Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Ten tangled houses

A few months ago a customer approached me with the idea of doing a piece of zentangle inspired art for her 10th wedding anniversary in July. She wanted ten houses to represent the ten years they will have been married, and something to represent her family of four. For that we decided on four birds in a tree. She also likes yellow.

Below is the finished art. Well almost. I added a tiny amount more shading after this photo was taken. It's all done with a Sakura Micron 01, mainly black but with a wee bit of green in the tree on the right.



Here's how I went about it. We decided on a general size for the completed art. I settled on 14"x24" with approximately a 1" border.  I drew a few possible roof points in pencil, then added a wash of Payne's Gray acrylic and let it dry.



I added random pencil strings to divide the space further. I use the brush strokes as well as the strings for inspiration/guidelines. I started tangling. Here all the roofs are in place and most of the lower edge is complete. You can see where I've pencilled in an arched window.



Then I started adding color with Derwent water soluable colored pencils. The arched window has been added, as well as several others. There are two chimneys with smoke, and I've indicated the branch where the birds will perch. There were two, paralel, vertical lines in the lower left (just above the Lilypads tangle) that I was a bit concerned about; I didn't know what to do with them. You can see below that they've become a lamp post!



More tangles and details. I've added some gray pen in a few places and some more yellow. Some doors are present as well as some wisps of sky and the birds in their tree.



Finally, all the ink drawing is done...


...and it's time to add shading. I used Prismacolor's Verithin colored pencils which have quite a hard lead. At this size I didn't want any unintentional smudging! Scroll back to the top to see the finished piece, with shading.


Here are a few detail photos:

Roofs and sky (top middle)
A few little rain clouds (top left)
Door with stained glass window (lower left)
Funky lamp post (lower left)
Picket fence and curly tree with four birds (lower right)

For those interested, here's a list of the tangles used (48 if I counted correctly!):
Aura, Bales, Bevia, a brick pattern, Cadent, Caviar, Coaster, Coil, Cornerz, Cubine, Dex, Finery, Florez, Florz, Flukes, Flux, Gingham, Gneiss, Hibred, Hollibaugh, Huggins, Hurly Burly, Knightsbridge, Lilypads, Miranda, Mooka, 'Nzeppel, OoF, Opus, Puf, Purselane, Rain, Rick's Paradox, Sampson, Sanibelle, Shattuck, Skaylz, Soo Flowers, Strircles, Tidings, Tipple, Unyun, Up and Across, Verdigogh, W2, Xyp, Yincut, Zanella.
Plus the usual dots, circles, stripes, spirals, curlicues, and so on.

48 comments:

  1. It's so bueatiful !! A big piece of art

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  2. This is delightful, Margaret! So many interesting details to enjoy. Congrats!

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  3. Absolutely breathtaking - not only the size and scale of the piece but the energy, flow, and delicacy of all the patterns working together to make a village. I am inspired and my eyes are so happy!

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    1. Ruth, I totally agree! It's truly amazing & compelling. =) Jan Brandt, Reno

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  4. Absolutely charming and beautifully done. I will come back to visit and stroll through it again slowly. Thank you for sharing this with us!

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  5. Great work! That lady will be very happy with her memorial ZIA. Thanks for the step by step photos and the detail photos. Amazing inspiring.

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  6. I'm stunned! Absolutely exquisite! And your step by step is so easy to follow.

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  7. WOW!!!! This is amazing!! I'm sure your client loved it. I would find it very hard to let a piece such as this go.

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  8. This is now one of my absolute favorite tangled pieces that I've seen. I love the design, the colors, and the playfulness of it. You did an excellent job on it.

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  9. Home, tangled, Home. sweet!

    Maria

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  10. Wow, this is amazing, Margaret! Beautiful work, and worth the wait to see.

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  11. Wow, what a gorgeous piece! And thanks for sharing the step-by-step.

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  12. Congratulations on creating a stunning art piece, I love it! You are a star Margaret!!

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  13. Amazing! Thank you for showing the steps. The detail is unbelievable. How much time did you put into this beautiful piece?

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  14. Thanks so much everyone! It was a lot of fun to work on.

    Beth, I almost never keep track of the hours I spend, partly because that's just a whole lot more "keeping track" than I want to undertake, but also because I think if you're really enjoying something the hours are unimportant.

