Tuesday, November 5, 2013

ZENDALA DARE #79 & A LITTLE RAINBOW OVERLOAD

For some reason... (I mean, there has to be a reason for everything, right?)  For some reason, November has thus far been full of taking color to absolutely unreasonable distances.  By that I mean... I think I am channeling LISA FRANK!  Full on - I'm talking unicorn vomit & psychedelic tiger farts.   I managed to get it under control enough to finish The Bright Owl's Zendala Dare #79... well... that is... on my second try...

I think that a lot of people wouldn't put out for public viewing & ridicule a work that they themselves laugh at & consider a complete mess.  However, I enjoy being able to laugh at myself, as well as make others laugh with me / at me.  Now, this is all a matter of taste.  Some people, (such as my lovely 9 year old niece Hannah,) probably wouldn't look at the following zendala as an example of just how excellently carried away far beyond all reason one can get.  For me... I found myself taking a break from it, & when I came back & actually looked at it, cracked up & realized that it had been embellished by the 10 year old girl I sometimes pretend to be.


tangles used: cayke, co2, footlights, japan diamond, paradox
This started out really well... I began with Derwent Inktense pencils to create a wash around the center ovals.  It looked really cool.  Next I dove in with my brand spankin' new set of Prismacolor Premier colored pencils for the outside.  Here's how it looked:




This is how it looked after the initial application of colored pencil










After blending with a wonderful Derwent Blending Pencil







Then things started to get really crazy once I busied it up with tangles & colored pens.  I can say it has grown on me.  The more I look at it, the better I like it.  I just seem to always move towards using an entire rainbow of colors when there are 6 or more elements to something.  It just happens.

I finished this first one just for the fun of it - because once you take something a bit over the line, it's kinda fun to push it even further - I pulled on my grown up pants, & sat down for a second go.

I'm pretty happy with this one, & I think I restrained myself appropriately:
tangles used: coil, hollibaugh, por-fin
The paper I used for this is Strathmore 400 series toned gray sketch.  It's my favorite for graphite work, & besides just being beautiful - it's excellent for shading.  You can get a deep scale of gray on it with a simple 2B pencil that can be gradually enhanced for greater dimension with white graphite.  The blue is from my new set of Prismacolors.

OH- I almost forgot - big up's to Mr. Rick & Miss Maria.  Thanks!

If you made your way through reading all this meaningless text - congratulations! you get a gold star!  Know that you're real swell & I appreciate your attention to my ramblings.  Comments & Criticism are always super, so if you are thus inclined, you know what to do.

I hope everyone is having a super-fantastic-awesome day!
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18 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 5, 2013 at 3:19 PM

    I like them both but the second one is really pretty

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  2. jeanchaneyazNovember 5, 2013 at 5:04 PM

    Okay, the one dedicated to Rick and Maria is beautiful, but the joy just explodes from the one full of juicy color. Let that 10 year old inner self have fun more often. Try some art journaling. It's an excuse to just throw color of all kinds everywhere and gives an excuse (do we REALLY need one?) to buy spashy and fun stuff to add to our out of control stashes too.

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    1. UnknownNovember 6, 2013 at 9:35 AM

      Thanks so much Miss Jean for the great compliment! Joy & Juicy Color are fantastic words for my rainbow explosion! I do often let myself go in my journals or sketch books - there is nothing more fun than that sort of inhibition!!

      as for of out of control stashes... yes. just... yes. experiment/play with every kind of medium in every color, in every combination ALL THE TIME. (mantra?)

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  3. Anne's tangle blogNovember 6, 2013 at 2:01 AM

    I agree with Jean! The first one is big fun and the second a great tribute to Rick and Maria.

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  4. Daniele OBrien Design, CZTNovember 6, 2013 at 4:35 AM

    Wow, love how your child within is bursting out on your first, so fun. Your second is amazing, love the sophistication, shading and depth. Gorgeous. I'm going to have to try the Strathmore 400 gray!

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    1. UnknownNovember 6, 2013 at 9:39 AM

      Thanks Daniele for the really awesome compliment!
      As for the gray paper - I totally recommend it! I picked up another book this past weekend, I was browsing Michaels Arts & Crafts and found it in the CLEARANCE section for 6 bucks!

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  5. MawNovember 6, 2013 at 10:41 AM

    I really enjoy your maximalist style! What a wonderful celebration of colour! These exude excitement!

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    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2013 at 7:45 AM

      Thanks Meghan! You know, I never really thought about whether or not my tangle style was maximal or minimal - & you're totally right, I'm a maximalist! Tons of tangles, tons of colors, fill every space... check check check, I'm a maximalist!

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  6. efie17November 6, 2013 at 11:29 AM

    oh wauw what a beautyfull colors!!

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  7. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    Love that your 10 year old self came out to play! I really enjoyed the second one with the turquoise! Gotta love the prismacolors!

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    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2013 at 7:49 AM

      I just had a thought - wouldn't it be fun to set aside a day of the week to do nothing but act like a child? OOOOOHHHHH... or maybe it would be fun to have a weekly challenge all about channeling our inner carefree kid.

      Thanks for the compliment. & YES, Prismacolor Premire soft colored pencils are the most creamiest, dense, beautifully pigmented pencils ever. A splurge, but so totally worth it!!!

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  8. rainsflNovember 7, 2013 at 8:32 PM

    Your rainbow Zendala makes me happy just looking at it! The blue on gray is beautiful--I love this color combination, and the tangles you chose are so pretty in this template.

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    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2013 at 7:50 AM

      A million thank-you's! I think if I can make at least one person smile each day, then the day will be perfect.

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  9. Tangles and MoreNovember 7, 2013 at 10:49 PM

    Like the festiveness of the first. Looks like a party. In the second, I really like your coil and the highlighting that you did.

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    1. UnknownNovember 8, 2013 at 7:53 AM

      It does look like a party, doesn't it...

      Thanks so much Donald. I always look forward to seeing you in my comments, you seem to be less "oh I love this it's so beautiful," & more just plain straight forward "I like this, I don't like this, you need to work on this." & that's a fantastic thing. So, again, Thank You!

      Delete

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