"Frida and Zentangle Moebius"

Today I am finally posting my painting from January 16 with Frida Kahlo inspiration and project led by Andrea Gomoll.  I kept trying to get it to look like I wanted it but it took a couple days of just thinking about it to decide what to do.  So then I got behind on the next two projects since we have one a day for 4 or 5 days in a row.  Catch-up time!

In Andrea's example she painted different types of leaves in her background, then took a black and white photo of herself and adhered it to the page.  Next she painted more leaves and flowers on separate paper, then cut them out and glued them on with foam dots that raised them off the page in the area to mimic Frida's floral headdress.

I decided to do the painted on leaves in the background, then add cut-outs from Dover books of flowers and butterflies that my daughter Lucy had given to me.  Well, my leaf paintings were terrible! I had painted them over some collage I had added first and I had tried also to stamp on some leaves but the foam stamps wouldn't imprint on the rough collage surface.  I also stamped on some birds. What a mess! But I proceeded to add the floral headdress anyway.

I outlined the flowers with black ink, then white ink.  I added the butterflies and did the same.  Then I added white ink, then changed the background color, then added Silks paint + gel over the butterflies. Everything was too dark.  Finally, today I added gesso mixed with an underlying blue watercolor pencil and added two larger pink flowers to the hair piece.  Now I am pretty happy with it.

The Final! Posted to Creative Jumpstart 2016

I am also posting to "I am the Diva"-Laura Harms site.  This week is highlighting the children with Moebius Syndrome.  Her youngest son is one of only 5000 people in the whole world that has this condition. Every year at this time, we use the symbol for the organization and their color purple in our Zentangle.  I used a 7" x 5" box piece covered with gesso as my substrate.  Please visit The Diva's site to see all the imaginative ways to tangle this image.

Gloria J Zucaro's " Tangle and Go!"

I have missed a couple of weeks getting ready for my trip in early June to the International Association of Pastel Societies(IAPS) convention in Albuquerque so I will post two tangles and an oil painting I just finished. I will be posting to Laura Harm's "I am the Diva" site and

Paint Party Friday, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

This is on 5"x 7" cardstock and uses the two tangles "Bunzo and "Dex" that Laura asked us to use for her birthday week(last week). It is titled "Laura's Wacky Birthday Bouquet"

The second tangle for this week is in black and white.  Laura asked us to use black paper and a white pen or to do a tangle on a found object like a shoe or trash can.  I had an old pastel on black Canson Metenties paper, so cut it up and used the back of it with my new Signo white ink pen.  I decided to use all tangles that had names starting with "M" since it is May.

I think it is so cool with the reflection of my kitchen counter underneath it! The tangles I used are "Man-O-Man", "Marasu", "Meer", "Mooka", "Moon Rocks", "Msst", "Mumsy", and "Munchin".

Next is an 10" x 8" oil painting on canvas of a scene I took from my photograph of the last time I was at IAPS in 2013.  It is inside the Route 66 Diner in old Albuquerque.  We went at night and the neon light made everything glow in pink.  They had the best old-fashioned straight-rhubarb pie! (I don't like it with strawberries!)  So the title is "Rhubarb Glow".

I want to show you the wonderful swap art I received from Bridget Joss for our April swap project.  Bridget also sent me lots of ephemera for future projects.

Thanks so much, Bridget!

Have a wonderful week!  

GLORIA

Gloria J Zucaro's "Triple Labyrinth & Desert Glory"

The Zentangle chosen for this weeks Diva challenge is called "Labyrinth".  Laura gave us a link to see how to draw two versions of a labyrinth.  I used them both in my tangle this week.  Here is the link if you would like to try one.   How To Draw a Labyrinth

I am posting this on the I am the Diva's site.

Please visit and see all the wonderful versions of this prompt.

This week I also am posting an acrylic painting I did in January before I went to Texas to be with my mother.  It is called "Desert Glory"  I knew that I wanted some desert mountains and sky in back so am happy with the end result.  I did this in a class with Sharron Boxenbaum at Positive Strokes in Palatine, IL.

