Easier

Well only just managed to get this one done in time. The words for this Craft Barn challenge were easier or childhood.....I spent ages looking for a quote to inspire me but couldn't come up with anything so in the end just went with the obvious Easier said than done.

I ended up doing it a bit backwards because I drew the letters whilst on holiday but I didn't have any inks or paints to do the background with, so had to leave that for when I got home. The letters are metallic Molotow pens and then the background is just a hodge podge of Dylusions and distress inks, and a little zentangley type stuff on the side - I would have done some more Zentangle but I didn't have time.

I've Got My Eye on You!

Here's a Zentangle eye that I've been working on for ages which I've finally finished.

I think I would have preferred it all black and white in the end but I'd already started adding colour before I changed my mind - several Zentangle books later (from which much inspiration was gathered :)) I didn't end where I started if that makes any sense. It's mostly drawn with a Pilot drawing pen, the coloured bits are mostly pigma micron pens and I added shading with charcoal pencils. I decided to get some blending stumps which make such a difference from smudging with my fingers hehe!

Knowledge

Here is the next craft barn Q&L challenge the words this time are knowledge or hurt. Well I spent absolutely ages searching for a poem I liked and I couldn't find anything that caught my eye. In the end I went for this Albert Einstein quote.

I used three paint dabbers mostly through the sponge dabber so that I left some of the pattern from the sponge . Once that had dried I mod podged down a picture of Einstein and then wrote on the quote with a black Sharpie. Then I drew on the border in a Zentangle inspired way. Finally I added a touch of dusty concord distress ink.

T for Tessellated

It's letter T this week in the Craft Barn's alpha challenge

Had a look through the dictionary and decided on Tessellated.....now what to actually tessellate......well I thought of Escher but decided fish etc. were a little too ambitious......and then I had a brainwave to use the letter T itself.

I cut out some little letter T's using some graph paper and experimented in getting them to tessellate, then I used one as a template to draw them on to the page, I had painted the page with Cool Peri paint dabber as a base to start off with as well.

Anyway getting the letter T to tessellate isn't as easy as you might imagine, I tried to copy the pattern I had made with my graph paper T's but then ran into a few problems which resulted in a lot of rubbing out and rearranging, finally I just about managed to fill up both pages - phew!!

I then drew over my pencil lines with a fineliner. I then drew and coloured a few of the T's and then I used a black OHP pen on the ones around the edge.

Zentangle page

Here is a page of Zentangle I created....I started it a few weeks ago and although it's the kind of thing where you can just keep adding to it; I've decided to call it finished.

I was given extra inspiration to finish it off as I bought a new Zentangle book with some new pattern inspirations in.....those are mostly the ones at the top of the page, and the rest is mostly just what came into my head. I wanted the splodge to look like I'd just dropped black ink on to the page......I would have just used black ink but I haven't got any so I just drew one instead. About half way through I decided I wanted it to be colourful and so I reverted to the trusty Dylusions sprays which are being used just as much as distress inks lately.....I just love how I get colourful hands for a while after using them hehe!!

Magnesium and Aluminium

Here are the next two elements completed. I did the backgrounds ages ago, mostly Dylusions and stencils, and I've just got around to adding on the wording. Oh and there's a slight bit of Zentangle on the Magnesium letters that I was practising when I first had my Zentangle book but I've only just got around to adding in the rest of the words.

Cards and things...

Here are some cards I've made including this year's Mother's Day cards....

 This one was drawn Zentangle style cut out and layered on some card and a little bit of washi tape in the background

 This one again the centre is Zentangle inspired with repeated daffodils and then the background is some texture paste through a flower stencil and then sprayed with Dylusions and then I stuck some flowers on the top

 This is a stamp I got last week from Papermania......I just stamped and coloured it with Promarkers and added the greeting and a little distress around the edges oh and a little bit of glitter to finish

 This was a background made using Dylusions and stencils and I then tore it out using a ruler for a straighter edge and then walnut stain around the edge and another set of new stamps these ones from Indigo Blu and then in the far background I stamped grass and flowers I think from a Paper Artsy set and then on the inside I stamped another flower from the same Paper Artsy set and coloured with Distress inks

 I also had a go at making some chocolates for my mom and here are some of the results.....I just melted various chocolate bars and put them in silicon moulds and added a few bits and pieces like choc chips and fudge sauce and then once set I added a few decorations......silver shimmer, gold stars, metallic paint...all edible of course!

And I decorated this little basket to put them in......a layer of gesso followed by some Paper Artsy fresco paint in pink some washi tape around the handle, a little bit of ribbon and some pink tissue paper.....

The Art of Zentangle!

Well there was me thinking that Zentangle was just about a little doodling here and there.....how wrong was I?!

I had a book for my birthday and here is my first creation.....credit for the inspiration and patterns goes to Suzanne McNeill/ Design Originals

Here is just the line drawing

 And here it is after I coloured it in - to colour it in I used craft nibs and distress inks and needless to say it took ages but it is really addictive!