Zentangle challenge #51

I have been having a good time breaking in a new notebook and playing with a newish tangle... Fife. The Diva challenged us this week to use this tangle. These are my entries for the challenge...

I have been wanting to use Finery and Fricle and Veins for awhile now and they all seemed to come together in this one. For this version of Fife I did the vertical and horizontal petals first and then left diagonal petals followed by the right diagonal petals behind the rest. I like the woven look this drawing order gives it. I also really like the gradual variation in the shading of the background. It shows off what it looks like with both the dark and the lighter background. 

In this version I gridded the whole page to begin with and tried to let the versions 'bleed into' each other. In this case the upper left is an offset grid which gives the Jacob's Ladder (for us quilters) aka Flower of Life pattern with no overlapping petals. The lower portion was done horizontal and vertical first and then left and right diagonals alternating. This version lets one whole network of petals recede and the other come to the front. They are all interesting looks with innumerable variations of shading and fill-ins for the petals and the spacing between. The I let Fife bleed into the brand new Helicopters by Dianne the Dabbler. I am really enjoying that new pattern.  One thing I have noticed since browsing other challenge entries this week is that my versions are all very... constrained. They all adhere to a very strict grid with little wiggle room. That is the type of pattern it is to my eye and I have a very vigilant 'linear editor' in my head that allows for little deviation from the 'straight and narrow', no pun intended. I really enjoy 'freer' work in many cases... I just have trouble doing it with any satisfaction myself . I found this to be true in most of my sculpture and drawing back 'in the day' as well. Is that good or bad or just the way it is? I guess it is good that I know that about my art and it serves as a good way to challenge myself when I feel the need.

I have been getting used to my new notebook, having filled up the previous little book I used for Art Every Day Month. The new one is larger, witch is both good and bad. There is more room for larger works, but they take longer. I am finding that I don't like the paper as well. It is thinner and not as smooth. I didn't really like this last tangle (which does not include Fife, btw) in the beginning so I started just goofing off and adding whatever I wanted to practice. Then today I bought a metallic pen for the first time and added a bit of that. I do like the effect, however large it's "fine tip" may be. It allows some cover up of unfortunate black lines as well, so that is always a bonus. This was also my first use of the double pencil line which has definite possibilities.

I look forward in the next week to seeing if my recent interest and copious practice tangling will translate into better free motion quilting skills. I will keep the blog posted with developments of that nature. Until then, have a great week and weekend.