Zentangle With Colour

I love Black & White but I love colour too!
I also have a few different types of coloured pencils as I used to do a lot of drawing in this medium....

Today I have used Derwent Metallic pencils ... a nice sheen.   I did two Zentangle Tiles - one I coloured.

What do you think?   Have you tried to add some colour?

Happy Tangling for now ... Jane x
And thank you to everyone who comments on my blog ...I appreciate the time you take to "talk" to me after looking at my art. Smile:)

Picture Fest of what I have been up to

Obviously I have been Tangling up a storm as usual ... I can't seem to put that pen down .. can you?

I have been playing with my own patterns and official Zentangle patterns ... in my field journal notebook doing borders and letters ... surprise surprise!

 A few full page drawings...

 And some one Tangle pattern borders ... these could be very useful - especially for journaling or scrapbooking!

This pattern is a variant I came up with from the Zentangle pattern "Braze"  and "Striping" 

 This one is using my pattern "Tadpegs"  very cute I think.

 "Knightsbridge" with a little BTL Joose (Sandy Bartholomews pattern)

 This one is full of my patterns and some Zentangle patterns..

A few new ones for me in there too!

 "Betweed" with my "Tadpegs"  ... and if you look closely I have been using a hint of colour ... have you tried the Derwent Graphitint pencils - they are divine ... graphite with pigment ...  I will be using these more and more I think.

 This one is purely "Striping" - an official Zentangle pattern.

 "Knase" also an official Zentangle pattern.

And I have been tidying up sorting my bits into some stackable draw tubs ... very handy with the Dymo tape machine too! 

 And on Australia Day I went fishing with my husband ... beautiful weather and we caught 3 lovely sized Brown Trout.   (Well I supervised as I don't have a fishing licence but I will next time!)

 The first trout...

 What I get to look at while fishing - lol!

I have a captive audience and can talk about anything I like - isn't that funny. 

And no it isn't a Hawthorn supporters beanie that he has on ... he had it years and years ago.

Jet sleeping  on the quilty bits (my quilty bits - test bits that I have been playing with on the quilt machine awhile ago now - so very cat useable).

So happy Tangling for now ... have a lovely weekend everyone.    Cheers Jane x

Happy Australia Day & Tangles

 The auctions from Toni (of Make it Perfect) have finished.  My three raffles raised a total of $865.  Thank you to everyone for their generosity in the face of the terrible flooding that has affected Australians, especially those in Queensland.
All bidding monies is paid directly to the Premiers Queensland Flood Aid Appeal fund ... none of the money is sent to those putting up the auctions.

The bidding on my Zentangle inspired Alphabet Letter was quite intense.  When it was finished I offered the second highest bidder the option of her paying her bid price and my doing a second letter for her.  She accepted, thank you Chris ...  here is your beautiful "C" .... the shading is still to be done and highlights added.   The photo is not the best ... but taken tonight at 2am with not much light ... It looks way better in person as you will see soon.

I spent a quiet day today and tonight drawing this (Tuesdays are always quiet days for me as I need to be home).  Zentangling is always the perfect distraction for me as I can focus on something positive.

 On Saturday I held a Zentangle for Quilters class over at Cranberry Crafts in Ulverstone - a small class of five, it was a lot of fun.  One of the students really only wanted to see how I do the quilting side of it, didn't really want to draw.  By the time we got to the sewing, she really didn't want to stop drawing ... it was great, all students did a wonderful job of their first and second Zentangles ... check them out... beautiful!

 The second set.   It still amazes me that a class can have exactly the same instruction and come up with something so unique and individual as themselves.

Here they are all together.

 I just had to share this with you ... poor Merlin has grown ( the boys are now over two years old) he doesn't really fit in here to sleep anymore ... but he won't give it up.

So cute!


Happy Australia Day to everyone ....  it is a day to Celebrate being Australian and what that means to each individual.   Hmmm fishing sounds good!

