYg/s2048/Half+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR51Ok7Mzoe730EiYtHr1w0oVAIFjpUjHLMEUNf5UBUYRmARKkcTZkPHhCKZg6MpBT7LZcsdtKym5UcIsIjTBW9I_iTsSdVskRHM7lTHG77slofPiZUuJYLLDPsNlYpmPR1HDZ2xoKJYg/w640-h640/Half+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In no particular order - one half of the tiles I tangled for Inktober 2020.<br />I worked from <a href="http://www.everythingis-art.com/2020/08/inktober-tangles-2020-official-list.html" target="_blank">the list</a> curated by Stephanie Jennifer.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>When I started I felt rusty, out of practice and unsure. But day by day I
felt my tangle muscles loosening up, both the lines and the inspiration
coming more easily. Once again I am warmed to discover that Zentangle
is a patient, loyal and undemanding friend who is always there for me
despite occasional periods of neglect.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8VlJ5jrLDloPnCdfHG0kPVEa5ohUahMpY1Itn5oe1GGwipbveOYN5IRzDinKoPVq43X-M4mxBxHKHFq1XbSDUAydsxlSzPLQuaYITVCbAab6EIWy59p8BW_Jbf6-Du9j21V2nxaqChY/s2048/Half+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8VlJ5jrLDloPnCdfHG0kPVEa5ohUahMpY1Itn5oe1GGwipbveOYN5IRzDinKoPVq43X-M4mxBxHKHFq1XbSDUAydsxlSzPLQuaYITVCbAab6EIWy59p8BW_Jbf6-Du9j21V2nxaqChY/w640-h640/Half+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limited tools allowed a simple way to create a cohesive collection.<br />Some tangles took me in very simple directions, others more complex.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br />Who knows where the next weeks and months will lead us. Who knows
how much or little I will tangle, but for now I have 31 new additions to
the small path of tiles that mark my way, steadily but shakily through
this most bumpy year. </p>Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-8007612312231036402020-07-20T14:59:00.000+01:002020-07-20T14:59:47.067+01:00taking flight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOFvcDN2u75HeWQtRJtJkwIWUYwzh29FYi1ED-b-KgzB2FcafOHB1M9b-lj-mxjyKei3-gd6ogUVa0djQ0qV7pvZO0XCh3WlfFEXRF1_YQH5YQoLpkU9UDfzXnZkdMC5nrVo241GW0zU/s1600/stack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1600" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOFvcDN2u75HeWQtRJtJkwIWUYwzh29FYi1ED-b-KgzB2FcafOHB1M9b-lj-mxjyKei3-gd6ogUVa0djQ0qV7pvZO0XCh3WlfFEXRF1_YQH5YQoLpkU9UDfzXnZkdMC5nrVo241GW0zU/s320/stack.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The global pandemic has made vast and small changes to most people's lives. Personally I've found that I prefer to largely withdraw from the world, limiting communications and connections, focusing on mindful concrete activities to get me through my days. As such I haven't blogged in many months, but that doesn't mean I haven't been tangling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l_dsHK_Ym8daA5YzphaN5uUBcmheIZ_ld7CqScxn3xiqs1FcdAk6GlLTsuYn2_RXaWlx1VKlx5e_Zn_U98qvRxAfjyWvH2Lr61St6YM3el8fG0DmWKNEjKOUjCKcJK_10YYk3h9FjyQ/s1600/spread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1600" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3l_dsHK_Ym8daA5YzphaN5uUBcmheIZ_ld7CqScxn3xiqs1FcdAk6GlLTsuYn2_RXaWlx1VKlx5e_Zn_U98qvRxAfjyWvH2Lr61St6YM3el8fG0DmWKNEjKOUjCKcJK_10YYk3h9FjyQ/s640/spread.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There was a patch near the start where I felt too anxious and unsettled to pick up a pen, and then when I did I felt uninspired and lacking in ideas as to what to do with my urge to tangle. Thankfully I had <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2020/01/gallery-1.html" target="_blank">the perfect project</a> still on the go – the one I started at the very beginning of the year when few of us could imagine how this year would unfold.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VY0W9k07wLzJFCkx42uuSwa1szY6Y4qg0xxviWPiQvr4NW0jOye7iyG5DONNCzztEuQBSYYXYlyIQKwuOiXoRAKuKxsgKsNXWvEDgpU1wOhDDFa9Agq9LvlXY9RTjKKkt4mHUgYVTr0/s1600/COLOUR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VY0W9k07wLzJFCkx42uuSwa1szY6Y4qg0xxviWPiQvr4NW0jOye7iyG5DONNCzztEuQBSYYXYlyIQKwuOiXoRAKuKxsgKsNXWvEDgpU1wOhDDFa9Agq9LvlXY9RTjKKkt4mHUgYVTr0/s400/COLOUR.JPG" width="313" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Week after week, month after month I've been adding to my stack of ATC cards. On each appears one or more of the core Zentangle official tangles. The project is <a href="https://alicehendon.com/2020/07/zen-untangled-is-a-done-deal/" target="_blank">the brainchild of Alice Hendon</a>, and she's led us through it lovingly for the past 25 weeks! And through 170 tangles. Which I've inked onto 65 cards and placed into my little tin which is now threatening to burst!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI30K5M3sowMLaQCJ5CUmH0syMRXN56M1nfVDEgZU3w7Mwg_APDw2I72hOJTAqbrEk8xbbqGI-tzTBGV8AC-8eEMcFH8cWGWouQQ4lZkEAU_kNv2-4cALpIXAtddXtSrcbNDuNqQqmsZ0/s1600/bANDw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI30K5M3sowMLaQCJ5CUmH0syMRXN56M1nfVDEgZU3w7Mwg_APDw2I72hOJTAqbrEk8xbbqGI-tzTBGV8AC-8eEMcFH8cWGWouQQ4lZkEAU_kNv2-4cALpIXAtddXtSrcbNDuNqQqmsZ0/s400/bANDw.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
It's been a pleasure to meet tangles I love, tangles I really don't care for, tangles I use often, and many I've overlooked. I've liked noting their similarities, and encouraging them to play nicely with one another. I've moved back and forward between the surprise of colour and the elegance of black and white. And in the process I've realised how far I've come in my Zentangle journey - revisiting tangles that I first learnt perhaps eight years ago. Tangles which were hard to control or unfathomable to recreate now come with relative ease as my penmanship and understanding of patterns has become stronger and more instinctive.<br />
<br />
My little tin has become a precious receptacle of tangle wonders – a great resource that I can dip into time and again whenever I'm stuck for what tangle to use next.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DEZhVp1TGUwigQxh1vAo59DGpS0Prvr6JIgvexGbjIC3NQuNP41mkFjsnP6RkH7WXvD2ebpW01zKkebWBFKPkt-LFWCncJVyyzha0_qjrgmh9Tk0l1-iT2GBmDd8t9mlv70sV5VR7r0/s1600/tin+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DEZhVp1TGUwigQxh1vAo59DGpS0Prvr6JIgvexGbjIC3NQuNP41mkFjsnP6RkH7WXvD2ebpW01zKkebWBFKPkt-LFWCncJVyyzha0_qjrgmh9Tk0l1-iT2GBmDd8t9mlv70sV5VR7r0/s400/tin+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />With this project complete I'm ready now to let myself drift into uncharted waters, following where my pen will lead me. I've got e-books, swap tiles, and simple scraps of paper with rumoured ideas - plenty to keep me occupied in the months ahead. Who knows how long it will be till I visit here again – but in the meantime listen to the right people, stay safe and take care of yourself and those you love.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-36848291858672804632020-03-06T16:16:00.000+00:002020-03-06T16:16:01.131+00:00territorial jottingsI go through phases of working a lot in my sketchbooks, gathering new tangles galore, and playing with ideas, colours or techniques. And then for no apparent reason I'll just stop... spending less time inside these pages, and instead working straight to tile. Then I'll start again. Perhaps it's about filling the book with inspiration which sustains me for a while and then I need to top up again.<br />
<br />
Here's the latest batch of pages from my sketchbook - the earliest one was started last summer, the most recent one was started in December but I tucked a couple of tangles into some gaps just last week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e6QfIYOC_7m-m69aSyWGLnQ2ygwHwrHiLu0AYXKg-reUKpM0OV-b98IjLv2R2sHp42ai2gzEIf-h5dmL22SHvAfXTPbXQf4DuME7iXE6tWSDnJ0mKE_bLaEIRV1jlZM0MHBC2Oa36Xc/s1600/IMG_20200305_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1600" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e6QfIYOC_7m-m69aSyWGLnQ2ygwHwrHiLu0AYXKg-reUKpM0OV-b98IjLv2R2sHp42ai2gzEIf-h5dmL22SHvAfXTPbXQf4DuME7iXE6tWSDnJ0mKE_bLaEIRV1jlZM0MHBC2Oa36Xc/s640/IMG_20200305_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />
White ink on black - showing that I was playing with Project Pack 6 around this time<br />
Comparing Dealys with Aura-Leah helped me to appreciate their differences<br />
Hanamar which seems to confuse me less than similar tangles<br />
A new take on Finery (middle right) and Dewd meets Mooka (middle left)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsjW1RWhx0Pl935_3SfaxE387eP5MwYquBK549xqHvV-GBy_YHNtt05ikL89S-_1_MZb2-oyaQ75BQJz8Tmv2rkkZik8pJFrxTQtPD_O-P92EsvdKOBo6BLryurO1Utfmdfaye536a_s/s1600/IMG_20200305_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="1600" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsjW1RWhx0Pl935_3SfaxE387eP5MwYquBK549xqHvV-GBy_YHNtt05ikL89S-_1_MZb2-oyaQ75BQJz8Tmv2rkkZik8pJFrxTQtPD_O-P92EsvdKOBo6BLryurO1Utfmdfaye536a_s/s640/IMG_20200305_0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />
Using a Doodah as a zipper - a Maria Thomas' idea I really love<br />
Ravel - endlessly relaxing to tangle<br />
Trinity - a tangle that doesn't come easily but always rewards my efforts<br />
Una which I just remembered when looking at this page - almost looks like it's knitted</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B4ldjBw4P8P_vvVh8dTM9JqmZvsiK2vPxn_8ezb5_ebs628SO1TEbQm5jKNATGJ4sw4yWljLnRZuHWhPJ-QzXbZkJyUFIkOtIjBV9wQHHVTtqvUFriHXoAU28Fyop8p69mt9ju4cTQw/s1600/IMG_20200305_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="1600" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B4ldjBw4P8P_vvVh8dTM9JqmZvsiK2vPxn_8ezb5_ebs628SO1TEbQm5jKNATGJ4sw4yWljLnRZuHWhPJ-QzXbZkJyUFIkOtIjBV9wQHHVTtqvUFriHXoAU28Fyop8p69mt9ju4cTQw/s640/IMG_20200305_0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />
A couple of delicious Ela Rieger organic tangles (top left)<br />
Hollis - which really demands me to slow down<br />
Tangent - which is a really quirky tangle and so much fun, I need to use it more</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqRD2JC-55O7Nmzi9c8UcrqA4-xtBJKstFDZXwbWmYw-54UWuKZuIvv75-fDWlspk_C_52g5ZwUH8ukgtfvfLIsTOSG17HVopmMW0q5FA_r-2XyO7IRDUfbFphiqK9aiWZLigYq8aFFA/s1600/IMG_20200305_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1600" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqRD2JC-55O7Nmzi9c8UcrqA4-xtBJKstFDZXwbWmYw-54UWuKZuIvv75-fDWlspk_C_52g5ZwUH8ukgtfvfLIsTOSG17HVopmMW0q5FA_r-2XyO7IRDUfbFphiqK9aiWZLigYq8aFFA/s640/IMG_20200305_0004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />
Blue ink comes onto the page as I play with Zentangle's Project Pack 07 ideas<br />Experimenting with Afterglo was fun<br />High Stakes is a great tangle for when you need a handful of excitement to finish a tile</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lOrIiWQ1rIrCFZzadVJDfh_rxH8H4kS3qinbOHveFHflnrsRlDoRhZ2kziCVuXrX80aSeNU-fs19XVGTclKH2ezTwj3sS7_4J_UyFsl-De62FsrUiu5OzHFO-EjgMZOPmg8z0eDVIC0/s1600/IMG_20200305_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1529" data-original-width="1600" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lOrIiWQ1rIrCFZzadVJDfh_rxH8H4kS3qinbOHveFHflnrsRlDoRhZ2kziCVuXrX80aSeNU-fs19XVGTclKH2ezTwj3sS7_4J_UyFsl-De62FsrUiu5OzHFO-EjgMZOPmg8z0eDVIC0/s640/IMG_20200305_0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />More blue fun from Project Pack 07 - Day #8 giant decorated Cadent was a pleasant surprise<br />Two bands of Elegan - which took the tangle world by storm recently. I was trying out colours ready for Valentangle - I really wanted to be brave enough to work with purple, but retreated into the comfort of grey in the end!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqtcC0J6vsvA9zqv9phGk1TMW5aL7suVgYJFYuElm6oSgOWWhzvA6c5Ica2bZgiOY7x_2w1vvNdi-Xkr9_GAOib06AU6cuK0SGqTJsQdNdrChaOjnZWZOxmtQ6C9IpJwRCD-jxGV5fQI/s1600/IMG_20200305_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1600" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqtcC0J6vsvA9zqv9phGk1TMW5aL7suVgYJFYuElm6oSgOWWhzvA6c5Ica2bZgiOY7x_2w1vvNdi-Xkr9_GAOib06AU6cuK0SGqTJsQdNdrChaOjnZWZOxmtQ6C9IpJwRCD-jxGV5fQI/s640/IMG_20200305_0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />The end of Project Pack 07 - Day #10 organic bouquet was comforting to tangle<br />Sun is a mesmersing spiral tangle, and seems to play very well with Hollis. <br />And Nana is a great new find for when you need a hit of dark drama on your tile</td></tr>
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I've just started working on two new pages in my sketchbook - which I'll no doubt share with you some way down the line. On one I'm playing with the ideas introduced in the <a href="https://zentangle.com/pages/project-pack-no-08-videos" target="_blank">Project Pack 08</a> videos from Zentangle HQ. On the other I'm exploring the technique known as <a href="https://7f5r.thinkific.com/courses/whatz-its" target="_blank">Whatz-Its</a>. I've bought the course (which is offered by my friends at 7F5R Studio) - but you can get a free taster of the technique (which is a lot of fun and very versatile) by watching their free preview lesson, which gives a heap of inspiration in itself.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-71835322899378288222020-02-19T15:26:00.004+00:002020-02-19T15:28:13.584+00:00a handful of tanglesI was captured by Alice Hendon's <a href="https://alicehendon.com/2020/02/zen-untangled-week-7/" target="_blank">Zen-untangled</a> idea as soon as I saw it. I knew there was something precious and important about spending time with the core Zentangle patterns - once I'd found a way that would work for me. I've embraced each and every card, even the challenging ones, and I'm gaining so much on the way. <br />
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I'm getting to know new tangles I've never met before. Some of them are a lot less elaborate than those we are used to seeing from ZTHQ these days - but each has a certain charm and potential once you start to work with them. It's also comforting to know that even Rick and Maria started somewhere quite basic!<br />
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I'm revisiting old tangles that I used to struggle with, that I can now tangle with ease - which is a comfort and reminder that we all develop and improve the more we do something, even if we don't always notice. I'm also re-discovering tangles that I love, that I'd forgotten, and have been inspired to use more. In addition, needing to fit a few onto an ATC often provides a great way to encourage tangles to play together.<br />
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There's a bit of a backlog to catch up with, as I've been preoccupied with <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-whole-lotta-love.html" target="_blank">Valentangle</a> - but here are my last 3 weeks worth of cards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB4V8KU86KXcxzF9oAxG2YtWixKQqTJQP5Aa-1bkc9kPLUDmwnPJh0dfCtUEe3Yhe8e8_2GlPvvB-ZMU914gqozxiGKMKiwdOABiV1Uor4s2zHYKjhfpJOpWg6W6qaiBzKb-446AY95A/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="826" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFB4V8KU86KXcxzF9oAxG2YtWixKQqTJQP5Aa-1bkc9kPLUDmwnPJh0dfCtUEe3Yhe8e8_2GlPvvB-ZMU914gqozxiGKMKiwdOABiV1Uor4s2zHYKjhfpJOpWg6W6qaiBzKb-446AY95A/s400/12.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A handful of organic tangles Fescu, Springkle, Zinger - <br />
filling spaces defined by Doodah. On a Distress Inked tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkKrjymjFJKWtKqL1ZimEx-N3CTuCAZdUBQEwO9K8zDHt2ORmwKK77tdKVmxPUHW8XWGFCfvMkntADQ1XWCG8UzQDEnBezjJ3CcsQ1hctRAr1IPsT7xjlWJEVpheCM9SiQAW1fmVsrJM/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1156" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkKrjymjFJKWtKqL1ZimEx-N3CTuCAZdUBQEwO9K8zDHt2ORmwKK77tdKVmxPUHW8XWGFCfvMkntADQ1XWCG8UzQDEnBezjJ3CcsQ1hctRAr1IPsT7xjlWJEVpheCM9SiQAW1fmVsrJM/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marvellous Mooka - tangled in the styles I favour. As a border, with<br />
Melting Mooka and Easy Mooka - on a dark grey tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7PYbmqzMtclYhvPyYPWPPNeHALSTU3hWvy3Cb38aczQu7105dDQ6ZMIF91SwYim0b7xMB1gs2-HOl-IHsiicAcL1xpHAZ-JVNvN-BZ4IzqJo7fPbTcjjs9Y8aYzxftAoLxp2VBP7qQU/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7PYbmqzMtclYhvPyYPWPPNeHALSTU3hWvy3Cb38aczQu7105dDQ6ZMIF91SwYim0b7xMB1gs2-HOl-IHsiicAcL1xpHAZ-JVNvN-BZ4IzqJo7fPbTcjjs9Y8aYzxftAoLxp2VBP7qQU/s400/14.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollis cups Moonpie, and sprouts from Tagh <br />
clustered corners. Watercolour and graphite on white.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXeKRTDGKfdbMZSFfrs7N8cX9miwExfWzuUu_wPFIqX5Cx8thzpBoYO0SzkwSGd4uEloIVzRpg1_lHxLsyANOMO9hXbkz6Ex8vL0lehi-X6VogCDen2zwxuMAXwBVORBa4usDqfEbdvA/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="862" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXeKRTDGKfdbMZSFfrs7N8cX9miwExfWzuUu_wPFIqX5Cx8thzpBoYO0SzkwSGd4uEloIVzRpg1_lHxLsyANOMO9hXbkz6Ex8vL0lehi-X6VogCDen2zwxuMAXwBVORBa4usDqfEbdvA/s400/15.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Similar tangles share space on this Distress Inked <br />
tile - Drupe and Fracas with a Dyon background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dwSmgl6MBTGXiFBQ2HbPo3c5cCLkP24lYMmTAcxuSNmNDpB5_T-wOmz38x0bfcqeZEo6HGuRvdBbTLDoRBwMWdfZ09pYo5hcfZ7kM1D2EnjRralQmeg-2Zy40Fb_KQs2HW5fsKKgvBI/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dwSmgl6MBTGXiFBQ2HbPo3c5cCLkP24lYMmTAcxuSNmNDpB5_T-wOmz38x0bfcqeZEo6HGuRvdBbTLDoRBwMWdfZ09pYo5hcfZ7kM1D2EnjRralQmeg-2Zy40Fb_KQs2HW5fsKKgvBI/s400/16.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A speckled grey background and a bit of imagination<br />
