Mixed media flower painting

I just finished making my second mixed media flower painting. It's so energizing to work with such vibrant, happy colours! I absolutely love making black and white zentangles and doodles, but I feel the same love for making colourful paintings.

I wanted this painting to show what summer in Sweden looks like. Or at least it shows my feelings for summer in Sweden. Colours, flowers and just pure happiness :)

Hope you like it!

 

A zentangle Mandala and some zentangle knots

I can't stop zentangling. I've bought the perfect book for it with perfect paper in it and it's gorgeous and I love it! My new pens, Pigma Micron fineliners are the best! The only trouble is that my neck and shoulder hurt after a while. It's so hard to take breaks and suddenly two hours have passed and I haven't even noticed it :)

I made the zentangle mandala the day my daughter left Sweden for the Greek island Rhodos for five months. The boarder of the mandala is full of hearts even if that can be a bit hard to notice. I really like making mandalas, it's a great way to deal with feelings. It's nice to put my thoughts in the zentangle and kind of having them safe in a circle.

The zentangle with the knots was so fun to draw! Really easy to make and it only took me an hour.

Zentangle on canvas

I found an amazing zentangle on the net and was so inspired that I just had to do my interpretation of it. All cred to the artist that inspired me, Art & Potatoes .

I made mine on a canvas, quite big, and just used black and white pens in different sizes. I also added a few quotes about art that I love. It's so true; As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life (John Lubbock).

 

Circle play - Lisa Hofmann, the second assignment in 21 Secrets

Ok. I have to admit, I had no idea what a Mandala was. I loved the introduction that Lisa Hofmann did to this meditative form of art. I've noticed that almost every piece I make is full of circles and I tend to always make a circular motion and I believe it has been a subconscious action for me, and I guess circles really mean something in my life.

So, guess if I liked this workshop??? I've only done the first part, circle play, and I actually made three pieces :) I wrote on the first one, the second one got kind of crazy, the third one I'm showing you here.

As a child I had a kaleidoscope which I had completely forgotten about. When I made this piece I suddenly remembered how much I loved it. I could be in bed at night looking in it, feeling amazed over the great patterns and wonderful colours that showed up. Always new patterns and it felt like I was in another world. This Mandala took me right back to my childhood and I feel greatful for that. That is what the text around the Mandala is all about.

It actually made me order a build-my-own-kaleidoscope-kit! Crazy, I know, but I am the kind of person that act upon my feelings, immediately. Now I cannot wait for it to be delivered so that I once again can disappear in the beauty of patterns and colours! And this time I get to build it myself :) I want to see how it works (I was a child who loved playing with Lego, so maybe that explains my urge to build things myself) ;)

I coloured this piece with my ProMarkers and filled in the lines with Sharpies. Maybe I should have stopped there but I wanted more so I went on with way too much glitter stickles and finished it with some bling stones. Who said less is more... :)

Thanks Lisa for a wonderful workshop and I'm looking forward to step two in Mandala-making!

The first zentangle of the year

New year, new goals... or maybe the same goals as before but with a few additions :)

I have no idea if someone is still reading my blog, but I've decided to write in English as many of my new found friends from 21 Secrets are English speaking.

For the moment I have run out of inspiration. I don't know why and I don't know how or where to find it again. I google, I visit blogs, I read books and papers, I look at tutorials on Youtube. Or maybe my problem is not to actually find inspiration it's more the lack of energy to do the things I want to do. There are so many techniques to use and so many different kinds of paint to choose from and I can't decide what to do first. So instead I do nothing. But I hope that will change soon :)

Anyway, I started this new year with finishing a zentangle I started making a few days ago. That was an achievement. I had no inspiration at all when I made it but it was kind of fun to draw the bird. The background is made with Dylusions inks, stamps and different circles painted with acrylics.

Zentangle

Jag har fått lära mig att det jag håller på med kanske inte är Doodle utan Zentangle. Så här lyder definitionen enligt en bok om just Zentangle:

"Doodling is mindless, and the end result is not always a piece of art. The Zentangle method is mindful and the end result is always a piece of art." 

Whatever det är jag gör så är det himla kul :) Jag fastnar mer och mer för denna meditativa metod att rita på. Jag kan egentligen inte rita, men när jag delar upp en sida i olika sektioner och gör begränsande mönster så blir det helt plötsligt lätt. Det är faktiskt bara cirklar och streck som tillsammans bildar en helhet.

Det som är så bra är att det bara krävs ett par, tre svarta pennor i olika tjocklek och ett papper. Sen är det bara fantasin som sätter gränserna :) Testa, det är verkligen jättekul!

Jag funderar på att färglägga nästa, det kan bli en utmaning att få det snyggt och inte bara kluddigt.