First I want to do a small rant today, the above is NOT a Zentangle, a few years back I did experiment a bit with them, it was fun for a little bit but I quickly got bored with them. I am an artist who can draw, I don't need to use a concept designed for people who think they can't draw to create my art.
I have always loved to play with different patterns and fills, when younger I did some Illuminated poems partly because I wanted to create decorative borders. I am also a bit of a snob, and find myself feeling somewhat offended when people compare my drawings to Zentangles. As if I couldn't come up with this type of drawing by myself. Well in the world of art there isn't much new, and I am more inclined to say that the "creators" of Zentangles were walking in the footsteps of thousands of other artists than the other way around.
The original rules they created for how to create a Zentangle were what they trademarked not the concept of fills with pen and ink that predates them by a long stretch, think fabric prints, mosaics in Mosques, designs on pottery, Illustrators such as Aubrey Beardsley, those are my references and the references of many other artists who create pen and ink and work with pattern and fills. Many whose work gets compared to Zentangles never even heard the term or know what one is, though in this day and age it is possible they have seen one. So please don't tell every artist whose pen and ink art work uses fills that their work reminds you of Zentangles unless they volunteer that Zentangles were an inspiration.
One other thing and probably why I dropped out Zentanges so quickly is that they don't use any of the elements or principals of design, I want to design/compose my art not just draw in a zen like fog.
Off my rant, the above is another of my pen exercises, done with my various technical pens in a sketchbook. I was playing around with the look of white on black, I have to think ahead when doing this type of work but I rather like the look of that flower on the right and need to explore this further.
The next two drawings were done for a WetCanvas Scavenger Hunt. Top is a glass serving bowl in graphite, a small drawing in the dedicated sketchbook. I was feeling a bit impatient so didn't spend a lot of time toning this and it shows, not an especially good drawing, I should probably try this subject again when I want to spend more time on it.
Last summer one of my larger Christmas Cactus plants, one I had had for years and years, started to die. I have had Christmas Cactus plants die on me before so recognized the signs, once it starts to go there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done except to take cuttings to generate new plants. Anyway this plant had a most unusual flower color, yellow/gold instead of the red, white or pink one usually sees and I really didn't want to loose the plant. I tried many times to get cuttings to root and succeeded with two in this pot. So when the Scavenger Hunt list had the item to draw a potted plant I chose this one. It is actually setting a couple of blooms even though it isn't a very large plant. I am looking forward to it blooming.
This drawing was done first with graphite then I added ink with one of my technical pens, again in the dedicated sketchbook that I use for these drawings.
Icicles, they indicate melting snow, YEAH, we have actually had daytime temperatures above 32 degrees F this past week and have more forecast for next week. Those folks who have been waiting to harvest Sugar Maple sap for Maple Syrup may finally be in luck. Course the melting snow can bring or expose other problems but I am looking forward to seeing and walking on sidewalks again. May the melt be with you.
That is it for today per usual comments are welcome.
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