I’m Not Gone…I’m Molygon!

February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

Whew…you would think taking some time to work on stuff would be more productive! But…I feel like I haven’t gotten much done. And I still need to do my taxes!

So, a couple of weeks ago, I started giving a class where we do these step outs and then use the tangle, so you have a visual reference and a neat-o mini binder to keep them all in. So, what better way to knock out my Diva Challenge (#253) for the new tangle, Molygon, from Zentangle HQ. Not only did I practice it real well by doing the step out, I was able to make a cool reference tile, right on the page.

And, the bonus is that it is on my “to-do” list to complete at least one page a week for my reference. Ta-done!

I also worked up this cute frame for the Valentangle class. Based on Joanne Fink’s Zendangles, it will be one of two options for the class on the 13th. Register here, pick your option for either the card or the frame. I need to prep the frames, so preregistration is a must!

Got a major UFO (unfinished object) out of my studio this week, and hung for use. I like to up-cycle things that may no longer seem “fresh” and make them useful again. This ugly dart board case was just that object. Mike swears he bought it about 30 years ago, and it definitely had seen better days.

Some Chalk Paint and trim pieces later, with a little Zentangle magic sprinkled in, and viola! It is now presentable!

One important takeaway from this project. Gorilla Wood Glue does NOT dry clear…I may eventually touch up the paint where you can see the glue, but I was just so darn happy to have it off my workbench I didn’t even care!

Lastly, I have a sneak peek at my prototype for some t-shirts you will be able to buy online or at the shop. Color them yourself…way cool. (this is a finished one, tangled a little and colored.) I just finished my “wash test” to make sure everything worked fine, so next it’s off to the printers to get them made.

Looking forward to seeing people at the shop!

Namas’cray…stay crazy my friends!

Happiness is…a Smile

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 8 Comments

But..what if you can’t smile? What if your facial expression cannot change?

1-2 children in every 1,000,000 children are born with a rare congenital nerve disorder called Moebius Syndrome. While it can result in a spectrum of issues, most notably in those affected are the cranial VI and VII nerves controlling the lateral movement of the face. There is not a lot known about this, and it is pretty rare, but our dear Diva has a son that was born with it. So with that, as we do every January, we recognize Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day on Sunday, January 24th.(#MSAD2016).

Here is my contribution (#251):

In part of my effort to “Finish What I Started” this year, I picked up a piece of watercolor paper that I had used up some sparkly paint water to wash a background, and actually tangled it….the cool part that doesn’t really show up in the scan is that the mica sparkle from the Twinkling H2O paint shows through the pen, and gives a really intense beauty to this piece. I am really rather a harsh critic of my own work, but I really like this one.

The February Schedule is up on the Class and Kumi pages. We have been having an awful lot of fun, so you really should consider joining us!

I am working on the sample for the February Valentangle, and will have that up here with the next posting. It is a “sweetheart” of a card!

I am also working up some samples of t-shirt designs that you can tangle and color and make your own…wear your art!

I know for those of us who love music and good movies, this has been a rough last 2 weeks. I mourn the loss of several people who have had a huge influence on my life…

David Bowie made it ok for me to be weird and change a lot.

Alan Rickman showed me that the appearance of darkness does not always mean bad things.

And my dear Glenn Frey taught me to take it easy.

Namas’cray my friends! Make stuff…you will feel better!

Back to Basics

January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 4 Comments

Zentangle is an awesome art form. So often, once we get familiar with everything, we tend to dive off into the realm of Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) and forget what the roots are and why we started this in the first place. I am guilty of it, but find that being a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) that I have to intentionally pull myself back to teach the basics.

So it was quite appropriate for what I have been working on this week to get pulled Back to Basics for The Diva’s 250th Challenge. I’ve started a Tangle Journal with a class for a few of my students, to break down the tangles we use, and find “tangleations” of them. And in this weeks San Deigo/Temecula Zentangle Friendship group, we did a page in a spiral bound tangle journal that pulled together 4 very random tangles and a string from tanglepatterns.com to make that most basic of black ink on white paper, original Zentangle.

So that was fun…Here is a picture that Jan took of us all working diligently…

And here are some of the pages from my other Journal Project, which are basically mono-tangles.

