Wednesday, March 5, 2014

DIVA CHALLENGE #157 - UMT - CHARLIE

GOOD GRIEF!
Get it... Charlie... Brown...


Alright, now that that's outta my system...

This week's Diva Challenge #157 is a "Use My Tangle" challenge using Erin (The Bright Owl) Olson's original tangle Charlie.

I'll admit, I haven't used this one before... but it's quickly become addicting.

I had an idea for how I wanted to use it almost right away.  Laying it out & drawing it the way I wanted didn't happen nearly as quickly.  I'm going to say right now that I consider this an unfinished piece - that being said, I have completed 3 versions while trying to figure out how to finish it off.

This is my original, uncolored waiting to be finished but I can't make a definite decision & it's driving me bananas version:

tangles used: charlie, zigahzigah
I think it looks pretty neat as just plain lines, but it doesn't feel finished.  I've paired Charlie up with a tangle by Neil Burley called zigahzigah.  It's basically a twist on a chevron pattern.  & I love chevrons.  There are so many different ways to shape chevrons & so many different variations, & so many ways to change the look of them with color.  Chevrons are a recurring pattern in my home.

I did have to make a change to how Charlie is drawn to  make this look right.  Basically, I created an imaginary center line down the middle to give it some symmetry.  I tried to make the diamonds down the center roughly exact on each side of the line.  The outside ones are a mirrored reflection of each other, & though they still have that imaginary center line running through it, I didn't feel the need to make the diamonds the same on both sides.
If that makes any sense...

I was so terrified I was going to mess up my original drawing that I not only made copies of it, but I scanned it as well as traced it so that I could try to figure out the fill.  2 of them are done in blues & oranges.  These are the main colors in my living room, & I was hoping to end up with something I could frame & put on the wall in a particular space that is lacking something.  One is in watercolor, the other in colored pencil.  The third one was done with markers in a sort of grey scale.  I had a boo-boo where the warm grey marker I was using decided it wanted to be streaky, so I attempted to cover it up with colored pencil & a burnisher.  It created this really strange effect - I think it gives it a worn/weathered look.
watercolor
colored pencil
marker 

Because I've been playing with this for 3 days straight & last night started dreaming about it, I've decided to put it aside for a while & come back to it.  That's a pretty dangerous decision, most things I put aside & don't finish remain that way FOREVER! (Example - I have a second piece I did for last week's curvy gridlock challenge that just needs to have the color/fill done, but I can't find it!!!)

What I'd really like is some feedback on this... how should I finish it off?  Any ideas?

I'd like this to end up being the first piece of my own work that I hang in my home - I really am enamored with these 2 patterns mixed together.

Ideas, comments, criticism, smiles, 'you shoulda done this' -es or 'you shouldn't have done that' s are not only welcome, but thoroughly encouraged.

Now I've gotta get on this week's zendala dare... time to make some snowflakes.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, this is really something to keep you awake, of dream about.
    I like all three, but the last one is my absolute favorite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Annemarie! I'm still dreaming about it... & as much as I really want it to end up some variation of blues & oranges, the grey scale one is starting to be my favorite as well.

      Delete
  2. Oh Kathryn, your attention to detail and need for perfection is quite alien to me...and explains why I think your work is so amazing! I do think I like the first one best, even though I'm always drawn to black and white (yeh, Zentangle!) But why choose? The triptych is a possibility - use all three as a large framed 'statement' work. If you have a nice big wall it could work so well. Axxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Miss Annie, you are far too kind! A little self confidence boost on this rainy Friday morning is exactly what I needed!
      I have considered displaying all of them together... but I'm afraid I wouldn't be happy with them unless I did all of them over & made them perfect... hahaha

      Delete
  3. The lines only is nice, but can see why you felt it was unfinished. Just to add to the confusion, I will throw my vote for the gray scale. To me it just really pops. I do like Annie's suggestion though of putting them all together in one piece.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Donald! Another mark in the colorless column - the column I'm growing fonder & fonder of as the days pass.

      Delete
  4. All of your versions are so vibrant! If those were on shirts, I'd wear 'em! Great job :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Kailey! I am totally with you about the shirt thing... I've been thinking that this would be such a cool patterned fabric!

      Delete