Zentangle Inspired art

Zentangle Cartouches

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Over the past two or so days, I’ve not been feeling quite right. I’ve spent a lot of time cwtched up in bed, and about the only art I’ve felt like doing is small projects that I don’t feel overwhelmed by.

Zentangle Cartouches

I saw the idea of zentangle cartouches on the Zentangle YouTube channel a little while back and wanted to give them a go. I’d done one a little while ago where I’d used some vintage rose ephemera from a set of Tim Holtz’s Field Notes ephemera on a piece of natural coloured mixed media paper. I wasn’t at all sure with what I’d ended up with. However, I did want to revisit this idea once again.

So, I decided to explore the idea of cartouches once again. This time, I used smaller pieces of creamy Fabriano Medioevalis paper, which comes sized to 3.3″ x 5.2″ (85mm x 132mm), with lovely rough edges. This is really soft paper, the surface is easily damaged by using a tortillon too roughly.

I added the focal points, again from the Field Notes ephemera by Tim Holtz, along with some little quotes. The quotes are from the sets of ‘chit chat’ stickers, again by Tim Holtz. These items are in my stash from the days I messed around with mixed media, before I realised it really wasn’t quite for me. I admire what people can do with mixed media, but I just never seem to have found my way with it in a way that I’m happy with. I’m much happier wielding a pen (on paper or digitally) with love and a creative heart, than getting rather messy and frustrated with mixed media.

My Reflections on these Cartouches

Anyways, I’ve had mixed results with these experiments in cartouches. My favourite is ‘trust your crazy ideas’, closely followed by ‘be you, bravely’, then ‘treasure. ‘stay curious’ and ‘don’t forget to fly’ are very close to these in how much I like them.

‘trust your crazy ideas’ just seems to have colours and patterns that work harmoniously both with each other and with the mushrooms. Perhaps I got a little close to the motif with the pen work, something for me to consider with future projects of this ilk.

‘trust your crazy ideas and ‘be you, bravely’ are both designs that have a small number of different patterns on them.

‘treasure’ is similar in that respect, but it feels unbalanced. I think I need to consider where I put the central motif; more centrally may work in my favour. ‘stay curious’ is a much more balanced design than ‘treasure’, because I consciously decided to mirror the patterns used, even though the motif was not placed centrally.

‘don’t forget to fly’ is just not a coherent design at all. I like the borders and the seed pods around the motif, but then it all goes weird.

However, I’m really not at all pleased with ‘live gently upon this earth’. It’s incoherent, too many colours, and the words and motif are just not balanced at all. I would’ve been better with not adding the words to this one in the first place.

Actually. It may be that I don’t add the words until the design is finished, at the bottom as a kind of plaque or border, or floating over an area of the cartouche with a border around them, or just not use them at all. I need to experiment with these.

My own ephemera designs?

I also know I’m quite capable, I think, of drawing my own ‘epehemera’ to add as focal points. However, as I tend to draw at a much bigger scale, I’d either need to scan my drawing in, or draw digitally, and reduce the scale before printing them out. At this time, I have a laser printer, which is great for printing documents and so on but not so much for artwork. It changes the surface properties of the paper used. Also, I can’t use specialist art paper with the printer. If I’m going to go down this route of arty expression I think I need to consider changing this printer for an inkjet printer again, especially one that has waterproof, or at least water resistant, ink.

What to do with my artwork?

My home is increasingly becoming filled with my artwork. Most of it I have digital versions of them – either scans or photographs. I do need to decide what to do with my artwork as I really do need to let it go to new homes. Any suggestions, drop me a comment!

Also, I have a problem with putting a price on my artwork, if I were to sell it. I have absolutely no idea of what it’s value could be to other people, or even if anyone would want to purchase it. Again, any suggestions, drop me a comment! Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Template Thursday

Angela PorterLeave a comment

It’s that time of the week once again!

If you’d like to print and colour this template, then pop along to the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group. It’s free to join and the template is free to members, with just a few sensible Terms and Conditions of use to follow.

This week, it’s a rather typically Angela Entangled style template. There’s lots of larger spaces that are perfect for you to add patterns or textures.

Template drawn with Unipin pens on A4 cartridge paper.
Colour and texture added digitally.

Zentangle-style drawings.

Angela Porter1 Comment

Two drawings today, both done over the night as I couldn’t sleep as I really wasn’t at all well.

The larger one is a Zentangle ‘cartouche’. The central floral image is from one of Tim Holtz’s Ephemera packs. The paper is natural coloured mixed media paper by ClaireFontaine. I used a mixture of black, gold and rusty-red pens to draw the frame around the image. To add colour and shadow I used a mixture of pastel and graphite pencils, along with some tortillons. The design is approx. 12.5cm x 16cm (approx 3″ x 5″).

The smaller design is approx. 13cm x 8.5cm (3.3″ x 5.2″) in size. The paper is a piece of Medioevalis paper by Fabriano. This is lovely soft, gently textured paper that has a high cotton content. It’s easily damaged by the use of tortillons, however. So, I did add some shadows with a graphite pencil, but then added colour with Inktense pencils, brush and water. The paper really works well with wet media it seems. To draw the design I used a black fineliner, a brush pen and white and gold gelly roll pens.

I saw the ideas of cartouches, as a decorative frame around writing or image, and Zentangle designs on a youtube video and wanted to try it out. I decided to do that in the dark depths of the night when I wasn’t able to sleep. I may very well experiment with this idea as time goes on – particularly using drawings of my own as the focal point. I’ll see how it goes.