I have just started Mandala Magic 2016 with Julie Gibbons. I’m quite excited, as I have been so drawn to round things lately (really, since I started my foray into the art world) and this is already quite an eye-opening experience. I did a little warm up exercise in a “self portrait” to put in my journal for this project. I am not much for drawing anything that actually looks like real life (yet) so I stamped the eyes and nose with a cute little stamp I have, and tangled in the rest. I know…looks just like me!

So, this weeks’ blog is being produced on my iPad Pro, trying out the new keyboard, trying to make sure that I can “take my show on the road” successfully and still stay connected. Hopefully, it looks better on the browser window than it does here!

Names’ cray my friends, keep making stuff…crazy is better!

New Year’s Renewal

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 13 Comments

I would like to think of every January 1st as a time to review and renew my goals from the previous year. Goals are a good thing. They give you a road map to follow. But sometimes, that road changes.

My road took a sharp left turn last summer when I decided to open CharKat’s Creative Insanity. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever be in business. It has been a challenge, that’s for sure. I love what I do, and I know that will spread out and bring more people in this year!

There is also renewal in this week’s Diva Challenge (#249). This is the 5th Anniversary of the challenge, and we have been tasked to a DuoTangle of Diva Dance and Auraknot. I already had this tile with a star on it, that I had sprayed with Shimmer Spray…so I thought it was particularly festive for this auspicious occasion!

I know the holiday’s got away from me, and this is my first post of the new year. I have, however, been pretty busy on tangly-type stuff!

First up, this cute little cactus. I was experimenting with stitching on the tile. Cumbersome! You have to poke the holes first….

Then, another one of Dorian Eng’s cute ornaments that she did a video for Sakura on. This time on Renaissance Tan, with blues.

And then this nifty 8×8 scratch board piece.

I did a little coloring to see what that was all about.

I also had some kids over to the studio, and we had some fun making tangle journals and learning tangles. These are mine. The glue was drying on their decorations, so I didn’t get photos of theirs.

And in keeping with this year’s mantra (Finish What You Started) I pulled a few tiles out of the UFO bin and put some new spin on them:

This one is on Fabriano Medioevalis paper…it has such a nice feel to it. I used Ann E. Grasso’s 8n1 Stencil for this.

And Diva #247: African Artist by Swiss CZT Tina Hunker:

So be sure to check the schedule, lots of fun classes coming up.

Namas’cray – stay crazy in the new year!

The Giving Season

December 19, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 4 Comments

Whew…pardon my absence…it has been a hectic last couple of weeks.

I have managed to get the January schedule up, so classes are posted. Changing a few things up, so check it out!

I did miss Diva #247, but I will go back and make it up this week, like I usually do. I started on #167, and have not missed one, but they have occasionally been late.

I did, however, kill two birds this week with Diva #248. I needed a gift for my brother and sister-in-law, and they really don’t want anything, so I made them a cool dreamcatcher. I am framing it tonite, and will have it in the mail on Tuesday. Better late than never, the Gift of Zentangle! It is about 8 x 10, on Charcoal paper. Microns, Silver Gelly Roll, and Prismacolor Premier Pencils.

I have not been completely slacking this past 2 weeks. I did this neat mandala in my purse journal at church, week before last. It is a lot smaller than it looks…my journal is a 4 x 6.

And I also discovered that the Garage Brewing Co. has coasters with tangle spots! Left this one for the barkeep…(I guess that qualifies as the gift of Zentangle too!)

Oh, and last but not least, I hosted the San Diego/Temecula Zentangle Friendship Group at the shop for our December meeting. Pot luck, gift exchange (all tangly!), and we did Dorian Eng’s pretty ornament.

So the trees are up, the decorating is all done. (Finally, Opus is back! I have had this for years!)

Between the shop and classes and the holiday season, I’ve been a bit wiped out. We’ve had our first Christmas party/celebration with the kids coming out from Texas, and getting together with friends and family for a nice meal and spending time with our grandson. This year, he is all about Batman. So Batman it was!

Having a chill out day today, but got a lot of business-y type stuff done. Still have some presents to wrap for 2nd Christmas (on the real day) and mail (they will be happy to get it, even if its late, I’m sure.)

And now, off to finish my framing, and draft the samples for upcoming classes!

Namas’cray my friends!

Behind in the Trees

December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

Wow…I am so behind this week! So behind I actually missed last week!

