Inspiration (Overload) Point

Hiya!


I've been drawing my little heart out.  In all of my years, I have never - ever - felt so inspired.  There are so many things going on in my head while I am drawing right now, that it's almost scary.  Seriously.

Since I have discovered the technique of Zentangle, I can't stop drawing.  I mean, I think about it all the time.  In the shower.  While I'm cooking.  While I'm exercising.  After the light goes off and I'm lying in bed.  And when I am drawing!  That's when it gets a bit creepy.  I get so many ideas for what I could add to my drawing, or inspirations for the next drawing... while I'm drawing. I can be truly engrossed in an area, concentrating hard to keep lines clean, then my mind is fast-forwarding to the next area.   It's inspiration overload.  I find myself having to actually take a break.  My husband tells me that he is so happy to see me drawing so much.  It makes him happy.  I even tried to explain this feeling to him.  My son understood.  While both kids and my husband cheer me on, it's my youngest who, I believe, truly 'gets it.'  Both of my sons are wonderful artists, but my youngest is more into art.  We discuss different techniques when I show him the progress of one of my drawings. 


I find that music helps me "Zen."  Depending on what I listen to, the design that emerges paints a picture of my mood.  Thank the stars for Pandora Radio.  I can go from Chopin, to Prince, to Toto, to Ella, to Shaun Cassidy, to Glenn Miller, and to the Dead, and the lines just flow out of me... and the dots.  Lines and dots.

With this latest one, I felt the need to fill in the empty spaces outside the design.  This is what I came up with

I should name this "Monsters" as it reminds my son of Harry Potter's "Monster Book of Monsters."

I think this is my favorite to date.  I almost thought about adding color, but I think it's better left in black and white.  Alex tells me that these are cool because your eyes are always kept busy looking at them.  I think that was a compliment.

Until next time,

Keep tangling!

Twisted Zentangle

I have been thinking about my elementary school days, lately.  More specifically, my fifth and sixth grade years.  I had the same teacher for both years.  Mr. Headman.  He made school fun.  LOTS of fun.  I will save my memories of him and those years for another blog, but there is one thing that he showed me once that has always stayed with me.  An art form that I only know as "Squiggle Design", as he called it.  When it was raining outside and we stayed inside for recess, we could basically do whatever we wanted to do.  Records were spun on the school-model record player (Steve Miller... always Steve Miller), kids played cards, read, and drew.  I drew.  Back to Squiggle Designs.  It was simple.  You took your pencil and just drew one curly, curvy, continuous line, but carefully ended it.  I should have taken a picture of mine that I just did to show.  Next time.  Then, once your line is done, you simply colored in each shape a different color.  Or shades of one color.  The possibilities were endless.  Thank you, Mr. Headman, wherever you are!

I was making coffee this morning and it suddenly came to me.  Make a Squiggle Design and ZenT it!  Here it is:

I am getting addicted to ZenT.  I was told by my physician that I really need to find a way to de-stress.  I'm so stressed out and have been for months.  So much so that my hair is falling out.  I can't wait to show this to him.  He loves art and will be happy to know that I have found a way ... another way *wink* to de-stress.  

Thanks for reading.

Until pen and paper meet again...

Peace.