Zentangle mandala

A friend reminded me that I haven't posted in a while. I have excuses, such as spending six hours helping to set up the quilt show today or painting walls at the art center or working on our Christmas card.

 Oh wait, there is excitement over the birth of my latest grandwonderful-Miles Christopher yesterday. Mom and baby are fine. Erika Ray took photos of the happy event and there are a couple of very lovely pieces at her blog under 13-30. For a grandma who is 2,000 miles away this is a special way to connect.

But, I have managed to sit and enjoy drawing. Here is zentangle that is drawn with a Lamby-Safari pen and intense pencils.

Snowflake zentangle

There was a need to do a powerful zentangle with strong color. So, I created this piece that is done with watercolors in the background and black ink. The layout was a snowflake cut from tracing paper and used as a guideline. Inner connections were added in my freehand style. I plan to enter it in December for a show that begins January 2. 

We'll see if it is even accepted.

A new grand baby is due this month. Of course, the child will need a quilt! This dragon quilt is a panel (a design already printed) surrounded by 1 1/4 inch squares that I pieced.

Below you can see close ups which show how zentangle designs can be used in quilting.

Sketch outing

Today was another lovely autumn day with plenty of sunshine.

 A friend and I went to a local outdoor market to sketch. It was so nice of them to have

 hay bales, pumpkins and a scarecrow set up.

There were some interesting shapes and colors with the pumpkins on the bench. 

Yes, the second from the right was light green (almost blue) and pink.

Most important was the opportunity to settle down and be in the moment. 

No pressure and no time limit. 

Zentangles

I was roaming the internet and came upon See Jane Run by Jane Eileen. Her biography says that she Nona of 2 A+mazing grandwonderfuls. She won my heart even before I attempted the zentangle. This design is quite a challenge, as you can see below.

Confusion, a little idea, better understanding and then more practice to get a better grasp of the design. Yet, I think that it's worth the effort.

Today I mailed a card to my dear 99 year old friend, Esther, using this zentangle.

This type of drawing has helped me to settle down today. I seemed to have to much energy to settle on any one project.There is just so much to do!!!

Zentangle and figure drawing

This week I did another zentangle mandala. I cut a snowflake from tissue paper, traced it with a pencil and then connected points with my ink pen. This approach means that if I traced it a second time, I would most likely have a different design. I've used ink and colored pencil.

Figure drawing still draws my interest. One of my big hang ups is making the head to skinny. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

Seasons challenge

My art quilt group issued a challenge with the theme of "Seasons" in a 20 by 20" format. My mind went to dividing the space into four sections and depicting each season. Nope. Then I thought of doing a picture of my neighbors crab apple tree in full bloom. Not just what I wanted to do. Then I found a quote by Helen Hayes: Childhood is the shortest season. Perfect. While visiting the grand kids, I took them to a park. The twins were swinging and enjoying. I did a close up of Isla and added the lettering.

We had our reveal last week and it was delightful to see how many different ways "Seasons" could be presented. To see work by the others, go to: Pins and Needles Art Quilters. Yes, drawing can be done with more than the traditional media:)

Silk Painting and more

Painting on silk and the different techniques for dyeing fabric is one of my current interests. Previously I mentioned using the Shibori method of adding color. This time I used a "scrunch" idea. I laid the fabric out flat and beginning in the center, I started gathering it until I had a scrunched ball. Then I wrapped twine around to hold the wad in place. Two different colors were randomly placed to give the uneven print. Love it!

A few years ago a friend passed away. I was asked to help go through a trunk with her art supplies. There I found this flower which was outlined in gutta the resist that is put down to contain the shapes. I finally got my courage to paint the flower. I am learning so much.

For the second time, two friends have chipped in to buy the fabric for a quilt to honor a veteran. This quilt will be sent to the Quilts of Honor program.

One more project! This looks somewhat creepy but it is the first time that I've tried this technique. Mary Pal is a quilter who devised a way of presenting portraits by using cheescloth as the main media. She mixes watered down glue with the cheesecloth and has done dramatic pieces. Please look are her terrific art. A true study in lights and dark. Well, here is my first attempt!