October 01, 2019

Zentangle® - September2019

October 01, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

I had plenty of tiles to choose the 30 to feature in this Zentangle-a-day post for September. There were some patterns that came up again and again during the month. The dominant one was gingo. I’ve always liked the trees and was thrilled to see the pattern posted on TanglePatterns.com site in late August. 13 of the 30 tiles I picked for September were this pattern…sometimes as a mono-pattern tile and sometimes with other patterns or a background. The ones with the dark background below were made on the iPad…others were done on square heavy paper/light cardboard tiles of various sizes and colors.

The feather-like pattern that I enjoyed so much with the campers is still one of my favorites…with variations.

I did an experiment with the paradox pattern – making the ‘same’ tile on paper and with the iPad. I love the meta-pattern that paradox creates and made two different ones. I was going to pick a favorite (meta-pattern and media) but I liked all of them.

Periodically I enjoy making a tile with a crazy string and then just filling in. Both tiles below were simply filling in shapes where only a point touched the area I had just finished coloring. For the second one – I made some red dots on the tile after I drew the string but before I started filling in shapes. It is surprising how different they look….so dependent on the scribbled string!

Then there were 8 tiles that didn’t fit any of the above categories. Sometimes it’s just fun to try something different!

The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

March 01, 2019

Zentangle® - February 2019

March 01, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

Only 28 days in February; I had a lot of tiles to choose from to pick the 28 in the mosaic below. I’ve continued to be more experimental during the month –

With and without a frame.
Starting with a string or not. There are times I like to start with something in the center or off to the side and then just let the tile evolve from that start.
Picking a pattern from the tanglepatterns.com or finding inspiration in other sources (this month it was basketry books and early 1900s architecture/home decoration…art deco). Many times, a portion of the tile is just auras or other ‘filler’ of blank space.
The ‘screen’ filler has become one of my favorites although I also have experimented with the ‘screen’ as a grid.
Black tiles with white ‘ink’ for lines and shading is my favorite on the iPad but I switch to a color or overlay a color periodically just to be different.

I’ll be creating some physical tiles in March to prepare for my upcoming CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) training that will happen in late March; going back to traditional paper and pens will be quite a change for me.

February 01, 2019

Zentangle® - January 2019

February 01, 2019/ Gwen Morrison

January 2019 was a big month for creating Zentangle tiles. I was working my way through the Zentangle Primer Volume 1 (Kindle Edition) that was recommended as prework for the class I will go to in late March. I enjoyed the exercises that I completed on my iPad with the Apple Pencil but going back to the traditional light-colored tile and black ink…drawing a frame and string, initialing, and shading. It was a burst of change – some new patterns, going outside the frame, overlaying patterns on previously completed tiles (the black tiles in this group). I selected 20 of the tiles I made while working my way through the primer to display below….going beyond the 31 for the month.

Now for the 31 for January. The ones done after the primer tiles all have a frame. I like the white shading that I can do within the Procreate software…after some practice. I probably will revert to frameless soon but will continue to use the shading.

November 01, 2018

Zentangle® - October 2018

November 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

I found myself creating theme sequences with colors in October. I selected 31 tiles (one for each day) and all the themes are represented although I had quite a few more tiles that 31 to choose from. The iPad makes it much easier to create tiles with a lot of variability without worrying about using up favorite pen colors or not having the color of tile I want with me.

The first theme was rich red ink on black background. My favorite of the set is one what has more background showing than usual. It reminds me of a brocade pattern.

Black on white…how can it get simpler. My favorite was made with a string created with 3 overlaid cursive G’s.

The next theme was white tiles with black designs that were finished with color – or colors. My favorite is probably the red and black one.

I switched to black tiles again…white design and aqua/turquoise finishing color. The theme was short lived.

I decided to use the color first and then finish in white. My favorite is one that include orange and then white.

I went back to single color on black tiles for the grand finale of the month. The theme will continue into the early part of November.

September 02, 2018

Zentangle® - August 2018

September 02, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

31 days – 31 Zentangles. I always enjoy the segment of my day that I am creative and centered….producing something that I find visually appealing. Once I started using the iPad with Apple Pencil, I haven’t created a single tile with paper and pens. I am digital all the way these days.

