Monday, May 11, 2015

Zentangle® Your Lemons into Lemonade

So, are you here to see the Diva Challenge? Did you expect to see Dex and Bunzo? What is this, you say. A CZT that doesn't even know how to do Dex?

All right, let's get back to the basics of Zentangle. There are NO mistakes. Are you listening? There are NO mistakes. I always tell the story of Suzanne McNeill (she has written many wonderful Zentangle books and done several fun videos) when I teach. Suzanne was doing a live video. "Oops" she says. Then, she immediately chants the CZT mantra "There are no mistakes in Zentangle, only an opportunity to come up with a new tangle!" Then, she looks straight into the camera and says, "Now you know why I have come up with so many new tangles!" The first time I saw this, I laughed so hard. I love you Suzanne!

Anyway, I do know how to do Dex. But, the phone rang, the hubby needed something, the dog had  to go out.... you know the drill. Concentration lost and when I returned, my tangle just went where it wanted. First thought = throw this out, start a new one. NO!!! Suzanne to the rescue. And so you get.... well, I don't know what, but at least maybe encouragement not to let any Oops get in your way of the true meaning of Zentangle. Relax and enjoy where your pen takes you :)
Square One from Facebook had us doing Cubine, to which I added Brella and a variation of Fracas.
And, the prompt for Every Inchie Monday was Diagram. Remember those pesky English teachers and those annoying sentence diagrams?
Thanks for stopping by. Remember to enjoy your artwork and think of the fun you had doing it. The end result is not the goal unless you are trying to make money with it LOL!



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58 comments:

  1. IlseMay 11, 2015 at 10:19 AM

    Your Diva tile is beautiful, and the story behind it is just great! Not to let any Oops get in your way, I'll never forget that :-)

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 11, 2015 at 10:38 AM

      Thank you, Ilse. We often let that "inner critic" loose and have to remember who's really the boss :)

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 11, 2015 at 11:36 AM

    Your tile is great and your story is delightful! My inner critic and I are going to have a long heart ot heart chat...Yeah "Ooops!"

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 11, 2015 at 12:44 PM

      Yay! I feel like I accomplished much more than a tangle today! Thank you :)

      Delete
  3. Trillian AsMay 11, 2015 at 12:43 PM

    I do not know Dex but love your zentangles. Love your inchie too.

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  4. Mauren StottMay 11, 2015 at 12:47 PM

    I love the story that goes along with this delightful tile. It gives all of us permission to see our "mistakes" as opportunities and let the inner critic take a hike. Thank you so much for the courage to share this story.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 11, 2015 at 1:45 PM

      Thank you, Mauren. So, sometimes a "mistake" is a good thing!

      Delete
  5. WendyKMay 11, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    Great inchie, I had never heard of sentence diagrams.
    The image link is not working for me so my link is
    http://wendyscraftjournal.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/every-inchie-monday-diagram.html

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  6. KiaMay 11, 2015 at 2:35 PM

    snap - we had the same idea. Too bad they don't still do that kind of sentence diagramming - perhaps our students would be able to read better. Lovely tangles.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 11, 2015 at 2:40 PM

      I have found that I don't follow the "rules" much anymore due to instant messaging and such. Sigh.....

      Delete
  7. Maulvagita's WorldMay 11, 2015 at 6:22 PM

    Splendid!

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  8. MySpecialistMay 11, 2015 at 6:28 PM

    Your Diva tile is awesome, I love the effects! Yep, those pesky English teachers. I think they got to more than one of us on EIM :)

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  9. freebird7100May 11, 2015 at 7:11 PM

    Love the zias this week, great stuff. I wish I had a tenth of the patience that it takes to make what you make. I do like the inchie. I think I blocked out those as a kid, lol

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 8:31 AM

      Thanks, you do have the patience for Zentangle because you do it in a different part of your brain, and I don't blame you for blocking out sentence structuring HAHA!

      Delete
  10. HeidiSueMay 11, 2015 at 8:09 PM

    That "not a mistake" Dex looks like a rug in an entryway....but what are the bugs snug in that rug? Cute as can be! hahaha!

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  11. David HunterMay 12, 2015 at 4:50 AM

    A wonderful, and exceedingly entertaining, Post, Jean. Love your challenge Tiles. Terrific Bunzo, and your Cubine has a wonderful "Escher Like" perspective shift that is spell binding. Great Inchie. Sentence Diagrams were horrific exercises in English Class that I thought that I had long ago suppressed. I'm glad that I was not alone in my disdain. Well done challenges,

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 8:33 AM

      Well, David, we may not have liked all that those English teachers did to us, but it's clear, when you read blogs, that most of us did actually learn something!

      Delete
  12. Diane ClancyMay 12, 2015 at 4:53 AM

    Jean, your Oops story is wonderful!! I never heard that one ... thank you so very much!!! (I needed it for my Dex too :) ) .. Your Diva is fun and I really like your Square One :)

    ~ Diane Clancy
    http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog/2015/05/my-diva-duo-tangle-dex-vs-bunzo-challenge-entry

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 8:34 AM

      It really is a story I tell at all of my Zentangle classes. It sure helps people relax and enjoy what they are doing. Thank you!

      Delete
  13. lilystanglesMay 12, 2015 at 11:32 AM

    Three lovely tiles :)

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  14. hungrycorgistudioMay 12, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    Great contrast. Your tangles 'shine'!
    Sarah

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 12:30 PM

      Thanks, Sarah. I love to leave a shimmer on really heavy black. Bunzo is so great for that.

