Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

This weeks Diva Challenge (#229) is from Guest Blogger Sandy Hunter, CZT, who tasked us with using negative space as a focal point. I decided to pull out my name plate that my friend, Suzanne Wilka, CZT, made for me as part of our “swag bag” for our Day at the Bay get together back in April.

The whole time I was working on this, I was thinking of the first album (CD…whatever…I’m old…) that I ever heard from a band called Seether. It’s title is Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. I worked a bit bigger than usual this week, so it was challenging to keep that white space in the middle clear! (although, I have to tell you, that I am probably going to color it and gild my name this week…I think it would be pretty.)

Had a great class this week on Black Tiles. Only one student, so we had some fun.

We did her Intro class before the shop opened, but here is what we did then.

Been playing a little catch up on things, so here is a tile I did for Diva #226 – Simplicity. I had dyed this tile with Distress Ink and Pearl Spray. It was such a pretty color I didn’t want to do too much to it!

Well…another week on the books at CharKat’s Creative Insanity! The etsy Shop is up and running, but its just paper for now. In case you have never tangled on Stonehenge papers, you are in for a real treat…hop on over to check it out…Just click here!

That’s it for now! Be sure to check out the class schedule, I have plenty of space!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

My Obsession with Sea Life Continues!

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

I used to have an 80 gallon salt water fish tank. I researched and obsessed on every detail before I ever put a fish in it (those little suckers are expensive!) While it was a lot of work to monitor and maintain, I really enjoyed it.

I tend to seek out aquariums wherever I travel, and I can stare at the seahorses for hours. And then, I saw a Leafy Sea Dragon (I think the first time was in Boston.) I was hooked. While I was teaching the Girl Scouts a few weeks ago, I was demonstrating a version of Flux with a curl (thanks Marie Browning,) and one of the girls said it looked like a seahorse, so I morphed one off on a side bar into a little guy.

When this weeks Diva Challenge Guest Blogger Cari Sultanik, CZT gave us the theme “Nature” for Challenge #228, I knew I had to use my new little buddy on a ZIA!

Tangled on Stonehenge in Pearl Gray with a Tombow Fudenosuke Dual Tip Brush Pen (One end is black, the other is gray…very handy,) Derwent Graphitint and Metallic pencils, and some Gelly Roll Glitter and Decorese highlights.

Teaser: The Stonehenge and Tombow products will be available soon in my new etsy (CharKatTangles) store! Mark it and check back often…I’m adding new things daily (and mostly paper!)

It’s been a busy week around the shop. I welcomed everyone in on Friday with some snacks and fun. Mike brought me flowers.

And had our first class on Saturday. We had fun with some tangles and laughs…with this result (the unfinished ones are mine!)

I also received a package from my friend Jim Hill, in Egypt. He sent me a fresh batch of hibiscus tea, and some papyrus!

I did a little practice tangling on the papyrus to see if it would work, and I think it was a grand success. Papyrus is water resistant, so the Tombow Mono Twin marker really did a nice job of covering without losing the really cool weave of the natural fibers.

I think that’s it for now. If you are in the area, be sure to check out the class list/schedule. I’m really looking forward to making more stuff with awesome people!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

Life is a Circus – All The Time!

July 23, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

That’s how I feel this week. Too much to look at, think about, do, go….it never ends! But isn’t that what makes it fun?

CharKat’s Creative Insanity (27309 Jefferson Ave, Suite 102, Temecula, CA 92590) officially opens for business tomorrow. I’ve put together a nice selection of classes, but alas, no one has signed up yet. I think being there and minding the shop for a bit may drive interest, but I am thinking about listing some of the classes on MeetUp and EventBrite to see which one would bring in more students.

Part of the ongoing circus this week was our annual trip to Rock Fest (in Cadott, Wisconsin.) I am still recovering from that! I did tangle while I was there, and finished a previous Diva Challenge (#224 – Tipple Monotangle.) This was one of my dyed tiles using Hibiscus Tea, but you will hear more about those when I Guest Blog the Diva in September!

This week’s Diva Challenge (#227 – Circus) comes from Guest Blogger Lee Darter, CZT, who reminisced about her families summer vacation to Florida, and the off season home of Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus. I love the circus. So much is always going on, so many things to see and experience that you don’t always know where to look, for fear of missing out on something. Life is like that lately. I have the attention span of a gnat!