helped 3 initially uninspiring tangles to enjoy their <br />
moment in the spotlight - Ibex, Facade and Xircus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="892" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLgzRE_3sNgW7ACrCEkvyxcYX5XTqflcvqpjtWTNGQKG9-C-M3K5hwi-QtFeT8XU0D3ImhAvSglEuaU2CPHsrxMzN_Hbn4hr2OQesaMbxLh-ba8hYSw_0Uqz6kx2i8-px_TWIcIw-cvA/s400/17.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="311" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful basics - Crescent Moon and Knightsbridge - <br />
I bought in white and subtle colour to this tan tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9_AOovoPec7PHjDp9MUIY45e4AJ1qQk80rIBtK0KrIjDA3KoLcD-56xg2HC3dLBETztMVnK8kFxXRxAVtbGrmjFjcptJZYvPFgVnv-VldfQOjcigKKCSkjojxQIcm_UxPKEC6eEswHA/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="860" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9_AOovoPec7PHjDp9MUIY45e4AJ1qQk80rIBtK0KrIjDA3KoLcD-56xg2HC3dLBETztMVnK8kFxXRxAVtbGrmjFjcptJZYvPFgVnv-VldfQOjcigKKCSkjojxQIcm_UxPKEC6eEswHA/s400/18.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've never been a fan of Enyshou - but omitting <br />
the 'hat' and having it sprout from Festune made<br />
me like it a lot more! With a band of Hibred on<br />
a gently watercoloured tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx12kFL83f9rw8SsQ3gwLgMLfEVZ3WQsYUPHiwQM5HihnkP7KDNqP-qs-xyDKP5yy8HHDuMYy2ZaPu4NJ1PRnyavk8XzNPBr0baAISzWGWL4tEJ6mtVPEsvUGBSIPH_VNqlov27p88ec/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="852" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx12kFL83f9rw8SsQ3gwLgMLfEVZ3WQsYUPHiwQM5HihnkP7KDNqP-qs-xyDKP5yy8HHDuMYy2ZaPu4NJ1PRnyavk8XzNPBr0baAISzWGWL4tEJ6mtVPEsvUGBSIPH_VNqlov27p88ec/s400/19.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huggins meets W2 - passing through a Crazy Huggins<br />
stage on the way. Sometimes this kind of woven tangle<br />
is a delight to work with. On a very orange tile for me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's me caught up to date so far. 46 of the 170 official tangles worked into 19 ATCs! It's going to be a delightful deck to shuffle through one day, but making each card is an exciting creative oppurtunity in itself.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-12689958627808564222020-02-14T10:18:00.000+00:002020-02-14T10:18:38.072+00:00a whole lotta loveFor the past two weeks my tangling has been wholly heart-shaped as I've been joining in with Margurite Samama's ValenTangle – now in its fifth year. I took part for the first time last year in an effort to overcome my aversion to heart-based tangles. It worked – as I can now see them as just another geometric shape, ripe and ready for tangling. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4arZcQb5mqxpMCSmaTWmFTrAwRgjGsBZ50GNS98WzVgnalJGZfmhPjdKFfHQ27TZN1W-nFWBcXmEEXHvfZMnzwjo925zUX7s0725kgQM3DXelLZZJ1-ofD6JSr487qSJlPcaePp50EY/s1600/VT+2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="1600" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4arZcQb5mqxpMCSmaTWmFTrAwRgjGsBZ50GNS98WzVgnalJGZfmhPjdKFfHQ27TZN1W-nFWBcXmEEXHvfZMnzwjo925zUX7s0725kgQM3DXelLZZJ1-ofD6JSr487qSJlPcaePp50EY/s640/VT+2020.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ValenTangle 2020 - pencil and paper and ink and love</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/02/debriefing-heart.html" target="_blank">Last year I worked in blue</a>, this year I decided to warm things up, but just a little. I'm still enjoying working on grey tiles, so as well as grey papers I coloured some of my own tiles using a simple watercolour technique. Take a grey water-based marker (I used Tombow on these), scribble it on to a plastic sheet, spritz with water and plonk your tile onto it. A little trial and error to find the right amount of water, but when you do it works a treat, and the tiles almost look like marble. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdA_K87SIZY360wpWC9QEkcx4NbAEd4kjZNI_l_feP5CjjUB0q61CuLoncW1ND8DLbr3qVH2DiwyzTv_05VI6UWwQT-yyNFmm1CCiyF5n96LriDPfgFnoBoALfNO4rWu67K_T1K0YBzQ/s1600/DSC_1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdA_K87SIZY360wpWC9QEkcx4NbAEd4kjZNI_l_feP5CjjUB0q61CuLoncW1ND8DLbr3qVH2DiwyzTv_05VI6UWwQT-yyNFmm1CCiyF5n96LriDPfgFnoBoALfNO4rWu67K_T1K0YBzQ/s400/DSC_1121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As well as black ink and graphite I chose a Signo metallic gel pen in bronze and a <br />
Derwent Metallic pencil in Copper. I have no idea why I didn't buy a matching <br />
bronze pencil – but there you go, and I think the mismatch actually works quite well!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I shared my tiles each day in the dedicated Facebook group, but for those of you who weren't there, or would like to see all my tiles in one place, let me lead you by the hand through a fortnight of love.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchOaF9fFKASets4AaxY3-B-p9_sTARpoymvimUBMZ5r9jJkf-sd1xiUpIkLw3m6GngkPFmQ5VEpO6BLbApcQH1wq8z3H1dNhP4w3Rzv1MQ-lxmo7SUraljI6C6dAAtNo3yJ9-WLkobn8/s1600/Day+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchOaF9fFKASets4AaxY3-B-p9_sTARpoymvimUBMZ5r9jJkf-sd1xiUpIkLw3m6GngkPFmQ5VEpO6BLbApcQH1wq8z3H1dNhP4w3Rzv1MQ-lxmo7SUraljI6C6dAAtNo3yJ9-WLkobn8/s400/Day+%25231.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1 - playing with V & A, a new border tangle by Marguerite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6OaStm4yn_rllCNDUGffKzlxRxginws0wapy6IbPggb_aQG5vfvowhLVwITALCvjl1SpHsctfrV4oITOLXNTfPxeeVIQ-14Ovj4T8i1xN_UmuT4qwY9AN9qNmA9Bybi7U5NglC6QFQc/s1600/Day+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="1320" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6OaStm4yn_rllCNDUGffKzlxRxginws0wapy6IbPggb_aQG5vfvowhLVwITALCvjl1SpHsctfrV4oITOLXNTfPxeeVIQ-14Ovj4T8i1xN_UmuT4qwY9AN9qNmA9Bybi7U5NglC6QFQc/s400/Day+%25232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2 - Trinity variation with hearty versions of Beadline and Sandswirl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFofKcRJM-nYVeVXSQw0q8FrkfnM6BHmraqzRxZV6fqhS-vsXRyazpLxuNZqifN5MJlW4qhyYcdimn77FBaNYFDYWsxbdk4t6Fi-c8NPXGK3h5WHUPzmEPtsVvx-QnKgzhn8RlyxS7uio/s1600/Day+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1191" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFofKcRJM-nYVeVXSQw0q8FrkfnM6BHmraqzRxZV6fqhS-vsXRyazpLxuNZqifN5MJlW4qhyYcdimn77FBaNYFDYWsxbdk4t6Fi-c8NPXGK3h5WHUPzmEPtsVvx-QnKgzhn8RlyxS7uio/s400/Day+%25233.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 3 - Exploring Minstrels (a variation of Demi)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSuQMB5YLwDqXWwJCDG22WvuJ4IhpN9rY-D3oT2-IwhB5eXN6gMackzhaBQ6-nTvuxH9HZNpw3lRdYpQVhSmz1r7xFz_vgPOBG5iIH-z8SfbkDlsQ02Zot5UHJwlt3Kr1fcAA-ReFagM/s1600/Day+%25234+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="935" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSuQMB5YLwDqXWwJCDG22WvuJ4IhpN9rY-D3oT2-IwhB5eXN6gMackzhaBQ6-nTvuxH9HZNpw3lRdYpQVhSmz1r7xFz_vgPOBG5iIH-z8SfbkDlsQ02Zot5UHJwlt3Kr1fcAA-ReFagM/s400/Day+%25234+%25281%2529.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 4 - exploring Marguerite's DoubleHeartZ fragment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R_sIdPIf0WhgbW3K5F9wxQ5J9QUyYgpGeJyUQ-6F-pE8wLEKbNm-3h7_pRBTJXpIx3aMR1KjTIF1BPYo0oWU7SCuN1vsT-0w6KHaV5JaUt8b-1yWjatOUc6JiqlKrJPRuT07xQfwMWg/s1600/Day+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1360" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R_sIdPIf0WhgbW3K5F9wxQ5J9QUyYgpGeJyUQ-6F-pE8wLEKbNm-3h7_pRBTJXpIx3aMR1KjTIF1BPYo0oWU7SCuN1vsT-0w6KHaV5JaUt8b-1yWjatOUc6JiqlKrJPRuT07xQfwMWg/s400/Day+%25235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 5 - having fun with Starsky, hidden in a Phroz-type <br />
framework! With added Tipple, hearts and black ribbons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaq590wnsh3hM9Cydj42-MBUGV9wW5Xl7ljxYBqX3SUgoszfSCgzMP9vXRz4aYN2rLtoPlaluoKct8VWVaRPiNtXq5P9ppZ0_5L_pfOUZAn2ka6hwvsdUJ4iMItCgY_T7j8teZ_H7404/s1600/Day+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1176" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaq590wnsh3hM9Cydj42-MBUGV9wW5Xl7ljxYBqX3SUgoszfSCgzMP9vXRz4aYN2rLtoPlaluoKct8VWVaRPiNtXq5P9ppZ0_5L_pfOUZAn2ka6hwvsdUJ4iMItCgY_T7j8teZ_H7404/s400/Day+%25236.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 6 - Marguerite offered a mosaic-friendly string <br />
and invited us to explore it on Bijou tiles. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZq_M29hQbPE0xev3ohKtZA1pV_WlQWFzA1VBekSuHEax1buZdkZvfdN0hl-hBCyNAGa4oRt8RLLvm53_KNogK1ZauI8w8DTBX1AWHmUm9G6UOQqrslGcuyDdL7Gb5haL4Jm7F-ya5R0/s1600/Day+%25237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="1600" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZq_M29hQbPE0xev3ohKtZA1pV_WlQWFzA1VBekSuHEax1buZdkZvfdN0hl-hBCyNAGa4oRt8RLLvm53_KNogK1ZauI8w8DTBX1AWHmUm9G6UOQqrslGcuyDdL7Gb5haL4Jm7F-ya5R0/s400/Day+%25237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 7 - the suggested tangle was Jackstripes - which I used as a <br />
frameworkto fill with lots of organic tangles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYrH_-_AjGcnEl_qFKmOVbktAv7qRuNDLir9Nz9gLEzzh344NVzeTnaDM9PML73fkzy5dE8pk57JUFFHnFfft8250YQlMFqpTPWPuAr6Qecyw5cfh8MCYRdklbTiexQehVsYLJoRrn5s/s1600/Day+%25238+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1220" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYrH_-_AjGcnEl_qFKmOVbktAv7qRuNDLir9Nz9gLEzzh344NVzeTnaDM9PML73fkzy5dE8pk57JUFFHnFfft8250YQlMFqpTPWPuAr6Qecyw5cfh8MCYRdklbTiexQehVsYLJoRrn5s/s400/Day+%25238+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 8 - one idea for today was to adapt existing tangles in a hearty <br />
way - I chose to do that with my Divi tangle and Marguerite's Madama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYDCloPPNG-BcobNKiunnpbOe9iEhlFkDKvBnkqfmthqYjiZOtin6FzimK3t4sfrvxtMlKmZRLlu4fYp8bVc-YG6eb0piUgr55q27sC8N_VS3A7uqE_w-ftl4KIhiyCr5o88N_sGrp2I/s1600/Day+%25239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1255" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYDCloPPNG-BcobNKiunnpbOe9iEhlFkDKvBnkqfmthqYjiZOtin6FzimK3t4sfrvxtMlKmZRLlu4fYp8bVc-YG6eb0piUgr55q27sC8N_VS3A7uqE_w-ftl4KIhiyCr5o88N_sGrp2I/s400/Day+%25239.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 9 - playing with the tangles of Tomàs Padrós in a hearty way.<br />
I used BlindMembranart, B-Leaf and Fortuna.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UK8XKPWtD1dMbaMXg_JRe8Svd-EKhoZ2-GSz4dAmDWoEgCGDqSD69WJMYnmzibmKiDDOxZEE_PdA8jF74ZP-aVuWyWJEqH6F_CDuDft3vM2hcFDgmMiL5_IGn5MWr8Xz87GWTraemt8/s1600/Day+%252310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="1220" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UK8XKPWtD1dMbaMXg_JRe8Svd-EKhoZ2-GSz4dAmDWoEgCGDqSD69WJMYnmzibmKiDDOxZEE_PdA8jF74ZP-aVuWyWJEqH6F_CDuDft3vM2hcFDgmMiL5_IGn5MWr8Xz87GWTraemt8/s400/Day+%252310.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 10 - tangle the 4 corners of your tile and enjoy the space.<br />
Trenthwith hearts joined by Melting Mooka.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDnOnLjLCgkMlXhuGis75gEpBzUwNwCWZI77a3qXFFmRBY69SkvWWJ_DiqgBvqg_IaXVWdb8AAU7Lih_L59booeepJAhKcnJhleFecgMB07T1Hmq_8HwzV2Cxw59qGNbfC6ojs5a69v8/s1600/Day+%252311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1216" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDnOnLjLCgkMlXhuGis75gEpBzUwNwCWZI77a3qXFFmRBY69SkvWWJ_DiqgBvqg_IaXVWdb8AAU7Lih_L59booeepJAhKcnJhleFecgMB07T1Hmq_8HwzV2Cxw59qGNbfC6ojs5a69v8/s400/Day+%252311.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 11 - organic tangles and the contrast between a dark pen and a light.<br />
Marasu frames and then lots of pale grey botanical tangles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUSwoabq4pgGoTXHMaaCVfShg9cRJ96b7GnjKqida7DiDzRw2vTXMxpqYEYvclQcAgO1c8dlkcbC08VOnpQQ3ngf693oM2Ltq_BtzcvLIAOv-R4biqNyzORqYU27own1EWph5bAhVtOg/s1600/Day+%252312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1209" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUSwoabq4pgGoTXHMaaCVfShg9cRJ96b7GnjKqida7DiDzRw2vTXMxpqYEYvclQcAgO1c8dlkcbC08VOnpQQ3ngf693oM2Ltq_BtzcvLIAOv-R4biqNyzORqYU27own1EWph5bAhVtOg/s400/Day+%252312.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 12 - tangle a Khala knot (I used a pencil, I admit it!) and then<br />
glorify with hearts. Arukas hearts made another appearance!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MgFtB9eMcWLq0KaH_VIv44kzbz4hbZT-w58eKcvldhxKthC_f4o84bT_GMBulGah_FD0aF6pz3le6pqgLT2-wGAn1vPXu4_YLksT4EU5RNA7TXNUP-IgiVX0b71715PjD_VlkhTNkD0/s1600/Day+%252313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1395" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MgFtB9eMcWLq0KaH_VIv44kzbz4hbZT-w58eKcvldhxKthC_f4o84bT_GMBulGah_FD0aF6pz3le6pqgLT2-wGAn1vPXu4_YLksT4EU5RNA7TXNUP-IgiVX0b71715PjD_VlkhTNkD0/s400/Day+%252313.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 13 - revisit the ValenTangle string but on in a larger space. <br />
This is 4 inches and mostly filled with a Bunzo variation and Heartline.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQNWHYKBmBvUe-gKGTnSGPJI9FG_XbI6kRiZ2uTcmZkxa7WX7X8uwUWLs3pjVNaSVUZAj1K4HbusMtiBolnByQbAY213xb6KuyRed2V8zvGMe2wBZ2-BUxbrBiyyHIlsaJgPDh0lcEJk/s1600/Day+%252314+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1600" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQNWHYKBmBvUe-gKGTnSGPJI9FG_XbI6kRiZ2uTcmZkxa7WX7X8uwUWLs3pjVNaSVUZAj1K4HbusMtiBolnByQbAY213xb6KuyRed2V8zvGMe2wBZ2-BUxbrBiyyHIlsaJgPDh0lcEJk/s400/Day+%252314+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 14 - Marguerite asked us to decorate an envelope and write<br />
a note to ourselves to put inside.<br />
A hearty Zenith, Cubine and embellishments on my black envelope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've mentioned before that committing to a tangling event that invites daily pieces (not insists of course, but it was hard to resist such good prompts!) takes time, energy and commitment. It's not something I do often, but sometimes it's worth that extra push. I like to see a cohesive collection at the end of the journey. I like the days where I'm in my comfort zone - Days 1 and 10. The days I struggle with are quickly left behind - Day 3! And I especially like the days that take me by surprise, when I initially feel uninspired by the prompt or tangle, but then find the process and my result one of the most satisfying - Days 5, 6, 7 and 8.<br />
<br />
It's been a journey taking in bends and dips and corners, a steady stroll about the perimetre of a heart. Now we've reached the end I feel gently warmed and not just by the copper and bronze.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-85033801826421898872020-01-31T11:26:00.001+00:002020-01-31T11:27:38.859+00:00Gallery #1In my last post I talked about changing things a little on my blog. As well as posts where I explore a theme or style or technique I want to have posts where I simply share the pieces I've worked on recently, with minimal commentary (by my standards)! A guided tour through my tangle gallery if you like - and this is the first of those posts.<br />
<br />
I'm in an opinionated mood today, so bear with me, and just enjoy the pictures if you don't like what I have to say.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26jCEWkQy6BX6TPTys4DXmyG9z__ZOMvyVW7eSYT3SsmHsTA8mF4rnhYzzBnHi2yFaRh_yNNyPnehRcc9PN42AUbfqYLBz7gRPdlce1qY3A8TftVYD5fw_SHnp4H77QQkIj1lS8kz6o4/s1600/Goodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26jCEWkQy6BX6TPTys4DXmyG9z__ZOMvyVW7eSYT3SsmHsTA8mF4rnhYzzBnHi2yFaRh_yNNyPnehRcc9PN42AUbfqYLBz7gRPdlce1qY3A8TftVYD5fw_SHnp4H77QQkIj1lS8kz6o4/s400/Goodbye.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Time to say goodbye - </b><br />
(Arukas, Mooka and Fescu )<br />
Pigment ink and graphite on a Distress Ink coloured and stenciled tile<br />
<br />
I tangled this tile today - the day that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. This is not something I wanted, not something I voted for. But I understand, with a heavy-heart, that I have to accept the workings of democracy, and the so-called 'will of the people' - even when I think their choice is short-sighted and will leave our country poorer in so many, many ways. I feel sad today, and scared about what lies ahead. I want to reach out to my European tangle friends and tell them I'm not letting go. <br />
<br />
I'd rarely choose to work on a such a bright blue tile and with yellow
stars too - but sometimes how things look isn't as important as what
they represent!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Servnf0_c0pSYdTaNIzYNc16s3-teozGhfMeOBZ7EA-_M-LHb2cEMeeWFwWWiC9H5mgKci8525nmwvxJ2dC0LFy9Tj5TZ9iMyoINxGrWixy8IvVq-s6V7PkJgVa_9JOz_45QIxHWTA4/s1600/Austangles+2020+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1600" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Servnf0_c0pSYdTaNIzYNc16s3-teozGhfMeOBZ7EA-_M-LHb2cEMeeWFwWWiC9H5mgKci8525nmwvxJ2dC0LFy9Tj5TZ9iMyoINxGrWixy8IvVq-s6V7PkJgVa_9JOz_45QIxHWTA4/s640/Austangles+2020+I.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>AusTangles Part I</b> <br />
(S-Vine, Veezy, Gottago, Leaflet, Remo, Sevy)<br />
Pigment ink and graphite on a watercoloured postcard - 6x4 inches<br />
<br />