      Delete
  15. Amy L. Smith, CZTMay 12, 2015 at 12:44 PM

    Bunzo is one of my favorite tangles and I LOVE how your's is just bursting!!!

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 2:48 PM

      Thanks, Amy. I love to see other people's Bunzo. For something so simple, it always amazes me how different it can look!

      Delete
  16. KariMay 12, 2015 at 12:57 PM

    Hi Jane! I don't know if I ever knew you were a CZT! I love your story behind your diva tile. It's so hard for me to let go. Or to treat an oops as an opportunity. Yours is lovely. Look forward to seeing more of your tiles!

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 12, 2015 at 2:49 PM

      Hi, Yukari! So nice to see you here on my Zentangle blog. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment :)

      Delete
  17. Suzanne Fluhr May 12, 2015 at 5:25 PM

    OK, now I feel a little better after reading that you, a veteran CZT also had a problem with Dex. I'm sure that reflects some defect in my character. ;-)

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 13, 2015 at 10:56 AM

      No, Suzanne, that's exactly why I shared. As a teacher, it is important to know that most (I wrote all at first and then thought better of it!) mistakes in life can be dealt with. We all like to see someone else mess up because that makes us feel better. I, in one of my previous lives, was a guitarist. I went to see Segovia and sat in the front row. He did make a mistake, but kept on playing (I used to cry LOL). I was given such a boost that day. Even the best (certainly not claiming to be anywhere near the best) make mistakes :) The moral is: just keep playing!

      Delete
    2. Suzanne Fluhr May 16, 2015 at 6:30 PM

      You are right, of course, Jean. That is one lesson Zentangle has reinforced for me.

      Delete
  18. LezliBMay 12, 2015 at 8:18 PM

    Love your Diva challenge tile and even more, the story behind it! All of your work looks great this week and I have to say that I love your Inchie. I'm not sure I even remember how to diagram a sentence. And I was a whiz at English...lol Lots of fun this week on your blog!

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 13, 2015 at 10:58 AM

      I'm not sure any of us remember how to do those diagrams; however, we probably learned something from it. After all, we seem to communicate fairly well with each other LOL!

      Delete
  19. Anne's tangle blogMay 12, 2015 at 11:12 PM

    Indeed, let's never forget that phrase!!! The tile is beautiful Jean, with or without Dex :-)

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 13, 2015 at 10:59 AM

      Thanks, Annemarie. I can't remember as much about what Rick and Maria said, but I will NEVER forget Suzanne's words :)

      Delete
  20. Annette P.-L. May 13, 2015 at 6:25 AM

    Great post! Your Bunzo is beautiful!

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  21. Lynell Harlow / Dreamweaver StencilsMay 13, 2015 at 9:10 AM

    Those Bunzos have wonderful dimension! I like how you just kept going with it even though it wasn't totally what you wanted. That is just the way art-tangling goes and makes it so satisfying in the long run.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 13, 2015 at 11:00 AM

      I think that is the hardest thing for people, who haven't had the benefit of lessons from a trained CZT, to learn. They often are working toward a beautifully completed piece and that's just not the goal of Zentangle.

      Delete
  22. UnknownMay 13, 2015 at 12:40 PM

    I have tried to post this 3 times, and something's not working. I hope this time is the charm.
    Great tiles this week, Jean. I especially like your Square One. and your Bunzos are just bursting with life. I still have trouble just going with the flow, and submitting my first try; but I'm working on it.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 14, 2015 at 7:54 AM

      I'm sorry you had trouble posting, Audrie. Do you think it's something on my end that I need to address? We are certainly not a judgmental group, so do go ahead and post those first trys :)

      Delete
  23. Tangles and MoreMay 13, 2015 at 5:56 PM

    Challenge accomplished in true Zentangle® fashion. Mo mistakes.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 14, 2015 at 7:54 AM

      Yes, Donald, but we are trained to understand that, right?

      Delete
  24. UnknownMay 14, 2015 at 4:50 AM

    J'aime bien ces carreaux même si on a du mal à retrouver DEX.
    I like your tiles even it's hard to find DEX. In fact CUBIC is a sort of DEX tangleation !

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 14, 2015 at 7:55 AM

      Thank you, Christine. Yes, many tangle were born from others. (Probably, as Suzanne says, because of "mistakes"!)

      Delete
  25. Janet McLaughlinMay 14, 2015 at 8:31 AM

    I'm just amazed...so beautiful!

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  26. ArtyZenMay 14, 2015 at 1:17 PM

    We just like Cubine, don't we? I like to see other people embracing the 'no mistakes' approach too, Jean! Love all your tiles, though we never did diagrams of sentences at school, so that one went over my head, despite being an English teacher here in Spain....Axxx

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 15, 2015 at 6:39 AM

      That's interesting, Annie. It must just be an American form of school children torture LOL! And, thank you!

      Delete
  27. chrissieMay 15, 2015 at 5:30 AM

    Wonderful artwork Jean and a great inchie

    Love Chrissie xx

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  28. bmlilith60May 16, 2015 at 2:42 PM

    Love your tiles and your Suzanne story. I wish my oops turned into new tangles, they are more of an, oh well. I love that you diagrammed a sentence. My mother was an English teacher and I spent endless summer vacations doing English things. To this day I can't diagram a sentence; however, my daughter can diagram one in her sleep.

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    1. jeanchaneyazMay 17, 2015 at 1:40 PM

      Thanks, JL, yes it would be nice if we could come up with new tangles that way! You were lucky to have a mom that made sure you were well educated :)

      Delete
  29. Chrissie FramptonMay 17, 2015 at 1:01 PM

    Great story behind your tile Jean and like what you came up with.

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