Quotations and art - Circles

For many years my focus in art was mandalas, and - consequently - circles. I love that they are a symbol for so many things I hold important: unity, eternity, safety, wholeness, oneness. At that time I collected a lot of quotations about the circle and its symbolism.

I still create mandalas, and sometimes they show up unannounced. 

"Until we extend the circle of our compassion

to all living things, we will not, ourselves, find peace."

Albert Schweitzer

"Les Quartiers de la Ville"
Commission for individual
2007, 24" square, acrylic; ©2017 Margaret Bremner

"Everything the Power of the World does, is done in a circle. 

The sky is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our teepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation's hoop, a nest of many nests where the Great Spirit meant for us 

to hatch our children."

Black Elk, medicine man and visionary of the Oglala Sioux

"Expecting Triplets"
7"x8" mixed media, ©2017, Margaret Bremner, available

"Let your vision be world-embracing,

rather than confined to your own self."

Baha'u'llah

"Playful Planet"
10.5"x10.5" mixed media, ©2016, Margaret Bremner, sold

"A wheel was shown to me, wonderful to behold...Divinity...is like a wheel, a circle, a whole, that can neither be understood, nor divided, nor begun nor ended...no one has the power to divide this circle, to surpass it, or to limit it.” 

Hildegard of Bingen

"Wheelies"
3.5" square, mixed media, ©2016, Margaret Bremner, sold

Want more? See A few favorite quotations... (and art) here.
And Quotations and art - Ways of seeing here.

Leaky pen borders

Stop! Don't throw out that leaky pen!

You can use it to make interesting borders...

Below is the first tile I ever did with a leaky pen border.

And here's one with twisted Striping and Knightsbridge.

It's a simple matter of rolling the leaky end around over the edge of the tile. You need to be a little cautious so you don't get ink all over your fingers! Here is my first video (!!!) to show you how I go about it. (I couldn't see the camera, and the sound was on, so you can hear my husband giving me instructions!)

Below are a couple of photos showing the border in process, and what it looked like when finished. This is on eco-dyed paper.

Here is the result of the tile in the video.

Tangles: Crescent Moon, Doodah, Knase,
Knightsbridge, Snail 

"Window on the Woods"
(c)2015 Margaret Bremner
Tangles: Pearlz, Seljuk, Wud

I really like using Seljuk as a border with the leaky pen.
It nicely accommodates some of the blotches and irregularity. 

"The Door's Always Open"
(c)2017 Margaret Bremner
Tangles: Crezn't, Floo, Paradox, Pearlz,
Sanibelle, Seljuk, Tagh

Blind contour drawing = great strings!

I often draw a string blind (with my eyes closed, or averted), or with my non-dominant hand. It always affords some interesting placement, wiggly lines, mismatched corners, and other oddities.

For something a little different, I decided to try contour drawing a few nearby things in hopes of some new shapes.

What's contour drawing, you ask? 

It's a technique in which the artist draws a subject slowly, concentrating on the contours of the subject. The focus is on the essential form and not the minor details. Expect a contour drawing to look wonky; perhaps that's why I like them! In a blind contour drawing your eyes are only on the subject - not the paper - slowly and carefully following the outline with your pencil on the paper.

A page of contour drawings of things around my desk.
I'd say 'blind' but I cheat, and glance occasionally.

To use this technique to draw a Zentangle string, I recommend doing a very simple drawing. You don't want a lot of teeny, tiny spaces to deal with.

On the corner of my desk are two photo cubes with recent, favorite Zentangle tiles in them. I did a blind contour drawing of them and tangled with variations of Emingle for a Square One prompt.

Tangles: Doodah, Emingle, Pearlz, Zewm, Zonked

If I glance to the right from my art desk I see my husband's coffee machine. Here's the machine, the blind contour drawing I made, and the resulting tile.

Turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise from the string photo.
Tangles: Arukas, Emingle, Moonwaves, Zonked and a Black Pearl(z)

Here are two sets of pliers and the resulting tile.

Tangles: Cubine, Lamar, Romanancy, Zonked

And finally, here are three small bottles.

After I did the contour drawing I turned it sideways and thought it looked like 'something' pushing across the page. Maybe Bunzo? Mooka? Hollis? Then I turned it upside down and it looked like three trees. Well, you know me and trees!

Tangles: Amazing Spider, Black Pearlz, Icantoo, Prestwood, Pia, Sanibel, Zander

ZIA Ideas - Tree trunks

In my on-going, randomly occasional, posts about tangles that can be used in Zentangle-inspired artwork, here are some tangles that I've used for

  TREE  TRUNKS  

CRUZE from CZT Caren Mlot. Find step-outs here (scroll down).

"Meteor Shower" - 9 cm. square
(c) Margaret Bremner

DIVA DANCE from Zentangle, for CZT Laura Harms. Find step-outs at this link.

"A Windy Day" - 9 cm. square
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner

PRESTWOOD from Margaret Bremner. Find step-outs at this link. 
Shown below is a variation of this tangle.

"Splendiferous" - 9 cm. square
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner

ZANDER from Zentangle. Watch Molly draw it in this video link (about halfway through the video).

