Sketch Box October

I recently subscribed to Sketch Box, a monthly, themed box of art supplies. The first one I received is October's, and the supplies are themed around oriental ink painting.

The box contained a pad of sumi-e paper, three black drawing pens, a white pastel pen, a small pot of Scarlet calligraphy ink, an oriental brush and a block of ink and a grinding stone. I opted for the Premium boxes so all these supplies are lightfast.

Much as I adore oriental ink painting, it's not something I aspire to do, so I used the supplies in my own manner, 'drawing' rather than 'painting' and incorporating tangle patterns.

Here are three I did using only the materials provided. 

I have three pieces of Khadi paper sent by a tangling friend that I wanted to try. I used the SketchBox supplies plus some of my own. This is a heavy-weight, rough-textured (thus the fuzzy photos, my apologies) paper but curiously easy to draw on with a pen. I quite like it.
(I don't need more paper. I don't need more paper. I don't need more paper...)

Interestingly, the tool I was least interested in when I unpacked the box - the Edding white pastel pen - may be the one I use most in future. I wonder, what will November's SketchBox bring me?

"Journey of an Old Soul" process

Some of the papers I used in my most recent eco-dye batch didn't stand up to the simmering as well as others. They had some frayed edges, tears, and small holes. I chose one of them to do a seven-circuit labyrinth.

This is the paper as it emerged from the dyeing, with a few initial pencil lines.

I chose Bosch for a border with a Sprouts/Mooka/Hollis mash-up in the corners. I outlined the labyrinth with a thin border between the paths, adding some details throughout.

Next I added a bit of color, three gems and some spring green Icantoos, as well as a metal leaf sun - or  is it a moon? Then more tangling in areas of the lines dividing the pathways, some shading to the corner sections, and some shading in the labyrinth itself.

That part done, I affixed the paper to a cradled birch panel, deciding to leave the wood grain showing. I added a small brass nail just inside the corners of the paper and drew a dark brown line around the edge of the wood. I finished the sides with a strip of cork.

I didn't like it. I thought it made it look like particle board - not an effect I wanted! I removed the cork and painted the sides bronze. To finish, I added matte varnish with a sprinkling of gold flecks.

Here is "Journey of an Old Soul":

"Ye Are The Stars" process

I recently purchased a stencil called Alhambra (from Marieke on Etsy) and used it to create "Ye Are the Stars" on an eco-dyed Opus tile.

Here is the paper as it came out of the dye-bath. I intended to retain more of these colors, but that's not what developed.

I didn't want simply a pattern with designs, so I searched to see if there was a 'star moth' or 'star butterfly' I could incorporate. Lo and behold! There's a Pink Star Moth, native to the southeastern coast of North America! I found pictures and did one in colored pencil.

Fairly far into the drawing I decided there were just too many patterns going on; I liked them, but they weren't contributing to the look I wanted. Here are two details:

I didn't like the Ragz on the left or the five different corner sections on the right.

I had to change them. With high quality art paper (like the Tiepolo of Zentangle and Opus tiles), if I'm very careful I can peel off a top layer of the paper and begin almost fresh. I got out my scalpel, tweezers, and bone folder and got back to drawing.
(See further down for "How to peel paper".)

I re-tangled all those sections, opting for Tidings all over, and am much happier with the corners now. There is gold ink in each of the nine 8-pointed stars.

Here is the finished artwork.

HOW TO PEEL PAPER

First, I lightly cut around the edge of the section I want to remove - more like scoring than cutting. I absolutely don't cut all the way through! Then, I loosen a corner or two with the knife point...

... and use tweezers to peel off the top layer. It never goes neatly! I always have to pick off more edges and peel more. But eventually I get it all off, leaving a rather fuzzy section of paper.

Then I use the bone folder to really smooth it down. A thumbnail works well, too.

THE TITLE

"Ye are the stars" comes from this quotation from the Baha'i sacred writings:

"O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll."

