Happy Zentangle Wednesday!

Hi Friends,

Who doesn't love cupcakes? It has been very apparent that in the last few years there has been a cupcake explosion...and that is the subject of today's Zentangle.

Cupcakes are not only fun to eat, they are fun to create too! No matter what form they come in...food, drawing, sewing project, crocheted, knitted, clay...they are adorable.

A fun way to create a base for your Zentangle drawing is to use a dingbat from a fun font. There are many websites to download free fonts from...this one came from the font mtf sweet dings from dafont. I chose the dingbat that I wanted to use, made it really big, and then just printed it and started tangling!

Hope this tangle inspires everyone to go out and create cupcakes...whatever the medium may be! Have fun with it!!!

Take care!

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Happy Zentangle Wednesday!

Hi Friends,

Today I have decided to post one of my very first Zentangles. I just love how an ordinary shape can become transformed into a very dimensional drawing in a matter of few minutes.

This tangle illustrates my MN love! Although the weather here can sometimes test my love for this state, I truly do love living here. Art, food, culture, nature, and four seasons...true love!

I hope everyone enjoys this weeks Zentangle!

Take care

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Happy Zentangle Wednesday...on a Thursday!

Hi Friends,

Zentangle Wednesday again! It came and went so quick its already Thursday! Didn't quite get this one up in time..anyway...I thought this week that I would use one of my "pins" as inspiration for my tangle. I am in love with any and all things nautical right now...every time I see anything nautical, it makes me think of my FAVORITE MN city, Duluth. This pin is also inspiration for a tattoo I plan on getting...someday!

Ok so here is the pin...

Anchor "Pinspiration"

I used this image to illustrate something of my own in Adobe Illustrator. I left my anchor as an outline so I could fill it in with my zentangle and the font I used is Lobster. So, with my printout and trusty Sharpie I started doodling and this is my end result...

and a detail...

If anyone out there is a beginner zentangler like myself, Adobe Illustrator is a great tool for making all different types of shape outlines. Then you can easily print them out and start doodling away. Like I have said before, I am not a great drawer so I use Illustrator to make my basic shapes and then I can doodle to my heart's content. However, Zentangles DO NOT have to be a perfect shape! You can just doodle and see what you end up with. I just think its fun to have a shape to start with and then see how it can be transformed by filling it in!

I hope you have all enjoyed this weeks tangle! Don't forget to take a close look at your surroundings, or do what I did, and take a look at your Pins and make a tangle from that inspiration!

Take care!

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Happy Zentangle Wednesday!

Hi Friends,

Well another Zentangle Wednesday is upon us! I figured that since the Easter holiday is this weekend that I would try to do a tangle Easter related. I am not quite sure if I like how it turned out yet...still undecided.

I printed out the "Happy Easter" and the four egg shapes from something I quickly created in Adobe Illustrator and then I filled in the eggs shapes with tangles using my trusty black pens.

I also decided to try some watercolors on them. I have not used watercolors since I was a little kid and it shows! I have always liked the way that the watercolors look with the black ink of a pen on paper...I do need some lessons though.

Does anyone know of some good online watercolor tutorials?

I love adding color to my sketchbook but I usually just use colored pens and pencils. Trying watercolors would be a good challenge for me and like I said before, I just love the way they look with black ink pen.

Anyway onto the picture of this weeks tangle...hope you enjoy and HAPPY EASTER!

I really have to stop taking pictures with my phone...sorry for the bad color!

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Happy Zentangle Wednesday!

Hi Friends,

Happy Zentangle Wednesday! That's what it will be called from now on here at CBCL! I love doodling...mostly because I do not consider myself a great drawer but I think doodles always look fantastic! For those of you unfamiliar with the art of Zentangle you can find a definition here.

I had started this year with a resolution to create a Zentangle everyday this year and at the end of the year I was going to have them all printed in a nice bound book. Well, as you can guess I quickly broke my New Year's resolution as I usually do! In our busy lives we often do not make enough or have enough time for the things we love to do. That is what happened to me.

Instead of doing one of these things everyday I have reduced it to AT LEAST 1 per month so at the very least I can make a 2013 calendar with all of my 2012 Zens.

This activity reduces so much stress that I know we all have and honestly anyone can do this! You do not need any drawing skills...just an imagination and some free time! I would like to encourage everyone to try a Zentangle...you just might like it as much as I do and feel a little less stress in your life. They are called ZENtangles after all!

This is my February Zentangle...a little nontraditional but adorable!

I hope, at the very least, that this post inspires everyone to find a little time in everyday to do something that you truly love to do. Get ready for next Zentangle Wednesday!

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