Diva Challenge #120 - Bales

Not much to say about this weeks challenge which was to use "Bales" and its variations. My attempt could have been a little more imaginative, but I don't think imagination is working this week.

"BALES"

Dragon Fruit - Watercolor

When I traveled to Singapore 2 years ago, I was introduced to a strange looking thing called dragon fruit. It was an amazing redish-pink shade outside, and inside was white with tiny little black seeds. The taste was amazing. Fruity, sweet but not too sweet, and it had a consistency of a melon. I can only imagine what early Western explorers who went to South East Asia, thought when this delightful fruit, which easily fit in the palm of a hand, must have thought about it.

The Dragon fruit is not only tasty but offers a whole host of health benefits.

This page is another in a series of "Watercolor Fruit".
Follow this link to see the first one POMEGRANATE JUICE.

Zendala #59 - Color Wheel

Totally loved Erin's template this week. So easy to turn it into something frilly; but when I got to it I drew a total BLANK. Until my new pens come I'll be using my pigment ink pen and Sharpies. Not so bad alternatives. By the way, my white pens of choice are the Sharpie water based paint pen and the souffle pastel pen from Sakura. If even those fail, a nice fine line correction pen works. Not for details but random dots and lines.

There is an absence of fancy tangles this week, but I hope the the color wheel makes up for that.

Diva Challenge #119 - Ebony and Ivory

What are the chances of ALL of your micron pens will stop working in the same week? Not only the micron's but your white pens and your grey pens? And thats not all....the printer ink running out as well? It has to be a conspiracy. What are the odds that the ink is totally out of stock in the stores, and the micron's and white pens are not sold at all in the country you live in? These are what I call lessons in patience - trivial little lessons, but patience builders all the same.

The Diva's challenge this week is to use even amounts of black and white - how ironic. My never failing no name brand black ink did the job well this week, and so did the fine point correction fluid pen.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!

New Journal page

Gesso Primed and white pen lined. A new Journal page.

Diva Challenge #118 - KUKE

This weeks Diva challenge was to use a new tangle called KUKE, taken from a pattern in the middle of a cucumber. It is interesting to learn how Kathy Abbott came up with the idea to from kuke.

Zendala Dare - #57

This weeks Zendala is beautiful. The template that is. I think I said that ablout last weeks template as well. Erin had guest poster Geneviève Crabe who gave us this lovely template. I was tempted to just skip the tangling and color it instead. There are so many possibilities  for this.

For once my approach was different. I just took a pen and started filling in the spaces. I usually take some time to think about it and choose what tangles I would use. This time there was no thought on where to begin or what I think it should look like in the end. I think I'm getting better at this.

Please please go check out Geneviève blog over at Tangle Harmony where there is loads of information and cool stuff going on.

Here is my offering for this week. I used ving and buttercup as the tangles. Super simple!

Have a productive week!!!!!

Diva's Challenge #117 - SCHWAY

It has been an interesting week weather wise. Last week the day time temperatures topped out to an average of 100 degrees, almost every day; then this week, it was between the high 70's and 80's. Then there was rain, then hail, then hot, then humid, then last night a sand storm. Woke up this morning to a very dusty house. ummmm okay, where are we going with this? It's the change of season from the so called spring to summer; an endless hot hot summer. In a place like Doha, any strange change in the weather makes news and people talk about it for days.

Now on to the challenge. SCHWAY...... A new official Zentangle if you please. Although geometics are not really my thing, I really like this one. After a little practice, it was a piece of cake.

I got a little carried away with the frilly stuff, but I think the cornflowers (is that what that other tangle is called? Please correct me if I'm wrong) compliment the SCHWAY well.

Zendala Dare #56 - Pencil

 The Bright Owl, this week set a nice challenge for us. She gave us the template and said that it must be done in pencil only. Being the first challenge of the month, this is a special one. First of all, I loved the template but I had to tweek it a little.

I used only a mechanical pencil for all line work and shading; oh and a blending stump to smooth out the lines.

The tangles I used were flubber, flower vine, cruffle and the middle circle is querl.

Diva Challenge 116 - Blind String

The Diva's challenge this week was to use a blind string. I drew the top line, then closed my eyes and continued on with the lines. I got two loops. That was good enough for me.

I usually defy the rules of Zentangle and not use strings as a base. But not this time. For the finished piece, I wanted to use Zentangles that I had never used before, and it just so happened that I received an e-mail with a new 'tangle yesterday, so I started with that.

It's called DUGWUD by Anita Roby-Lavery.
The pattern is the prominent first loop.

Along with Dugwud, I also used Lacey and Jonqal. I don't have the names for the other florish bits at the bottom and the side.