Entangled roses? WIP

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Yes, another WIP (work in progress). I’m fairly happy with the drawing, and I may re-draw it with less detail for this week’s coloring template. I’ll see how I get along.

This one is vexing me in terms of adding colour. I think that because elements of this are far less abstract my brain kicks into making things like life. I think I need to find a way to kick my brain into using shadow and light to bring dimension rather than focusing on colour.

This frustration may be because I’m feeling more than a little anxious and a bit like a startled rabbit. I have an appointment in a short while, and that means going into the world where there are people.

Design drawn on A4 heavyweight cartridge paper with Unipin pens.
Background and colour added digitally.

Monday Mandala

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Monday is mandala day! I never tire of creating mandalas, Angela style. It’s always a really lovely way to spend Monday morning and some of the afternoon.

This weeks is a combination of some organic patterns with quite geometric designs. There’s some Zentangle patterns in the design for sure.I’ve used a vintage colour palette once again.

I haven’t used any black outlines for this mandala. I’m not sure which way I prefer – black line drawing or not. Drop me a comment to let me know which you prefer.

Entanglement WIP

Angela PorterLeave a comment

A little more colour added to this drawing, including some shadows and highlights to the areas of background colour. I always have a lot of fun and fascination adding shadows and highlights and the illusion of dimensionality the add to the design.

I’m still really enjoying the vintage-y, steampunkish colour palette.

As it’s sunny here, if a tad blowy and cool, I’m going to call it a day working on this art. Instead, I’m going to try to muster the courage to go out into the world and take a walk, and if not a walk, a drive long enough to top up the battery on Binky, my SmartCar.

Friday entanglement – WIP

Angela PorterLeave a comment

I always relax, feel my whole body let out a sigh of relief as I work on drawings like this one. Purely abstract, line and pattern being the focus, with healthy doses of black giving a very graphic feel to the design.

Playing with line width and pattern to bring layers and depth to the design is always something I’ve enjoyed.

I start with one single line, shape or motif and go from there instead of having an overall plan for the design all sketched out and ready to go. I like this organic, intuitive way of letting the design grow, developing it one pen stroke at a time.

I’m learning, slowly but surely, that areas of white space can be a powerful part of the overall design. It’s been a long journey to realise I don’t have to fill the whole sheet of paper with line and pattern.

I need to have a lot of trust in the whole of this process; that something pleasing will be created after hours of work with very fine nibbed pens.

What next when I’ve finished the pen-work? Do I add shadows, colour, highlights with traditional media or digitally? Do I just add a background coloured/textured paper? Do I leave it in it’s very graphic black and white?

Working digitally with a scan of the finished drawing allows me to experiment, though I’ve yet to work out how to add shadows in the way a blended graphite or pastel pencil would do. And I do have a tendency to use much brighter, saturated colours than I would with traditional media.

Perhaps it’s time I sorted out my own digital colour palettes from my traditional media. That is something for another day, however. For the rest of the day, I’m going to lose myself in completing this drawing.

Template Thursday

Angela PorterLeave a comment

This week, my template for members of the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group is a typically entangled one – full of Zentangle-style patterns, arches, a few flowers and organic motifs added, but mainly purely abstract. Great fun to add colour to!

This template was one I had doubts about whether it was ‘right’ or ‘good enough’. It wasn’t until I added colour to it that I realised it was just fine. I’ve chosen, yet again, quite a vintage colour palette, with a couple of brighter spots here and there.

This often happens to me. I’m really not happy with a drawing, but then I add colour and it magically transforms into something that I’m quite happy with. The colour is the flesh on the line-work skeleton. It’s quite magical!

The template is free to members of the facebook group, and you’d be made most welcome as a member should you wish to colour this template, or many others that are available there.

Creativity is…

Angela PorterLeave a comment

A little bit of wisdom on a Wednesday. A Zentangle frame and a quote. Vintage colour palette. Geometric patterns, repeating patterns, all put together to try an idea I woke with out. Whether it works or not, I don’t know. But was fun creating this little bit of art.

There are bits I’m not too happy about, the shadowing behind the humpy bumpy border around the quote itself in particular. But you have to try things out. No matter what they end up like, there’s always lessons to learn, things to store away for future use. And this, perhaps is one of those things.

Tuesday Tangles

Angela PorterLeave a comment

A pair of tangled drawings today.

The tall, thin one is approx 10.5 cm x 29.7 cm in size – a piece of smooth, heavyweight cartridge paper. Colour has been added with a mixture of fineliner pens and graphitint pencils with a damp brush.

The smaller tile is 4″ x 4″ (10cm x 10cm) piece of the same paper. Again, I’ve used graphitint pencils and a damp brush to add colour. A white gelly roll pen has been used to add highlights to the image.

Both drawings have also had shadow added with a graphite pencil and paper tortillon.

I love the graphic nature of a pure black and white drawing. However, there is something almost magical in the way that colour and shadow/highlights can bring a drawing to a lucious 3-D appearing work of art.

I’m also loving the softer tones of the graphitint pencils with a damp brush. The water activates the colour a little and allows me to drag it out to create a gradation of colour, along with a darker, shadowed area.

The cartridge paper is not the best for using damp brushes on, but the texture that results actually isn’t all that bad.

My mind is wandering to the square tile, and wondering if I could create it in polymer clay … a thought to try out at a later time, maybe.