    (If you're wondering how I price things, years ago I decided on a "per square inch" system with tweaks for really large or really small work, or pieces with significantly less detail than usual.)

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  15. This piece is absolutely stunning! I love all the detail, the color, the composition, well everything about it! Thank you for sharing the process with us. You are so talented and I just love your work! You have started my day with a huge smile.

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  16. I add my Kudos. I love it and am only slightly jealous. Sigh.
    BTW, what size is it and what paper did you use?

    Also, how much Do you charge per square inch?

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    1. (re-posted as a reply in April 2013)

      revbyrd, it's 14"x24" paper with an inch or two border. It's on a heavyish drawing paper that I had in my drawer so I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I use archival materials. It's fairly smooth but with a nice tooth, rather like the Zentangle tiles.

      After an AWFUL LOT of math and charts and calculator work, I settled on a rate of $1.50/square inch. I usually have a fairly narrow border so the price is for the paper size. I alter the price for very large or very small or very simple (rare) pieces. Slightly higher for commissions.

      Then, of course, I add framing costs and shipping costs. I also have to factor in venue percentages, which I do before I set a price as I don't want the same piece showing up with different prices in different locations. I also don't want a price of, say $346.57 so I'll say $350.

      They always say, pricing your work is the hardest part!

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  17. Wauw what a beautiful piece of art work! Verry inspiring!

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  18. This is amazing! You do beautiful work!!

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  19. Breathtaking - what a lovely piece - thanks for sharing your process.

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  20. Unbelievable. Absolutely beautiful. For me discovering the zentangle, it seems inaccessible. You are an artist. Thank you for your shares. (google translation)

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    1. Margareth, ça marche tout a fait bien si vous préferez écrire en français. J'imagine que vous habitez en Europe et non pas au Canada? Il y a une enseignante certifiée en Zentangle (CZT) en Belgique et une aux Pays-Bas. Ça serait mérveillieux si vous pouvez vous mettre en contact et suivez un cours. En tant qu'activité artistique c'est vraiement très facile!

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  21. Congratulations on a masterpiece! Its amazing how tangling adds to an artwork something quite special. Your picture says it all. I love it!!
    acts10two
    flickr

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  22. This is so impressive Margaret and absolutely delightful. I just love it. How long does it take you to do a piece this size? I'm sure the woman who commissioned it will be thrilled—it's fabulous!

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  23. Wow! So beautiful. Thank you for showing the process....and for the inspiration.

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  24. Fabulous! Your client must be thrilled.

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  25. I just saw your zentangle houses,on Pinterest, this is an awesome work of art.

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  26. That is frickin' gorgeous!!! Very inspiring!

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  27. You stretch my imagination, Margaret. I visit your site to learn and you never fail to teach me. I thought I had to find a way to get to Saskatchewan but no, I can visit your blog, study your designs and explanations and then see what I can come up with on my own. I keep thinking I should be paying you for a class!

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  28. Thanks again everyone! I still have another page, the same size, that has a wash. I started two just in case the first effort didn't work out.

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  29. This is so awe-inspiring! Thank you for sharing your talent as well as the process you used. I so enjoy all of the details and seeing so many different patterns. It encourages me to reach farther with my tangling. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this drawing!

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  30. I'm committed to learn more and more tangles now. Every day. No excuses. Like you, my excitement comes from the playful application of the tangles so that they disappear into the whole and leave the viewer with the magic. I cannot wait to do a village of my own. If you lived here, I would absolutely beg you for lessons... I adore your work!!!!

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  31. I am new to this art. I am an acomplished bead, lampwork, stained glass, yarn, and needlework artist. I have developed tremors and hope the exercise, and relaxation therapy will be of help. Your piece is simply breath taking.

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm aware of a lady with MS who does Zentangle drawing. Her lines are all tiny wobbles, a lovely and interesting effect! The main thing: enjoy yourself.

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  32. I'm late to the party, but this is so beautiful! So many lovely details, and I really appreciate it that you showed us your working process. Great job!

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  33. I've made this beautiful thing with the help of your work, Margaret:
    https://ru.pinterest.com/pin/489344315737519150/

    Thank you! (This is my first Zentangle)

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  34. Das ist ein ganz tolles Bild When I' will be able I will show it on to you, I hope! Amitiès

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