Kia Ora…Welcome In

October 10, 2017October 10, 2017 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 6 Comments

Kia ora is a Māori language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It means, literally, have life be well/healthy and is translated as an informal hi at the Māori Language Commission website Kōrero Māori.

I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Zentangle, or anything else for that matter. Well, it officially means I am sitting in Christchurch, New Zealand while I am writing this blog. In this Old Goverment Building turned hotel and private apartments.

Tucked amidst the rubble of a city being reborn after devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The Central Business District has a vastly different skyline than it did, and it currently resembles some post-apocalyptic nightmare. But, like the mythical Phoenix, it is rising again.

I am fascinated by the art and culture of this place. Their respect of the indigenous peoples here is pretty cool. So it is no wonder that it permeated my Diva Challenge (#336) this week in a Striping monotangle. I think it looks pretty “tribal.” I am usually pretty predictable with this tangle, so I opted for one of the pre-strung tiles I brought with me for a different view, and varied the stripes a bit more than my usual thick ones. So here is the pre-strung tile I used.

And what I turned it into:

I like it. I have also been keeping up with the #InktoberTangles whilst on the road. It has been fun working in my little Iona Cub, knowing that I will have it filled up at the end of the month.

We were in Australia for about a week before we got to Christchurch, and it was a bit hot…the last day. Otherwise, it was a bit cool and overcast. We did manage to get a good shot of the Opera House (which we toured.)

And saw some cool Roos at the Taronga Zoo.

And we hiked the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee…and saw the birthplace of surfing.

And found tangles at the Night Noodle Market at Hyde Park.

And this wonky building in at the University of Technology Sydney (Business School.)

Oh, and they were kind enough to name a ferry for me…pretty cool!

So, as you can see, I’ve been a bit busy! But before I left, I was noodling around with some new ink and my glass pen for this fun variation of Baton.

Two of my students (and fellow CZTs) finished their Summertime Blues Opus tiles. They are fabulous! This first one is from Wendy Gray, CZT.

And Nancy Loomis, CZT:

Well…I think that is enough for this week, as my WordPress App is acting up and my battery is getting a little low…so I should go find some wine to drink!

See you next week from Australia (again!)

Marasu Unfurled

March 1, 2017 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 12 Comments

Whew…what a weekend! Missed my usual Monday deadline for posting this week’s blog, but I had a good excuse. Started out going to Palm Springs on Friday, where I had lunch with Cherryl Moote while Flyboy did some work around the house for his mom. Then we went over to Morongo Casino & Resort for an evening with Sammy Hagar & The Circle (Michael Anthony from Van Halen, Jason Bonham, son of legendary drummer John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, and Vic Johnson, guitar player from Sammy’s other band, The Wabos.) We splurged and got the VIP experience, and BOY…did we get an experience!

Wow! Sammy is turning 70 in October, but he isn’t missing a beat. The show was AMAZING!

Then we doodled off to Phoenix on Saturday, visited my mom at her assisted living place, and spent a lovely evening in downtown Phoenix. If you re ever in that area, I highly recommend The Arrogant Butcher. Drinks were totally on point, and the food was great, too!

Sunday, after another quick walk around downtown, we headed out to the Goodyear Ballpark to see the Giants play the Reds. It was a beautiful day, and Spring Training remains one of my favorite things to do. You get to be so much closer to the players, and it seems a bit more personal, watching the guys who are trying to make the team.

We spent Sunday night with friends in Surprise, and headed home Monday, with another stop in Palm Springs to finish some things up at Flyboy’s mom’s house.

While he was working, I started on this week’s Diva Challenge (#305.) I have loaded all my pre-prepped and half finished tiles and whatnot into my art bag, so I always have a few things to choose from when I need to start a project. This time, a watercolor postcard that I had sprayed with hibiscus tea through a stencil seemed like a likely candidate for a Duo Tangle of Marasu and Molygon. While I know that Marasu is a coiled image, I thought I would imagine it unfurled…and in as many different ways as I could think of. I kept the Molygon fillers all the same, so they would stand out a bit. Finished off with a purple metallic Gelly Roll and shaded with Stabilo CarbOthello Chalk Pencil.