There are many tangles that begin with a zigzag line - angular or curving - and could be used for a tree trunk:

HIBRED (from Zentangle): in the Zentangle newsletter here.

PUFFLE from CZT Sandy Hunter. Find step-outs at this link. Scroll way down.

WUD from CZT Joni Feddersen, and a 'ribbon' variation of mine, can be found at this link.
ZEDBRA (from Laura Harms and Margaret Bremner): earlier on my blog here.

ZEWM (from CZT Amy Broady): on Amy's blog here.
KNASE (from Zentangle): I recently learned that this is pronounced 'nase' not 'naze' or 'k-naze' (which I'd been saying for years). Pictured below. Step-out from CZT Holly Atwater, with thanks! 

"Black Walnut" - 9 cm. square
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner

Knase step-out courtesy of CZT Holly Atwater, with thanks!

PALM TREES are somewhat different and sometimes have a more square grid look. I don't see palm trees much where I live, so I don't draw them often. From left to right here is Beelight, a variation of 'Nzeppel, sort of Purk, and Tortuca (all from Zentangle).

"Baobab Fantasia" - 9 cm. square
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner

No doubt you can think of lots of other possibilities!

Tessellations

I’ve been fascinated by tessellations for quite some time and finally got around to trying some myself. My first effort was in my Tangle-a-Day calendar and it turned out far better than I expected!

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Crescent Moon, Knightsbridge, Tipple, Tri-dots

My second try was equally delightful. I wasn't sure about adding so much green - there was a little in the eco-dyed paper - but I think it adds a lot.

"Green Light"
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner
approx. 5"x8" on eco-dyed paper; pen-and-ink, colored pencil

I started another, thinking to do something with trees, but it looked more like a simple repeating image. I think there isn't enough intermingling of the shapes. Not sure what will happen with it; maybe it will become bookmarks!

Here's one on terraskin paper using the same shape I used in my calendar. The central one isn't white but highly reflective silver.

And most recently, "Great Big Sea", again on eco-dyed paper.

"Great Big Sea"
(c)2018 Margaret Bremner
approx. 5.5"x8.5" on eco-dyed paper; pen-and-ink, colored pencil

The basic shape here is more sprawl-y than the others and you may not be able to see it right away. This is what I was working with.

Tessellations are another huge area of pattern making and I expect I'll continue to explore it.

Eco-dyed ZIAs, starts and finishes

I've been enjoying drawing on some of the papers I recently eco-dyed, with the darker darks achieved by using rusty objects in the dye bath. I'm also trying to leave some of the gorgeous eco-dyed sections unadulterated and tangle in just some places.
(You can read my post about my first attempt at eco-dyeing here.)

These are some of the things I've been working on. The finished piece is on one side and the eco-dyed paper I began with is beside it.

"This, Too, Shall Pass"

(c) 2017 Margaret Bremner
6" x 6"

Materials: pen-and-ink, colored pencils, metal leaf

"Splendor in the Grasses"

(c) 2017 Margaret Bremner
8.5" x 9"

Materials: pen-and-ink, colored pencils

"Feather Light"

(c) 2017 Margaret Bremner
11" x 4.5"

Materials: pen-and-ink, colored pencils, metal leaf

"Below the Surface"

(c) 2017 Margaret Bremner
11" x 4.5"

Materials: pen-and-ink, colored pencils, metal leaf

The blue dots in the 'before' photo are liquid frisket, a resist to block out some 'bubbles' while I added blue wash.

ZIA Ideas: Coniferous trees

Coniferous trees. Evergreens. Conifers. Triangles.

"Winter Conifers" (c)2015 Margaret Bremner
Tangles in the trees: Flux (two varieties), Opus, Sanibelle, Tipple

Living where I do - in the middle of the Canadian prairies - I see lots of coniferous trees. They offer greenery in the winter, and often show up in my zentangle-inspired artwork.

Here are some tangles that may give you thoughts of

 EVERGREENS 

I can't let this post go by without sharing 

Carole Ohl's spectacular Christmas tree using AQUAFLEUR.
Step-outs at this link.

FEATHERFALL (from CZT Carole Ohl)

Find the step-outs at this link.

"Blue Spruce" (c)2015 Margaret Bremner
Tangles: Featherfall, Tidings

FLUX - either version (from Zentangle)

Find the step-outs at this link. 

See examples of Flux in the first tile, Rick's version on the left and Maria's on the right.

NARWAL (from CZT Sam Taylor)

Find the step-outs in a video at this link.

"Night Knoll" (c) 2015 Margaret Bremner
Tangles: Black Pearlz, Hurakán, Narwal, Prestwood, Printemps

PRESTWOOD (from CZT Margaret Bremner)

Find the step-outs at this link.
There is another example of Prestwood in the tile above, using Prestwood as a single, long line.

Tangles: Afterglo, Diva Dance, Morse, Prestwood

SANIBELLE (from CZT Tricia Faraone)

For an evergreen tree, draw it "upside down". Find the step-outs at this link.
Here is a Christmas card using Sanibelle on a 3Z tile. We added tiny colored gems for balls or lights.

