Weekly (#4) Zentangle Challenge: Starry Eyed Surprise…

I think by finding challenges and keeping up with them - motivation and inspiration comes about a bit more easily…

Over on the "I Am The Diva CZT Blog" Laura hosts a weekly Zentangle type challenge.

This week was using a star in your design. Click HERE for more details.

This is my drawing which I am submitting to the challenge via blog link up...

I too am a taurus, so there in the bottom left of the drawing are some bull horns…

I have been trying to texture the outer line of the drawings recently… Something I think I am quite drawn to when looking at drawings on the Zentangle Flickr group. One day I'll get some pics posted to that group…

This star shape is something I draw a lot. I always have...

This string (the starting line to any Zentangle) was drawn to pass under the star so I could draw on the inner part of the star.

I also want to bring drawing these tangles into my clay work. I already create my textures for my clay pieces by carving out designs and drawings into leather hard clay (then after that is fired, I have a texture plate to be used).

So the other day I used my Wacom tablet to draw this out on the computer (not quite "Zentangle" because it goes outside of the drawing parameters - the feel of the pen on paper where your mistakes can be made into more). The computer takes a bit of that away (love "command - Z") - but not much with that tablet pen to use:

Marsha Neal Studio Jan 10 Tangle Drawing 

Inspired by the star challenge, but drawn into more of a spiral (who me - draw spirals???)

Then I printed it out on my laser printer water decal paper and transferred it onto one of my porcelain pendants and fired it in my kiln to over 2000 degrees F (I like quality - that image will not be coming off of that piece - the iron from the ink is now fused within the glass that makes up the glaze).

MNS Jan 10 Front of Porcelain Pendant after decal firing.

MNS Back of Porcelain Pendant after decal firing.

I am rather fond of this particular piece…

There is just something about the edges of the drawing that really make me think about micro-organisms (SEM images: Scanning Electron Microscope images), cellular structures, and the like (here comes that scientist part again)…

Now I'm thinking about form which takes these drawing past just Zentangles of the doodling layers, but into the next level of working with drawings and images to transform them into something more than just a drawing on paper...

This tile (behind the writing block) is my "Lick" texture which is copyrighted by me (my texture plates are copyrighted). Is one of my oldest texture plates that I carved years ago and still use if for making pendants. Check out my textured pendants on my Marsha Neal Studio website to see more of what I mean…

I am so inspired to draw and carve out new texture plates by all this tangling and drawing…

These circles that life seems to run in are quite remarkable.

Stay with me - much more to come (let's hope!)