Over the past 2 weeks I've joined in with Austangles, hosted on Facebook by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yvetteart.studio/" target="_blank">Yvette Campbell</a>. She picked a daily tangle by an Australian tangler and invited us to join in however we wanted to. It was great to work with some new and old tangles and I had fun weaving them all together on a pair of postcards - one to represent the warmth and richness of Australia's natural habitat and culture, the other for the cooling waters that surround it. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2e5APWTvlKaWINrA0_zXp4A8wMQWKPezENuPV6Rqr_DBShf5XrwiLhz16U_vSKUIBdBav034wVjfETHBV2JF4646nqXjQeqa_s_7_amOKdDkP1LbaeGHUX8GG3-5WsRdW5Y8QCHdtFw/s1600/Austangles+2020+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1600" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2e5APWTvlKaWINrA0_zXp4A8wMQWKPezENuPV6Rqr_DBShf5XrwiLhz16U_vSKUIBdBav034wVjfETHBV2JF4646nqXjQeqa_s_7_amOKdDkP1LbaeGHUX8GG3-5WsRdW5Y8QCHdtFw/s640/Austangles+2020+II.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>AusTangles Part II</b><br />
(Trimonds, Appease, Mak-Rah-Mee, Swimz, Oddballz, Brax)<br />
Pigment ink and graphite on a watercoloured postcard - 6x4 inches<br />
<br />
Australia has been suffering in recent months with devastating wildfires causing significant death and destruction. It's hard to know how to help when you're many miles away. I don't personally believe in prayers for rain, but I do believe in what we can do as individuals. I can donate to charities that are helping those affected. I can read to stay informed and educate myself about what's happening and why - which is undeniably related to the worsening state of our climate. I can make sensible and necessary lifestyle choices that might limit my negative impact on our climate. And I can vote for those who properly respect our world and are willing to do what needs to be done. I can also spend time reflecting on these things as I tangle using along with others all around the world, and hope that a little connection can go a long, long way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWXsKndCs1Wk-oy-cmXEFDN1A5cQ_2h4VIT6iJ83yPhoN1dH_sYpg80I_6i2za_nekFn0-qjTQRKaesComUrZjrmzgKF7LyzjtOSgot8AkCdjXFAJXxNAlB_4h4xZKgRBqNxX2Sdk0jE/s1600/9%252C10%252C11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWXsKndCs1Wk-oy-cmXEFDN1A5cQ_2h4VIT6iJ83yPhoN1dH_sYpg80I_6i2za_nekFn0-qjTQRKaesComUrZjrmzgKF7LyzjtOSgot8AkCdjXFAJXxNAlB_4h4xZKgRBqNxX2Sdk0jE/s640/9%252C10%252C11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lastly and with no agenda whatsoever - <br />
these are the next 3 tiles for <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/search/label/Zen-untangled" target="_blank">my Zen-untangled tin</a> (a project to explore the full set of Zentangle official tangles).<br />
On the first - Molygon, Nipa and Bumper<br />
On the second - Verdigogh, Locar and Pepper<br />
On the third - just Ellish</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm about to dive into this year's ValenTangle - a two week celebration of connection and love, carefully designed and hosted by Marguerite Samama. <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/search/label/ValenTangle" target="_blank">I had a wonderful time last year</a>, and came a long way towards conquering my dislike of drawing hearts. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/391560721400639/" target="_blank">Join us if you'd like to</a>, and I'll be back in a couple of weeks to share my results.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-9842639600565886002020-01-15T14:58:00.001+00:002020-01-15T14:58:41.068+00:00getting to grips with a new yearAt the start of a new year I like to take a little time to reflect on where I've been in the past year, to better know where I might want to go this year. In terms of tangling I like to look through the tiles I created and pick out some of my favourites.<br />
<br />
Last year I worked on <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/search/label/Inklings" target="_blank">a year long project</a> to tangle according to the seasons. At times it felt challenging, but I feel a great sense of satisfaction having done it and it's wonderful to flick through my album and see the colours fading through the spectrum in tune with the seasons.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvneGIft_t5zDPf0hR89cy0p02rqXMwPXJMvLgpCEVlGf-l1GNRAzQYBh_FFiObprArt9qlpxwLCylXsLWV8NX4XR8nS-4qPQ9DjFcBYlk_SuM_ViXqAIizkDQhIcupFbyYbGo3P2ixU/s1600/mosaic+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvneGIft_t5zDPf0hR89cy0p02rqXMwPXJMvLgpCEVlGf-l1GNRAzQYBh_FFiObprArt9qlpxwLCylXsLWV8NX4XR8nS-4qPQ9DjFcBYlk_SuM_ViXqAIizkDQhIcupFbyYbGo3P2ixU/s640/mosaic+19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 of the best from 2019 <br />
Admittedly my favourite pieces come from a fairly limited part of the year's palette!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This year I want to do things differently - I want more freedom. I have a long list of things I want to do. Some are new things I've never tried, techniques I've read about but put aside for the time being. I have e-books (<a href="https://alittlelime.blogspot.com/2020/01/bushfires.html" target="_blank">speaking of which</a>) I want to work through, devoting the time and focus they deserve. I also have a long list of things I want to revisit - things I enjoyed but want to spend more time with, to dig deeper thereby getting more from them. I also want to linger over the things I love doing often and regularly. I want to strengthen my weaknesses and have wild times with the things I feel I'm good at.<br />
<br />
I want to spend more time doing and less time reading and thinking and talking about Zentangle. I blogged 42 times last year. I might blog less this year, or the same, probably not more. But the style of my posts might change a little. There will still be themed posts where I share a cohesive body of pieces and talks about the techniques I used. But there might also be simpler gallery type posts where I share a snapshot of the things I've been working on, without as much wordy padding! Hopefully my blog will still remain interesting and attractive!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
________________ </div>
<br />
To start this year I've joined in with <a href="http://alicehendon.com/2020/01/zen-untangled-week-1/" target="_blank">Zen-untangled which is the latest collaborative project from Alice Hendon</a>. She talks about it on her blog as well as uniting many fellow tanglers who are doing it on her Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/zentangleallaround/" target="_blank">Tangle All Around</a>. Simply put, Alice is inviting us to get to know the 170 Zentangle core tangles. She encourages participants to create a book, including step-outs and examples, which will become a wonderful offline resource for your own tangling and to pass on to others.<br />
<br />
I was taken by the idea as soon as I heard about it, mostly because I love the official tangles - well, most of them anyway! But it's important to know and acknowledge what will work for you. And what won't! I knew I wouldn't like doing Zen-untangled in the exact way Alice suggests. I don't like working in books on a regular basis and I knew I wouldn't enjoy drawing step-outs for every tangle either. I'd rapidly fall behind and abandon the whole thing. Thankfully Alice encourages us to join in whatever way we prefer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCABxk_QBkBN_V1veP_lLvu5C87sjisoeMxTzMfnOBqA03aI2QaQMM2eCU3bN-ZfjdyYetMfVlS1huAJk0hyN20MYMH86FeQ5HG8KWgVtYD_3RDsFF0OO-3vb5cS85nsgs-6lV4hmz9EU/s1600/tin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1600" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCABxk_QBkBN_V1veP_lLvu5C87sjisoeMxTzMfnOBqA03aI2QaQMM2eCU3bN-ZfjdyYetMfVlS1huAJk0hyN20MYMH86FeQ5HG8KWgVtYD_3RDsFF0OO-3vb5cS85nsgs-6lV4hmz9EU/s400/tin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the moment I'm storing black cards and finished cards in the tin - <br />
but I when I finish I think the stack of tiles will probably be too big,<br />
so I might clip them together with a binder ring unless I have a better idea!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A bit of pondering and a dose of luck and I've struck on a way that works for me. My partner gave me this little tin for Christmas, and it's a perfect fit for ATCs, which is a tile shape I'm liking a lot these days. So I'm doing my Zen-untangled on ATCs. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6khaGRS1-8XlqEiIHMxKAKRhV74Od0AQ1Vt7DvReASu-byfhcn5fj4ZtNK9rCn9IbUTrAJedTw0FC-OBdTwbsxNPDHtLz5WDo1_zo4Fmg9xFjSpWQTeuesZsgA6HZezJ_LJPxf1Kmpg/s1600/1+%2526+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6khaGRS1-8XlqEiIHMxKAKRhV74Od0AQ1Vt7DvReASu-byfhcn5fj4ZtNK9rCn9IbUTrAJedTw0FC-OBdTwbsxNPDHtLz5WDo1_zo4Fmg9xFjSpWQTeuesZsgA6HZezJ_LJPxf1Kmpg/s400/1+%2526+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left - Eye-Wa and Florz<br />
On the right - Dex and Hurry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfdGg4rL9eqdrRmkmft_1EuLiVrv8CPnNGptO2x3xSbnBeRJ-VXVg127nPWEAA5AyGfmzvAW5HLVh2xBWCwbGcfpRq3LhISBew1q4KAJ-PsOtMm6gigpMZhRbpuFZsxd2CFK2LwGxsgE/s1600/3+%2526+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfdGg4rL9eqdrRmkmft_1EuLiVrv8CPnNGptO2x3xSbnBeRJ-VXVg127nPWEAA5AyGfmzvAW5HLVh2xBWCwbGcfpRq3LhISBew1q4KAJ-PsOtMm6gigpMZhRbpuFZsxd2CFK2LwGxsgE/s400/3+%2526+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left - IX<br />
On the right - Avreal, Ahh, Snail, Therefore and Tipple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYdIirnoVdS250ABkkeI0CwP9PAI4UXHhUavtDjbqSu04KCiIQXOXpB-kQ-4ZORAJBF0h4194wtRVZBlzmBvzZ20bDlaHpyKHocKuZBjiDoV_nID5a7H0WPnz2BoXwYidbO7NrxXHrpE/s1600/5+%2526+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYdIirnoVdS250ABkkeI0CwP9PAI4UXHhUavtDjbqSu04KCiIQXOXpB-kQ-4ZORAJBF0h4194wtRVZBlzmBvzZ20bDlaHpyKHocKuZBjiDoV_nID5a7H0WPnz2BoXwYidbO7NrxXHrpE/s400/5+%2526+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left - Centipede, Ynix and Frondous<br />
On the right - Echoism</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7mTRr2NhGL79RFmh_Sp8PQL5-gHlBUrDaw6GE339LxKusNcO-Ipcqq8tuKhyphenhyphen3Q91zFLVq77j_yp83VM76DtNbgprMz6RJ1P_het46EQoh8KArzk1_OkcemTR-qL13rpCS0zOQ05Up_g/s1600/7+%2526+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7mTRr2NhGL79RFmh_Sp8PQL5-gHlBUrDaw6GE339LxKusNcO-Ipcqq8tuKhyphenhyphen3Q91zFLVq77j_yp83VM76DtNbgprMz6RJ1P_het46EQoh8KArzk1_OkcemTR-qL13rpCS0zOQ05Up_g/s400/7+%2526+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left - Cubine and Ixorus<br />
On the right - Flux and Hollibaugh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As you can see, on some days there's just one tangle on the tile, some days 2, other days more. I like the way I get to see how the tangles play together, I get to draw a simple version and some variations if I want to. I get to use colour in large or small amounts or just celebrate the beauty of black and white. And when it's finished I'll have a lovely deck of cards to shuffle through for pure Zentangle inspiration.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-57696314484601512922020-01-08T16:16:00.000+00:002020-01-08T16:25:22.747+00:00shimmering beginningsA new year of a new decade and what better way to kick off 2020 on The Ragged Ray than with a new tangle!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHamC167aPV3XvNscMntqOzFhkoNgv3Wrw4rBk0h9Mie2F-F-sOvJoyfXSMEt-Gh6IxdqJuim3RTZNT2B-Uu0lcvgUSYtcIeMc2ob55cKXeysjXGi9pW-AvGg2yyVsjoxGvQ6zckC8G8w/s1600/festive+tiles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="1600" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHamC167aPV3XvNscMntqOzFhkoNgv3Wrw4rBk0h9Mie2F-F-sOvJoyfXSMEt-Gh6IxdqJuim3RTZNT2B-Uu0lcvgUSYtcIeMc2ob55cKXeysjXGi9pW-AvGg2yyVsjoxGvQ6zckC8G8w/s400/festive+tiles.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fruits of my recent tanglings </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The origins of this tangle go back many years – it started as one of the many scrappy ideas I play with but set to one side. In December <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5qXlY3o_3a/" target="_blank">I saw a piece by German CZT Stephanie Kiefhaber</a> which really caught my eye. She'd used a repeating shape and acknowledged that she didn't think it was any named tangle. I told her that I'd played with an idea for something similar many years back but hadn't worked further with the tangle, drawn a step-out or named it. I showed Stephanie my scrappy notes and she encouraged me to develop my idea – and so I did. It's my pleasure to introduce you to Quin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvbfBw5yvzWgtKvmnFiV5I5g0PRSFQH7aOfq7ovdV7HyDBTL-9-8Ebne58RrKyQ2AANsIumjrOnyNgGpt6U5KOF02p8SW0dqy4iB2CndQ__htim8t5YenMYdqgDHxqduXXRC_iDrIaaY/s1600/QUIN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1445" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvbfBw5yvzWgtKvmnFiV5I5g0PRSFQH7aOfq7ovdV7HyDBTL-9-8Ebne58RrKyQ2AANsIumjrOnyNgGpt6U5KOF02p8SW0dqy4iB2CndQ__htim8t5YenMYdqgDHxqduXXRC_iDrIaaY/s400/QUIN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1d1YFNENfSUMU7cqKKAVB7aAYSkH6glIKyaMaBnEqBBOXtViODB-Sj5re493L0SMNNRcM94DA3NhQGTZP_LXcTAQHuFgA5F_xYktJ4bLcMperVRoRqxv8eyg3vgt6s3irEhXfUwWzTo/s1600/finetec+tiles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1d1YFNENfSUMU7cqKKAVB7aAYSkH6glIKyaMaBnEqBBOXtViODB-Sj5re493L0SMNNRcM94DA3NhQGTZP_LXcTAQHuFgA5F_xYktJ4bLcMperVRoRqxv8eyg3vgt6s3irEhXfUwWzTo/s320/finetec+tiles.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small stash of tiles to play with</td></tr>
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Quin clearly shares tangle DNA with official tangles <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-tagh.html" target="_blank">Tagh</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2018/12/how-to-draw-centipede.html" target="_blank">Centipede</a> as well as with Adele Bruno's <a href="https://tickledtotangle.blogspot.com/2017/06/its-string-thing-200-woo-hoo.html" target="_blank">C-Perfs</a>. But I think it has enough of its own character to merit its own name – do you agree? It's a tangle that asks you to draw slowly, and shade carefully, but it's rhythmic and mesmerising to use. Resembling scales or petals it adds texture and depth to any tile. I named it Quin for its resemblance to a string of sequins - and while I mostly tangle it without an the extra dot and dash, if you're in a representational mood they can be a fun addition too! If you find any weird angles or wobbles that you don't like when tangling Quin, simply darken them with your pen and you'll find they add character.<br />
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Before the festive break I cut and coloured some bright white Clairefontaine papers - one smooth and the other with some texture. I added a touch of colour using two Finetec watercolours (Blue Silver and Lavender) that my dear friends Debbie and Stephanie (a different one!) in Singapore sent me last year. It's hard to capture the beauty of these mica-rich pigment paints, which offer one colour when viewed straight on but another shade of shimmering magic when tilted to catch the light (you can catch a glimpse of what I mean in the photo at the top of this post). They bring a subtle but welcome shot of colour which plays so well with the white tile, black ink and grey shading.<br />
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And so, to the tiles - <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l6_CJvKzyszvSjL2VoLxfny2_VPwvgy_T2OJTZruMtQaIJccsJF0PjPxxXL_jXnM5FwOl-uEE3_CW0kUhrdICWto5qXWj0gWhE0hS5R6VAgkStVzlY6Kbfs8NvNg_M6DB26stjZOCKM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="866" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5l6_CJvKzyszvSjL2VoLxfny2_VPwvgy_T2OJTZruMtQaIJccsJF0PjPxxXL_jXnM5FwOl-uEE3_CW0kUhrdICWto5qXWj0gWhE0hS5R6VAgkStVzlY6Kbfs8NvNg_M6DB26stjZOCKM/s400/1.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quin was too shy to appear on this first tile - but <br />
<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2013/07/how-to-draw-nvelope.html" target="_blank">Nvelope</a>, Printemps and Mooka had fun among themselves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-V0grWyg-9b5YHw3VwLwt75cNvOSZBioJzJhHFdVD1SxRj5KOn5EZGcXjLNUrJ_qtmv7Tr27hAID_GnnExSAw-NTDyGwdoB_b7el-oqUQsUTrxrF5qaKPozZ6AU_5SPXNqT7JJANMZ0/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1166" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-V0grWyg-9b5YHw3VwLwt75cNvOSZBioJzJhHFdVD1SxRj5KOn5EZGcXjLNUrJ_qtmv7Tr27hAID_GnnExSAw-NTDyGwdoB_b7el-oqUQsUTrxrF5qaKPozZ6AU_5SPXNqT7JJANMZ0/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started this tile with <a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs023/1101168872594/archive/1104275414191.html" target="_blank">Ixorus</a>, and added a sunken section of <br />
Quin, and some little Fescu-type tufts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvydH-bQBRnOm7HpGrxS50XvPxxnzQIXsxlaM0KllfOU4KSlkG7mLQs1q6Z_qynZ0ykBDkqyagIBJ1L1faObeuvbnKggTgYZyyIsZyMbORWZACgYzlVX-GyfNkAsgtlTF1XD6x_uSPVU/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1152" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvydH-bQBRnOm7HpGrxS50XvPxxnzQIXsxlaM0KllfOU4KSlkG7mLQs1q6Z_qynZ0ykBDkqyagIBJ1L1faObeuvbnKggTgYZyyIsZyMbORWZACgYzlVX-GyfNkAsgtlTF1XD6x_uSPVU/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two sections of Quin with Fescu formed a central space that I <br />
