Back Home and Challenge 235

Back Home

I'm back home after a month away in Portugal - 2 weeks working and 2 weeks vacationing.  I didn't do a lot of travelling, all my free time was spent with my parents, siblings, aunts, nieces and nephews.  I had a lot of fun and it felt really good to be with them after 2 years away.  I'm now back home although my body still thinks it is in Europe (jet lag can be a pain!)

Challenge # 235

After I don't know how many challenges missed, I'm glad to get back to them.  This one was so much fun, it was to draw stripes across your tile as a string (you can see the challenge here).  I decided to go with a simple tile, and I definitely got into a zen state with all of those Paradox tangles :)

Challenge #210 and Back from India

Challenge #210 - "Spiralstring - that's the thing!"

This week's Diva challenge (here) is to use a spiral as your string.  I went with a Bijou tile (2 x 2 in), and had some fun.  After 2 weeks of doing nothing art related, it was really fun to get back to it.

I'm sure there are gorgeous tiles from the other participants; this is such a talented group!!  They inspire me all the time.  If you want to check them out, click on the link above and see all the other entries.  I try not to look at them until after I've posted mine, otherwise I may change my mind :)

Back from India

I spent a week and a half in India (Bangalore) on business.  It was a very, very busy business trip with very long days and very short nights :).  Anyway, I had a very good time meeting the people I work with every day, and it was all worth the exhaustion I feel now.

I took some pictures while I was there and  I'm sure I will be making something with them - stamps, stencils, and drawings/sketches.  It will be a lot of fun.

I was amazed by the colors everywhere, even in one of the local fruit/vegetable/flower markets.  Here are a couple of pictures I took there; don't you love all the colors and how everything is displayed?

I saw her across the street and
had to capture her and her choice of backdrop :)

Challenge 206, a Card, and a New Stencil

Diva's Challenge 206

This week's challenge was really, really challenging!  It was to do the challenge using a tool we would normally not use with Zentangles.  So, I used a script liner brush, and a waterbrush (has water in the handle) for the solid parts.  The shading was truly a challenge with the liner brush!!!  The control is just NOT there... lol.  Anyway, here it is:

The Card

For some reason, it is now expected that I make a card on family's birthdays.  Last weekend was one of my son's birthday party (late because of all the snow we've been having).  I find it really hard to make cards for men, so I try to think of things they like and go with that.  Last year was a moose (that also ended up on a mug for Christmas :)), this year was his cat that is more like a puppy dog - follows him around like one :).

His name (the cat) is Vincent and I carved this stamp of his eyes a few years ago.

A New Stencil I Designed and Cut

My Dad posted a picture of an iron gate that I found really beautiful.  After seeing that, I drew a repeat pattern on a piece of Tyvek (inspired by the gate, but not the same), cut it out and tried it out.  I loved it, so then I cut a stencil from a transparency and tried it out on a painted journal page.  I think I will have a lot more fun with it (once I find a little time :)).

Challenge 203 and Gelli Plate Fun With Stencils

Challenge:  Athitzi by Eleanor Holt

This was a fun challenge (here) as I found Athitzi very much like cross-hatching but had never seen it done quite this way.  The shading adds so much!!!  Never crossed my mind to do shading on cross-hatching, I'm sorry to say. 

Actually, now that I look at the tile, I can see a lot of other shading I could have added... I think I was so excited to add the shading to Athitzi, I forgot about some of the other tangles :)

Gelli Plate Fun - new stencils

By now you know I love my Gelli plate :)... I have created a few stencils specifically to use with it, and couldn't wait to try them.  Some were created from Tyvek, others from transparencies.  Some were cut with scissors, others with a stencil burning tool.

I'm experimenting printing on different surfaces as well.  From card stock, to tags, labels, rice paper, tissue paper, fabric, deli paper, and paper tape.  It's all fun :)

So here are some of the ones I printed recently:

Printed on deli paper.Top 2 leaves were cut with scissors from a transparency;
bottom 2 were also cut with scissors from Tyvek.

Printed on tissue paper (recycled wrapping tissue).
Stencil and mask cut with scissors from Tyvek (recycled envelope). 

Printed on tissue paper (recycled wrapping tissue).
All leaves and masks cut from Tyvek.  The one on the top left with the open designs was cut with a stencil tool; it isn't as smooth and even as the ones cut with scissors.

Printed on card stock.  Same leaves as above :)

Printed on card stock.
Flowers cut from transparency with stencil burning tool.

Printed on card stock.  
Leaves cut from transparency with stencil burning tool.

Printed on card stock.
I drew a tree with white glue on foam board a couple of years ago;
it didn't turn out as raised as I wanted (pretty flat, actually).
I was shocked it actually shows in the print!  Nice surprise!

Printed on deli paper.
This is Priscila's window design (with some flowers peaking through);
 stencil cut from transparency with stencil burning tool.

Printed on deli paper.  Same design as above.

Printed on card stock.
The distressed brick wall was cut with stencil burning tool from Tyvek.
Same with leaves on the left (texture type of mask).

Challenge # 173 Redux, Remix, Revisit Your Comfort Tangle

The challenge this week was to revisit some of our old favorite tangles, and try different things with them. (OK, I'm way over simplifying the challenge, but you can see it here).

So... I started out with something different: a grid as my string - I had never done it.  Then used some tangles I'm not too comfortable with - Top left and center grids.  Then some old favorites that I had not used in a while: all the others :)

The shading was painted with Inktense bars.

I'm not sharing anything else this week as I have not had time for anything else and it seems I won't for the rest of the week, either.  So... at least I did enjoy this challenge.