!0' x 10" Acrylic on Canvas

I am posting this to Paint Party Friday.  I just found out my post from last week was chosen for this weeks PPF!  Wow!  I am honored!

This week I also finished and mailed my April Swap project with Bridget in PA. 

My theme was favorite movie.  Believe it or not I saw the new"Cinderella" three 3,3,3 times!  Once with my daughter, once with my mother and once with my usual movie buddy, Risa.  I loved it every time!  It was beautifully done and the computer animated mice, geese and coach were unbelievably wonderful!  Here is a picture of the front, some close-ups and then on the back some pre-made stick-on pieces with the movie theme.

Have a great week, and thanks for looking.

Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Of The Earth"

The ZIA(Zentangle In Art) I made for Earth Day. Done on a 4 x 6 card, using 17 different patterns with names of plants, animals, weather conditions, and the sun and moon.  The prompt is from Laura Harms over at I am the Diva website.  Great site to see her wonderful family photos, and many artists' creative versions of the prompt each week.

Patterns used

Seedlings, Woods, Jelly Fish, Tuffed Leaves, Partly Cloudy, Octopus, Milkweed, Dogbane, Aloe Vera, Dandlion Seeds, Bales, Sunray, Flying Geese, Cresent Moon,

Lightning Bolt, Mooka, Poke Root, Fescue

See Ya Later, Alligator! :>)  Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "Phicops With The Waltz"

The Diva's prompt today is a duo tangle using the "Phicops" tangle originated by her husband B-Rad and the "Waltz" tangle developed by one of the creators of the Zentangle brand Maria Thomas for Laura Harms, The Diva herself.   The idea is to combine the two tangles to celebrate the Diva & B-Rad's anniversary that took place this past week.

Ink on 7" x 5" Cardstock

Gloria J Zucaro's "Laura's Cake"

This week's Diva challenge by Laura Harms is to use only two Zentangle designs.  "Well" and "Punzel".  I decided to make a cake for Laura's 34 birthday which she celebrated on Monday.  The "Punzel" design is used for the candles and the icing around the bottom of the cake.  I found that design very difficult to keep even, but it is the rule not to erase but accept what happens! The top and bottom backgrounds are variations of "Well".  Many beautiful design were done this week by other artists checked in to Laura's site.

Have a great week and don't catch the "bug" that is going around like I have!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Laurole 1, 2, 3", 4"

On Laura Harms site "I am the Diva" she asked us to do a tangle using her new Zentangle pattern, and come up with a name for it.  Because of the circles and her first name, I decided on "Laurole".  Here is the finished version, then the steps going back to my design's beginning step.  I am posting to iamthedivaczt.com and to Paint Party Friday.  Have a great weekend.

four

three

two

one

Gloria J Zucaro's "Rixty Egg"

Today Laura Harms of I am the Diva gave us the latest Zentangle release from Rick and Maria(originators of the Zentangle craze) as our prompt.  The design is in celebration of Rick's sixtieth birthday. Zentangle
I had boiled some eggs for Easter and had already decided to decorate them with my own art materials instead of the store-bought dyes.  It was fun decorating this egg with a Micron pen #8.  A couple of times I accidentally smeared the ink.  So I decided to let some time elapse and lean the egg against a pink eraser to keep the recently inked side upright. I had to use "Wite-out" to cover the smears.  I think I will try doing an egg for each of my Easter guests.  I am posting this to Paint Party Friday.  Take a look at all the new art for the week.  Happy Easter & Happy Passover everyone.

