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!

ZENDALA DARE #77

Ever had a morning when your hands were just... shakey?  Perhaps it's just too much caffeine.  Actually, that's probably exactly what it is.

My first go at The Bright Owl's Zendala Dare #77 with the "Random Act of Zentangle" added challenge, I must admit, was completely, 100% for my own enjoyment.  I love Halloween, & anything that has anything to do with spooky fun.  On top of that, I'm of the opinion that Tim Burton can do no wrong.  I've been wanting to use the tangle BTL JOOS for something halloween-ie, & the template for this dare just screamed SAND WORMS! at me.  (Also, beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJUICE!!!)

So here it is, Zendala Dare #77 No.1

tangles used: BTL JOOS, bitten, hypnotic

Like I said, shakey hands this morning.  I think I did an ok job hiding it with the tangles I chose.  I think I'm going to leave this in the Party City store by my house inside one of the sand worm costumes that I saw this weekend.  I figure, if you're awesome enough to want to be a sand worm for halloween, then you must be a pretty rad person who deserves my beetlejuice Zendala.

This was tons of fun for me, but I can't say that it's all that serious.  I'm certainly going to be taking a second go at this template once my hands calm down & I can draw a straight line. 

ALSO, I'd like to share with you the following:

nice spider

A very nice (albeit slightly misguided in terms of placement) spider has been kind enough to help me decorate my front door for halloween.  I've been very careful not to mess up his work over the past few days - but it's hard.  I have a storm door in front of the main door that he keeps connecting to, & every time I open my door, it tears the web. 

Yes, I am very, VERY stoked on halloween!  BOO!