started to fill with <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-bales.html" target="_blank">Bales</a>, but which rapidly morphed into <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/08/how-to-draw-puf.html" target="_blank">Puf</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd_85PXV1zDNe-xy1HChngjg6MpqtI5hfFxFOEKMWVxQA4nzZsaqd1k2xVFE9ED5gMRUnfNE4pOICG51ev60TYeJWW2-HDFbsGi1lTvxtj8do5BPBT4JKryMnX_SSNBjELliIo6EiZf4/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="868" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd_85PXV1zDNe-xy1HChngjg6MpqtI5hfFxFOEKMWVxQA4nzZsaqd1k2xVFE9ED5gMRUnfNE4pOICG51ev60TYeJWW2-HDFbsGi1lTvxtj8do5BPBT4JKryMnX_SSNBjELliIo6EiZf4/s400/4.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quin defined a strange shape and space on this tile, room <br />
for a little Hollibaugh in the middle and more Fescu!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7nMncHX14CBdo9mt7M204oGPTI0WfNdxVgfgP8aoJcjcmUPjOcqa33J9dJyqrNX5OM0aHT77lFiE-0FzmEYSNgPNViqnGdTHOy9pWYkB1XxG8APCk-w7n57lpd_zG6CrUx0_MjxQ_To/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1178" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7nMncHX14CBdo9mt7M204oGPTI0WfNdxVgfgP8aoJcjcmUPjOcqa33J9dJyqrNX5OM0aHT77lFiE-0FzmEYSNgPNViqnGdTHOy9pWYkB1XxG8APCk-w7n57lpd_zG6CrUx0_MjxQ_To/s400/5.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lastly an arcing band of <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/12/how-to-draw-panepinto.html" target="_blank">Panepinto</a> (with Jetties) formed a space which <br />
I filled with <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/01/how-to-draw-sistar.html" target="_blank">Sistar</a>. A handful of Flux and Perf-topped tufts, and a single <br />
line of Quin showing its resemblance to a string of sequins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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That's all for now. I hope your year is getting off to a good start. And I hope you enjoy getting to know Quin – please do let me know if you use my tangle and how you find it. <br />
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<i>[As always, if this tangle appears to be too similar to any others in name or style, please let me know.] </i>Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-5199800057031776792019-12-18T12:44:00.002+00:002019-12-19T08:37:28.952+00:00grey skies and muted bluesIt's not always easy - even with the things you love the most. I've struggled in a number of ways during the second half of the 12 Days adventure. For one we've had so many dark days of rain, and I like to tangle in natural daylight so I've been trying to catch the odd hour here and there where it's been bright enough. I've also started to feel a little resistant to the colour blue following the recent result of the UK general election! In addition I felt a little underwhelmed by some of the recent Zentangle videos - the ideas just didn't spark my interest as much as they sometimes do, which perhaps ties in with my fourth struggle – finding the time and energy to tangle at this hectic time of year.<br />
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But the good thing about spending time doing the thing you love, is that it encourages you to overcome most barriers that arise. So I tried to keep tightly focused on the method that is central to Zentangle. Focused on the fact that it's about the process rather than the product, focused on the fact that I can turn these tiles whichever way I want, whichever way works on any given day.<br />
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So for the second half of my 12 Days offerings I've muted the blue, and while I've held onto each idea, I've carried it a little closer to my natural and comfortable tangling style. So my tiles are a little darker, a little more minimal than those shared by the ZT team. But I love these tiles, and I loved tangling them, despite my lack of energy and the sky's lack of encouragement.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOck8_qGo10ymM8EbpMqcKSVB5MYYBbJHacCQpqsGfFudf3khMJQsqxLKHn7tgHk4-PPwAdHkA8Nt2uyxgEwGbSnbV7CR-SIbN5Ecmv3pjjiWTyemxugsfGD5SBR2i3ChBHYl4ZC6LyZc/s1600/Day+%25237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1194" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOck8_qGo10ymM8EbpMqcKSVB5MYYBbJHacCQpqsGfFudf3khMJQsqxLKHn7tgHk4-PPwAdHkA8Nt2uyxgEwGbSnbV7CR-SIbN5Ecmv3pjjiWTyemxugsfGD5SBR2i3ChBHYl4ZC6LyZc/s400/Day+%25237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #7 we were encouraged to play with an oversized Bales -<br />
which we then filled with pods and auras. In the spaces of our grid<br />
we put a three-pointed Well style fragment. I chose to contain my<br />
tangling in just one half of the tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYM3Y6gLZsF0OWOQTV96f3j73xRIZZK7JQ8V3aBVV4_YbkjUPBqTcbtePFSqUE6aP6FP0xBN2ZokCM0moUdq4u95ogMYTvzpJ_20d7QNeHsKIB8h7gCRYpfrBDRad6Hz-0d5xDI16Ziro/s1600/Day+%25238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1116" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYM3Y6gLZsF0OWOQTV96f3j73xRIZZK7JQ8V3aBVV4_YbkjUPBqTcbtePFSqUE6aP6FP0xBN2ZokCM0moUdq4u95ogMYTvzpJ_20d7QNeHsKIB8h7gCRYpfrBDRad6Hz-0d5xDI16Ziro/s400/Day+%25238.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #8 Maria demonstrated a whirling dervish of tangling - <br />
with abundant embellishment and shading and gold pen. It's a look<br />
she carries off so well, but not me! I tamed mine a great deal – adding<br />
more black, less blue, less variation on the fills, but including Beadlines<br />
and choosing to have two of the Cadent style frames on my tile.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrOso0_N4uPmEcmr3GUX2274vOPZseRm_8ki2dDu0aXtcNQTRQLxu3rQhDSoS1WEm6M9hIE7qOt_qaX2DANy-rSL0CkA74XL9mUY9uz2C8F7RI7MAF6Lxftof8X7geAd4MjA6hqMT7z8/s1600/Day+%25239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrOso0_N4uPmEcmr3GUX2274vOPZseRm_8ki2dDu0aXtcNQTRQLxu3rQhDSoS1WEm6M9hIE7qOt_qaX2DANy-rSL0CkA74XL9mUY9uz2C8F7RI7MAF6Lxftof8X7geAd4MjA6hqMT7z8/s400/Day+%25239.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #9 there were a couple of aspects that I just <br />
wasn't keen on, so I tangled this instead. Using an ATC<br />
sized tile allowed the tangled spiral to feel more settled.<br />
I left out the tricolour background and instead just used a<br />
little graphite and some tiny white gel Therefore dots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4U5-B0Twv3eEGQTd72khvroYZOzVYVIJHpTNHLr39KE3xUb_OQqBbO0hjMDTOGGREeb2eBsU2sJBPP8BbtXoDTFvBmNpCW4hc7kcKqCqEXJdjG4pRaA54K5xYgC4WUDJi2_17w9NfxTY/s1600/Day+%252310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1168" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4U5-B0Twv3eEGQTd72khvroYZOzVYVIJHpTNHLr39KE3xUb_OQqBbO0hjMDTOGGREeb2eBsU2sJBPP8BbtXoDTFvBmNpCW4hc7kcKqCqEXJdjG4pRaA54K5xYgC4WUDJi2_17w9NfxTY/s400/Day+%252310.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day #10 seemed to take using a very different direction, feeling far<br />
more botanical and calm than any of the other days. This surprised <br />
me at first but proved to be a welcome oasis of calm. I got<br />
thoroughly lost tangling my Bronx Cheer, Flux and Mooka, <br />
and even a sprinkling of Fescu. Adding just a hint of graphite, <br />
white and blue pencil. Rounding is always the finishing touch - and <br />
then also a 3Z sized triangle frame drawn behind - I don't know why - <br />
it just looked like it belonged there!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXPW-rvoZooDLiz1QjcR0ARgke4EFx3U1L-T-J9kiug_-dDicqYy6Gkw77ugoTXfnp7vk4dQi8VOzSHRW6B-sYu4MxgtM8xLNfUub9QucpOnbFVkjpIAEWirIIw_6RTm2j8qDGWzaalk/s1600/Day+%252311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="1203" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXPW-rvoZooDLiz1QjcR0ARgke4EFx3U1L-T-J9kiug_-dDicqYy6Gkw77ugoTXfnp7vk4dQi8VOzSHRW6B-sYu4MxgtM8xLNfUub9QucpOnbFVkjpIAEWirIIw_6RTm2j8qDGWzaalk/s400/Day+%252311.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When Rick tangles Paradox you can clearly see he's in his comfort <br />
zone. Not so for me! By Day #11 I couldn't face 4 Paradox Bijou <br />
tiles - so instead this. A square the size of a Bijou in the middle of <br />
my tile. I left the centre of each Paradox open allowing me to drop<br />
some Beadlines through the holes, plus a couple of black ribbons.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedqBEE8inHg9topA2HJJr_TU1JY4dvEbKUYzpWz3IcddUipZTcqo6IJL88k9PbNAgGnmQg_vOzOFxHwbPcaswtnJX_YS1s6ya3Wd9S9kniu0aUfQXJfFvBiwVvv6rBEug31_cMiMjePQ/s1600/Day+%252312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedqBEE8inHg9topA2HJJr_TU1JY4dvEbKUYzpWz3IcddUipZTcqo6IJL88k9PbNAgGnmQg_vOzOFxHwbPcaswtnJX_YS1s6ya3Wd9S9kniu0aUfQXJfFvBiwVvv6rBEug31_cMiMjePQ/s400/Day+%252312.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For Day #12 Maria led us through a variation of Hollibaugh to create <br />
the look of a coffered ceiling. I relished this exploration - it embodied<br />
everything I love about Zentangle - seemingly complex but broken<br />
down into mindful attainable steps. In a nod to <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/12/half-dozen-days-in-december.html" target="_blank">where I started</a> - I drew<br />
a faux Zendala on a 4 inch Strathmore grey tile. My initial bands came<br />
out thinner so I put in more, and I got a little carried away with shading!<br />
I know I'll play with this idea lots more!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We've reached the end of the Zentangle countdown, and there's a week to go until Christmas Day, but this will be my last blog post for the year. I've prepared some tiles that I hope to tangle during our festive break - and I'll share them here a week or so into the New Year. Thank you for reading my posts, and looking at my pictures over the past 12 months - it's been wonderful to share my tangled meanderings with you. Best wishes for your weeks ahead, however you spend them. See you in 2020!Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-54160973038523736882019-12-12T13:20:00.000+00:002019-12-12T13:20:47.199+00:00half a dozen days in DecemberEvery year I look forward to the <a href="https://zentangle.com/blogs/blog/project-pack-no-07-12-days-of-zentangle-day-01" target="_blank">12 Days of Zentangle</a> activities. Whether you buy their Project Pack or not (I didn't) it's a great invitation to watch the videos, tangle along and know you're joining many other tanglers around the world who are doing the same. It's also a great chance to take some time in your day, to tangle and unwind from the inevitable momentum we gain as the year heads toward its festive finale.<br />
<br />
This is the 4th year I've joined in and I often take the ideas in a slightly different direction to suit my mood. For a couple of years I worked in a sketchbook - and last year <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-five-panelled-finish-line.html" target="_blank">I tangled along</a> on one of my Zigzangle's instead of the suggested spinner. This year I needed to make the suggestions work with my Winter Inklings colour scheme. The grey tiles get a big tick of course, but I wasn't planning on using any colour for this month, however the ideas that Zentangle are sharing do rely on a little pop of colour every day, so I made the exception seeing as it's blue and that works as a winter colour! (Interestingly I also had a burst of blue in my February Winter Inklings when I worked on my <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/02/debriefing-heart.html" target="_blank">Valentangle tiles</a>). The gold pen had to go, too warm for my idea of winter, but thankfully I had a new silver pen to hand! I have also used different materials where I'm lacking ones that came in the project pack - but that's great, because it shows that you can have just as much fun, and also produce slightly different results, with whatever supplies you have! I've listed what I used in more detail than usual, which is a little clunky to read but perhaps helpful. All papers used are discussed on <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/12/grey-is-word.html" target="_blank">my previous blog post</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeBy668EL3XC8ph7PC_FEB2ku3glT6k5rb68dZqDbDNDedBss6NFJ0B23BrKn1ZMa8fCKfJa7SuuPK6RbBdgfzxtHxGGbNi9YOu4hyi9zhkN8gHJFY1OKdfoy3HCFSW2x0Uc7j4KjW6M/s1600/Day+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1292" data-original-width="1294" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeBy668EL3XC8ph7PC_FEB2ku3glT6k5rb68dZqDbDNDedBss6NFJ0B23BrKn1ZMa8fCKfJa7SuuPK6RbBdgfzxtHxGGbNi9YOu4hyi9zhkN8gHJFY1OKdfoy3HCFSW2x0Uc7j4KjW6M/s400/Day+%25231.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #1 I drew 'faux' Bijou on a 4x4 inch piece of Strathmore paper. <br />
I tangled with my Sky Blue Copic and used a blue coloured pencil <br />
(Koh-I-Noor Polycolor 54 / Cobalt Blue Dark) instead of the blue chalk <br />
and it worked fine. I varied my Tipple, colouring some blue, <br />
some white and silvering a handful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwnFu-Ln7Zndw1NUqgpMimhOyAhPwq_UVVDlA_90BJAGcq3TvT4XKutl-1F1SRyjpDO_jS9cbB1ad1IcUJfYzO3mEoogt2KR6xN1WB4_XJGFRhJvzywgxn-8ca8NdwY6A_lWGZq9FwAY/s1600/Day+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1154" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwnFu-Ln7Zndw1NUqgpMimhOyAhPwq_UVVDlA_90BJAGcq3TvT4XKutl-1F1SRyjpDO_jS9cbB1ad1IcUJfYzO3mEoogt2KR6xN1WB4_XJGFRhJvzywgxn-8ca8NdwY6A_lWGZq9FwAY/s400/Day+%25232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
On Day #2 I had a great time working with <span class="st">Tomàs Padrós</span> All Stars tangle <br />
which I'd used <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/05/it-aint-what-you-do-its-way-that-you-do.html" target="_blank">back in Spring</a>. This time it sports a wintery look - on a Murano <br />
pastel paper tile. Initially a complex looking tangle, the more you use it the <br />
easier it becomes. White highlights from a Derwent Coloursoft pencil and <br />
white Gelly Roll add bright accents.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE6mUtnkg65nKxEfubId2vDz3vF0ojmv2I7_HGEUSPuifB-Q8_Caea_rg0VnBq3BvYmVIERCgzdL_bB3iIlAjUOF7uprIf5wK64oyNL63NV89TOM7cqSQZogLnzP6Fh2UZ8OXD84xhTA/s1600/Day+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1159" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioE6mUtnkg65nKxEfubId2vDz3vF0ojmv2I7_HGEUSPuifB-Q8_Caea_rg0VnBq3BvYmVIERCgzdL_bB3iIlAjUOF7uprIf5wK64oyNL63NV89TOM7cqSQZogLnzP6Fh2UZ8OXD84xhTA/s640/Day+%25233.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #3 I ripped up the rule book - I just didn't fancy that idea on a round grey tile - <br />
I don't know why but I didn't! So I did it on a watercolour postcard instead, <br />
and added blue watercolour (Clean Color Brush 030 Blue) to the Purk parts, <br />
and only blacked in some of the Jonqal lines. Graphite and colour shading <br />
sharpens up the finished piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExne6FS-lO46yHzxXdx17d5CuVmkTNWiJEu0wPjPdGzj0v5mQ4KRJ6VwgoYNsYLnUkcHaHJLZeJT8sfXxkkwupYAzjNQCx6oYgK81M3CguX-qRKFc9d_FkSXCklvJLi5kCa8pC84lIu4/s1600/Day+%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1164" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExne6FS-lO46yHzxXdx17d5CuVmkTNWiJEu0wPjPdGzj0v5mQ4KRJ6VwgoYNsYLnUkcHaHJLZeJT8sfXxkkwupYAzjNQCx6oYgK81M3CguX-qRKFc9d_FkSXCklvJLi5kCa8pC84lIu4/s400/Day+%25234.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
On Day #4 I traced around a Bijou tile 3 times onto a regular black tile <br />
and then tangled in silver (Uni-Ball Signo). I'm not that keen on tangling <br />
predominantly with the metallic pen as the line feels so thick compared <br />
to the white gel, let alone the my usual black 0.1. But I like the way my <br />
watercolour pencil (Faber-Castell Phthalo Blue) adds a touch of colour <br />
onto the black - that's an idea I might play with again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVz2gr3AHCnRvtUzBll3GDp7z-9cmP2hegu3yTKU0sxiUcZFIbgqcHHyewu3BngbpqxPe2WwxjPs3FSZqPR1FVEa9k2beGvGvoCRWOKU6H6iOGNthw9YbVYzSt4OhjZmpLYjo2TZU84A/s1600/Day+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1146" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVz2gr3AHCnRvtUzBll3GDp7z-9cmP2hegu3yTKU0sxiUcZFIbgqcHHyewu3BngbpqxPe2WwxjPs3FSZqPR1FVEa9k2beGvGvoCRWOKU6H6iOGNthw9YbVYzSt4OhjZmpLYjo2TZU84A/s400/Day+%25235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Day #5 I didn't fancy tangling the ornament exactly as Martha did, <br />
so I decided to create a band of ZINGsplatz right across my tile <br />
(Clairefontaine PaintOn). I'd hope to make it more angular and frosty <br />
looking but of course every line made it more and more soft and curvy - <br />
so there it is. My white was done using a Graphitint white <br />
pencil. In winter zebras dream of blue flowers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxovRj419Gwk5KidYTW-kbm9tz0GLB7k3QUAf-gS-Et7PFvlBqG6dsdEGHaeZj6Qrlnp9RpS-1njD93psuU0EmAN7MHlCQW_WAFk51cd1ellnCLWl7H29PSWmgYfprHRnoTASsW61uJoM/s1600/Day+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1156" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxovRj419Gwk5KidYTW-kbm9tz0GLB7k3QUAf-gS-Et7PFvlBqG6dsdEGHaeZj6Qrlnp9RpS-1njD93psuU0EmAN7MHlCQW_WAFk51cd1ellnCLWl7H29PSWmgYfprHRnoTASsW61uJoM/s400/Day+%25236.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