The cacophony going on in this started with me buying a spiral maker (remember the Spirograph?) And while I have been moving things to the shop, I found the Neopiko-3 marker sets I bought several years ago at ComicCon (and they were not cheap!) They are water based, and can be used on fabric, which is why I had to have them (and subsequently forgot I bought them.) So…Fabriano Medioevalis paper in 4.75 x 4.75, and all these things going on! I love this paper. The Micron glides on it, and it takes colors so nicely.

And talking about paper, I am going to start offering paper packs of tiles in my etsy store. I have “tangle tested” lots of different papers, and have found ones that I just love to make art on, specifically Zentangle Inspired Art, or even just Zentangle on a different color or texture of paper. I will have offerings in 3.5 x 3.5, 6×6, 6×9, 12×12, and anything else that people seem to want. The Fabriano Medioevalis comes in packs of 100, so I will make them into smaller bundles (10-12) in the 4.75×4.75 and 2.5 x3.75 sizes. They have 4 deckled edges and are just so pretty! I should have those up in the next week, and will post a link.

Gotta get back to the circus that is my life…Stay Crazy My Friends!

Deadlines

July 9, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 5 Comments

I really am not very good at working on creative things under a deadline. Great ideas in my head rarely translate to the paper when I am rushed. But…I did it.

This week, I had the privilege of being included in the Cross Country Clearprint artist collaborative project. It is a pretty cool project taking place in a Clearprint Velum Journal, with artists from all over the US making art on this very unique paper. The rub for me was the one week time frame to come up with something and execute it. I used so many different techniques that I lost count, but I can tell you that the Metallic Gelly Roll pens work wonderfully on this, as do the iridescent Pan Pastels (with some matte fixative in between steps.

It just so happened that I only have 3 colors of Pan Pastels, and this week, the Diva is on vacation…so guest blogger Jen Crutchfield put out the challenge to work in 2-3 colors….so I think this fits the bill for my Diva Challenge #225. (And there really are only 3 colors…besides the black, white, and gold I tangled with: blue, red, yellow.)

Been working hard at getting the studio/shop/classroom ready to open, but got to take some time last week to work on a project with the Girl Scouts (Troop #1124) up in Lake Elsinore. These are my dedicated Zentangle students, and we had a great time working in some neat little journals I made up for them. (Journals are from a kit from Classroom Direct, the interior design is by me.)

And now, back to work. Trying to become the Queen of Social Media today with the advertising campaign for CharKat’s Creative Insanity.

I’m also putting together some cool paper samplers for the shop and my etsy store (which I started and never did anything with.) I’ve been cutting up paper and road testing it all for “tangle-ability” to see which ones come out the best. Stay tuned for that!

Stay Crazy My Friends…and hope to see some of you on the 24th!

Go Small or Go Home

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 2 Comments

Some weeks are a bit more challenging than others…I should retitle this post “Better Late Than Never…”

Lots of action this week revolving around opening the new place (CharKat’s Creative Insanity at 27309 Jefferson Ave. Suite 102 in Temecula!) so putting pen to paper has been a bit of an effort for me. This is a lot more involved process than I ever thought it would be, but shout out to my new Landlord for taking a chance on a new business venture. I think we are going to have loads of fun there, and make lots of stuff!

Diva’s Challenge (#223) was pretty simple this week – Umble, but my brain is too tightly wound. That being said, I decided to mess my brain up by working something that looked MUCH larger on a smaller tile. Think Bijou…and thanks for the cool present from Jenny Perruzzi I used to cut the cute envelope for it. (Sorry, Jenny’s shop is down for a bit while she fixes her “laser.” I know you just did the Dr. Evil on that, didn’t you?)

You may also notice that the number of blog posts multiplied on the new site. I love WordPress…they made it very simple to import my old Blogspot posts, and everything ported over famously! If you are new to my site, be sure to look at some of the older things, some of them will be featured in future classes!

The Square One focus tangle this week was Akuras. I like this tangle, and see lots of possibilities in it for fun stuff!

I had a private lesson this week, with a really nice lady named Laurie. I didn’t photo her tile (forgot to ask) but here is the one I did while we were learning!