Stacked Bijou challenge

This week the Diva's guest challenger, CZT Jane Reiter, proposes something quite out of the ordinary! She calls it a "stacked bijou challenge" and you can get the details here on the DivaCZT's blog.

I didn't like the idea of the increasing low relief of using layers of mat board so I layered paper, in some cases nesting one paper into the next one.

I used seven layers of papers, and I might even add another. Still thinking about that, but I wanted to post what I'd done before Saturday!

These are the layers, beginning with the Bijou (twinchie) in the center:

1. Bijou tile, white
Blue and pink wash; blue and white ink; blue and pink colored pencils

2. Standard tile, Renaissance (tan)
Blue wash; blue, turquoise, brown, sepia inks; brown, blue, white colored pencils

3.  Zendala tile, white, almost finished but disliked
I cut four rounded edges and added a lot of pink/orange color, then stuck the four pieces to the edges of the Renaissance tile.

4. Hand-marbelled paper
(on dark brown paper)
No, I didn't do the marbelling; I bought a few sheets from another artist a few years ago.
I used a brown pen to draw Auras in the shapes of the marbelling.

5. Canson drawing paper
(in a stunning gorgeous blue!)
It had a few black lines on it and I worked them into the design.
I also used a little metalic blue ink, gray ink, and white pencil.

6. Patterned scrapbooking paper

Off-white with an ochre colored design. I added a wobbly brown line all around.

7. Stonehenge drawing paper, 'Kraft' brown

Brown and sepia inks; brown, pink, white colored pencils; a touch of white ink.

The blue wash on the Renaissance tile was my least favorite while I was working on it, but now I think it's my preferred section. Just for interest's sake, here's a detail of one corner.

Play with Paper - zendala dare

Erin at the Bright Owl blog has another interesting mandala template for her dare this week, but it's not the mandala that's the dare. She asks us to find some interesting paper to tangle on using her template. I love paper as much as Erin does and have lots in drawers in my studio. I chose three to use.

First up, a mottled pink and gold origami paper. I used red ink and a bit of brown and white, and red pencil for shading.

Tangles: Florez, Paradox, Phuds

Next I used a piece of scrapbooking paper with a small grid pattern in purple and green. I used that grid pattern as a basis for the tangles.

Tangles: Bales, Beelight, Screen

Finally, my favorite, on handmade marbled paper that I bought on holiday last year. I love marbled paper and it's often so beautiful all by itself that I don't want to add anything to it.

Tangles: Munchin, Tipple, Tripoli

Several months ago I tried using other types of paper. You can see those efforts here.

Just for a change

When I come across an interesting piece of paper I tend to keep it. For something in the future. Sometime. Tidying up the studio the other day I came across a lovely small piece of paper with gold and silver flecks. I cut it down to a 9 cm. square and tangled it.

Tangles: Assunta, Black Pearls, Casella, Chebucto,
Flux, Miranda, Paradox, Phuds, Tripo

There are other interesting papers in my drawers, some with designs printed on them. (I have one - and only one - major scrapbook project I began a few years ago and must get back to. Sometime in the future.)  I located some of that paper and had a go.

Tangles: Bales, Cadex, Coaster, Kuginuki, Paradox,
Prestwood, Spinners, Tripoli, Zapateado

Tangles: Finery, Knase, Knightsbridge,
Krli-q, Phuds, Striping, Zapateado

Then I pulled out a pale sheet of hand-marbled paper. I love marbled paper. I didn't draw a pencil string, rather let the lines of the marbling show me where to begin or end a tangle. Some bits spread beyond the border.

Tangles: Braze, Caviar, Crescent Moon, Flux, Gewgle,
Hollibaugh, Jonqal, Lotus Pods, Miranda, Paradox, Phuds, Tipple

For the next one I used sepia ink on what is sometimes called 'straw paper'. It's a paper with bits of dried grassy stuff in it and is rather pretty. However, it's also rather flimsy and the grassy stuff was occasionally bumpy.

Tangles: Bateek, Black Pearls, Crescent Moon,
Jonqal, Paradox, Prestwood, Tipple