Modern Industrialism
This weeks Diva’s Challenge was in honor of Earth Day and we were asked to “go wherever the challenge takes you”. All I can say to that is.. Ha!
Okay, one more time for emphasis, HA!
s if I wasn’t already having a hard enough time with motivation (I think my muse went on vacation without telling me), these were not helpful instructions! Thankfully I had Tom Waits’ modern industrialism, specifically “Heart Attack and Vine” & “In the Coliseum“, and (of course) this months heavily relied upon substitute muse and life saver, the Tangle Patterns website.
With these two helpers I actually managed to come up with two new tiles that I’m pretty happy with! All hail the power of music and tons upon tons of beautiful tangles patterns to browse through!
Urban Vine
The concept for Urban Vine came from the contrasts between and combination of urban decay and nature’s tenacity. The idea that nature is always quick to take over our neglected spaces.
I used Australian CZT® Lianne Woods’ Gottago amped up with a bit of steampunkery to give it a bit more of an industrial feel and Henna Drum by Vermont CZT® Jane MacKugler because it’s indicative of a vine, which for me is the very symbol of tenacity.
As I was searching through patterns I was actually envisioning a single flower growing in a very industrial area, possibly surrounded by refuse or empty McDonald’s wrappers.
As you can see, that’s not exactly what I ended up with. Okay, it isn’t even remotely what I ended up with, but I think it sort of reflects that vision anyway.
This is my story, so I get to tell it any way I want…
even if that means making it up as I go!
Gottago really appealed to my love of steampunk and had the industrial edge I was seeking. It has a chaotic uniformity to it that beautifully offsets Henna Drum’s soft natural flow.
The Last Leaf
For The Last Leaf I used Helen Williams’s Zentangle® pattern, Leaflet and my own leaf pattern that I tend to doodle on everything, especially when I’m on the phone with the stupid mortgage company.
Right from the beginning I knew I was going to use a leaf for this one, mostly because I have three otherwise blank cards with leaves on them just sitting in the corner, but also because, as you can probably tell, I really like leaves.
As soon as I saw Leaflet, it just felt right somehow. Hmm… I wonder why?
I think this one reflects the actual fragility behind seeming indomitable strength.
At any rate, this is what listening to Tom Waits’ modern industrialism while tangling for Earth Day can do to you if you’re not careful!
These both came out really well, IMHO. You used all tangles that are new to me (not that hard to accomplish—so many tangles, so little time), Gottago definitely conveys the industrial vibe I think you were looking for juxtaposed against the soft Henna Drum flower. The leaves are also very satisfying and consistent with the theme. What medium (media) did you use for color?
Hi, Suzanne!
I did the tiles on Cartiere Miliani Fabriano watercolor cards, which I usually only use for actual watercolor as all of my artist pens feather on such soft paper. For the coloring I used my Letraset ProMarkers this time. I was a bit worried about how that was going to work on the watercolor paper, I figured they would feather a lot more than the artist pens did, but I actually loved how they turned out. I got a much softer feel than I expected, which was nice because I’ve been neglecting the ProMarkers lately!
Tom Waits really helped you creating these beautiful tiles!
Yes, Annemarie! Actually, Tom Waits is a huge inspiration quite frequently. It probably doesn’t hurt that I love pretty much everything he does!
I am totally wowed by your colouring. I thought it was digital colouring before I zoomed in! I usually like black and white tiles more than coloured ones, but these are an exception. They are delightful.
Thank you, Magdalene! I usually don’t add color to my zentangle tiles, mostly out of fear of messing them up, but I’m working on overcoming my artistic fears and adding color is one of the first steps in that process.
I’m so glad you like them!
Thanks for helping me out, Becky. I was trying to use Google to leave you a comment, because that’s what I usually do, but it wouldn’t let me in. So, I clicked on your name and WordPress to get on. Pfew! Sometimes technology can just be difficult LOL! Anyway, I will repeat that I just love Henna Drum and I have played with that other tangle, Gottago, before and didn’t have much luck. Now, I will have to go back and try again since you made it look all Steampunky, which I also love 🙂 Beautiful work!
Hi Jean! I’m so happy you could leave a comment and I’m glad I was able to help make that possible!
I’m going to hove to have a look at how the comment section looks when I’m not logged in to the blog, I might have to change it back… sometimes this whole blogging thing can get a bit overwhelming!
I can’t wait to see your next attempt at Gottago, it really is a fun tangle to play with and I have a feeling it’s pretty versatile too!
Wow, your work is amazing! Beautifully executed.
Thank you, Beate! I appreciate you stopping in!
Dear Becky, your journal pages are lovely and sweetly convey the theme to nurture Mother Earth. I appreciate that you’ve shared your inspiration and methods. I snooped around a little and found that you, too, live in AZ and you, too, are having fun with home renovation. HA! But, I’m waaaaay behind you on that–it’s well into a half-year and we’ve only got going, really. Have a brilliant day! c
You’re so sweet, Cheryl! Snoop away, I encourage snooping around here, the more snoops the merrier as I always say!
Actually, I don’t say that but maybe I’ll start.
Yup, I live in Arizona, it’s always cool to meet another desert girl! I just love this state and, of course, my desert, it makes me happy. Remodeling, on the other hand, does not make me happy. The results are wonderful, but when you take over a year to do it the house is ALWAYS a disaster zone!
It was so nice of you to stop in and say hello, I can’t wait to see you again!