2018 07 pro 31a.jpg — I started out the month with a tile continuing the burnt orange on black series from July.

Then I switched to white on black.

2018 08 pro 14a.jpg — Bright green was the next series.

And then it was back to turquoise on black. The color combination is probably my favorite.

Later in the month is started experimenting with a rectangle rather than square tile. I was surprised that it felt so different. I’m still working to acclimate myself to it!

July 28, 2018

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 28, 2018

July 28, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Go Orchids: North American Orchid Conservation Center – A great site for learning about orchids…mentioned in my second post about the class I attended at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

In praise of drawing - The Painters Keys – This is post originally written in 2006 but still very applicable today. I looked more at Internet Archive for some of the ‘how to draw’ books that were mentioned in the article; it’s amazing that in a 40-year period in the 1800s so many were published. A more recent post – from a science education perspective – was published in 2015: Rediscovering the forgotten benefits of drawing. I am contemplating taking a ‘next step’ from Zentangles to realistic drawings.

Time-Lapse Videos Capture Echinopsis Cacti in Bloom – Eye candy videos…beautiful.

Free Technology for Teachers: 7 TED-Ed Food Science Lessons – We could all learn a little more about the food we consume….educate ourselves to eat wisely.

Research Dollars Go Farther at Less-Prestigious Institutions: Study | The Scientist Magazine® - Interesting finding. I wonder if it will change how some organizations that award research dollars make decisions in the future.

Material formed from crab shells and trees could replace flexible plastic packaging -- ScienceDaily – This type of technology gives me hope. Recycling can’t do everything. We have to reduce the non-compostable materials in our packaging…have a net decrease in what has to be (expensively) recycled and/or go to the landfill.

Recovery: America’s Giant Squirrel Back from the Brink – Cool Green Science – I’ve seen signs about the Delmarva Fox Squirrel when we have gone to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge but have never seen one. It’s good to hear a environmental improvement story!

As usual – I can’t resist the ’25 birds’ posts from National Geographic. Here are two that have come out recently: Top 25 Bird Interactions and Top 25: Wild Birds with Spectacular Catches

BBC - Future - The complicated truth about a cat’s purr – We all like to think that when our cat purrs that it is a sound of happiness…but is it?

Compound Interest - Volcanic eruptions: the chemistry of lava and volcanic gases and Compound Interest - The chemistry of spinach: the iron myth and ‘spinach teeth’ – Two posts from Andy Brunning. In the first one – click on the graphic and the larger version of the infographic will appear....a timely post with the volcanic event in Hawaii this summer.

June 01, 2018

Zentangle® - May 2018

June 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

It was challenging to pick 31 Zentangle tiles (one per day) out of the 75 I created in May. They were all created using the Procreate app on my still-new Apple iPad (6th Generation) Wi-Fi and Apple Pencil ( I first started using it in April).

I’ve noticed several things about my choices this month: I seldom choose a white background. Only 3 of the 31 used a white background.

I experimented with different colors of background…lots of variety: 6 tiles and 6 different background colors.

My favorite background color – for May – was black with 22 of the 31 tiles started out with that choice. There are a few that used more than one line color. Could that be the trend for June? Maybe.

May 01, 2018

Zentangle® - April 2018

May 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

I’ve picked 30 Zentangle tiles I made in April; the first 9 are the traditional 3.5 x 3.5 inch tiles using Sharpie Ultra Fine Point pens that I made early in the month.

Then, I started using my new Apple iPad (6th Generation) Wi-Fi and Apple Pencil. When I went on my road trip to Texas, I didn’t even pack the tiles and pens; once I started using the iPad for Zentangle, I used it exclusively. The Procreate app has worked well for me and probably will work even better if I ever read the manual. I have enjoyed experimenting with the backgrounds and pens/pencils. It takes a bit to get the same level of eye/hand coordination and acclimate to the slickness of the glass screen. I’ve cheated occasionally by using the ‘undo’ function – not a norm for Zentangle. I’ve enjoyed this first month with the iPad and anticipate many more. It great to be digital all the way...not have the extra step to scan the tiles for posting.

April 01, 2018

Zentangle® - March 2018

April 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

I am still savoring the new set of pens and trying to use them all – so they will all run out ink at about the same time. I have started using the yellow pens to color in patterns made with darker colors; the yellow just does not show up enough on its own.