On Day #6 I tweaked Rick's idea a little - I only inked with a black pen, <br />
added blue into the bands of Hollis using an Irojiten pencil (Horizon Blue VP-8), <br />
and added background of grey texture lines which ties it in with <br />
<a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/12/grey-is-word.html" target="_blank">my recent Hollis tile</a>, although this one is far more minimal. <br />
The key to tangling Hollis is to slow down - <br />
and make the most of whatever strange shapes arise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So that brings me up to date with the current 12 Days videos. I'll be back with the rest next week. There's been days of endless wind and rain of late (apt for the uncertain political times my country is facing today), and many times I've struggled to see the line I'm tangling, or the truth of the colours I'm adding to my tile. But then a little later, I'll tilt the tile and the silver ink will glint as it catches the light - and there is my moment of hope.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-86464356631265775842019-12-06T13:25:00.001+00:002019-12-06T13:27:59.846+00:00grey is the word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Many people find it dull or depressing but I find it comforting and full of charm and warmth. It makes me think of clouded skies and favourite knitwear, feathered and furred visitors to our garden. I'm talking about the colour grey of course. (Or gray if you're reading from the United States!)<br />
<br />
I've long loved grey but not used it a great deal as a feature colour in my tangling. Too often it's simply the colour that gets added when I shade - although it got some attention in January, <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/01/these-darkening-days.html" target="_blank">when I last dipped my toes</a> into Winter themed tangling! But for the next fews week I'm turning my tangling spotlight onto this wonderful colour to show you what it's capable of.<br />
<br />
Trust me when I tell you I'm not sitting a mountain of grey paper, but I rooted through various packs and pads and gathered together quite a sample. A wide range all claiming to be grey - some dark, some light, some with the barest hint of green, blue or brown. That's the nature of this colour - it's never easy to pin down, or quantify. It's also fairly hard to get a photograph that captures their true colours - the truth lies somewhere between the photo of them all together and the scans of my tiles!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOOGVL5twKO7EOhdbcKWxUpfcLjZN40YpIuwe3lABVf_fzKw4uhMt_k_SxlrwrUKuH9aC6zzWvyXKIo5S1gg-bObGnj4TA6KzD5JGJbxyr5dM61PCyv8Pr7eFM-sP19MyCUWnBN9TS7w/s1600/grey+scale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOOGVL5twKO7EOhdbcKWxUpfcLjZN40YpIuwe3lABVf_fzKw4uhMt_k_SxlrwrUKuH9aC6zzWvyXKIo5S1gg-bObGnj4TA6KzD5JGJbxyr5dM61PCyv8Pr7eFM-sP19MyCUWnBN9TS7w/s640/grey+scale.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
[a range of grey papers - detailed below]<br />
<br />
1 - Daler Rowney Murano Pastel Paper - from Cool pad - probably Slate<br />
2 - Khadi Paper Dark Grey<br />
3 - Clairefontaine PaintOn Grey Paper<br />
4 - Two Rivers Paper - included in their Studio Pad<br />
5 - Daler Rowney Murano Pastel Paper - from Neutral pad - probably Platinum<br />
6 - Strathmore Artist Tile Toned Gray<br />
7 - Khadi Paper Light Grey<br />
8 - Official Zentangle Gray tile<br />
9 - Stonehenge Colors Paper - Pearl Gray<br />
10 - Bockingford Tinted Watercolour Paper - Grey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I set out on a voyage of exploration - a way to try out some of these papers, to harness and showcase their grey charms, to see which pens and shading styles suited them. Not a methodical comparison mind you, just a meandering trip through a grey landscape.<br />
<br />
I kept my choices simple - a handful of Official ZT tangles and black pens, white pens, graphite shading, white shading. First up - something quite minimal, quite sleek.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBUvuNDBhjw3tk4dSHaX6tiqiR3PwwaBGrRUNiZUHV3QNVyjgKc-AMSpgRUx2CqxQhCxoQ6wAxUbYJILzrOYqCFOzZ34-kFeUo5tEmrZoU0xN2YYxligy5prYiSocf5ZGvBZe0lTuqHE/s1600/winter+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="888" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBUvuNDBhjw3tk4dSHaX6tiqiR3PwwaBGrRUNiZUHV3QNVyjgKc-AMSpgRUx2CqxQhCxoQ6wAxUbYJILzrOYqCFOzZ34-kFeUo5tEmrZoU0xN2YYxligy5prYiSocf5ZGvBZe0lTuqHE/s400/winter+%25231.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mostly just <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2011/11/how-to-draw-fife.html" target="_blank">Fife</a> - black ink, graphite and white coloured pencil <br />
on an
ATC of Two Rivers Paper (4). A somewhat delicate paper, <br />
but a rich
shade to work on. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next up - something different, switching the black pen for the 08 white Gelly Roll with a touch of graphite and some smoky white pastel along the edges. I find the Pokes quite tricky to tangle elegantly, but rounding helps a lot, a chance to smooth out any anomalies and add definition. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94Nj9WNDvx5dnjfx12rz6mDQXA0pCWHMepRV6s9xeCtbejHhmjUOUlEFm0rdJcbVfpxhlDxXrxDY_Wq-w_drTS78AVfXLEXQBMLzL4MC66R-2WEyN9oH3YXXl1yYzFP_7CXz7kRfmlcY/s1600/winter+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1265" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94Nj9WNDvx5dnjfx12rz6mDQXA0pCWHMepRV6s9xeCtbejHhmjUOUlEFm0rdJcbVfpxhlDxXrxDY_Wq-w_drTS78AVfXLEXQBMLzL4MC66R-2WEyN9oH3YXXl1yYzFP_7CXz7kRfmlcY/s400/winter+%25232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-pokeleaf.html" target="_blank">Pokeleaf</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-pokeroot.html" target="_blank">Pokeroot</a> - looking frosty and fabulous!<br />
On a tile of Dark Grey Khadi (2) - rough but the Gelly Roll coped fine! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As I moved onwards, each new piece became a favourite - and that's often what happens when I start to get attuned to a certain combination of colour or tile. I become more confident, but at the same time more calm - more instinctive, more engaged in the process, doing rather than thinking about doing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIiz8JF0xXQklKNMan6babNvZOTVioKRIIm9x6UCbj6QF3oXFg36zRZTuos4w-9i4TASnQoRVhRfE1W5JB5XX_GQL0netp6GeTRDDv4g8po_Pc8xPskdXz2hNehq8tDshkXQ8OIufRn0/s1600/winter+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1150" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIiz8JF0xXQklKNMan6babNvZOTVioKRIIm9x6UCbj6QF3oXFg36zRZTuos4w-9i4TASnQoRVhRfE1W5JB5XX_GQL0netp6GeTRDDv4g8po_Pc8xPskdXz2hNehq8tDshkXQ8OIufRn0/s400/winter+%25233.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring <a href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Gratitude-----and-a-new-tangle-.html?soid=1101168872594&aid=UaiWcOsatMo" target="_blank">Hollis</a>, with rounding and Tipple - on a tile <br />
of Clairefontaine Mixed Media paper (3). A lovely paper<br />
to work on, I used the tan version for <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/10/unpacking-inky-month.html" target="_blank">Inktober</a>.<br />
Black ink, white chalk, graphite and some fine detail <br />
lines in grey ink to add some background texture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Those three papers all leaned towards the darker and rich end of the grey spectrum, but the next two went to the other extreme, being paler and cooler.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvL8BRogGopSbl-UMNnhxQtVQZlPm3KWlnbT7QefUcR8SRd2z5yGLIEdp-Wl6hTuFRe-ufcXax0hD7UQDbMEnHlxDfy-Xoibsh085xHlhKO2crE7VoKSu_ODju0gKT338e0t7EbAY1_s/s1600/winter+%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvL8BRogGopSbl-UMNnhxQtVQZlPm3KWlnbT7QefUcR8SRd2z5yGLIEdp-Wl6hTuFRe-ufcXax0hD7UQDbMEnHlxDfy-Xoibsh085xHlhKO2crE7VoKSu_ODju0gKT338e0t7EbAY1_s/s400/winter+%25234.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how <a href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Zentangle-Newsletter---A-new-tangle---spoken--and-more-.html?soid=1101168872594&aid=jY6mKTfNkPI" target="_blank">Spoken</a> looks when cut up by the limits<br />
of an ATC. With <a href="https://enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com/2018/09/printemps-and-then-some.html" target="_blank">Printemps</a> filling certain sections,<br />
rounding and gentle shading in graphite and touches<br />
of white I really like this Stonehenge paper (9).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Last, but by no means least, I tangled on my first ever Zentangle official Gray Tile - released just a few months ago. This tile seems to be made from the same paper as their Renaissance tiles. It's a beautiful shade of grey, very classy, very cool - and while you have to work a little gently at the shading stage, both the graphite and white chalk look wonderful<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZATm-G5A6R98Jk3itxYXACxAum1eGWH8-4l5xc7VSrPaG45uL7imtOKlRiXFbojh1ymuDJ3-krBFcsWS5blW-lOOMpj3k5DphEMpX5dI_0faxneGdAsEZ6INS89jkefRYpKAO-DFglU/s1600/winter+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1221" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZATm-G5A6R98Jk3itxYXACxAum1eGWH8-4l5xc7VSrPaG45uL7imtOKlRiXFbojh1ymuDJ3-krBFcsWS5blW-lOOMpj3k5DphEMpX5dI_0faxneGdAsEZ6INS89jkefRYpKAO-DFglU/s400/winter+%25235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing but <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2017/12/how-to-draw-rumpus.html" target="_blank">Rumpus</a> - looking like frosted flowers. <br />
This is a tangle that never disappoints offering<br />
a truly mindful calm as you add circle after circle<br />
and then link them together.<br />
Black ink, graphite, and white chalk on a<br />
Zentangle Gray tile (8).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's all for now with these papers - but I have previously shared tiles tangled on a few of the others. When I was a novice tangler, way back in 2014, I experimented with my Snag tangle on <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2014/03/caught-in-act.html" target="_blank">a Bockingford tinted tile</a>. A couple of years ago I tangled a lovely set of tiles on <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2017/05/pieces-of-eight_5.html" target="_blank">the lighter shade of Murano pastel paper</a>. In January this year I did some reverse Tranzending on <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/01/listening-to-echoes.html" target="_blank">a piece of Strathmore</a>! <br />
<br />
My winter time has begun, the nights are colder, the days shorter - but it isn't often about snow and ice and sparkle here in the UK, there's a lot of damp days and grey skies too. And that's what my last month of Inklings will celebrate - the beauty of winter even when it doesn't look like the image on a Christmas card, even if it's more likely to be raining than snowing on Christmas Day!Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-22071668817539951482019-11-28T13:01:00.000+00:002019-11-28T13:09:04.902+00:00the still point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just one piece to share with you this week – but it's a whopper by my
standards! I always prefer to work small, but on this rare occasion I
decided a bigger area might suit my need.<br />
<br />
In the summer of 2018 I was talking about a paper product I'd seen but
not tried - Magnani Acquerello round blocks. Hard to find or massively
overpriced in the UK, a generous and kind tangle friend, Jules, offered
to send me a few sheets to try. It took till now to give the first one a
road test, but it's a great paper - a little thirsty, smooth but with
enough tooth to slow me down and take hold of the graphite.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ9qbGylBFSIqG63Wlnkwq5FWlwa9MREcsG0RfKMMdbgc5zuG2JV0A_xiS__NV-wXtUc7zTKaLWz6WUtKefJwNM1awA3ZtAGpmePg322_PfBBV_CujrK3N9DarbYFpK2sf-pWArUaiY8/s1600/porto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQ9qbGylBFSIqG63Wlnkwq5FWlwa9MREcsG0RfKMMdbgc5zuG2JV0A_xiS__NV-wXtUc7zTKaLWz6WUtKefJwNM1awA3ZtAGpmePg322_PfBBV_CujrK3N9DarbYFpK2sf-pWArUaiY8/s320/porto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Magnani+Acquerello&ref=nb_sb_noss" target="_blank">Link to buy in the US via Amazon.</a><br />
<a href="https://www.turnersartshop.co.uk/magnani-acquerello-portofino-hot-pressed-pads--blocks-692-c.asp" target="_blank">And at long last, a viable UK seller!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
They come in two sizes, and I used the smaller one. It's about an inch
and a half larger than the official Zendala tile which doesn't sound
like much but feels like a lot of extra tangling space!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishyZ8dQwoCLM1qybZp8JDdXiIpawNv8nbpJHcP4tnamUw3jb4_Tng50bZ0Vr10zn9_HLDkvSvXgbRoBLF3Lo0b1BoNshLyHx3iSA3xV59tG9ULnRR_u5bZKlCqZ9ic417RMBaVx5O7Hw/s1600/cusp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishyZ8dQwoCLM1qybZp8JDdXiIpawNv8nbpJHcP4tnamUw3jb4_Tng50bZ0Vr10zn9_HLDkvSvXgbRoBLF3Lo0b1BoNshLyHx3iSA3xV59tG9ULnRR_u5bZKlCqZ9ic417RMBaVx5O7Hw/s640/cusp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like the days make a week make a month make a year - <br />
so a tile grows, slowly but surely, a little at a time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I wanted this tile to represent the cusp between two seasons, that point
where autumn segues into winter. I worked slowly over the course of a
week, laying down my string, my colour (Peerless watercolours), some
tangles to define the space, autumn tangles in one section, winter in
another. I considered shading using colour, but decided that smooth
blended graphite was the way to go.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTRU1uDe3FpoIHsuoGYjNw-OPHhPOfIM7ZhviNDQANPJ0QmVadEU7HZCQKAvE2PNjK5G8KfyKF4KAYx74Jbra5KusTL28atUZ-DSojSKG6CPAfF8zJa1mCAVitzeNWH3jlq0xIyjxUU8/s1600/autumn+%252324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="1600" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTRU1uDe3FpoIHsuoGYjNw-OPHhPOfIM7ZhviNDQANPJ0QmVadEU7HZCQKAvE2PNjK5G8KfyKF4KAYx74Jbra5KusTL28atUZ-DSojSKG6CPAfF8zJa1mCAVitzeNWH3jlq0xIyjxUU8/s640/autumn+%252324.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dance of two seasons.<br />
Defining the space - Marasu, <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-little-something.html" target="_blank">Miff</a>, Beadlines and Doodah.<br />
In the Autumn section - <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/11/how-to-draw-hollis.html" target="_blank">Hollis</a>, <a href="https://www.tangle-koeln.de/gelijoy/" target="_blank">Gelijoy</a>, Mooka Easy, <a href="https://www.zenjoy.ch/2016/01/28/tamisolo-eine-variante-von-tami-a-variation-of-tami/" target="_blank">Tamisolo</a>.<br />
In the Winter section - Arukas, Flukes, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2017/07/how-to-draw-hemp.html" target="_blank">Hemp</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2014/01/how-to-draw-fassett.html" target="_blank">Fassett</a>.<br />
And right at the middle, <a href="http://tickledtotangle.blogspot.com/p/uncorked.html" target="_blank">Uncorked</a> by Adele Bruno (my very first tangle friend and mentor).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There's lots of different tangles on this tile, more than I would
usually put together on a single piece – but the limited colour and
shading and the repeat of those black perfs with their tiny white
highlights helped unify and simplify the finished piece.<br />
<br />
As the last leaves fall and darken in our puddles, autumn waves
goodbye. Winter lingers on the threshold waiting to be invited in. It
can't be stopped whether you welcome it or not, but I plan on making
friends with it through the next few weeks with my final seasonal
Inklings.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-8675900077576683252019-11-21T10:43:00.002+00:002019-11-21T10:43:56.020+00:00the legacy of a leafWith just over a month left in this year I find myself tangling less. There's limited daylight to tangle by and I often have one eye
on Christmas planning. I'm spending less time with pen and tile, but
that makes tangle time feel all the more precious.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KOeYaQ3HJ0Y1uSv6aj_JdvyqCy7S7mN0qj-NlW0NYwWS_d_qVpIoRO-0uLCZof_JBUOvkh2b7KYgkJwSw2EZ1xSvtMdXQSrlNgKNQayDuGUmtH9iaq6Ue7hGh93iIQvdGDDgWJ5Vgfg/s1600/autumn+%252320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KOeYaQ3HJ0Y1uSv6aj_JdvyqCy7S7mN0qj-NlW0NYwWS_d_qVpIoRO-0uLCZof_JBUOvkh2b7KYgkJwSw2EZ1xSvtMdXQSrlNgKNQayDuGUmtH9iaq6Ue7hGh93iIQvdGDDgWJ5Vgfg/s400/autumn+%252320.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Nzeppel fills a band of <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/06/how-to-draw-shattuck.html" target="_blank">Shattuck</a> and a section of <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2017/08/how-to-draw-spoken.html" target="_blank">Spoken</a>.<br />I worked on Strathmore tan toned tiles, trimmed to regular size.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I remember <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2014/01/abstract-paleontology.html" target="_blank">meeting 'Nzeppel</a> - how my first use of it
coincided with my first experience of using an official Zentangle tile.