I guess I’ll start with this week. Dilip Patel, the first CZT in India, was the Guest Blogger for the Diva this week. In his prompt (#246) he implored us to think about deforestation, and to do a monotangle of trees (or a tree.) I have been practicing new tangles as they come out in my new Creativity Planner and thought that the new tangle, Fleavy, would make a lovely tree. When I finished, I felt like coloring it. (yes..I know its not a true monotangle, because I added other things, but I like it anyway!)

And since I missed last week’s Diva (#245 Hollibaugh) I did it in my purse journal (Midori MD with the extra slip cover) at church while listening to Rev. Susan talking about manifesting joy. I guess my joy is a bit of a puzzle!

So I guess that brings me to why I missed last week. I took the holiday week (here in the US, Thanksgiving) to participate in Julie Gibbons‘ free 5 Days of Mandala Magic. It was pretty intense, but a good introduction to her year long course that starts in January. (I signed up! Registration closes soon, so get there if you want!)

The first day, we studied the circle (sorry, just circles on the page, no pics of those.)

The second day, we drew our first proper mandala, a lotus. I got a bit cheery color wise (still learning about color meanings so I still am pretty basic.

The third day was concentric circles.

The fourth day was a hamsa.

Day 5 was the Flower of Life.

So now you know what kept me busy!

I did get some finishing done on some cute Kumihimo things as well. Most of them are in the bookstore at my church (Center for Spiritual Living Temecula Valley)

And Finished a few ornaments (and forgot to take pictures of some of them…ack!)

And got in some work on my ginormous mandala. (total size is 20″, working with Twinkling H2O’s and Acrylic Ink with a brush. Very time consuming. Created using Margaret Applin’s Medallion Master Set.)

AND…I did a bunch of these for cards…

So see, I have have NOT been slacking!

Be sure to check out the class schedule, there is some fun stuff coming up. Mandala Monday (the 21st) we will be painting mandalas on rocks. Lauren teaches a great class for this, and it should be very Zen to get you in the right frame of mind for the holidays.

Namas’Cray my friends. Be crazy and make stuff!

Tripping Around Tripoli

November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

The December schedule is up at the shop. I’ve included lots of times for making its and ornament, and a new series of Kumihimo classes that you can make some wonderful gifts with.

We had our first Mandala Monday this week. Lauren and I will be team teaching, taking turns leading a Mandala exploration each month. I led this month, with freeform Mandalas. We learned to grow them from a seed in the middle, which is pretty cool.

I did mine on a piece of papyrus with the Fudenosuke brush pen and Gelly Roll Glaze.

Next month, Lauren will be teaching her Mandala technique on rocks! Be sure to join us on Monday, December 21, from 6-9. $25 studio fee plus materials.

We also had some fun with Fall Colors this last weekend, exploring the Tints on Tan technique.

There is still time to get in on this fun class, as I have another abbreviated version on Monday, November 23, from 6-9 pm. Includes ALL your materials!

Ok…I’m the first to admit that Tripoli isn’t usually my favorite tangle. But, since the Diva (#244) says use it, I use it. (She’s so mean!) I took a couple of shots at it…First in my Creativity Planner. (Pardon the bleed through, I changed pens this week when I found the MicroPerm was doing this…using the Acurit Waterproof in my planner now.)

Then on an ATC I had colored with Ken Oliver’s Color Bursts with a Japanese calligraphy brush pen.

And then on the funky chalkboard painted ornament. I used mostly Sakura Decorese on this, but tried the PenTouch too (on the Printemps.)

I know it was a bit of a trying week for everyone around the world, with all the chaos and calamity, but I find a lot of peace in mediating in my journal. This is what happened this week.

And, just so he doesn’t feel left out…Bailey decided to ride around on my shoulder most of the evening a few days ago. To put this into perspective…he weighs 15 pounds…

So Namas’cray my friends. Hug your neighbor and keep peace in your hearts.

Some Gave All (And Just a Little More)

November 11, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

I sit here writing this on Veteran’s Day (Remembrance Day) and it makes me think about a lot of things. Most of my readers/followers know I spent a good amount of my life in the Military (Navy 1981-85, Army 1985-1993 and 2005-2012) and around the same (Dad served from 1952-1974.) Between me, my dad, and my grandfather, we have covered every war and conflict since World War II. I cannot begin to tell you what this means to me.

Daddy in Vietnam.

Me, with the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai, Egypt.