I have gotten a lot done around the shop this week. I finished 2 big things on my to-do list – a “spinner board” to teach hands on with, and a mosaic board to photo class works with. The spinner board is rather pedestrian and not all that exciting, but here is the mosaic board. Completely upcycled, didn’t cost me anything but time. I got to use my new sewing machine I traded in for last summer, and a frame I’ve been carting around for nearly 20 years. The bad news part is that I killed my stapler (and slightly damaged the frame) but the good news is I am finally buying a real point driver to take my framing to the next level.

And speaking of framing, I need to get back to work. I bought a bunch of frames at the thrift shop this weekend to frame Zentangle® postcards to put on the walls at the shop.

And…I have been digging through some of my supply boxes in the home studio, and found these really cool stone donuts…wonder what this might turn into?

Stay Crazy My Friends!

How Do You Know When You Are Done?

June 17, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 4 Comments

The conversation used to go like this…

Whatcha doin?

Nothing…

How do you know when you are done?

So I figured it out today as well. I started the tile for this weeks’ Diva Challenge (#222) on Monday, and promptly got “art block.” The prompt was Colours of the Rainbow and I wanted to finish another of my already strung Zendala tiles from TangleU, and I really like color on black, so I grabbed that one. Now last week, I had no problem at all throwing all kinds of color in my tile. But this week, I was stumped! I did eventually get into it, and then I started thinking I needed to keep adding to it. But ya know what? It’s Done. Enough. I like it how it is and I think if I keep OCDing on it, it will detract. But…alas, the Stardust pens (the black light ones) don’t scan in their color that well, so this week I had to photograph it.

I worked some more with the alcohol inks this week. I can’t decide what was more fun…coupons at JoAnn for the inks or the trip to Home Depot for more tiles.

I bought a whole bunch of ornaments last Christmas, so I have a lot of raw materials for this. Here’s a little bit of what I did:

The dark stains on the 2nd side were from a failed attempt at a Pinterest find (Sharpies and alcohol…didn’t work, and didn’t come complete off. I think these are coming out pretty neat, so I’ll do a bunch more, maybe a class?

Speaking of classes, the schedule is up in the Class Schedule page. And even better news, the actual brick and mortar location for my very own classroom/art gathering space goes live on July 1st. The Grand Opening is tentatively scheduled for July 10th. I am very excited, and more than a little scared! I’ll have loads more information next week, and hopefully more students!

I am already schedule to have the Girls Scouts from Troop 1124 again, and I planned a fun little project for them. We are going to start some Tangle Journals (which should give them some nice space to practice in!)

And last, but not least, Square One Focus on Flux this week! I love flux and all its variety!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

Waiting for Paint to Dry

June 10, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 8 Comments

So this week seems to have a theme with me. It all started Sunday, with the talk at church being about living a balanced life. New Thought has a lot of great philosophy on what that entails and I won’t go into it, but needless to say it got me thinking.

Monday, we had a meeting of our San Diego Tanglers friendship group…where we did a cool project with alcohol inks. They dry on non-porous surfaces almost instantly, but you have to handle them delicately. The balance here is to find harmony in getting the right effect BEFORE the paint dries. It can be a bit tricky, but it can be done.

(I haven’t sealed this yet, but I wanted to scan it first, in case I ruin it. Tangled with a black Sakura Permapaque (fine point) and a white Sakura Decorese pen. Kinda fun. I am going to do some additional tiles and see how they hold up to different sealers.)

And this weeks Diva Challenge (#221) was on Beads of Courage. This is a great program that works to balance the lives of children in medical care with rewarding bravery in going through their procedures with beads, which they collect to show how brave they have been.

For me, beads are colorful, so of course I needed to add color. I decided to use my Derwent Inktense and Metallics (watercolor pencils) and on paper, those need to dry pretty thoroughly between steps. Again…balance…I want to get the tile done, but I don’t want to smear the pretty colors…patience.

I got to thinking about the balance in my own life, and how courage plays into that balance. For me…there has always been both beauty and duty. Sometimes, they are joined, and sometimes, there is a very thin line separating them. The Army and my dad taught me plenty of duty and obligation, but there are times when I want to just do nothing but create art. Finding the balance where they can be together is divine!

On Square One this week, the focus is Msst.

