pen drawing

Hollibaugh and Kwazeela – Days 24 and 25 of Inktober Tangles 2022

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Click on this link to watch the accompanying video tutorial on YouTube

Today’s tangle pattern is “Hollibaugh” by Zentangle Inc. It forms the white ‘beams’ that overlap and form the gaps between them. Instead of adding patterns to the beams, which is what I would usually do, I decided to add patterns to the gaps. In some of these gaps, I added Kwazeela, a lovely leafy tangle pattern by Eni Oken CZT.

I drew all of this design in today’s video, but I added the colour and highlights while the video was uploading and processing. To add colour, I used Ohuhu markers and a white Gelly Roll pen to add the highlights.

It was a nice way to spend a couple or so hours while I recover from a bout of tiredness, headache and upset digestive system as side effects of my ‘flu jab on Saturday.

“Thistle” – An Art Nouveau Inspired Drawing

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I’ve spent some time over the last day or two looking at Art Nouveau flower designs. I was particularly fascinated by a thistle design.

This is my interpretation of the design drawn with Copic Multiliner SP pens (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5) on paper. Then, after scanning the drawing, I added colour digitally using Clip Studio Paint. So, this counts as ‘tradigital’ art!

I chose a simple colour palette; I was inspired by William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau. And, the colours are more mellow than is, perhaps, characteristic of my work.

The version on the left has just flat colours, no shade or highlight; I let the contour lines suggest volume. This is more true, I think, to the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau.

To the version on the right, I added some shadows and highlights, but subtly for me. And even though they are subtle, they have a distinct effect, which surprised me.

These show just two of the many coloured backgrounds I tried out. This is why I love adding colour digitally! It’s so easy to try out different colour combinations, methods of adding colour, and so on.

Which version do you prefer?

I like them both, but I think the one on the right is my favourite; I like the stronger background colour which allows the flower to ‘pop’. I also think the subtle shadows and highlights do add a little something to it too.

“TagH” and “Walk the line” | Inktober Tangles 2022, Days 19 and 20

Angela PorterLeave a comment
To view the accompanying drawing tutorial on YouTube, click on this link.

Two lovely tangles today- TagH by Zentangle and Walk the line by Chris Titus CZT.

I really enjoyed trying out different shapes in the leafy Tagh. There are just so very many possibilities for this kind of pattern. I’ve long used this pattern in my artwork without knowing it was a Zentangle pattern!

Walk the line reminds me so much of eroded rock strata and microscopic images of cells. It’s a lovely contrast to Tagh. Again, it’s a pattern I’ve often used in my own art, and it’s nice to find it’s also been added to the ever-growing library of tangle pattern step-outs!

Inktober Tangles 2022 – Days 16 and 17 – Dinovel and Lollywimple.

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Click on this link to view the accompanying drawing tutorial on YouTube.

Today, I took a look at two quite delightful #zentangle tangle patterns – Dinovel by Susan Yeo CZT and Lollywimple by Sally Hunter CZT.

The fabulously floral Dinovel lends itself so easily to variations, only a few of which I drew.

Lollywimple is an interesting and lovely pattern that I haven’t used before, as far as I know. It reminds me of a knobbly branch, and so I kind of used it that way.

I really did need a calm, quiet start to my day. Indeed, I still need a calm quiet day.

Inktober Tangles 2022, Day 15 – “Noom” or “Noom Repus” by Zentangle Inc

Angela PorterLeave a comment
Click on this link to view the accompanying video drawing tutorial on YouTube.

Noom, or Noom Repus, is a lovely interlinked tangle, a chain, leaves, or shells if you will. It is a tangle that vexed me until I saw a tutorial video a long while ago, and suddenly the pieces fell into place.

I have to say, it’s not a tangle pattern that I’ve used often in my work, but after playing around with it in this video, I’ll try to use it more often!

I tried out some variations with Noom and found that it does lend itself quite well to embellishments, particularly in ‘auras’ around it. Adding colour to create shade and light does bring out the curvy nature of each part of this design.