I learned a new technique this week at our San Diego Tangle Club…Found and Tangled. You basically repurpose book pages into new poetry and tangle on them (look for a class on this after the first of the year!) This page from Dante’s Inferno called my name, and was a fitting tribute to my brothers and sisters in arms.

And if you are in the Temecula area, I have a monthly free Zentangle class for Veterans and Active Duty Service Members. 3rd Wednesday of the month (November 18th this month). You must pre-register, and seating is limited to 10 free students (and your guests will receive a $10 discount.) (951) 972-3015 or CharKatTangles@gmail.com.

So this week’s Diva Challenge (#243) was to give “Just a Taste”…tangle a little bit. This is REALLY hard to do! Some things you just keep wanting more and more of! So, in order to limit myself a bit, I used a black tile. Cyme (Zentangle) and Heartswell (Helen Williams).

Join us on MeetUp. I have a new Monthly rotation coming up, Mandala Monday. 3rd Monday of the month, we will explore different mandala techniques.

The December schedule will be finalized later this week. Late November and December focus will be on making gifts and ornaments (using Zentangle and a variety of other methods.) Here is a bit of a teaser:

Namas’-cray my friends…stay crazy!

Gourding Along

November 4, 2015November 5, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 7 Comments

So…it is only Wednesday! And here I am!

I was on the verge of a major depressive episode yesterday. I haven’t been feeling too good, and it just happens that way sometimes. Not sleeping, etc. and it starts a cycle. But…I put pen to paper…or stick to scratch paper…a number of times yesterday, and managed to thwart it. I love that Zentangle works that way.

I rarely practice tangles before I do them on a tile, but for this week’s Diva Challenge (#242) using the new Official Zentangle tangle Gourdgeous I felt the need to try it out. Just used my fountain pen that I use in my planner (neat Creativity Planner from Kim Anderson at The Purple O on etsy.)

So I felt pretty good about it…and was cleaning off my desk and found the stack of Scratch and Sketch Artist’s Tiles on my desk that I had not previously tried…and gave that a go. They are a bit hard to photo, and they definitely don’t scan well.

So I continued on…doesn’t’ this look like it would make a great pumpkin? I am in Fall mode now that the weather is finally cool enough to wear long pants (although in Southern California, it feels like we skipped directly from Summer in the 90’s to Winter in the 50’s overnight!) So pumpkin it was! Still on a bender with my Derwent Tinted Charcoals.

As I was finishing this up, I glanced up at the walls at the shop, and realized it is absolutely covered in Gourdgeous! Panel curtains from Ikea, rather breaks up a really LONG wall!

So that’s all my Gourdy stuff for the week!

I spent a good amount of time doing some arranging at the shop yesterday, and have some great trinkets ready for Christmas shopping. Journals, ceramics, jewelry (some hand made by me, some hand made in Peru), and ornaments. I will be running some specials on Small Business Saturday if you are in the area and looking for neat gifts and art supplies for giving!

And don’t forget, we have Buttercream cookie class coming up next week!

Namas’cray for now! (The crazy in me recognizes and honors the crazy in you!)

Kicking Rocks

October 31, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 4 Comments

Here it is again…Saturday night, and I am just finishing up for a blog. I do have an honestly good reason this week.

I have been prepping all week for a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Lake Elsinore tomorrow. Making a few little trinkets to sell, and try to lure them into my den of Zentangle! (Pics will be up next week for that!)

But for this week’s Diva Challenge (#241). Guest Diva Paula Bramante, CZT prompted us with Stones and Ceremony. I can’t help but think of cairns, as that is what a lot of the pictures looked like…and my trip to the UK in 2008, where I stood on Hadrian’s Wall.

So that made me think of a recent trip as well, where I was obsessing with the tiles in the washrooms at the airport in Vancouver, and drew this in my sketchbook:

I thought to myself…self…that would make a great wall! And you have been dying to play with your new tinted charcoals (Derwent) and those would make great rocks!

I have to say, I am really rather impressed with this one!

I also finished another Tangle Island project this week. It will be a birthday card for someone who shall remain nameless with a birthday in early December. I will also send her a frame for it…so she can keep it forever!

I have to finish getting ready now, but did you know you can shop at CharKat’s from the comfort of your own couch? I am still working on some pictures and descriptions in the store, but here is the link: CharKat’s Creative Insanity.

Namas’cray for now! (The crazy in me recognizes and honors the crazy in you!)