So I’ve decided what I’m gonna do now
So I’m packing my Avreal for the Mssty Mountains
Where the Onamatos go now
Over the Tagh where the Festunes fly

I know I usually don’t wax this philosophically, but there is a lot going on in our lives right now, and most of it is requiring me to be a lot more patient than I usually tend to be. I am looking into opening my own creative space here in Temecula, so doing the due diligence for that seems to be taking up a huge space in my brain.

But…a tangle a day keeps the psychiatrist at bay!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

I’ve Moved!!!!

June 2, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ Leave a comment

I have my own Domain now!

Check me out at CharKatsCreativeInsanity.com

Stay Crazy My Friends!

This is What Normal Looks Like…

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 14 Comments

So, this is the start of what a normal week is going to look like, I suppose. Still working out some logistics, waiting for my business license to come in the mail so I can open a business checking account. Just normal business stuff I guess.

This week’s Diva Challenge (#220) was a UMT (Use My Tangle) called All Boxed Up by Alice Hendon. I had not previously tried this one, so I decided to mono tangle it on another one of Caren Mlot’s pretty colored tiles. More straight lines this week…I seem to be getting a lot of practice in them lately!

This week’s theme in my studio is “Finish What You Started.” I am thinking that is going to be the theme for the next 6 months, as I probably have way too many projects going at once. I did finish this cool Flextangle that I started a week or so ago. I think it’s pretty nifty, and will probably offer it as a class later on.

If you are feeling adventurous…you can get the template here. If you are going to tangle on it, I highly recommend you use a mixed media paper (I used the Canson XL Mixed Media, cut to 8.5×11 and printed on my inkjet.) I tangled with regular Micron (I used an 05 to speed things up a bit) and Irojiten colored pencils…and a little metallic Gelly Roll. (Gotta have some sparkle!) There are some tricks to getting the folds right…and getting the tabs to stick inside. You can see it in action on this video (sorry, I haven’t gotten the hang of videoing myself yet.)

And…not to get left out, this weeks Square One focus tangle was Rain. “All I can say is that my Fife is pretty plain. I like watching the Punzel’s gather Rain.”

And it was quite fitting, as I was in Texas last week for my step-son’s wedding. And Rain it did! And thunder…and humidity…at least my hair was curly! And this little guy…was just the cutest thing ever! (yep…my step-grandson…)

So, on that note, I have to get back to work. Finishing up some logistics to teach at Wine Down Wednesdays in July at Sip & Paint Studio in Temecula. Details will be forthcoming!

Stay Crazy My Friends!

My First Week at My New Job!

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 14 Comments

So this was the first full week at my new “job” as the sole proprietor of CharKat’s Creative Insanity. I never realized there was so much work involved in being a legitimate business!

So far, I have filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement, advertised said statement in the newspaper, applied for a city business license and home use permit, and scoped out a possible place to have classes. Which brings me to my biggest hurdle…finding classroom space that I can afford!

I have also fleshed out the web site a bit, with class descriptions for what I plan to offer, and did some really neat brochures to hand out.

And that brings us to this week’s Diva Challenge…#219: “Straight Lines all the Tines…er, times.” I figured if all my lines had to be straight, I should do this on a round tile. So I selected one of the cool hand-dyed tiles I purchased from fellow CZT Caren Mlot at TangleU, the uber cool template from Ann E. Grasso, and my favorite mini ruler from Charles Williams, and strung up what I thought was a pretty cool string.

I have to say, I am rather pleased with the result. And before you go poo-poo-ing my use of dots….they are one dimensional lines. Other than the Signo UM-153 silver dots, it was just me and my Micron (and a touch of graphite in the straight line areas.)

Diva #219

And I am still playing catch up, a little…this is the last one from recent Diva Challenges, it was #217, which was Laura’s Birthday challenge…Bunzo vs. Dex. This is on GarzaPapel 300 gsm water color paper, which I had previously stained with hibiscus tea. I worked it with a soft tip Tombow Japanese calligraphy pen, because the surface was a bit bumpy.

And this weeks Square One: Purely Zentangle (on FaceBook) was Purk. “If there’s a Purk in your Fengle, don’t be alarmed now…it’s just a Zinger left from last week.” (I often hear song lyrics in my head while I am tangling…pretty bizarre, but very much a part of my sense of humor and being a rocker chick.)

That’s it for now. Getting ready to hit to road to Texas for a couple days. Have a wedding to go to, if the floods don’t carry us all away first!

Stay Crazy My Friends!