"Tangled" Magic Horse

Over the past few weeks I have used different techniques for few versions of the Magic Horse:
 

Quick sketch

Last December I took Beckha Krahula's online class, "One Zentangle® A Day".  I found it relaxing and also an easy commitment; one tile is very small, 3.5-inches (89mm) square,

 so I could make one or several depending upon time and inclination :-)

However, I thought it would be fun to use the Zentangle® method  for this final horse:

Larger than a tile, this horse is 8-in (203mm) by 6.25-in (159mm)

 In addition to Beckha's class, I found more information here at the Zentangle website and also here at the tanglepatterns website.

Shady stuff

I enjoy the depth that comes from shading:

Smudgy graphite-y depth :-)

Completed 3.5" square: a little "landscape" or something...?

Moonlit tile

The "One Zentangle® A Day" online class ended on Friday. One assignment for that last class was to work with white gel ink on a black tile. The light source, if used, is the moon which means that highlights are used instead of shading. I normally head right into shading an object so I had to change the picture in my head when I used my white chalk pencil :-)

The gel pen I used had an "issue" with laying down a nice clean line, very frustrating. Anyway, this is my practice piece:

I also used some new tangles.

And then it was on to my first black tile:

Think moonlight - not sunlight.

The effect is nice overall. However, I tend to focus on line work and my eyes go right to the intermittent ink flow problem...but I'll get over it!

When I know how I am "being"

"One Zentangle® A Day" class finished today. I haven't begun the assignment because I am working on Lesson 5 tiles.

Here's my 7th tile of the class - using a brush pen:

Even the slightest pressure shows...

I wasn't in the best frame of mind for this one - a bit irritable, a bit impatient. Realizing this is essential because when I know how I am "being" and it isn't what I truly want, I know I have choices. I can either stop and leave it (whatever it is) for later, or let those emotions go.

I let them go - always the most rewarding choice for me. And then creating the tile became very pleasant and eventually a great learning experience.

Tangling

Beckah Krahula's "One Zentangle® A Day" online class, Week One, finished on Friday. I am looking forward to Week Two.
I've been investigating all kinds of 'tangles' (patterns) and some of them make me want to grab a 01 Pigma Micron pen and start drawing :-)
Although I'm posting just one tile, my sketch book is filled with practice tangles and tangleations. I had to stop exploring and get down to completing my assignment for class!

This is my tile for Lesson 3:

A mix of the organic and geometric.

These little tiles really are great - the theory being there are "no mistakes" in Zentangle. Also, in theory, a tile should take about 20 minutes to finish. I find that my tiles take longer than that to complete; I don't want to rush the drawing part which means I'll just accept that it takes the time it takes :-)

My first "tile"

Patterns interest me. In the past, whenever I would chance upon Zentangle® art I always found myself taking a second look.
So I couldn't pass up the chance to take a Zentangle-related class offered through Carla Sonheim's online classes: Beckah Krahula's "One Zentangle A Day". The class is based on Beckah's book of the same name.

Today was Day 1, Lesson 1 and this my first Zentangle tile:

Dizzying :-)

Each tangle (pattern) has a name and for some inexplicable reason I just think that's pretty cool. So I used "Hollibaugh", "Tipple", "Crescent Moon" and "Knight's Bridge" on this tile.

It's really is a lot of fun :-) 

BTW, does anybody see a dog in all of that patterning?