Happy Tangling everyone .... Jane x

Auction Winners

The Auction for the QLD Flood Appeal ended Monday 24 January 2010

The winners are:

Auction 1 - Zentangle Kit -  PETRA  $120

Auction 2 - Hand Drawn Zentangle Letter - NANCY $225

Auction 3- Quilt (on Purrfectly Quilted)  - MAC $320

What a great auction ... thank you everyone for participating and giving to this worthy cause.

Would the winners please contact my by email with their receipt details when they have made deposit to the QLD Premiers Flood Relief Appeal Fund   http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
Also include your postal details so I can send the item to you as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for being part of this and helping those affected by the flooding in Queensland.

Zentangle Auction Item Drawn & some of my Zentangles

 Well ... a little late but here nevertheless ... I have finished the drawing (A4 size) which is for the QLD Relief Auction...the winning bidder will have their choice of letter drawn into the centre and whether or not they want some colour or gold highlights in the middle border - I am happy with this one and I have used some of my favourite Zentangle patterns.

 I have been playing with shades of gray.  I really love the way it enhances a Zentangle picture - what do you think?

 And my oh my I have loved drawing this one.  I have used black and two shades of gray ... this is my current favourite drawing.

Yesterday sitting in the doctors office waiting, waiting, waiting and then needles - oh yucky - but I was very calm and collected when I went in, the Zentangle drawing definately helps (other than everyone in the waiting room looking to see what I am doing - I'm sure they all wished they had a pen and paper - lol!)






And finally .....

 Don't forget the QLD Premiers Flood Appeal ... and all the auctions that are taking place through Toni of Make It Perfect

This is my Quilt Auction

 This is my Jane Monk Studio Zentangle Drawing - Auction 2
The winning bidder gets to choose the letter I draw in the centre.

This is my Jane Monk Studio Zentangle Kit - Auction 1
A full official Zentangle Kit including DVD

Thank you everyone for your support of this greatly needed appeal....Happy Tangling... and bidding .... Jane x

Fabric Postcard Class

 Yesterday I taught a short class at Cranberry Crafts in Ulverstone ... Fabric Postcards.   This is really a techniques class ... but you get to take somthing home that you have made on the day.    I must say these ladies all had lots of fun and bring to the class their own set of fantastic ideas and skills.  Even I learnt something... a great suggestion was to use an overlocker to do the edges of the postcards ... cut and stitch at the same time - what a great idea, especially if you are doing a whole bunch of them like for Christmas cards etc.
Thanks girls for a wonderful day.

I thought I was going to be late as the back highway I take to get there was closed and it was 10km back to the next connecting road ... my dear husband got me there on time - glad he drives me sometimes.

These are a small sample of my own postcards ... I have been having fun combining Zentangle onto the fabric ... there are three here.

 We started our class doing some tea dying - a great start and gives people some time to settle down and put their minds in gear for the class.   I know it helps me to do something short and fun to start a class.

 This is one of my Zentangle inspired fabric postcards.  I have used William Morris as my inspiration for these leafy beauties ... I could wax lyrical about his work ... but I won't, suffice to say I love his style and Michelle Hill for introducing it to the quilting world.

This is another of my Zentangle style postcards ... I am really liking this a lot.

I use just normal fabric (quilters muslin here that I have tea dyed) and a Sakura Pigma Micron pen in 01 size... black and brown (I sell them on my web site http://janemonkstudio.com if you are interested).

Okay that was my day yesterday.    I have been amazed at the bidding on the items I am auctioning and thank you all for your comments and bids ... it is wonderful that Toni from Make It Perfect has attracted so many different auctions - we have a great choice of items to bid on and I think the master list is up tonight ... check out her blog for more information.    Make It Perfect

By the way, I am nearly finished the Zentangle inspired letter that I am auctioning ... I only have to add the winning bidders letter and do some shading ... so will post a pic of this tomorrow.

Happy Tangling for now ... Jane x

Jane Monk Studio Queensland Flood Appeal Auction

I am just overwhelmed by the footage that we are seeing coming in from Queensland, I have friends and family there (they are okay) and everyone is affected by the devestation and loss occurring at the moment.  I heard about  Toni from Make It Perfect and how she was organising an auction in blogland and I wanted to join in to help as much as I could.   If you click on the pink umbrella button below you'll be taken to her site where, on Sunday, there will be a complete list of everyone who has an auction running.

