Organic Process

I'm intrigued by the creative process, and the process for the creation of these Artist Trading Cards I would have to call "organic". By that I mean that they were not planned ahead of time, but evolved as each step was completed.

Group Photo

The ATC's were created for the Vancouver Artist Trading Card Group. One of the September themes is "tangled", and the colour suggestion is brown.

I decided to do something with Zentangles, but did not draw the "string" or outline by hand. Instead, I lay leaf masks on a 9 x 12 piece of watercolour paper and spritzed it with Adirondack Butterscotch Color Wash. Then I cut them into ATC's, and zentangled and coloured them with pencil crayons. I finished them off by adding stamps. I like them because they are all different, due to the placement of the masks.

Another Zentangle

For those of you practicing your Zentangles, here's another rather traditional form, done with a "string", dividing this artist trading card somewhat randomly into shapes for tangling.

Before and After

Here's another Zentangle done with a stamp, this one showing the stamp before and after the doodles were added:

Zentangles can be as simple or as complicated as you like!

A Valentine's Zentangle

This Zentangle was done using a Hero Arts stamp.

Go Fish

Here are another couple of Zentangles I completed while in Montreal recently:

Zentangle With Stamps

At stamp club in November I also demonstrated Zentangles.  One of the options we discussed was using stamps.  Here is an ATC I  made to use as a sample:

Coffee Time

This tree is a Spanish tree (what?  no difference?) viewed from a sidewalk cafe.

Castles Everywhere

This Zentangle was inspired by the many castles we saw in Spain.

If you are a Zentangle aficionado, you will have noticed that I do not do my Zentangles in the traditional way, with a random "string" to define the various areas.   I prefer to draw an outline drawing (here a tower) to be filled with "tangles". 

Filling the Well

Those familiar with Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way will understand the concept of "filling the well".  Julia recommends a weekly "artist's date", to renew the supply of images and inspiration used up as we go about creating things.  I think of this as fuelling of creative fire.

A trip to unfamiliar shores is like an extended artist's date, and I'm recently back from three weeks in Spain and Portugal.  I won't inflict our tourist snaps on you, but I will say that to lovers of art, history and architecture Spain is a goldmine.

One of the things I cherish about such a trip is a break from the familiar.  I took very few art supplies; aside from travelling carry-on, who has time to create when there is so much to see?  I made a small journal to capture travel moments, itinerary details, etc. and took a black drawing pen thinking that a Zentangle would make good airplane amusement.  I collected lots of ephemera and will make a travel journal with some of the pictures my husband took.

Here's a Zentangle from my journal: