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.
Each had its own challenges, but I feel I have a few options to work with when I choose to use these patterns.
I worked in black and white, using a Pitt matt graphite pencil to add shade. That is unusual for me; usually, I like to work with colour.
Although not every section has had shade added, nor has the line weight been adjusted, I’m happy with what I produced. It will be added to my sketchbook, which is fast becoming a repository of ideas and inspiration!
However, those curveballs helped me to better understand the tangle. They also helped me discover some interesting variations and a beautiful flower bud too!
I tried adding some texture lines and patterns to the petals, but they just didn’t feel right. However, using colour to add shadow and highlight worked well. To do this, I used Inktense pencils and a water brush. They reacted in some surprising, but nice, ways with the Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves and Villainous Potion) I’d used to add colour to the paper.
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!
Slowpoke, by Cris Letourneau CZT, looks complicated, but it’s actually quite simple to draw, one step at a time! The fun comes in adding embellishments, which I did with a gold Uniball Signo gel pen. The central coloured panel with Slowpoke on is the only part that I did during today’s video on YouTube.
I coloured the paper with various Distress Inks before I started to draw. In person, the colours aren’t so garish, honest!
Around the panel with Slowpoke on, I’ve added a border of stylised flowers and leaves, all in a very Arts and Crafts Movement style. I need to fill out a couple of areas a little more, but I quite like the simplicity of the coloured panel with the black and white and rather dense border around it.
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.
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.
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!
After losing this morning’s video (or so I thought – more later!), I decided to have another go at Finery and record it.
I started with an A6-sized piece of mixed media paper and used the black side of a piece of Cut’n’Dry foam to add Distress Inks – Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Saltwater Taffy and Spiced Marmalade. These colours gave a warm, almost autumnal feel to the paper, a contrast to the grey-green paper I’m using for my Inktober Tangles sampler.
Next, it was time to tackle Finery for the second time today. This wasn’t without some trepidation. I know how this tangle vexes me. I decided to use a plumptious Sumu motif for the finery grow from. After drawing that, I added the veins of the Finery. A happy accident led to the multiple leafy stoppers on these.
Then, it was the tricksy bit, adding the lines to create some Finery.
And would you believe it, I actually did it as the pattern was intended! I was shocked but pleased.
I used Inktense pencils (Thistle, Sienna Gold and Dusky Purple) to add the shadows. Finer 01 and 03 Unipin pens allowed me to add the filler patterns into the reticular (grids) of the Finery. Finally, a white 05 Gelly roll let me add subtle highlights, which make a difference.
I’m actually pleased with the outcome. This made a nice change from the Inktober Tangle sampler and from some other art I’ve been playing around with lately.
The curious case of the self-deleting file…
The mystery of the deleted video file has been solved! I saved this file and couldn’t find it. Then, I remembered I’d updated the video editing software I use and hadn’t changed where I, not the software, wanted the videos saved.
So, I went on a hunt to seemingly the most arcane regions of my computer’s hard drive. I couldn’t find anything. And then I was struck with a flash of inspiration – open the app in the software for recording from cameras and see where it’s saving it!
Ta-da! I found not only this video but the one I thought I’d deleted by mistake! I chose to go with this video for a bit of a change from the Inktober Tangles sampler.
Art is the Adventure 