Still Brook Studios

The journal prompt word is Transition. This is something we all do every day and probably don't think about it as such. I have collected teabags for several years. I started making sheets of teabag paper to use in card making and as background images for my drawing. When I saw this prompt I knew what I wanted to do. I recently found teabag art. And since it is created on teabags, well, the rest is shown below. Start with a new teabag and brew a cup of tea,   Empty the dried spent teabag and create beautiful teabag art. Put it all together and you have a completed art journal. Now I'm off to enjoy another cup of tea or glass of tea as the weather gets warmer as the day wears on and work on my next prompt - Seeds. I wonder what I will come up with...

Way back in 2012 I needed something to do while sitting in a hospital room with a relative. TV was out of the question as I get bored with it. I didn't want to read and be rude so I grabbed a tablet, some colored pens and off we went. This was before I knew what Zentangle was all about so please keep this in mind. The reason I bring this up is because I so many people tell me, "I could never draw like that" or "You just have a natural talent for drawing". This list of excuses goes on forever and the party never ends. Old and new was a recent prompt for my art journal group. What an excellent way to show how far I have come in my drawing journey. The first page shows a drawing from March 2012. There is no shading, no composition, no weight. I had yet to learn of all this. I had taken the first step, the most important step - I started! From March 2012  Since then I have become a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT), taught others the Zentangle method, ...

No Excuse! I just haven't been working on the blog. End of story. So I'll try again by showing you some of the things I have been working on. I love to tangle on shoes. Sometimes I will change the pattern up on each shoe jut for fun.  Shoes! I've done several pair of shoes and they are all different. I even have a pair or two for myself. These are all washable . Letters! I found some wooden letters that stand about 18" tall. After I sand them on both sides, I give them several coats of white or black gesso. Then I tangle away. I can add a touch of color on the sides to go with the room decor and once in a while a little touch of gold really makes the tangles popl Black ink on a white background. This letter E hangs in my great nephews bedroom. I sent this as a housewarming gift for a special friend who just build a home. I am in an art journal group on FaceBook. Just a group of CZT's who put out a new prompt each week and the rest of us...

It's been a busy summer, fall and early winter. I am not happy about the time going by so fast! The tree still needs ornaments to be hung. Cards need to be created, envelopes addressed and mailed. I'm in several swaps and need to get those done soon. I have a project sitting on my workbench that needs to be completed today. And I have loads of journals to fill with drawings, pictures and thoughts. And of course, I am taking time to update my blog which has been neglected. Poor thing. I'll try to do much better next year. (Deep breath here) On the brighter side of life, not that I've had a dark side lately, I had a display of my Zentangle art on the walls of Cafe Calypso for about 6 weeks. And I sold some of my work. I was so excited! I still have several pieces, well more than several actually, for sale and will post pictures later. If you are interested in purchasing one of these before I become famous (ahem) let me know. I will pay the postage, too, so that ...

I was fortunate enough to be one of the artists who participate in the Grumbacher Cross-Country Clearprint Project. Artists received two - 6"x8" Clearprint Vellum Books. One to keep and the other to create a piece of artwork in and return within 1 week of receiving the book.  All images are scanned and uploaded to the Clearprint website gallery for all the world to view. I got my books last Thursday and worked on my entry all weekend.  I used black pens, 01 and 05 on the front of the page. I added watercolor pencil to the back side of the paper and a little glitter pen to the front in strategic spots. I placed this up to the light to let the full effects of the color shine thru the paper. It looks a lot better in real life. I am adding a small piece to the front cover of the book and then it will go into the mail Tuesday. I can't wait to see it on somebody else's website! I'm just learned a new technique for lettering so I'm off ...

I am a little behind in posting and I could give you excuses that you may or may not like so we'll just skip all that and move on to what's been going on. I have been working on Zendalas. I taught my first Zendala class a few weeks ago at the Art Center of Corpus Christi and everyone did a fantastic job! I found the templates on The Bright Owl's blog . She has about 100 wonderful Zendala templates to use. I've been working on more classes for the next 4 months and they should be posted soon. I will try some new things like Tangle Under the Sea and Tangle in the Garden. Watch for the schedule. These are the Zendalas I have been working on. This is the Zendala I taught I taught in class. I love the soft curved lines. This Zendala needed a bit of fluff around the edges to give it softness and enlarge the overall Zendala. I absolutely love shading. It adds so much to any picture. These last 2 are the same basic Zendala. The tangles and use of white sp...

I've been sick. I've been tangling to take my mind off being sick. Here are a few things I've been working on. I made a bookmark from the wrapper on a set of tiles. I traced some Bijou tiles and tangled a different design on each one. I've had a sinus infection and now I have dysosmia, everything smells the same and it's not a smell I enjoy. Hopefully it will go away soon. I'm getting ready to teach a Zendala class this weekend at the Art Center. Still have a few openings if you would like to join us.