I think it turned out pretty well. I was also thinking…its a postcard! I should send it to someone. So…I will select a random person from the comments on this post to send it off to!

Back to work, wrapping up the finishing touches on the Celtic Knot instructions. Still room in the class if you can make it, and if you can’t, I will have another surprise for you shortly!

Welcome to 2017

January 9, 2017January 10, 2017 ~ CharkatTangles ~ 17 Comments

Ok…I know…I did not really need to take a few weeks off from blogging. Not good for business, etc. But sometimes, you have to refocus your intentions and get some things done. Get through the holidays. Spend time with loved ones. Make art.

I set some pretty lofty goals for myself this year. All measurable and attainable, though, so I know I can do it. The first one is to get my blog posts in on Monday. So, I think I did that! (1 down, 51 to go!)

What better way to start off the New Year than with a new Use My Tangle (UMT) Diva Challenge! Challenge #298 comes to us in the form of the tangle Orbs-la-Dee by Anneke van Dam. It is a nice filler tangle, and has a few cute variations. I decided to use it on a tile where I was testing the Sakura Micron against the Copic Multi-Liner SP. I wanted to see if I could tell the difference, so I divided the tile in half and tangled the same tangle on both halves.

Honestly, there isn’t a lot of difference. To the naked eye, the Copic looks slightly different when next to the Micron, but if you used just the Copic, that difference wouldn’t matter. I think the deal here is the price points more than anything else. They are both pigment inks, archival, etc. But I think my real love of the Copic is that it is more economical in the long run, not to mention more environmentally friendly. It is refillable, and has replaceable nibs. The refills last longer than a Micron, and the nibs stay juicier a lot longer. So instead of carrying extra pens when I travel, I only need refills. The con side to this is the starter price of the Copic. I sell the Microns for $2.25 US…the Copics are $11 US. But…the refills are the price of a Micron….and last at least twice as long.

And…as luck would have it for you, my readers, I can supply these lovely pens for you! (Leave me a note below.)

So you know that I have not been slacking over the holidays, I shall produce proof!

First up, I participated in the 12 Days of 3Zs Challenge from Zentangle®. Although I got my tiles late and did not finish them in time for the actual contest, I did, in fact, finish them before Christmas! They make a pretty mosaic star:

And individually:

These tiles are a lot of fun, and take a little less time when you only have a short time to tangle. And the pre-strung set take the stress out too!

At our December Friendship group meeting, we had a nice gift exchange, and I was the lucky recipient of a handmade latka book, from my friend and fellow CZT Hiroko Hashimoto. She tangled on the covers:

And I realized that I have a huge stack of these really cool journals and books, and I do not use many of them. I have yet to make one pen stroke in the journal I received at CZT training. So, I decided now was the time to start! The paper in this one is really interesting…it has a lot of texture and character. It also pills excessively when shading (hint: use a lint roller prior to spraying fixative.)

I have been trying to do a page or 2 a week. Seems like a good place to try out some new things.

I noodled around with my Scan ‘n Cut 2 some more and came up with these snowflakes:

The paper is an Astrobrights Metallic card stock, and I used Sakura Glaze pens on them. It is a fairly non-porous surface, although they say you can print on them with an ink jet printer. I have tangled on this paper with a regular Gelly Roll pen, but I find the Micron does not show up well.

Also came up with this cute little ornament from 3 Bijou tiles.

I did an end of the year recap on my FitBit…I walked over 1,300 miles! The chart was interesting. I started playing PokemonGo in July (my FitBit broke in August, so I was without it for 10 days, and I was sick a good part of December.)

This year, I am setting a goal of 1,500 miles. That is attainable, if it ever stops raining. The rain is a conundrum for me. We need it badly here in California, but it is severely cramping my walking! But…the rain also gives us beautiful rainbows.

That was the most magnificent one I have ever seen, and it was right from my home studio window.

I am not going to tell you to stay crazy anymore.

I am going to tell you to make art. It will keep the crazy away!