Hearing loss and living life
It is March and I finally finished a doodle challenge that was set for January, which I had a head start on in December 2021… Yes, better late than never I guess. But, I persevered, and I am quite pleased with the outcome.
I completed my first FYIC challenge in 2021 (here are some of the sketches).
Continue reading “Fragment of your imagination tangle challenge, 2022”
I learnt about the reinterpretation of famous works this week. I even tried my hand at it!
This is my tangle attempt at Starry night by Van Gogh:
And also the Bridge over the lily pond by Monet:
Continue reading “Reinterpretation… reimagination”
I started my zentangle journey when I wanted to find some creative elements that I could include in my bullet journal or planner. In short, I wanted to make the pages pretty. I tried out a few things and as it goes with Pinterest, I stumbled upon the world of tanglers. People who are doing beautiful things! Little artworks that grow out of a single shape and is made through repetition. This is something that resonated with me and I started off with the Inktober challenge of 2020 and was hooked.
What did I need to start:
My Creative Crafting WhatsApp group suggested that we join in on Inktober 2020. I found the official prompt list a bit daunting and googled to see what else is available. The zentangle community did not disappoint with a tangle challenge of their own. Clear step outs for every day of October and a Facebook group where you could be inspired by others. It was a challenge where I found something that I loved… which are the best kind!
Back in 2007 my beautiful friend, Nicky Wenhold, who worked with me at a printing company, gave me a ring-bound book. It was made up as a mockup to test some cover ideas and it has traveled and moved from various dwellings, from my student life, to my adult life. The first few pages were used for research planning of the literature review of my Masters (2013-2015). And for the rest of that time it just sat on my shelf. Beautiful blank pages just waiting for something. This book has now become my sketch book. It is not fancy, but it is perfect.
I started with an Inktober challenge so I of course needed pens. I started off with a pencil, eraser, marker, fineliner and an artist pen. Quite basic. I’ve only recently upgraded a little, but those are still the basic items that I use.
And those were the only things that I really needed to get me on my way.
I am motivated by movement and continuity and because I am still a newby, I am still only following prompts and challenges by the various groups on Facebook.
This challenge started while I was still on leave, so I had the time to sit down and lose myself every morning before the Lilliputians took over my world. I am however now back at work so drawing time is limited. I would however like to show off what I did.
The prompts can be seen here
This challenge was promoted on the 7F5R Facebook page and in order for me to understand what I was letting myself in for, I first had to do a little research.
Reticula refers to the shape that you fill with fragments. Sure, that is very simple but in essence, that is what it is. It is explained more eloquently here. The purpose of the zentangle method is to lose yourself in the process of repetition of shapes. I also found it very interesting that the only shapes you need to be able to make to tangle are
i c s o .
I am still not entirely convinced, but I do have to say that I have always believed that I cannot even draw a stick figure and now look how far I’ve come.
Some of them were done on their own, and some were combined. Here are a few of my favourites.
A few people have asked me why I do this. In my previous post I chatted about only taking with you that which inspires you and I have to say the zentangle groups that I follow are all giving me new perspective new ideas, and I am seeing things that I have never even seen before through Instagram and Pinterest… It has opened up a whole new world for me.
It is a very mobile, very inexpensive hobby. And I love the process of doing very basic things to create something beautiful.
Follow me on social media if you want to see me work my way up to beautiful mandalas!
I gave you the halfway update on my Inktober efforts and now we are almost halfway through November and I never concluded that post! Starting off I was diligently drawing a little every day, life however interfered and I realised that for the second half of the month that was not really realistic. I wanted to unwind, not be stressed out about deadlines – I have enough of that in my day job.
I, therefore, combined a few of the prompts into single drawings.
I loved Inktober. I loved it so much that I have been continuing my drawing, although not daily. I bought myself some water colour paint to see if I can combine some mediums. All in all I found an artistic side of myself that I did not know. I also loved how accomplished completing something small can make you feel.
Another lesson is that the creativity of others can be truly inspiring. Not even to compare but to incorporate, to learn and to grow.
These little zendoodles are definitely something that I will continue, after all, I have a whole sketchbook to fill.
When I started my planner I was truly inspired (and intimidated) by the beautiful page spreads that some people create. I wrote a little about this here. As much as I want to make beautiful things I know where my limitations are.
My first attempt at incorporating anything but my handwriting into my planner was a mood tracker with dutch houses. I was in love with the result but it was not something that came naturally to me.
I was probably one of the first people who bought an adult colouring book when they became available. It was in 2015 and I had just finished my Masters’ and I needed to try something totally different.
Only later did I realise that the images that I loved were the mandala ones, the paisley ones…
The idea sprouted that I could perhaps try to draw something like that. When typing Mandala doodles on Pinterest a whole new world opened up for me. The Engineer offered me his compass, and the first mandala was born. I even asked a friend to join me in the mandala challenge. Even though he later decided that it was not for him, I was hooked.
So that following month had a mandala theme in my planner… drawing which I spent more time on than actually planning.
And somewhere on my social media feeds I was introduced to Zentangles. After reading about it a little I learnt that this was a form of therapy as well and the notion of doing something that I really enjoyed and wanted to get better at, was something that could lift my mood… well, it sounded like a perfect fit.
Continue reading “Inktober 2020: Halfway update”