Zen and the Art of Tangle

Hidy Ho crafty peeps,

I'm here to post the card I did for the challenge over at 

Craft Your Passion  (CYP) for their "Kraft" challenge 

sponsored by A Day for Daisies (one of my all-time faves)... 

But, before I do that...I wanna tell you what I've done gotten myself into.

For months now, Jodi has been dangling a carrot in front of me--a very tasty one at that. Instead of just drooling over it, I finally grabbed it and took a big old chomp out of it. I don't know what took me so long. I guess I had to mentally prepare myself for what I was certain was gonna be a life-changing art form. An art form that was tailor-made to fit my twisted creativity. Yeah...it's that AWESOME.

I'm talking about Zentangle.

For those of you who have never heard of Zentangle...I feel sorry for you. It's an art form that has actually been around for CENTURIES, but has recently been wrapped up in a very palatable little creative package and lovingly delivered to the awaiting arms of artists everywhere. Young, old, novice or pro...ANYONE can do it...one stroke at a time.

A very talented duo (Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts) gave name, structure and methodology to this "new" art form with very ancient roots. They named it...Zentangle. Basically it's an artistic form of meditation. There are several tenets, if you will, associated with Zentangle. It's a deliberate practice of the free-form drawing of repetitive patterning combined with deep breathing and concentration. Erasers are not allowed. Ever. As in all forms of art...there are no mistakes in Zentangle. There are, however, what I like to call "flopportunities". A flopportunity is merely an opportunity to employ one's creativity.

Now, I could have just set out on my own and tried my hand at this...but I wanted a "proper" introduction into this art form. I found a certified Zentangle teacher (CZT) on the official Zentangle website. They have a listing of CZTs all over the world. I just happened to find one in my area and I set up a 1:1 private class with her...here in my studio. Her name is Jackie. And she is REALLY good at Zentangle. She and I hit it off immediately. Kindred art souls and all that...if anyone out there in the Dallas area is looking for a Zentangle instructor...let me know, and I'll hook you up with Jackie.

We spent about 4 hours together...creating, talking, lunching. It was a wonderful afternoon. The only thing that would have made it better was if Jodi had been here with me.

Here is my very first Zentangle "tile"

There are 4 different patterns on here: (from upper L to lower R)...Flux, Crescent Moon, Cadent and Hollibaugh. I breathed, I relaxed, I chatted...and I drew.

So, it was then and there that I was hooked--line, sinker and the whole rod and reel.

Zentangle has quickly become a very dear friend. I was born to Tangle. Truly.

For my CYP challenge, I decided to use my newly-found favorite technique in conjunction with ANOTHER technique that I've been reluctant (ok, scared to death) to try--  

No-Line Coloring. 

I bit off a big old bullet and combined BOTH of these techniques for this card. And, if I do say so myself...they go together like peanut butter and honey. I used the luscious "Sun Flower Girl" image from A Day For Daisies. With an image like this to work with...how could it turn out to be anything BUT beautiful?? My bestee, Jodi (of Kaboo Designs), also used this same image for her project...be sure to go look at her blog when you're finished here! Click HERE for the link.

I printed out the image on Kraft paper using light brown ink...just dark enough for me to sort of see the lines. I colored her skin, hair and the flowers and birds with my Prismacolor colored pencils...then, I Zentangled the rest of the image (by hand of course) with a dark brown Micron (0.1) pen. After I "tangled" her dress and the stump...I shaded it all with dark brown and burnt sienna Prismacolor pencils. I stipple-brushed around her with some brown ink and that was that.  I love how she just sort of camouflage-blends in with the stump she's leaning on. But if you look closely, you can still see where she ends and the stump begins. I even found ribbon in my stash that had a Zentangly pattern on it! How cool is that?

Here's a detail shot of my coloring and Zentangling: 

What do you think of my VERY FIRST attempt at Zentangle-Inspired Art and No-Line coloring??? I'm SO hooked. Don't be surprised if I start Zentangling EVERYTHING.

I'm not kidding.

Ingredients:
Sun Flower Girl - A Day For Daisies
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Micron pen - Sakura
Ribbon - Hobby Lobby
Gems - Michaels
flowers - Michaels
Chalk Ink - Colorbox
Kraft cardstock

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

• Oldie But A Goodie Challenge: Flower Power (the ribbon, flowers and gems are YEARS old)
• Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude: #18 Anything Goes
• Paper Crafting Journey - Summer Challenge
• Great Impressions: Stay in the Lines Coloring
• Make It Monday - # 98 Anything Goes
• Sir Stampalot - July "What's Your Passion" (mine...Zentangle and Prismacolor pencils)