Zentangled Cat

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."  ~ Terry Pratchett

I'm on a Zentangle kick again.  Today I'm sharing my latest project, a Zentangled Cat.  Very briefly here is my process.

I started with a sketch of a Siamese cat inspired by the design found in the book TangleEasy Lovable Pets by Ben Kwok transferred onto a piece of  gessoed 11" by 14" watercolor paper.

The design is lightly sectioned off with pencil and then the tangles are added with Black Micron pens.  I use the Apprentice Pigma pen 05 and the usual Black Micron 01, 03 .  I try to use light and dark patterns to keep it balanced.  I generally work on projects like this first thing in the morning while drinking coffee and searching Pinterest for tangle patterns.  I know it looks complicated and time consuming but it really isn't, I find it relaxing and centering.

Normally I would do some shading with a pencil but since I want to use this as a coloring page I'll hold off on that until later.  At this point I will photocopy the cat onto heavy card stock and color in the eyes with watercolors later.  It will make a great page to share with people for a coloring book party!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I would love to read any comments you might want to share.  Don't forget about the drawing for a free copy of the newest issue of Somerset Studio Gallery magazine.  The rules are here,  any follower of my blog in the U.S. is eligible to enter, the magazine will be mailed directly from Stampington.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.

Take care ~ Hugs ~ Renee

Creating Art Card Backgrounds with Kaleidoscope Stencils

Hello there, happy Tuesday!  I am still pretty excited about finding uses for my new Kaleidoscope Stencils by Artistcellar.  Today I am using just one of the set to create backgrounds for my Art Cards.  I chose the stencil called Trillium to make these cute little Art Cards which can be used on cards, canvases or left just as it is as an Art Card.  This is what I made.

This project began as an Art Card.  Art Cards are small canvases, in this case a piece of 140# water color paper, cut to measure 4" by 4".  You can think of it as a slightly larger version of an ATC.  I began by using the Trillium stencil and some water color pens filled with Dylusions Spray Inks.

I placed the stencil on top of the pre-cut paper and painted the different colors of ink through the stencil randomly.  When I had a lot of color on the paper I lifted the stencil off and set it aside.  These are not permanent inks so the stencil can be washed off at any time.

Next I sprayed water onto the inked paper and let it run together.  When I was satisfied with the look I blotted off the excess water with a paper towel.

I sprayed it with water again and blotted the paper with a towel again to get a lighter look.

At this point you can stamp lines or any other pattern on top of the Art Card.  I decided to layer on a stamped image.  This stamp is an old one by Lockhart Stamp Co. with Mr. Kitty on it.

I stamped the image with StazOn Jet Black ink on a separate piece of card stock, trimmed it out and colored it in with Dylusions and Memento ink pens.  When this was dry, I matted it on card board paper, then glued the entire panel to the back ground colored Art Card.

I didn't want Mr. Kitty to be lonely so I made another one called Puppy Face to keep him company.

These can be kept in an Art Card book, glued to a small canvas, glued to the front of a card....pretty much anything you can think of to display them.  They're sweet and guaranteed to put a smile on your face!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I'll be back next Tuesday with more stenciling ideas.  Hugs~Renee

Tangerine Masterboard

I enjoy making cards so occasionally I create a Masterboard that can be photocopied and cut apart to reuse several times.  That way you don't have to re-create the wheel over and over.  Just make multiple copies of your paper on good quality card stock and you have your very own paper with whatever theme you like.  There is a Tangerine challenge coming up with The Stampers' Sampler so I can use this Masterboard to make cards or whatever for that.

I call this page "Crazy Cat Lady in Training".   I am a cat lover so I can totally relate to this girl with her sweet kitty!  She is from DeviantScrap.com in the Alice collection.  My husband is allergic to all animals so this is about as close as a cat is getting to our house.  Oh, well....have a great week.  We had absolutely beautiful weather here in New England today.  50 degrees F in December!  It doesn't get any better than that.  I hope your week is off to a good start.   Talk to you soon.