And of how it reminded me of fishnet stockings! I don't use it often,
and when I do it's usually just a small fragment of <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-nzeppel.html" target="_blank">Crazy 'Nzeppel</a>. But
I was interested to see how the tangle would fare in the full glare of
the spotlight. (While you're at it be sure to check out some of the <a href="http://enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com/2019/06/nzeppel-and-then-some.html" target="_blank">wonderful ways Margaret Bremner</a> uses this tangle!)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINy0QV5FfSSUPm1SoUIEkvN2WnFH4o1M-_zTBwHt7nmLvRibI__tQcsqcRbICjML9Ki9ll4V1DPl-GvrcWU8HqNQymXLfIMfcB67Xh85prj8O8p0kPDo1DgbHfMCnFjhYlFK2p2mQnvE/s1600/autumn+%252321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1191" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINy0QV5FfSSUPm1SoUIEkvN2WnFH4o1M-_zTBwHt7nmLvRibI__tQcsqcRbICjML9Ki9ll4V1DPl-GvrcWU8HqNQymXLfIMfcB67Xh85prj8O8p0kPDo1DgbHfMCnFjhYlFK2p2mQnvE/s400/autumn+%252321.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mostly regular 'Nzeppel fills a <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-bales.html" target="_blank">Bales</a> string.<br />No highlights but gently built up shading (using a 4B pencil)<br />makes Bales rise from the tile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I used other tangles as if they were strings, and then filled only with
'Nzeppel. It's a relaxing and forgiving tangle that really comes into
its own once you add simple shading. I considered adding white
highlights all over the tiles, but in the end just stuck with a tiny pop
of brightness on those two graphite gems.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAeCgap29qTkXmY4raoABG8lftINV0dIcnulyZQgxjbdWkO71vO0xg1GW3ivJufHRsPRGN-hXgr0fawt1iiYFb6_Gb-AH0FGS4J7ufahPDlpaMKuzCrMnSDVDo2UWaoaOWEJeHWmOWYA/s1600/autumn+%252322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1221" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAeCgap29qTkXmY4raoABG8lftINV0dIcnulyZQgxjbdWkO71vO0xg1GW3ivJufHRsPRGN-hXgr0fawt1iiYFb6_Gb-AH0FGS4J7ufahPDlpaMKuzCrMnSDVDo2UWaoaOWEJeHWmOWYA/s400/autumn+%252322.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Nzeppel fills an <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2014/01/how-to-draw-aquafleur.html" target="_blank">Aquafleur</a> - and two thin 'Nzeppel ribbons <br />add a finishing touch. A grey gem adds a little shine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'd been toying with the idea of trying something different with
'Nzeppel for a few months and I'd imagined tangling these tiles during
my Winter Inklings (I pictured fracture ice and frost patterns). But then I reached for three tan tiles, and noticed how
they grew to resemble the dried leaves of late autumn. All colour mostly
faded, leaving behind only the skeletons of who those leaves once were. Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-34810645072718585402019-11-06T15:03:00.000+00:002019-11-06T15:03:21.908+00:00full of beansLast week I enjoyed a holiday at home. Predominantly a week's rest, a
disconnection from the outside world, before the return to normality, all set to plough through the last couple of months of this year.<br />
<br />
After <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/10/unpacking-inky-month.html" target="_blank">Inktober and its tangling intricacies</a>, working with two pens and 3 tangles
on each ATC, I wanted something different, something easier and
therefore more mindful. I remembered I'd bought a sketchbook sometime
back that I hadn't used. It was from the wonderful The Pink Pig, a
British company that makes sketchbooks in all shapes sizes and colours,
and at very reasonable prices. I've got a couple in white, but this is
filled with their delicious Cappuccino paper (which is apparently 30%
made from recycled coffee cups)! It's a good weight (150gsm) - smooth
enough for the pen, with enough tooth to please the pencil, and such a
rich shade.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizHfA3kUUrWjdAM-9jlfKpIbq32uy-f_BEwsH3nUCvnCtacN3sFlW5h_odovLor0iMG2wjisI1vjMNijkbqN3187tPq4vTVWFFkM7yqev1WFxdpuQVWQKP0ry67aXL6JffDhUl3-Svfg/s1600/Holiday+project+%25232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1109" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizHfA3kUUrWjdAM-9jlfKpIbq32uy-f_BEwsH3nUCvnCtacN3sFlW5h_odovLor0iMG2wjisI1vjMNijkbqN3187tPq4vTVWFFkM7yqev1WFxdpuQVWQKP0ry67aXL6JffDhUl3-Svfg/s400/Holiday+project+%25232.JPG" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armed with just a bare minimum of supplies -<br /> the pad is A5 size (roughly 15x21cm).<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For my first piece I worked with two tangles that I struggled most with
during Inktober. One was <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2011/12/how-to-draw-jalousie.html" target="_blank">Jalousie</a>, which appeared in my second piece,
but I wanted to add some curve and movement and fun to it. The second
was <a href="http://teezeetee.blogspot.com/p/tangle-patterns.html" target="_blank">Trentwith</a>. A tangle which seemed to polarise people - some loved
it, some hated it, I just struggled to give it the attention it
deserved. Fellow tanglers gave me much encouragement, and now I
better understand the tumbled heart of Trentwith.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2pB9Q4_LCmaKq0jLYqQJes8FXlPQjBM2yt_5MQMPzQrau3SKAaspwSfy4Lt7EwHAwWurGVt-7XI1TmaFNukDD0D4dExbogjzwUi0eEt8pKqtzAEulytYgttGmG_aHOvgeiExbw91T0I/s1600/autumn+%252316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1169" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2pB9Q4_LCmaKq0jLYqQJes8FXlPQjBM2yt_5MQMPzQrau3SKAaspwSfy4Lt7EwHAwWurGVt-7XI1TmaFNukDD0D4dExbogjzwUi0eEt8pKqtzAEulytYgttGmG_aHOvgeiExbw91T0I/s640/autumn+%252316.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the benefits of a larger space - <br />
allowing the tangles to swoop and bloom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On my second piece I used an oval template to create my string. I filled
these initial ovals with bands of shiny, bulging <a href="http://enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com/2017/08/double-marasu-how-to.html" target="_blank">Marasu</a>. I then went
in and added a simple trinity of Mooka, Fescu and Printemps.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeUsSn1otPyXieLj3H1HvJqhApGQl0r1ulVOMmEdEPrDUyhbwlgtWW2Dlq7g2U0UWISkbdjPSYyENdd769i27GGaXiVeWBFnghrbO_h7qj3ovASWfG7D7MteEVk-SyaeHGblyLfkfaMI/s1600/autumn+%252317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1144" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeUsSn1otPyXieLj3H1HvJqhApGQl0r1ulVOMmEdEPrDUyhbwlgtWW2Dlq7g2U0UWISkbdjPSYyENdd769i27GGaXiVeWBFnghrbO_h7qj3ovASWfG7D7MteEVk-SyaeHGblyLfkfaMI/s640/autumn+%252317.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shading and highlighting come to life on this paper - <br />
the tangles look like burnished metal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I only tangled these two pieces all week – adding a little to them each day. Sometimes that's the most satisfying way to work.<br />
<br />
As autumn deepens in the weeks ahead, colour will depart from
my tiles, to mimic its steady fading as the natural world around us gets
ready for winter. But don't worry it may not be bright, but I'll do my
best to make it beautiful!Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-7839181303574660632019-10-31T11:54:00.000+00:002019-10-31T11:54:38.724+00:00unpacking an inky monthThis time last year I was writing about <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2018/11/knowing-when-to-stop.html" target="_blank">the 'failure' of my attempt</a>
to join in with Inktober. This year it's a different story, <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/10/dipping-autumns-inkwell.html" target="_blank">I started well</a> and managed to complete the entire month. I'm pleased with the
results and proud of myself. Sensible planning helped – I set my sights
realistically, knowing a tile a day would be too much. Instead I decided
to do every three days worth of tangles on ATC sized tiles.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWDL_sNbff_XB9GBPTGP7H37isUYdo4Nr8aGIWnhISibxRewaidi4EiOxSDUZP4QHpdmhp1kwVHzavrJGkxEFcDR7Kfh9sDpJ3gFjXnLMU-wtue5g-oJxB24zcgtUvSfxFTCYsbXDsgc/s1600/Inktober+2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWDL_sNbff_XB9GBPTGP7H37isUYdo4Nr8aGIWnhISibxRewaidi4EiOxSDUZP4QHpdmhp1kwVHzavrJGkxEFcDR7Kfh9sDpJ3gFjXnLMU-wtue5g-oJxB24zcgtUvSfxFTCYsbXDsgc/s640/Inktober+2019.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta-da! A handful of autumnal delights.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My Inktober experience brought pleasures both old and new from every
direction. I enjoyed a return to tan tiles - time away from certain
colour schemes has made me relish their rediscovery. I worked with
fountain pens in two colours (Diamine's Raw Sienna and Deep Dark
Orange). To begin with I was missing my black fine liner, with the all
the control it offers. But the more I used the fountain pens the more I
came to love their ways (not including the increased risk of smudging!) - and there's
something truly thrilling about the variety of coloured inks available,
and how economical and renewable they are compared to throwaway pens.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEdlyucTC4IQQUAuBoLSqE02BOfGRdLQG8Z-JTBj7PmtuExsZP41w76eac0nhb3uOj8l_urxatWFD3_Dp4dgVDqiDfmZQSKOErnOgeDHRGlJ519i8J3i3N7_mKofnR1C470h5BtkXPTE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEdlyucTC4IQQUAuBoLSqE02BOfGRdLQG8Z-JTBj7PmtuExsZP41w76eac0nhb3uOj8l_urxatWFD3_Dp4dgVDqiDfmZQSKOErnOgeDHRGlJ519i8J3i3N7_mKofnR1C470h5BtkXPTE/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Days 1 to 3 - Printemps, Tunnelvizion, Toodles<br />
Days 4 to 6 - Zonked, Jalousie, Flukes<br />
Days 7 to 9 - Huggins, Bales, Lola</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I tinkered about quite a bit before October began, both choosing my materials and deciding on a few embellishments that would carry a sense of unity across the tiles, and make them more cohesive as a group. I used lots of white gel dots on inked auras, as well as areas where I used the ink to make a paler wash, either left bare or tangled once dry - another benefit of working with liquid ink!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjY3sAhhWWhK6AFVtheqFmqVz8ssUcsjj_GTswsxGdc8pSutvcddkOZnq9D3r4T1Lq1T3vq4yXpQrkaXjT1naVaPv93IBiNr_ZQvhn0JQzrwRdjypoAZgf9RGHN3mEWfmr4xUlfadqn8/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1187" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjY3sAhhWWhK6AFVtheqFmqVz8ssUcsjj_GTswsxGdc8pSutvcddkOZnq9D3r4T1Lq1T3vq4yXpQrkaXjT1naVaPv93IBiNr_ZQvhn0JQzrwRdjypoAZgf9RGHN3mEWfmr4xUlfadqn8/s640/2.jpg" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="western">
Days 10 to 12 - Cubine, InaFlux, Floo<br />
Days 13 to 15 - Yin-Cut, Arukas, Mayhill</div>
<div class="western">
Days 16 to 18 - Trentwith, Dreamdex and Sindoo</div>
<div class="western">
Days 19 to 21 - Diva Dance, Antidots and Batumber</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was a pleasure to have my tangles chosen for me, doing away with the
need for decisions. I worked with familiar tangles I love (Arukas,
Antidots), some I struggle with (Tripoli, Ratoon) and others I rarely
use (Trentwith, Jalousie). Trying to fit three (and on the last tile
four) tangles onto relatively small tile made me think more about how
tangles connect or overlap with each other - an area I sometimes
struggle with. Links to all the tangles used can be found on <a href="http://www.everythingis-art.com/2019/08/inktober-tangles-2019-official-list.html" target="_blank">this year's list</a> - compiled with care by Stephanie Jennifer. If you didn't join in it's still a great resource to use at any point!<br />
<br />
Sharing my pieces every three days in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/7F5RSG/" target="_blank">7F5R Challenge Facebook</a>
group has added to the feeling of being a part of a community effort.
I've seen the wonders created by many of my friends, and I've discovered
new tanglers whose paths I've never crossed before. I've seen people
struggle and people soar - and I've seen 31 tangles used in a wild array
of different ways.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvt8R3bB-o8nu3wXhjoBt0zfa2h8ifAObda86y8yEf9gyIiosfl13INCJUCx0R178v2dasXqS3bkYXiQfZP_yjY0f5A9r8Rw2mnhg21-wyJAGDQ8pv5LPWvOFVnwURneAik8p0nQ6Ud8/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvt8R3bB-o8nu3wXhjoBt0zfa2h8ifAObda86y8yEf9gyIiosfl13INCJUCx0R178v2dasXqS3bkYXiQfZP_yjY0f5A9r8Rw2mnhg21-wyJAGDQ8pv5LPWvOFVnwURneAik8p0nQ6Ud8/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Days 22 to 24 - Abundies, Pixiose and Baton<br />
Days 25 to 27 - Tripoli, Ratoon and Crescent Moon<br />
Days 28 to 31 - Well, Well, Who, Kuke, Nik and Florz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Who knows what I'll find myself doing
next October, but for now I'm content to share these 10 tiles – a record
of a challenge completed, a tan-toned tangle adventure, or merely the
passage through one month of this particular autumn.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-33627820925523938942019-10-17T13:39:00.000+01:002019-10-17T13:39:46.807+01:00the patience of a leafAutumn strikes me as a season that won't be hurried. In its own time it carries the natural world from the warmth of summer through to winter's cold. Leaves steadily change colour, setting their own pace, deepening and darkening until they eventually drop. Each leaf will only fall when it's ready - and I like to imagine it's that waiting that allows those leaves to paint themselves in such stunning colours. <br />
<br />
I like to time my time over the things I enjoy - and so it was with this two tile piece. The tangling and shading took me a couple of hours. Steady progress - adding ink, then stopping at look at my tile, then adding a little more. The same with the shading and the highlights. Pausing often to look and ponder my tile helps me to appreciate the process as well as tweaking my tangling here and there to make it look the best it can. My tangling won't be rushed any more that the littlest leaf!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_gu5cVtQu4AdSQZz7d34iGr97rVruJVQ4kLVvTxgorScM-xt4kAbqalLDnJzYew4HzAVdBBe7AxpC-XMeMvDxv7r2mCq63zP03cv-mCI5rblGubazMf5EIAHguR7sDcqNs4f7gfvj-A/s1600/autumn+%252315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1600" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_gu5cVtQu4AdSQZz7d34iGr97rVruJVQ4kLVvTxgorScM-xt4kAbqalLDnJzYew4HzAVdBBe7AxpC-XMeMvDxv7r2mCq63zP03cv-mCI5rblGubazMf5EIAHguR7sDcqNs4f7gfvj-A/s640/autumn+%252315.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rich and warming - <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2016/05/how-to-draw-ginili.html" target="_blank">Ginili</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2014/09/how-to-draw-yuma.html" target="_blank">Yuma</a> and a <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-pokeleaf.html" target="_blank">Pokeleaf</a> variation.<br />Pigment ink, graphite, white pencil and Ivory Posca paint pen highlights.<br />Three shades of Brusho powders created the background - Sandstone, Terracotta and Burnt Sienna.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've made <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/search/label/Persian%20Mosaic" target="_blank">Persian Mosaics for Winter, Spring and Summer</a>
as well as exploring them in the original colours schemes suggested by
Marguerite Samama. Every time I work on these connecting triangles they
take me somewhere new and remind me that there is endless variety and
pleasure (not to mention value for money) to be had from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/689704591/persianmosaickit?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">Marguerite's carefully crafted kits</a>.Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-26587642593760516912019-10-09T14:35:00.000+01:002019-10-09T14:35:04.083+01:00dipping autumn's inkwell
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There is no unifying
theme to the pieces I'm sharing today other than their warming
autumnal tones and the fact that I've worked on them all within the
last week.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.everythingis-art.com/2019/08/inktober-tangles-2019-official-list.html" target="_blank">Inktober</a> is underway
once again. Last year <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2018/11/knowing-when-to-stop.html" target="_blank">I only made it to Day 3</a> before getting
hopelessly waylaid by the lovely Ginili. This year I'm doing better
- and I've made it to Day 9 so far! I'll hopefully blog about the
whole month once it's done, and share all my tiles and process then -
but in the meantime a couple of images to show what I've been up to,
especially to those of you who are not seeing my tiles every few days
in the Facebook group.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOccv5dX1kE7A1ag0_JQq42xSo85VsgLjdIqu-_pXbF2mf-UIW71pC-U5PUhD2JumiFkZMK5n62dUL0BwE4QOqZt5Imq-Ngj7rpQ4RS7TssL8NwvaZU1cbgq0dGr_fjSmXYm9_CtrK_Fw/s1600/Inktober.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1572" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOccv5dX1kE7A1ag0_JQq42xSo85VsgLjdIqu-_pXbF2mf-UIW71pC-U5PUhD2JumiFkZMK5n62dUL0BwE4QOqZt5Imq-Ngj7rpQ4RS7TssL8NwvaZU1cbgq0dGr_fjSmXYm9_CtrK_Fw/s400/Inktober.JPG" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A work in progress
photo – real inks in real pens, slightly scary but fun too</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVfE8XRQUL3f2S73r3mQYg-ofsrNCaq3zJ1wBOH5PtLjj2s0ZEOyjlz8Ja-P22iQFQUJ04sLVLId6qZlXaFH1ZYsLlpaTais5TsSSiiN0tYqVJSiY-0wNy_OxjbN23LO9nUsegbwNDwc/s1600/scan0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVfE8XRQUL3f2S73r3mQYg-ofsrNCaq3zJ1wBOH5PtLjj2s0ZEOyjlz8Ja-P22iQFQUJ04sLVLId6qZlXaFH1ZYsLlpaTais5TsSSiiN0tYqVJSiY-0wNy_OxjbN23LO9nUsegbwNDwc/s640/scan0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nine days, nine
tangles, three tiles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I've also had fun
exploring some new tangles recently. Sometimes the best way to get to know
a tangle is to simply fill an entire tile with it. Drawing
repetitively helps cement the shape in your mind and hand, as well as
