Monday 16 May 2016

the muse is fickle

  I'll be honest and say that in the last few weeks, I've been feeling a little "off" with my drawing skills. I think it's because I've been trying to push boundaries in my artistic talents, and I hadn't quite felt satisfied with what I'd created. It's only been in the last week or so that I've shaken that weird feeling off, and I'm pleased to say that I'm now feeling super inspired. This is just in time for Singapore's June school holidays, which is like America's summer break, but only lasts one month long. We have another month long school holiday in December. I get more sign-ups for Zentangle classes during the school holidays and I'm excited for the wonderful students I'll meet over the coming month. ^-^

  Onto my tiles for this week!

  A collaboration tile I did with Midori Okasako for Travelling Tangles Project:
I made a "Draw With Me" video of me drawing my half of this tile.
You can watch it by clicking this link.


  Another tile for Travelling Tangles. This one was done with Anoeska Waardenburg. 
I am very pleased with how it turned out.

  Here's my submission for Joey's challenge:
There's an XIII string on this tile.
I used Verdigogh, Ipso, and Garlic Cloves. I really like how Garlic Cloves looks like. It looks like a mixture of Socc and Munchin. Such a lovely tangle.

  And here's my submission for Diva's Challenge:
I tried drawing a water droplet on the top left hand corner of the tile. Let me know in the comments section whether it looks convincing enough.
  It's almost midnight here in Singapore. But I had lots of fun completing the above tile. I'm off to sleep now. Thank you so much for popping by to look at the pretty things I created this week. Until next time. ^-^ Keep tangling~

40 comments:

  1. I love your travel tangles, and I really like what you did with the Diva Challenge. The black square inside of a square makes it a compelling piece. I would only make a comment about your water drop because you specifically asked. I am no expert; however, since your water droplet is small, I think it would have been nice to add two more so that it looked more purposeful?

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a thoughtful comment!

      Yes, I believe part of the problem is that I drew it too small. I will try drawing it bigger next time to see whether it'd look better that way. And maybe add more droplets too. I didn't know whether it'd work out so I only planned to have one droplet in this tile.

      I'm glad you still like that tile, though.

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  2. All lovely. I especially like the black pearls in the bottom one. I don't quite get the droplet, but nice try!

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    1. Black pearls always add so much drama to tiles.

      Thank you for chiming in. I probably should go look at water droplets done by other artists to get a better feel on how to draw them. It's always great to push out of your comfort zone. :)

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  3. Your tile for the Diva's challenge is gorgeous!
    Also like the other tiles!

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  4. Such amazing tiles! I love them all, can`t decide for a favourite! The DIVA tile is really dramatic! Great work!

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    1. Awww~ You're making me blush. Thank you for leaving such a nice comment. I really appreciate it.

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  5. Beautiful work! Love the way you've interpretated Joey's challenge and your Diva tile looks dramatic in a wonderful way :-)

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    1. We always try to be unique in these challenges, don't we all? :D hahaha

      I haven't drawn Verdigogh since learning it from my CZT seminar in August last year... Gosh. How time has flown by. I've seen people use only one half of Verdigogh (imagine pulling off all the leaves thingies on one side of it). That looks nice too. Makes for a great border and looks like a grassy field. I might try that soon.

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  6. Very nice results, all of them and all have a nice balance between black and white.

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    1. Thank you so much for saying so. I appreciate your kind compliment.

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  7. What wonderful art, I am so glad you are feeling more positive. It must be great sharing the tangling of tiles.

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    1. I try to share most of my works. Even the ones that I think are mediocre. Over the years, I've discovered that we're our worst critique. And even when we think something we created looks horrible, there will always be at least one person out there who can find positives in it. :)

      Thank you for the compliment. You're too kind.

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  8. Beautifully done pieces. Always good to have the inspiration perking but good for you that you worked through your inspiration slump! Not everyone has the perseverance.

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    1. Quick! Bring me a sketchbook! I have to draw down all the ideas that I have right now!
      Hahaha

      The creative muse is fickle. But I've learnt to be happy when she's here and not be too sad when she's gone. Most often when she's gone, it's because you're learning new things or pushing boundaries and feel inadequate because you're outside your comfort zone. I always trust that the creative muse will return, though. Let's hope she'll stay with me for a long time to come this time round'. ^-^

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  9. Really great tiles....I know what you mean about the inspiration slump but glad you are once again feeling inspired. :O)

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind compliment. I'm glad, too, that I'm filled with inspiration now.

      I wish inspiration was something that I could give out to others to share. Perhaps posting pictures of what you create is kind of like doing that..?

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  10. I do love your challenge tile, the square in the middle gives it something really dramatic next to the black.

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    1. I'm glad you like the tile. I always try to bring some dramatic flair to my work.

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  11. Your Diva tile is great and the tile for Joey's are awesome! I like this idea very well!!! Beautiful!

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  12. Oh... I love all of your pieces! I'm especially impressed with your Joey piece. What a creative approach to this (a particularly vexing challenge for me). Well done!

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    1. Thank you for saying so~ Drawing is easy when you're inspired. :P
      I haven't used Verdigogh since August last year... Oops. It was fun drawing it again.

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  13. Lovely work, all of it. The traveling tangles so fun and I really love the drama in your diva tile.

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    1. Travelling Tangles is a wonderful project and the group has almost 500 members! Thank you for your kind comment.

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  14. I am looking for XIII! Yours is very creative! The Garlic cloves is holding it all together. Well done!

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    1. The XIII is there, I promise. :)
      Thank you so much for the compliment.

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  15. All are absolutely beautiful! Especially I like your fabulous "XIII" tile! It´s very imaginative and creative!

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    1. Ahhh~ Thank you so much for saying so. We all try to be creative in interpreting the weekly challenges. Certain challenges are easier for certain people on certain weeks. My muse was kind to me this week.

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  16. Wow, your Joey's tile is fantastic, a very artistic approach and yet I can still see the string :-)

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    1. Thank you! I tried thinking differently for Joey's challenge. Seems like it worked out quite well.

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  17. Beautyful tiles. Looks like you love floral tangles. I like the composition of your tiles. The divachallenge is a suprising contrast compared to your other tiles. It is more abstract and I like the layering and the idea of putting a drop on top.

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    1. It wasn't until I started teaching Zentangle classes that I noticed how much I love organic tangles. I still try to keep a good mix of grid-based tangles and tangles with more rigid step-outs; as opposed to more "free" tangles (like Diva Dance or Yuma, for example).

      I'm glad you like my Diva tile. I think I have two styles in my Zentangle tiles- either they're light and airy and organic, or really dramatic with high contrast. :) Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I really appreciate it.

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  18. Nice collection of tiles. Like the pearls in your Diva Challenge tile.

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    1. Black pearls are so easy to draw and add such lovely charm to tiles. They're a good variation of Tipple too. I love them. :)

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  19. Your tiles are really beautiful!

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    1. And you're too kind.
      Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. :)

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