I am also back to two different shapes of tiles – the rectangles that are the back of old business cards

And then the traditional 3.5 x 3.5 square tiles that I cut from anything that is close to cardstock thickness…and handles the ink from the Sharpie Ultra Fine point markers that am using almost all the time these days.

February 01, 2018

Zentangle® – January 2018

February 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

I created 101 Zentangle tiles in January! The number surprised me so now I am thinking up reasons that I created so many. It was probably a combination of things:

I was at home more and creating tiles is something I enjoy doing when I have time.
There were new pens involved. I had bought a package of 24 Ultra Fine Point Sharpies and was trying to use up the last of the old set…which I did toward the end of the month. Then I was keen to use the new set. What a luxury to have pens full of ink…no skips!
The cleaning out of office supplies resulted in a lot of materials that could be made into tiles (via my paper cutter). I am overwhelmed with a variety of tiles at this point and a pile to of sheets still to make into 3.5 x 3.5 inch squares.

With the 101 to choose from – picking 31 was a challenge. 10 are from old business cards and 21 are from recycled materials (card stock, file folders, Seltzer water boxes).

January 01, 2018

Zentangle® – December 2017

January 01, 2018/ Gwen Morrison

Enjoy a feast of Zentangle tiles from December 2017. Since there are 31 days in December, I’m featuring 31 tiles for the month. Five were made on the blank side of old business cards. This time not all the business cards were left over from my career. There were a few cards I’d picked up for contact or website information when I purchased something; once I get home a follow up on it, I decided to use the cards as tiles rather than putting them into the recycle bag.

My favorite tile material is still the lightweight boxes from seltzer water. The set of Sharpie Ultra Fine pens I’ve been using since last winter are beginning to run out of ink. By the end of January, I’ll probably open a new set that I already bought. What a treat it will be to have new pens with plenty of ink – although I m still in the mode of getting every little bit that I can out of the old ones.

December 01, 2017

Zentangle® – November 2017

December 01, 2017/ Gwen Morrison

It was a challenge to pick 30 tiles from the 73 that I created in November. The first 13 I made while I was traveling in Texas for the first 2 weeks of the month. I used a clip board or the small box that I used to store pens, blank tiles, and stencils (from the Buntini boxes) as a support for the tiles. I made them in the airport, sitting in rocking chairs or on a bed, outdoors, early in the morning….wherever I was creating the Zentangle created a bubble of calm that made the stress of travel melt away.

I also continued to use the lap table that my daughter used for art work when she was in elementary school. It has handy storage areas on each side to hold pens and blank tiles.

I keep the lap table down in the den and usually am listening to news while I create my tile; I need the Zentangle calm to not be overwhelmed by what I hear!

10 tiles were created in my home office – the place I create the majority of my tiles most months…just not this November!

November 01, 2017

Zentangle® – October 2017

November 01, 2017/ Gwen Morrison

Zentangles at Staunton River were done on a clipboard – newly purchased, with a compartment that was more than sufficient to hold all the pens and blank tiles. The light outdoors and inside the tent was very bright (sunny days). The Zen of creating the tiles different-than-usual. I picked 10 tiles I made during the 4 days.

I am still enjoying the tiles made from the Seltzer Water cardboard. The color and weight appeal to me. The paper cutter to process the boxes has a semi-permanent home on the island in my kitchen.

zenoct (17).jpg — Picking an old business card as a tile is my favorite for a ‘quick’ Zen fix. I am noticing that I am making a dent in the business cards left over from my career. It feels good to be pre-purposing them rather than simply dumping them in recycle.

October 01, 2017

Zentangle® – September 2017

October 01, 2017/ Gwen Morrison

“Thirty days has September…” so I chose 30 Zentangle tiles from the September pile for this post. It was a busy month and making a tile was a respite from the flurry of all the volunteer activities that were ending and starting and overlapping. I consciously tried some different patterns this month: some that I created as I made the tile and some that I found from other places. I like that and realize that the concentration required to create or try a new pattern adds to the value of creating Zentangle tiles. Click on the grids below to see enlarged versions of any of the tiles. The square tiles are all cut from Seltzer water boxes and the rectangular ones are old business cards.