Gloria J Zucaro's " Zentangle for Maria"

My first effort after total shoulder replacement of my right shoulder.  I am feeling good and PT is going well. Two of my good friends took me to lunch this week and I received a beautiful set of 2 cups with peacocks on them from Maria.  Maria was the one who first told me about Zentangles.  I finally decided to try to get back to doing a little art.  I will certainly also do something for all the other friends who have taken me to lunch or dinner, sent cards, given me flowers and even brought and served a wonderful lunch here at my home so that I wouldn't have to go out.  I started with a pattern called "Quandary" that was suggested on Laura Harms website  http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/.   It is the pattern that looks like grains of rice that form a flower shape.    It was nice to get back to doing a little piece of art as a "thank you".

4" x 4" ink and  Prismacolor  Art Stix on watercolor paper

Gloria J Zucaro's "Chinese New Year"

I finally got around to last Monday's challenge from Laura Harms at her Diva blog.  We were to do something for Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Snake.  "Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve."  This is a quote from US Bridal Guide, horoscopes! I had been thinking about it during the week and wanted to do not only a snake(tangled pattern "BLT Joos"), but Chinese Lanterns("Bulb Lantern") and some fans. I had also thought of  the rising sun but ran out of room.  I am just getting in under the wire!

3.5"H x 3.5"W on Official Zentangle Paper Tile

Gloria J Zucaro's "This week For Moebius Syndrome"

Tonight I am linking to Paint Party Friday and to the Diva Zentangle Challenge which is a special event for Laura(the Diva)Harms.  It is  "String Theory v.XXII - Moebius Syndrome Awareness" day, the 24th of January.  Lauras' son Artoo has been diagnosed with this syndrome.  Moebius Syndrome is a congenital nerve disorder .
The logo string Laura gave us to work from is below right.

          

I drew several variations of the logo with my pastels and used the MSAD color of Purple for my main designs. I then divided the remaining areas into areas of black and white.  The colors inside the logo are the other two triadic colors of oranges and greens.  I did various tangle designs in the white pieces with my #8 Sakura pigment pen and did an aura stripe with my white Gel pen in the black areas.  

The first picture below is after I did the main design and sprayed it with fixative and then with Krylon Matte Finish varnish.  

The second picture is the painting after I finished the tangles.

For Paint Party Friday I have added my other pastel of the week called "Green Chic" which I posted earlier in the week.

To Purchase with the proceeds going to the Moebius Syndrome organization.

Below is my Daily Paintworks entry for the challenge of painting glass submitted by Linda McCoy.  I happen to love colored glass and would always choose it rather than clear glass or even crystal!  I just can't do without color.  My apple posed for me until lunch time when I very rudely ate it as it's service to me was done! Now I am off to do my daily journaling and my Diva Challenge.  Then I will check my Yumbly app to see where we might go to dinner this weekend once I can decide what I am in the mood for!

"Green Chic"

This is an original pastel on 16" x 12" Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper.

I am thinking I will also link this to Jennifer Mcleans' Artist Playroom, just in case I don't get another one painted specifically for her "Bright Colors" challenge this week.  I think this is nice and bright, and cheerful for a cloudy winter day.  Get better, Jenn!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Auraknot & Bunzo Challenge"

Every Monday Laura Harms at "I am the diva" posts a new Zentangle challenge.  This weeks challenge is a duo tangle of Auraknot and Bunzo.  We have done each of these before, but not in concert.

I used strings that had the shape of hearts for Valentines' Day and did my tangle on a 4"H x 6"W greeting card.  I first did it in Black and White and then in watercolor with all the Bunzo areas in fushia and red.  The Auraknot areas stand out in their starkness.

  

I also made another thank you card.  This one for my neighbor who gave me, for Christmas, some delicious pretzels with white chocolate kisses melted inside and green and red M & M's on top.

                            

 

Gloria J Zucaro's "Loop-D-Loop"

Laura Harms the hostess with the most-est over at I am the diva has introduced us this week to Margaret Bremner, also a Certified Zentangle Teacher.  Margaret gave us an example of one of her loop tangles and a link to it's introduction on her website in October.   

My example of an exterior looped tangle is below.  I drew it on a 5"H x 7"W greeting card.

Be sure to visit the Diva's site for more creative and colorful designs. 

Click on image to enlarge.