allowing you to see how it fits together.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Singapore tangler
Debbie New recently shared the heart-warming story behind <a href="https://sevenforests.wordpress.com/2019/09/30/wingfrond/" target="_blank">her newest tangle, Wingfrond</a>. I held the connections and friendships that grow
from this shared passion tightly in mind and heart as I drew her tangle over
and over again. I decided to use a slightly larger piece of paper,
to allow the tangle to dance as freely as it chose to, and I like
extravagance of the result, but I am curious next time to try and
pack Wingfrond more tightly to see how that looks.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFm-r7LLBFQ7tnA8cskaSLMocaVkn9K95Z_p7XkJ4w3XIiMg6IRzggZbx-IxfE0GVlDZf81O7QiKrkw3go5OkFzcJSqBFkQgdisASLDnhM5s-A1Ah0b7rZfIBFW-XBjDW-GbCr-tFx1g/s1600/Autumn+%252313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="1600" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFm-r7LLBFQ7tnA8cskaSLMocaVkn9K95Z_p7XkJ4w3XIiMg6IRzggZbx-IxfE0GVlDZf81O7QiKrkw3go5OkFzcJSqBFkQgdisASLDnhM5s-A1Ah0b7rZfIBFW-XBjDW-GbCr-tFx1g/s640/Autumn+%252313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wonderful <a href="https://sevenforests.wordpress.com/2019/09/30/wingfrond/" target="_blank">Wingfrond</a> –
pigment ink and graphite on a 12x12cm piece of Medioevalis paper.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Autumnal colour was
added in places by blending two Clean Color Brush Pens.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
UK based Lucy Farran
had <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/10/how-to-draw-swooshi.html" target="_blank">a new tangle published recently on Tangle Patterns</a>. Apparently
Swooshi came about by replacing the C strokes of Molygon with an S
stroke instead. Lucy admits that the tangle doesn't fit together
quite as neatly as Molygon but it has a lively look – somewhere
between floral and fiery. As with Molygon the trick to drawing this
is to relax a little and allow yourself to get into the rhythm of the
strokes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOgTFLznJv1it1NQCv8fydWQaoBWmppRlk2p3Rc9wuCiMRkiCSzeTh6LwPmqoND7i0qmofTUjVs-c0A_qFbCySI-9EGdF9Q_IW_5K33Xch8hLm_tgp1c-3l4hyvuFLt_NcGtV8KqOnso/s1600/autumn+%252314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1191" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOgTFLznJv1it1NQCv8fydWQaoBWmppRlk2p3Rc9wuCiMRkiCSzeTh6LwPmqoND7i0qmofTUjVs-c0A_qFbCySI-9EGdF9Q_IW_5K33Xch8hLm_tgp1c-3l4hyvuFLt_NcGtV8KqOnso/s400/autumn+%252314.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sensational <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/10/how-to-draw-swooshi.html" target="_blank">Swooshi</a> –
pigment ink, graphite, watercolour brush pens.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This tangle has vast
potential for fills and quite by accident I found <br />that little blocks
of darkness between each piece looked quite appealing.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hanny Nura just started
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PRKqAAsuP/" target="_blank">a new month of her Full Moon Mosaic</a>. She invited us to work this time
within a suggested string on a Renaissance tile, with one section
coloured. She also introduced a new Zentangle official tangle, called
Hollis, which was recently shared at the recent Asian zenAgain event. </div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupGsz3lhVtZ4BQvdRa4Z2IuFf4bHWUyKEnHs8I78cEfoc-ZqZ6Gz7WVIN98mVsNonr4lo5ar92c4ouWIexohTHB98tCa2b3XJVEwFtfGYvyeYjoRRG0_Ulsypv7HJ9Hw-SVcHMgn7TYs/s1600/FMM+Oct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="1554" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupGsz3lhVtZ4BQvdRa4Z2IuFf4bHWUyKEnHs8I78cEfoc-ZqZ6Gz7WVIN98mVsNonr4lo5ar92c4ouWIexohTHB98tCa2b3XJVEwFtfGYvyeYjoRRG0_Ulsypv7HJ9Hw-SVcHMgn7TYs/s640/FMM+Oct.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
October Moon –
featuring Hollis, Bunzo, Cresent Moon, Tipple, Mooka - on a tan
Zendala, coloured with Terracotta Brusho, and shaded using black
micron, white gel, white and red chalk, graphite</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I rarely work on the official Renaissance tiles – their colour is
wonderful, but I find the surface so delicate for my rather
heavy-handed approach! However I worked slowly and carefully,
building up my colour and smoothing my white and graphite shading
without totally destroying the paper. Tentative and at times mildly
terrifying, but mindful and satisfying too.</div>
Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-2026965295953013372019-10-03T12:16:00.000+01:002019-10-03T12:18:56.219+01:00concentrically yours<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sometimes an idea catches hold of me and won't let me go - and that's what happened recently. Hanny Nura shares monthly prompts, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2HDxyoodOX/" target="_blank">for the September Full Moon Mosaic</a> she invited us to draw concentric rings on a round tile, colour each a different colour, tangle the bands and border with gold. People share their results and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/fullmoonmosaic/" target="_blank">a wonderful collaboration arises</a> – each person bringing their own interpretation to the theme. I shared the following tile in the Full Moon Mosaic Facebook group.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0Dwz5AedJqZIs3mvQVcqMw-Z2WPUw9l2yUT95aMfk2z9WZ169VQJMNANKgmaMgLO5k5s9iMMkxIhFk_AnStqLjPa0Md7YnNl4dUQ8_CQ4OhQJt1LUm5liOtZXKhmAfi1fH0LPlnutNM/s1600/FMM+Sept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="1520" height="485" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0Dwz5AedJqZIs3mvQVcqMw-Z2WPUw9l2yUT95aMfk2z9WZ169VQJMNANKgmaMgLO5k5s9iMMkxIhFk_AnStqLjPa0Md7YnNl4dUQ8_CQ4OhQJt1LUm5liOtZXKhmAfi1fH0LPlnutNM/s400/FMM+Sept.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My contribution to the September Mosaic - <br />
for the outer ring I used <a href="https://enioken.com/blog/braideddiviimage?rq=divi" target="_blank">Eni Oken's version of my Divi tangle</a>.<br />
And moving inwards - <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2018/03/how-to-draw-kaboom.html" target="_blank">Kaboom</a>, <a href="http://enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com/2015/08/pixioze-new-tangle.html" target="_blank">Pixiose</a> and <a href="https://www.tangle-koeln.de/gelijoy/" target="_blank">Gelijoy</a>.</td></tr>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
However, I didn't feel like I finished with the idea. So I prepared four more backgrounds with variations on the idea of concentric rings. I coloured these using just three Ecoline markers - although with greater and lesser intensity, and more blending on some pieces than others.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTus6D8xHhUvA8KYJ105s5537XwyuCUbiXDFLJ82IzFbSBTbiiMseNk5RONz4LuXBnK6eALsICNgT5Ispbsf9tc2alrBv8oxLOGqA4evD8wgRfQN355ycfG6jBnjdmXaK8n30gyTZzcyI/s1600/autumn+%252311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="1332" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTus6D8xHhUvA8KYJ105s5537XwyuCUbiXDFLJ82IzFbSBTbiiMseNk5RONz4LuXBnK6eALsICNgT5Ispbsf9tc2alrBv8oxLOGqA4evD8wgRfQN355ycfG6jBnjdmXaK8n30gyTZzcyI/s400/autumn+%252311.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken rings - filled with a rough <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/01/how-to-draw-ratoon.html" target="_blank">Ratoon</a>, with <a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs119/1101168872594/archive/1111336671154.html" target="_blank">Bunzo</a> between - <br />
black beads and shading almost managed to hide the gaps between my rings!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3QzlSkEEOWWP1IUUdU9bFG7iv5tsckBdiAGZMUephpjK-ezdTYQ3wum1UcTrrQiKL67Dle2XjX1aLhmRpkHr9AAqQJzyK3lr9Gr7rgQYSMTEqEQuqpebUDZ0XdKz6SRwfwNdlBDkwS0/s1600/autumn+%252310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1600" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3QzlSkEEOWWP1IUUdU9bFG7iv5tsckBdiAGZMUephpjK-ezdTYQ3wum1UcTrrQiKL67Dle2XjX1aLhmRpkHr9AAqQJzyK3lr9Gr7rgQYSMTEqEQuqpebUDZ0XdKz6SRwfwNdlBDkwS0/s640/autumn+%252310.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zem Button style shading brought this simple piece to life - <br />
rings of <a href="http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2016/12/on-fourth-day-of-3zs.html" target="_blank">Marasu</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/07/how-to-draw-doodah.html" target="_blank">Doodah</a> with a <a href="http://enthusiasticartist.blogspot.com/2018/09/printemps-and-then-some.html" target="_blank">Printemps</a> middle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On these last two tiles I found myself drifting away from using 'proper' tangles. Instead I was just drawing lines in repetitive ways, but that repetition in itself is very close to the notion of tangling. When I first started my Zentangle journey this would happen sometimes, but as I've got more used to the practice it happens less - and perhaps that's a sad thing to have lost? Following the pen with no destination in mind is sometimes just what you need to do.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVEICflPPxlLVcGlCBVeJamomjUzMwbu8gc_j3A7XBYonNZKz2RpSghhAShCedw-vlR2d2eLJ4ufV8lVyswz0MASCvsanrb-HnGh5oOWhdIqEJ-hPOeKUooyHr-N57jcfh9wFVc0Yt3Q/s1600/autumn+%252312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1269" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVEICflPPxlLVcGlCBVeJamomjUzMwbu8gc_j3A7XBYonNZKz2RpSghhAShCedw-vlR2d2eLJ4ufV8lVyswz0MASCvsanrb-HnGh5oOWhdIqEJ-hPOeKUooyHr-N57jcfh9wFVc0Yt3Q/s400/autumn+%252312.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I started by drawing an ogee shape mandala flower - filling each section in the same way.<br />
Without intention shapes that resemble familiar tangles start to appear - <br />
relatives of Antidots, Fescu and Msst hide in this glowing bloom.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71vF4IJDqtZSWjYkecc6v7wBgZFbByj1SAD0ksX0F3PXpoYVeUQGxtsKsl4FK-uvJPHZ1cIag2d_sFL3-2gEyJT2Hd-b9d_k_QM_WsXnQ1igs5BNM9G4VgPeyph0SlxvyzQQKOcfNNcE/s1600/autumn+%25239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71vF4IJDqtZSWjYkecc6v7wBgZFbByj1SAD0ksX0F3PXpoYVeUQGxtsKsl4FK-uvJPHZ1cIag2d_sFL3-2gEyJT2Hd-b9d_k_QM_WsXnQ1igs5BNM9G4VgPeyph0SlxvyzQQKOcfNNcE/s640/autumn+%25239.jpg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On this postcard I placed my colour in segments rather than rings - in a faintly <br />
pencilled grid I tangled leaf shapes with tiny Tipple to cover those wobbly edges!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
After recent rains gave way to sun the temperature has suddenly plummeted. Autumn can no longer be denied, summer slammed the door on her way out. Not many leaves have fallen yet in our garden, but they're getting ready – their colours are changing, and any day now they'll start to let go. We have evergreens to tide us through the colourless winter months, ivy and laurel - but the green on these tiles will be the last I use this year.</div>
Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-69813004772902566762019-09-25T12:00:00.002+01:002019-09-25T12:00:52.693+01:00step into my parlourIt's been almost 5 months since my last confession - since I last showed you my inner workings, the jottings and explorations that fill my sketchbook.<br />
<br />
As I browse online any new tangles I spot, or old tangles I'm reminded of, get doodled about with on the torn off papers from my page-a-day desk calendar. Roughly once a week I have a session where any of those tangles that I like I play with further in my sketchbook. I might copy the tangle faithfully and then try variations. I might see how two tangles work together.<br />
<br />
My sketchbook then becomes the resource for any tiles or pieces I'm working on. Often I use recent pages for inspiration, but sometimes I go back, pull out an old sketchbook and rediscover treasures I've long forgotten. For my recent <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/09/uneasy-explorations.html" target="_blank">Relaxagon Paradox tiles</a> I dusted off a page of Paradox variations from 2015! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwly7YxR82nBstYVmCUcjVyAyIR3Y-blZx_2z1p8Fy1c_5lrxT9u7ebv6R9Mdf8U_3rdNbbFNJNDKNCuGNGNuU29bDLJ1-Fu1Yxyuy1yfiM_S-tvM4K9_hTVlFxEPkxdtNxFXmEnE3EQ/s1600/scan0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="1600" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwly7YxR82nBstYVmCUcjVyAyIR3Y-blZx_2z1p8Fy1c_5lrxT9u7ebv6R9Mdf8U_3rdNbbFNJNDKNCuGNGNuU29bDLJ1-Fu1Yxyuy1yfiM_S-tvM4K9_hTVlFxEPkxdtNxFXmEnE3EQ/s640/scan0024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest - <br />
There are tangles here that I've used a lot - <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/05/how-to-draw-sikito.html" target="_blank">Sitiko</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/05/how-to-draw-saatin.html" target="_blank">Saatin</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZuvLjA8Cp/" target="_blank">Blind Membranart</a><br />
And those that have only had one outing so far - <a href="http://alicehendon.com/2019/05/line-dance-tangle/" target="_blank">Line Dance </a>and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/05/how-to-draw-s-vine.html" target="_blank">S-Vine</a><br />
And those that haven't yet made it to a tile but will when the time is right - the (missed named by me) <a href="https://www.musterquelle.de/2962-oritigol.html" target="_blank">Oritigol</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMhzQJWJbCkJoln_ERZjYaomHvgAjCCC0IN8VY-E4tmF3FUpJDWnTu0W15y2qEoCA7E3QEvrWdiqqxD15bumHuwsM22ZoyKx3ZC0OP-Trt5b7K2K4qbBBpgdKx1ah66uk0OxNYlq3jGM/s1600/scan0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1565" data-original-width="1600" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMhzQJWJbCkJoln_ERZjYaomHvgAjCCC0IN8VY-E4tmF3FUpJDWnTu0W15y2qEoCA7E3QEvrWdiqqxD15bumHuwsM22ZoyKx3ZC0OP-Trt5b7K2K4qbBBpgdKx1ah66uk0OxNYlq3jGM/s640/scan0025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest - <br />
A trio of Padrós tangles on this page - often challenging, always rewarding - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx_m3VKCnOm/" target="_blank">Tissoooh</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxys7rRidJi/" target="_blank">All Stars</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxgrFYPiwKs/" target="_blank">Taiga</a><br />
Revisiting <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2017/05/how-to-draw-dreamdex.html" target="_blank">Dreamdex</a> - which I struggled with on first meeting but am warming to now<br />
<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/06/how-to-draw-checkmate.html" target="_blank">Checkmate</a> and <a href="https://damy777.pixnet.net/blog/post/305111034" target="_blank">Salo</a> - both proving that simple tangles can be just as charming as complex ones</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbB4YUJCl9eh-cJm90kQb4uOqPDDIztwLyeC6MT_NtIzYOzpFnM2VmtXgMpDFkIu2qSRK3YGO3AbDpIjgRxBzWLA-O0Mcz0bfFHPyCcPBJDEC6ybaT0utSSuX13NHSRKi0WZBlqO2qOk/s1600/scan0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1531" data-original-width="1600" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbB4YUJCl9eh-cJm90kQb4uOqPDDIztwLyeC6MT_NtIzYOzpFnM2VmtXgMpDFkIu2qSRK3YGO3AbDpIjgRxBzWLA-O0Mcz0bfFHPyCcPBJDEC6ybaT0utSSuX13NHSRKi0WZBlqO2qOk/s640/scan0026.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest -<br />
New discoveries - <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terem13/15891343321" target="_blank">Matuvu</a> and <a href="https://tanglepatterns.com/2019/07/how-to-draw-windmill.html" target="_blank">Windmill</a> - both of which I love<br />
Spotting harmonious tangle pairings - <a href="https://www.boomeresque.com/seespan-a-boomeresque-continuous-line-tangle/" target="_blank">Seespan</a> and <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wink-and-tangle/9713638914/" target="_blank">Squirk</a><br />
Playing with the Ogee shape with nothing else in mind (bottom left)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh378wNhuqeMP1eVOdMb1wDbYDUWxaR390bsaJyuI_XfcIMIYiGXwhW8mPRxa8GwAfXuW-5PsRriDPLrSENErSUdES7BaEUpAcevAr1mZSA9-smGRyLlceDXDHyi0FXfBH0Fj7awcYf6VE/s1600/scan0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="1600" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh378wNhuqeMP1eVOdMb1wDbYDUWxaR390bsaJyuI_XfcIMIYiGXwhW8mPRxa8GwAfXuW-5PsRriDPLrSENErSUdES7BaEUpAcevAr1mZSA9-smGRyLlceDXDHyi0FXfBH0Fj7awcYf6VE/s640/scan0027.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Points of interest - <br />
The aptly autumnal <a href="https://www.tangle-koeln.de/gelijoy/" target="_blank">Gelijoy</a> and <a href="https://tickledtotangle.blogspot.com/2019/08/tips-for-tangling-ada.html" target="_blank">Ada</a> which was the star of <a href="https://tickledtotangle.blogspot.com/2019/07/its-string-thing-300-featuring-ada.html" target="_blank">a recent IAST show</a><br />
<a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2019/07/how-to-draw-kaas.html" target="_blank">Kaas</a> and <a href="https://blog.xuite.net/apple09108/wretch/587457254" target="_blank">RunCC</a> - two wonderful grid type tangles<br />
<a href="https://pattern-collections.com/index.php/patterns-by-name/s-2/sky-view/" target="_blank">Skyview</a> which takes much concentration and <a href="https://pattern-collections.com/index.php/patterns-by-name/v-2/violetka/" target="_blank">Violetka</a> which doesn't</td></tr>
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Working in my sketchbook is an invaluable part of my Zentangle practice - if you'd never tried it I'd encourage you to give it a go - you might be pleasantly surprised with where it leads you. And even if you don't fancy that, hopefully there are plenty of tangles here to take your fancy - I wish I could link to them all but that would eat up too much tangle time!Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-18615882892835669122019-09-18T11:20:00.001+01:002019-09-18T11:20:43.014+01:00uneasy explorationsThis week my tangling path led me back to the wonderful world of Relaxagons. I shared my first post about them in <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/05/one-foot-in-summer-other-in-spring.html" target="_blank">May</a>, my next in <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/06/six-sided-celebrations.html" target="_blank">June</a>. I've been hankering to get back to them for a while, and it was a pleasure to be working within their unique shape, with the careful guidance of Marguerite Samama's instructions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD30f27dF1RBZn1uLkkiuNdnygsmDL0V94zkmPnLBh1Jklvfrun8adZ7Bk4AE-O9-az03O48lCIhj6anmNh8hpv07f0FFU6_0AAuCGkG5BcZdZbPqU3Lwp9j8Hd0XvFKXchy7lZt-B7Fo/s1600/autumn+%25234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD30f27dF1RBZn1uLkkiuNdnygsmDL0V94zkmPnLBh1Jklvfrun8adZ7Bk4AE-O9-az03O48lCIhj6anmNh8hpv07f0FFU6_0AAuCGkG5BcZdZbPqU3Lwp9j8Hd0XvFKXchy7lZt-B7Fo/s640/autumn+%25234.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up - highlighted and shaded and with added Mooka on an orange tile<br />and with added dots and mini gems on a tan tile</td></tr>