Of course, this is for my sketchbook, so it’s not finished. It really was just working with the pattern to see what I could do. And of course, that sparks off lots of ideas for other variations further down the line.

Inktober Tangles 2022 – Day 14 “Slidehat” by Karin Frank

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Click on this link to view the accompanying drawing tutorial on YouTube

I had a lovely time drawing many variations of Slidehat by Karin Frank earlier today.

Although not all the ‘hats’ worked out well, they were still fun to explore as possibilities. As this is a sketchbook page, the permission to experiment, explore, and try things out is implicit. A sketchbook is a place to do all these things and more. You can finish a piece of art or not. You can show people or not.

A safe place to be artful, that’s how I think of my sketchbooks more and more. I put too much pressure on myself to always finish a drawing, to have it polished and “imperfectly perfect”. If I don’t finish something, I can beat myself up. But I’m learning that in a sketchbook, I can do all I need to learn, grow, and develop. And sometimes that includes knowing when enough has been done!

It may take me a long while to be able to set aside my perfectionism to fully embrace this, but like everything in life, it is a work in progress!

Inktober Tangles 2022 – Day 8 – “Snack” by Tomàs Padrós CZT

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Please click on the “Watch on YouTube” button.

Snack is a lovely pattern and Tomàs Padrós CZT has created a great step out for it, which includes lots of suggestions and variations.

I have to say, it is a motif I’m familiar with, probably early Celtic art or architecture. It was great fun for me to draw, and in keeping with my rather higgldy-piggldy arrangement I chose to use it in that way. As a nod to the architectural origins of this pattern, to me anyway, I’ve worked with shadow and highlight to practically ‘scuplt each ‘snack’ element. I particularly like the ‘half snack’ versions; again, they are familiar to me but not connected to Zentangle, and there’s nowt wrong with that at all!

Inktober Tangles 2022 – Days 4 to 6 – Souk, Molygon and Heartfully

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Click on this link ot see the accompanying draw with me video on YouTube.

I’ve added the next three tangles in the #InktoberTangles2022 challenge to my drawing. I’m fairly happy with how it’s looking, but not too chuffed with my photography/scanning skills! I seem to be able to do a fairly good job when it comes to steam locomotives, but when it’s my artwork… *rolls eyes*. But I’m sure you get the idea!

Here’s the list of tangles added in today’s video:

Day 4 – Souk by Steph Kiefhaber CZT

Day 5 – Molygon by Zentangle Inc

Day 6 – Heartfully by Helen Willams CZT

These are all lovely tangles. Souk caused me some problems and with them an unexpected variation. Molygon I’ve not been able to draw successfully before. Heartfully is a lovely tangle, but not as easy to draw as it seems!

I’ve added a lot of white highlights with either a Sakura Soufflé pen or an 05 Gelly Roll. I like the way the white seems to glow against the grey-green colour of the paper I’m working on (it’s not the pale green it appears in the scan above!). Also, I’m so glad I’m sticking to a colour palette of greens with a blue-green aquamarine.

I wish I hadn’t added colour to the title label, however. For some reason it’s really patchy. I’ll work out how to improve it, eventually.

I’m going to add background shadows/highlights when the whole page is complete. But I have added a background pattern to a couple of areas at the top of the design.

Layers upon layers! A Zentangle Inspired #DrawWithMe

Angela PorterLeave a comment
Click on this link to watch the accompanying YouTube drawing tutorial.

One of my lovely YouTube subscribers asked if I could look at some zentangles by Patrica Aragon (myzenarts.ctz on Instagram) and see if I could do some artwork inspired by her work. As a YouTube drawing tutorial, of course, he asked.

Well, I looked at the artwork and then did my own version. It took a little over an hour to get to where it is in the drawing above. And there it remains until I decide how to complete the picture. If I’m going to, that is.

It was an excellent way to spend Saturday lunchtime.