Principle of Design: Pattern

Pattern. If you know only one thing about Zentangle, you know that it's all about pattern!

pat·ternˈpadərn/noun1. a repeated decorative design.
2. the repetition of specific visual elements such as a unit of shape or form.

Diva Challenge #293: Keeko
Some of the simplest visual elements you can repeat to create pattern are dots, lines, curves and circles. Keeko taps into this fundamental aspect of pattern design with an elegant simplicity. This simple building block can be a source of meditative repetition or inspire a curious "what if...?"

Keeko, Arc Flower for Diva #293

Keeko in 3D on a warped grid
for Diva #293

It's A String Thing #171
For some reason, I have never really embraced the Zentangle pattern Crescent Moon, another fundamentally basic pattern. I didn't find it very pleasing to draw and frankly I've avoided it. When this week's String Adventure called for Seawave (which I feel in love with instantly) combined with Crescent Moon (my nemesis!), I knew I had to find some inspiration.

On Pinterest I found a be-fescue'd version that I find absolutely delightful. I have to give credit to Mary Bartrop (CZT13) for making me a Crescent Moon convert! Shout-out to Lily Moon and Helen Williams for their inspiring versions as well. I've pinned a few to my Patterns and Tangles board if you want to check them out. Once I've found some inspiration, here's one way that I use my sketch book to record inspiration and to help me generate ideas.

use your sketchbook to generate ideas

And here's the tile I created after finding a way to love Crescent Moon after all and marry it with that deliciously textured and organic pattern Seawave.

Crescent Moon, Seawave

for IAST #171

The Zentangle Method naturally incorporates many of the classic principles of design while still allowing for a relaxed and improvisational experience. I like to use my sketchbook to try out new ideas and consider questions of contrast, balance, and rhythm in the context of these patterns we call Tangles. Then when I sit down with my pen and a tile, I take a deep breath and allow those explorations to blossom into a complete thought.

What about you? Which principles of design come naturally to you when you tangle?

Pinterest: Principles of Design poster

Create an Outgoing Signal

It's been a stressful week in the United States, capping a long and divisive election cycle. One aspect of my personality is that it's very easy for me to soak up other people's worries, fears, stresses and add them to my own.

"In our always-on, always-connected world of television, social media, and on-demand everything, it can be stupidly easy to spend your entire day consuming information and simply responding to all of the inputs that bombard your life.

"Art offers an outlet and a release from all of that. Take a minute to ignore all of the incoming signals and create an outgoing one instead. Produce something. Express yourself in some way. As long as you contribute rather than consume, anything you do can be a work of art." -- James Clear, Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Creativity 

It's probably no surprise that making art has been a very useful coping technique for me lately. Here's what I've been up to...

Diva Challenge #292

This week theDiva challenged us to use CZT Nadine Roller's tangle Eaxy. I chose to pair that high-focus, geometric pattern with the curvy, flowing lines of l'Eaura by CZT Ria Matheussen. I sometimes find it hard to blend straight line tangles with more organic ones, but I really enjoy the contrast that this combination creates.

Eaxy, L'Eaura for Diva Challenge #292

A bunch of new art opportunities have opened up for me lately, one of which was a night out with a very dear friend to take a printmaking class at artEAST Art Center and Gallery. My Zentangle practice got a chance to cross-over to this new-to-me media as I carved simple repetitive marks to indicate the texture of owl feathers on this printing block.

On the right, the block I carved with an owl on a branch.
On the left, a print I pulled from the block using black ink on white paper.

In the class we printed our newly carved blocks multiple times and using different colors of ink, making several small editions.

A variety of block-printing ink colors allows for lots of printing options.

It's hard to choose, but I think maybe this one is my favorite. Huge thanks to a wonderful artist and teacher, Leslie Nan Moon!

Owl, block print on paper, in blue and green

What is Talent?

Jalousie, Shing, Tagh, Fescur, Mooka, Msst, Hurakan
for the Halloween themed Diva Challenge #291

When I was younger, I loved exploring art materials and I deeply envied certain friends who created incredible art. Some time in my teens, when my own drawings didn't live up to the images in my head, I believed that I just wasn't as naturally talented or artistic as the peers I admired.

Around the same time I received lots of encouragement from teachers for the essays I was writing in school. Getting the ideas in my head down on paper in an orderly fashion seemed to come easily for me.  It felt like the opposite of drawing. I figured that I was meant to continue to pursue writing but that making art was not in my future.

I am so grateful to the Zentangle Method for providing an accessible entry point to making art and changing my mind.

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore"
Flux and 'NZeppel for Diva Challenge #290

Today I believe that anyone can learn to draw, that drawing is a way of thinking about and seeing the world, and as they say in Zentangle, "Anything is possible one stroke at a time."

Today I believe that the passion, commitment, patience, and hours of practice accomplished artists put into their work often gets mis-characterized as "natural talent."

Today I believe in growth mindsets and failing forward.

My beliefs around talent have changed dramatically since those tender teenage years and it's been a truly joyous discovery to see how wrong I was.

detail of an abstract encaustic painting

Facets, Corner Box, Chard, Cubine, Hubred, Dex
for the straight lines Diva Challenge #286

illustration of poppy and lotus seed heads
encaustic collage  with pastel

Tripoli monotangle for diva challenge #284