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However, the next idea Marguerite invited us to play with proved a real challenge for me! She wanted us to focus on the tangle Paradox - a great choice as it's a lively geometric tangle which can dance neatly with a six-sided tile. But I have an very uneasy relationship with this tangle. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9mdOPp-gr6TKHA3FrZP0jN5hCxkRT1udY1YEkjVy-EmoJZXvgNw05_z3A3I0FtRnO6qBmglYx-BX6acPx0jfeP5xNWpl6yAAyIndGPxBaUpPMblR9NdEU5tFF4813wXg1cadMng3umU/s1600/autumn+%25237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1383" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9mdOPp-gr6TKHA3FrZP0jN5hCxkRT1udY1YEkjVy-EmoJZXvgNw05_z3A3I0FtRnO6qBmglYx-BX6acPx0jfeP5xNWpl6yAAyIndGPxBaUpPMblR9NdEU5tFF4813wXg1cadMng3umU/s400/autumn+%25237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft colours under <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2016/05/how-to-draw-ginili.html" target="_blank">Ginili</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2018/11/how-to-draw-divi.html" target="_blank">Divi</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/08/how-to-draw-cruffle.html" target="_blank">Cruffle</a> against a background of fan-style Paradox</td></tr>
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Early on in my tangling life I found it a real struggle to learn, as you can see from <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-straight-and-narrow.html" target="_blank">one of my earliest Paradox tiles</a>. Since then I'm able to tangle it without too much trouble, and I use <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/07/taming-leaf.html" target="_blank">a little pop of it</a> every now and then, or use <a href="https://raggedray.blogspot.com/2018/06/in-shadow-of-sun.html" target="_blank">the Paradox principle for other tangles</a>. But I don't particularly like the tangle. Despite those curves that appear it's so unforgivingly straight-lined, it's hard to get it to play nicely with other tangles, and it makes me feel utterly incapable when the time comes to shade it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyED-Mx_vOBZL5GqmVAF3SE60UdlBonDOEjB2gD2OfhQa03Wg7-B316vg7bo1H21exJVSBlIc_e-lvdLumJjoGY1VlagfvHO1wvpu1vlZUiFQHvl0aI2SCa9HBnDAPmBCUJdmeJ300at8/s1600/autumn+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1341" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyED-Mx_vOBZL5GqmVAF3SE60UdlBonDOEjB2gD2OfhQa03Wg7-B316vg7bo1H21exJVSBlIc_e-lvdLumJjoGY1VlagfvHO1wvpu1vlZUiFQHvl0aI2SCa9HBnDAPmBCUJdmeJ300at8/s400/autumn+%25236.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something more minimal - three ribbons of Paradox in my early autumn colours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But I'm not one to dodge a challenge - so I persevered and managed to tangle a handful of tiles, some of which I almost quite like, and in a few places I even started to soften a little towards this cold-hearted tangle!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxbAuDGysWRk2-aa7o_yr8H28juy52mnlUE6O-COJj1VUYxD3_8jPjAFD-VrOOfal-ahoiZayW6iiImnoTGlW_NnwEgiLWJZmCU5r6OQJQSHoOhoj5dURMPwRgBpu9iiRqMnuqkLY66A/s1600/autumn+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1362" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxbAuDGysWRk2-aa7o_yr8H28juy52mnlUE6O-COJj1VUYxD3_8jPjAFD-VrOOfal-ahoiZayW6iiImnoTGlW_NnwEgiLWJZmCU5r6OQJQSHoOhoj5dURMPwRgBpu9iiRqMnuqkLY66A/s400/autumn+%25235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite piece - Paradox in two sided shapes,<br />with <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/05/how-to-draw-nzeppel.html" target="_blank">'Nzeppel</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2010/07/how-to-draw-fescu.html" target="_blank">Fescu</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Paradox will never be a tangle I use often, or one which gives me great satisfaction to use, but that doesn't matter, as there are so many more to chose from, I can't expect myself to love them all. <br />
<br />
<b>If you'd like to buy the Relaxagons kit it's available from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/690550536/relaxagons-kit?ref=shop_home_active_1&fbclid=IwAR3aukSkeX5ycpJgMqr0ijht1U4RZ_yNlstBWUSyJb7frjAPNdtGauLo8Uw" target="_blank">Marguerite's Etsy store</a>. She also sells her Relaxagon tiles in different colours and paper types.</b><br />
<br />Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-33011215370408229802019-09-10T11:47:00.000+01:002019-09-10T11:47:13.547+01:00falling into autumnLast week me and mine took a week's holiday at home. Many gentle hours spent reading and snoozing and nibbling and cross-wording and resting and loving. And of course a little tangling too. I knew I wanted the opportunity to tangle, but that I also wanted to largely disconnect from the outside world. I didn't want to be going online looking for tangles - so what perfect timing that the new book by Alice Hendon arrived just in time. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncwZ6AixmOKnd30aH1ISNZKN1YnGOrePwEOHrRnJ_aDLjNr5VYe7o-EfS9iYHLOFE6kLY08BtcjK4X2JC6j0lkLRz-hy9rrUVYoBzTgcF5RdNVH_9J5DUIPz8gMqgi48uSbfvJhsOc1s/s1600/DSC_0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="1600" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncwZ6AixmOKnd30aH1ISNZKN1YnGOrePwEOHrRnJ_aDLjNr5VYe7o-EfS9iYHLOFE6kLY08BtcjK4X2JC6j0lkLRz-hy9rrUVYoBzTgcF5RdNVH_9J5DUIPz8gMqgi48uSbfvJhsOc1s/s640/DSC_0146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I began our holiday
armed with the book, a handful of pens and pencils, and three
postcards I pre-coloured <br />with Inktense bands that carry my late
summer colours through to my autumn palette.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Those of you who know my tangle shopping habits know that I rarely buy much without careful consideration. I own only five tangle books, and this is my sixth. But as soon as I heard about it I knew this would be on my shopping list. <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tangle-All-Around-World-Artangleology/dp/1083016539/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tangle+all+around+the+world&qid=1568110065&s=gateway&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Tangle All Around the World</a> (UK link to buy) is the latest in a series of books by the ever inspiring Alice. This one is a bumper compendium of tangles, tangles and more tangles. Alice put a shout out to tanglers in her Facebook group asking for contributions - and I was lucky enough to have eight of my tangles included in the book! In total the book contains 453 tangles from 50 people, spread fairly liberally through this wide world. There's also plenty of Alice's own tangles in here too - and many of them are mighty fine! You can find more details about the book, as well as sample pages <a href="http://alicehendon.com/2019/08/tangle-all-around-the-world-literally/" target="_blank">on this post by Alice</a>.<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97kK14wqrB9ZUjPNnQ7TXCYT8UhZQfviSuFaKWMLxoz9L2OV72CoaPaBFgnkiglivYwfkbXrT4CXIDQ8PEQSeXO64avkAi8tHEXY0BfOMQIwtvrqb2mXd0xngVS2hqWNHkk1piohaFaE/s1600/autumn+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97kK14wqrB9ZUjPNnQ7TXCYT8UhZQfviSuFaKWMLxoz9L2OV72CoaPaBFgnkiglivYwfkbXrT4CXIDQ8PEQSeXO64avkAi8tHEXY0BfOMQIwtvrqb2mXd0xngVS2hqWNHkk1piohaFaE/s640/autumn+%25231.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late summer colours tangled with - <br />
Paddle Pedal (Alice Hendon) - page 93<br />
Plicated (Sandra Strait) - page 45<br />
Echo Two (Sherri Lee) - page 25</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I'm impressed by the book. It feels like a quality product, well-sized
and robust. The tangles are packed in with no space going to waste, but
the step-outs are clear to see and easy to follow. Alice has divided the
tangles into sections grouped by tangle type - and while I initially
thought there were chapters I was less likely to visit I was soon proved
wrong. For instance Steampunk tangling has a section - and that's not
something I'm partial to, but of course all tangles are ripe for
reinterpretation - and something that started as a very mechanical
looking disc, turned into a fragile autumn flower (see Oscillator on my
final postcard). If I had to find one criticism - and I believe all
balanced reviews should try for one (!) - it's that some of the tangles
were a little similar to others, either others in the book, or others
published elsewhere.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6S0ZvdOP2SWXVB_GE8y0QNnnrxSeW83mxIJ7cJNkkgFatdLM_YJ9-ltdtMzNEJYZbiCycz1ZPU6qHwepj6MWj0Do6AloXt4EniBXhvKNfMmZM4_yD7dXZ3E6gWuiXlKUMZ4eSfSnQ5U/s1600/autumn+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6S0ZvdOP2SWXVB_GE8y0QNnnrxSeW83mxIJ7cJNkkgFatdLM_YJ9-ltdtMzNEJYZbiCycz1ZPU6qHwepj6MWj0Do6AloXt4EniBXhvKNfMmZM4_yD7dXZ3E6gWuiXlKUMZ4eSfSnQ5U/s640/autumn+%25232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer slides into autumn - tangled with - <br />
Flora Flower (Smita Toke) - page 84<br />
Instacon (Alice Hendon) - page 32</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For me the biggest plus point of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tangle-All-Around-World-Artangleology/dp/1083016539/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tangle+all+around&qid=1566496876&s=gateway&sr=8-2#customerReviews" target="_blank">Tangle All Around the World</a>
(US link to buy) is the ability to work offline, away from any screens
or devices. Mostly I'm able to pull tangles from memory if I want to
work unplugged, but sometimes you want to try new tangles without
trawling for them through a screen, and this book is perfect for that. I
discovered plenty of tangles I'd never seen before, and worked with
some new-to-me tanglers, and I know the book will be a resource I visit
again and again.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScC_gbQR6AyOxEtTBPHS6VWCoA5IqW9RHCTJ8Cmb0pgTzgs16zWNxeLLHre-dXeP8LkHZYb7goW05G3GN09Qx39iuhHJTbtdZYaVMiFh-g6K1LBZBOHE_UTyx389EaOAVExYroIS_xs0/s1600/autumn+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1600" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScC_gbQR6AyOxEtTBPHS6VWCoA5IqW9RHCTJ8Cmb0pgTzgs16zWNxeLLHre-dXeP8LkHZYb7goW05G3GN09Qx39iuhHJTbtdZYaVMiFh-g6K1LBZBOHE_UTyx389EaOAVExYroIS_xs0/s640/autumn+%25233.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn's arrival - tangled with <br />
Patchett (Donald Wilka) - page 43<br />
Tierso (Donald Wilka) - page 57<br />
Oscillate (Alice Hendon) - page 171</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When tangling my postcards I mostly stuck to using one tangle in each coloured section, but crossed the lines at times to better tie the sections together. I was pleased with the line work, but my shading went a little awry as these postcards had a challenging surface, both bumpy and slippery, and they resisted smooth use of coloured pencil or graphite. Had I not been on holiday I might have tested more thoroughly before I began, or chosen to shade differently, but this was about relaxed no stress tangling. So while the finished postcards may look a little rough and ready, they gave me great pleasure to work on - a little bit added here and there over the course of a lazy week, a week that took us from bright bone-warming sunshine to crisp blanket-craving autumnal nights.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQGDXQFUuiF9GgM10_DDL-5WPdb3CO3xViC7Q_vqL1Ab3WeXOVTbcSEDk6-T_ltxTmXWf8X40bJYUiqxgGeAzMhX7BJqz94k9OyuByd8oNBz8mwu2tcTld_yk_bDaFGCV1U9OCuKQMVE/s1600/holiday.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQGDXQFUuiF9GgM10_DDL-5WPdb3CO3xViC7Q_vqL1Ab3WeXOVTbcSEDk6-T_ltxTmXWf8X40bJYUiqxgGeAzMhX7BJqz94k9OyuByd8oNBz8mwu2tcTld_yk_bDaFGCV1U9OCuKQMVE/s640/holiday.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I ended our holiday a
bit more rested and ready to resume normal life, </div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
and with a panorama
of global tangling to show for it too!
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5537159100979010782.post-42504660688981405442019-08-29T14:09:00.000+01:002019-08-29T14:10:47.597+01:00a blaze of gloryWay back in March I was working from a list of botanical style tangles gathered together by UK CZT Lucy Farran. I got <a href="http://raggedray.blogspot.com/2019/03/no-sign-of-three-bears.html" target="_blank">halfway through the list</a> and then drifted to other things.<br />
<br />
As the UK was blasted with a burst of intense heat last weekend I decided to show botanicals at their most vibrant on 3 ATCs that I coloured using 3 watercolour brush pens in orange, purple and teal. I put little blobs of each colour onto the other tiles to better tie them together as a set.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifi1ogyZzxlpQxEVgyAEavaxvzhpWqCyOWEIWhi-69JRylde8it6wsG_6XzOpjrDtb1uFHFkZLqU3EqK2cjOfsPWh1jNoEOHg_teiJ6wCUiij_GMIsIuUdnadMHhIPHgpX-XqemdaXj7w/s1600/summer+%252320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="852" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifi1ogyZzxlpQxEVgyAEavaxvzhpWqCyOWEIWhi-69JRylde8it6wsG_6XzOpjrDtb1uFHFkZLqU3EqK2cjOfsPWh1jNoEOHg_teiJ6wCUiij_GMIsIuUdnadMHhIPHgpX-XqemdaXj7w/s400/summer+%252320.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangled with <a href="https://zenlilymoon.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-new-pattern-andromeda.html" target="_blank">Andromeda</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2013/10/how-to-draw-pozer.html" target="_blank">Pozer</a> and a grid version of <a href="http://shellybeauch.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-tangle-oke.html" target="_blank">Oke</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For each tile I used only 3 tangles from the list - one that could form a band, one grid tangle and one clump type tangle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM6Ie96fF2sovvmmVLU9QETfVl7kXpSeedlKwmHJlFWOGtT_7ChIRW1MO0Sm_trxjrTiD7NnRigDoAzlqeLzm6UPO_ygVzfh_e00W-Tsp4krApuiZJsTHGcliWoFkjpTbxLSb0PVdWic/s1600/summer+%252321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="840" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrM6Ie96fF2sovvmmVLU9QETfVl7kXpSeedlKwmHJlFWOGtT_7ChIRW1MO0Sm_trxjrTiD7NnRigDoAzlqeLzm6UPO_ygVzfh_e00W-Tsp4krApuiZJsTHGcliWoFkjpTbxLSb0PVdWic/s400/summer+%252321.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangled with <a href="https://beezinthebelfry.blogspot.com/2011/06/something-light-and-fluffy.html" target="_blank">Mumsy</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/07/how-to-draw-dooleedo.html" target="_blank">Dooleedo</a> and <a href="https://kunstkramkiste.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/neues-muster-jasmin/" target="_blank">Jasmin</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On bright tiles with limited space I had to work hard to avoid the tile becoming cluttered and the tangles overpowered. Dark auras and rounding at the final stage really helped refine the definition.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqVO0BaEKLfWxOr9ROaUdcvyo5lhyphenhyphen8fGrS4GlsB0DNFPbrrB5pbOKuLykepngKGLiNWhGa8LG3QgqY5MU0epm8Hx8rofllQ-JF_g3pUZDjdzAJOaa4iFTTaWozmEPTckPTTFRJsZouvY/s1600/summer+%252322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="866" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqVO0BaEKLfWxOr9ROaUdcvyo5lhyphenhyphen8fGrS4GlsB0DNFPbrrB5pbOKuLykepngKGLiNWhGa8LG3QgqY5MU0epm8Hx8rofllQ-JF_g3pUZDjdzAJOaa4iFTTaWozmEPTckPTTFRJsZouvY/s400/summer+%252322.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangled with <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2018/03/how-to-draw-ying.html" target="_blank">Ying</a>, <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2012/09/how-to-draw-aura-leah.html" target="_blank">Aura-Leah</a> and <a href="http://tanglepatterns.com/2018/03/how-to-draw-krokus.html" target="_blank">Krokus</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As a set I think they have a particularly late summer feel to them. They are bright, but a little overdone, the blooms are full but close to falling apart, or at least falling out with each other. It's like the party has reached its peak, soon it will start to disperse, and then all we'll be left with is the clearing away that is autumn.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvjI872zdbQ4mLLpR4CQMcErW__26euqD3FgS_4mosMpffD7Lz1Pm6rtslkAonNh4CIl-VS3qAoenUsEvL30KR3wJiXDJn_WNKNfb800_OJnsK1H6nPmKfK386qkhsiqXGLNfZMzh-E8/s1600/summer+%252319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="1466" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvjI872zdbQ4mLLpR4CQMcErW__26euqD3FgS_4mosMpffD7Lz1Pm6rtslkAonNh4CIl-VS3qAoenUsEvL30KR3wJiXDJn_WNKNfb800_OJnsK1H6nPmKfK386qkhsiqXGLNfZMzh-E8/s640/summer+%252319.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the wave - this piece measures roughly 11 x 8 cm. <br />
It's tangled on a piece of Medioevalis paper which I finally bought following numerous recommendations.<br />
The colours are the same as on the ATCs but my scanner really disagrees with the orange!<br />
Some tangles you see here - Mooka, Esher, Gelijoy, Tipple, Bales, Flukes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've also been working on this piece, albeit very slowly. I started it about a month ago and added a little bit here and there every so often. Usually I like to leave significant space on my tangled pieces, but sometimes I like the feeling of cramming lots of tangles in with little room to breathe. There's not a lot of space but they look like they're having fun!Ragged Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01887110300818782093noreply@blogger.com4