Other tangles with great possibilities are...

VERDIGOGH (from Maria Thomas at Zentangle)

Inspired by evergreen needles. Find the step-outs at this link.
OPUS (from Maria Thomas at Zentangle) - step-outs at this link.

Tangles composed of triangles such as...
 TRIPOLI - step-outs at this link.
TRIFLE - step-outs at this link.
FASSETT  - step-outs at this link.

This is certainly not a definitive list. Put almost any tangle in a tall triangle shape and in the right context it could be an evergreen tree. See the example of Prestwood above. :)
Experiment. Enjoy!

"Expecting Triplets"

No! No, not me. Thank goodness! Oh my golly. (breathe... breathe...)

It's the title I gave this recent piece on eco-dyed paper.

"Expecting Triplets" (c)2017 Margaret Bremner
Tangles: Buttercup, Crescent Moon, Finery, Floo, Morse, Pearlz, Printemps, Sindoo

The tree is a single leaf, which printed lightly but nicely except for a roundish blob in the middle of it. It took longer than I would like to admit to think of a nest.

The most interesting part for me, though, is the ground. In browns, I drew Sindoo on the left and Buttercup on the right and it was too light and they were different-sized grids and I just didn't like it. To darken it I drew Printemps in black all over both sides. It was an improvement for sure, but still didn't really tie in with the rest of everything. I took an 'oriental brush fountain pen' (I don't know what else to call it) and drew wavy lines across both grounds. Three layers of patterns! Finally it all came together.

The Fairy Lane properties, Nos. 1-5

Oh suburbia, with your rows of square boxes and hard, straight sidewalks, all beige and brown and grey. I look at one of your houses and immediately know which window is the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedrooms.

Wouldn't it be so much more delightful and pleasant to live on Fairy Lane, perhaps at one of these addresses...

No. 1 Fairy Lane

Tangles: 'Nzeppel, Pearlz, Pixioze, Printemps, and Auras 

No. 2 Fairy Lane

Tangles: Arukas, Black Pearlz, Flux, Hurly Burly, Opus and Auras 

No. 3 Fairy Lane

Tangles: Beadlines, Pearlz, Tagh

No. 4 Fairy Lane

Tangles: Printemps, Romanancy, Sanibelle

No. 5 Fairy Lane

Tangles: Black Pearlz, HurlyBurly, Opus, Snaylz

I wonder how long the street is?

'My home' "old" illustrated manuscript

I continue to be inspired by the marks left on paper by the process of eco-dyeing. This page offered a sharp 'V' in the center, and it kept looking like hills, but I didn't know where to go from there. Then I pictured a house tucked into the side, and off we went.

Many years ago I did a calligraphy commission for a friend with a quotation that began "My home is the home of peace..." I thought it might be just the thing to pair with this image so I hunted it down (thank you internet!). I only used the first few lines due to space considerations, but here is the full quotation I found:

"My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined. This is the home of knowledge: the one who enters it must receive knowledge. This is the home of love: those who come in must learn the lessons of love; thus may they know how to love each other."  (Abdu'l-Baha)

I had a page with a slant at the top and decided to use it, do the writing on a slant, and hide part of the initial decorated capital.

Finally, the pair of pages. Each one is about 8"x5.5".

ZIA Ideas: Deciduous trees

Today in my on-going, very occasional, series about tangles that can be used for landscape elements is deciduous trees. For these I generally avoid tangles that are regular circle forms (such as Drupe, Fracas, Cirqital) but if that appeals to you, go right ahead.
(The first in this series, cumulus Clouds, can be found here.)

These are some tangles that may give you thoughts of

  DECIDUOUS  TREES  

AQUAFLEUR (from Zentangle)

Find step-outs at this link.

"Black Walnut"
(c)2015 Margaret Bremner

BUNZO (from Zentangle)

Find step-outs at this link.

"Clearing in the Afternoon"
(c)2014 Margaret Bremner

FENGLE (from Zentangle)

Find step-outs at this link.
One of the things I love about Fengle is that you can add other tangles inside the various sections - tangling within tangles!

"Tea on the Terrace"
(c)2016 Margaret Bremner

GINILI (from Randi Wynne-Parry)

Find step-outs at this link.

"Reflections"
(c)2016 Margaret Bremner

MERINGUE (from Kelley Kelly, CZT)

Find step-outs at this link.

"The Shorter Days of Autumn"
(c)2017 Margaret Bremner

PAISLEY BOA (from Amy Broady, CZT)

Find step-outs at this link (scroll down).

This is another tangle where you can tangle within the sections.

"Jujube Tree"
(c) Margaret Bremner

YUMA (from Tina Hunziker, CZT)

Find step-outs at this link.

"Sapling"
(c)2017 Margaret Bremner
With three brass leaves sewn on.

Tangles that include leaf shapes can also be useful (try Zenith or Groovy) as well as tangles that contain actual leaf imagery like Yuma, Leaflet or Hurly Burly. Maybe try Shrock for a spring tree in blossom? And I'm sure you can think of others.

And don't forget, you can combine tangles, mix 'n' match, put one tangle inside another... have fun!