I have created two Auction Items on my Jane Monk Studio blog - Auction 1 - Zentangle Kit   and Auction 2 - Illuminated Letter hand drawn by me.  You can also see these Auction tabs at the top of this blog.    I am also auctioning a completed quilt on my blog Purrfectly Quilted.     (NOTE:  You must include your email with your bid otherwise I can't get back to you)

To Bid you will need to click on the Auction you are interested in bidding on and leave a comment (DON'T DO IT HERE) but on the page for the item you’re interested in. The auction will finish on Monday 24th January. If you are the winning bidder I will send you an email. To pay just go to the Premiere’s Flood Relief Appeal donate the amount and send me an email copy of your receipt together with your address and I will post the item to you.   Auction item 1 is only open to Australian residents, however, Auction item 2 is open to International bidders as well.  So start bidding and let's show those in Queensland how much we feel their plight and want to help.  Thank you so much to everyone for your generosity. 

 Auction Item 1 ... An Official Zentangle Kit

Auction Item 2 - An Original Hand Drawn Letter in my Zentangle style - you get to choose what letter you want in the centre at the end of the auction.

NOTE:  This item is open to both Australian and International Bidders - it is easy to post and I am happy to pay the postage on this to an International address if needed.

Thank you so much to everyone for participating in this ... it is a big part of Australian culture to pull together in times of difficulty - so thank you once again.     Jane x

Tangling in Tasmania Today

 Now look at all those T's - lol!

I am sitting here at 2.10am - once again because I cannot sleep.  I am glad this doesn't happen every night.

So I thought I would share some of the tangles that I have created over the past few days.

 These two are not shaded ... can you see my pattern Kitties in there ... they make me smile every time I see them sticking their little heads up.

 Creating patterns ... you may recognise the Swirly Blossom pattern that I use in my Decorated Alphabets ... very simple to do and very effective as a repetitive pattern.

Here is a close up.

My next Zentangle for Quilters class is at Cranberry Crafts in Ulverstone on Saturday the 22nd January ... I can't wait but this Saturday I am teaching my Fabric Postcard techniques class ... I did a little tangling for this too ....

Here it is ... Postcards are fun to make and the fabric ones are very tactile ... I love the feel of the stitching on the fabric ... can you tell I am a quilter!

Okay so I'm off the computer soon, draw a couple of tangles perhaps that might be relaxing enough for me to go back to sleep.... Happy Zentangling ZZzzzzzz
Jane x

Welcome to the New Year

I hope you have all had a great break over Christmas and the New Year ... I had the pleasure of spending  a week up at the highland lakes region of Tasmania ... it snowed the day after Boxing Day and we awoke to a white covering all over the camp site .. it was beautiful.   A few days later we had very hot weather, we caught quite a few Brown Trout and enjoyed some lovely meals.  I also relaxed and enjoyed the quietness of this beautiful region of Tasmania.   I Tangled a bit, well actually, a lot!

See this beautiful decorated letter Q ... I have used coloured ink and Derwent Inktense pencils to add colour.  I have nearly finished this whole alphabet ... and have enjoyed it immensely.

 On Saturday just gone I taught a One Day Zentangle Workshop in Hobart (Tasmania).   Just a small group of three, but it was a lot of fun and they created quite a few Zentangles.

Everyone had the same instruction and it is amazing how different their tangles turned out ....

 Then we shaded them - wow what a difference.
It is amazing to see everyone has a different style and approach.

 A second tile almost completed

This is one of the decorated alphabets that we created.  Mica who is a high school art teacher, drew this fantastic M and used the basic tangles that I had taught them in the morning.   When I teach the decorated alphabets we talk about flowing design through the background of the work,  you can see here that Mica has used this in his creation - beautiful.

I thought we had lost him for awhile ... he was in the Zen!

So, welcome to 2011 and another year of fantastic tangling ... I have a number of workshops coming up and more to come.

Happy Tangling for now ... Jane x