Life Imitates Doodles

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
3DTANGLE SHADING CHALLENGE #072: Focus tangle: Drawings

Tangle It! Pattern Club Tag template downloadables (Facebook Group)
Ben Kwok Template #210: Christmas Bells

Tangle Refresher 144

I-Leaf Pattern Video
How to draw Barrel Roll Tangle Pattern Lesson 13 Video
Sedgling Zentangle Pattern Video

Sun Petals Pattern
Fine-Dings Pattern
Tanglepatterns: How to Draw Vikings
Tanglepatterns: How to Draw Pezember
Pattern-collections New: Gemmies
Pattern-collections New: Tapijoka
Pattern-collections New: Flossie
Pattern-collections New: Awantee
Pattern-collections New: Deco
Pattern-collections New: Snowgel

Weekly Zentangle Roundup #303

Tutorials & Art Journaling PromptsHow to paint cake sponge in watercolorHow to Draw an Owl in Colored Pencil
Art Journal: Piano Hinge Travel Journal
GiveawaysLast Minute DIY Gift Idea & Rubber Stamp GiveawayTh…

Pigma Micron, Sharpie Marker & Paint Pen on Strathmore Gray-toned Tile.

Done with a variety of Senelier, Winsor Newton, Sennelier and M Graham watercolors.

I wish I'd found the Pixabay photo  archive earlier in the year.  I'd have painted a lot more colorful birds!



This bird was painted in the Global Art Materials Field Watercolor Artist Journal Hand Book, 7 by 10-Inch that I'm using for the '52 Weeks of Watercolour Birds'.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
joey's weekly tangle challenge #144

"It's a String Thing" # 175 Tiles
It's a String Thing" #176

Twelve Days of 3Zs - Gratitude

Doodlegems Tutorial Ep 38: Tourmaline Doodlegems 
Stella  Zentangle Pattern Video

TanglePatterns: How to Draw Pach

Tutorials & Art Journaling PromptsFrosty Fall Landscape in WatercolorQuick Mixed Media Background TutorialBook folding – single lettersFree Course: Create Your Own Magical 2017 Yearbook-free printable yearbook
How to Make a Pop-Up Card with Gift Boxes
GiveawaysWestcott® Giveaway - CarboTitanium TrimmerMy Vinyl Direct CAMEO 3 GIVEAWAY Zebra Pen's 25 Days of Giving - new prize every day thru 12/25 12 Days of Blick Giveaway  - new prize every day thru 12/25 Pink Paislee 12 Days of Christmas - a new prize every day thru 12/25
Peachy Cheap 12 Days of Christmas - …

I used the cat's tongue and deersfoot stippler brushes from The Fabart interchangeable brush set for this painting.  The deersfoot stippler was especially helpful in getting the effect of the hedgehog fur. I should have used the fan brush for the edges of the fur to get softer edges, but I was trying to see how well I could do with the cat's tongue brush.

(I did a review on this set here).

Different mix ratios of  Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna were used throughout, with Winsor Newton Sap Green added for the background.  It's a 6x6 inch painted on Twinrocker paper.

My reference photo came from Pixabay.com.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus

TanglePatterns String 240

How to Draw "Danza" Tangle Pattern - Lesson 12

Weekly Zentangle Challenge on hiatus until January 9

Tutorials & Art Journaling Prompts
Step-by-Step Watercolor Still Life Painting
Butterflies and Birds in Colored Pencil and Pastel
2016 #23 Bleached Flowers 
Journal52 prompt #51

Giveaways
Stencil Girl Instagram Art Supply Swag GiveawayEDJelley.com giveaway-Enter To Win A $50 Jetpens Gift Card
CraftPaperScissors 12 Days of Christmas-new prize every day thru 12/20
Zebra Pen's 25 Days of Giving - new prize every day thru 12/25
12 Days of Blick Giveaway  - new prize every day thru 12/25
Pink Paislee 12 Days of Christmas - a new prize every day thru 12/25
Peachy Cheap 12 Days of Christmas - a new prize every day thru 12/25

ReviewsBaron Fig Confidant Planner for 2017
Ti Arto Pen Refills and Revie…

I found a new photo archive that isCC0 Public Domain, Free for commercial use and No attribution required.  Actually two of them, Pixabay.com and UnSplash.com.  (Thanks to Art Tutor for sharing the information on Facebook).  I've been using the Morguefile for quite a while and I like it better than Unsplash, but Pixabay looks like it might be a contender for favorite.

I'd been looking for some good photos of bee-eaters and was delighted to find several at Pixabay.  Just in time, two of my last three birds for '52 Weeks of Watercolor Birds' will be from these species.



Done with a variety of Senelier, Winsor Newton, Sennelier and M Graham watercolors.

This bird was painted in the Global Art Materials Field Watercolor Artist Journal Hand Book, 7 by 10-Inch that I'm using for the '52 Weeks of Watercolour Birds'.

My reference photo came from the Pixabay archive.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
3DTANGLE SHADING CHALLENGE #071: Focus tangle: Stella

Tangle Refresher 144
On the last day of 3Zs . . .

Zentangle All Around: Strings for the rest of the year

H and I - a daily tangle Video
Heart Lace-a daily tangle Video
Heli-a daily tangle Video
Some thoughts on Shading Zentangles

Sq Flwr Pattern
TanglePatterns: How to draw Meriberries
TanglePatterns: How to draw MySwing

Weekly Zentangle Roundup #302

Tutorials & Art Journaling PromptsStep-by-Step Watercolor: Lake SceneHoliday Gift Ideas: Lettering on a Glass FrameHow to make an EASY Polymer Clay Doodle Gem Amber Snowflake Ornament
NEW BULLET JOURNALING SERIES ON RHODIA DRIVE
GiveawaysCardMaker's Season's Best Holiday GiveawayThe Postman's Knock Giveaway - four Iridescent inks
Jetpens Story Supply Co. Giveaway ArtistsNetwork 7th Annual Holiday Sweepstakes-a new priz…

Ohto Graphic Liner & Pigma Micron Pen on  Strathmore Artist Tile.

This was one of those paintings where I really wasn't sure how to get the effect I wanted, so I just started painting.  Sometimes that pays off, and I did get some of the feel I was going for.  Overall though, the painting is overworked.  I'm still not quite sure how to do what I want, so I'm going to have to play around some more.  Ideas that I have in mind are choosing different pigments, trying to keep more of the white and (my biggest failing) letting one layer of paint dry before fussing any further.

I wanted a touch more light in a few areas, so I decided to use a white acrylic paint pen , smearing the paint with my fingers as I added it.  It shows up in the scan far more than it does in real life.


Approximately 9x9 inches.  Mijello Mission Gold Permanent Yellow Light, Red Orange, Indian Red, Ultramarine Light  on Gemini Coldpress paper.  Only one brush used -  a Legend Kolinsky 3/4 inch flat.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
joey's weekly tangle challenge #143

"It's a String Thing" # 174 Tiles
"It's a String Thing" #175
Ben Kwok Template #210: Christmas Bells

How to Draw a Star Ruby Doodle Gem Napkin Rings Tutorial Ep 37
Cadent and Cadentoo Zentangle Pattern Video
Icanthus Zentangle Pattern Video
Drawings Zentangle Pattern Video
Heart and Flower Daily Tangle Video

On the Tenth Day of 3Z...s
On the Eleventh Day of 3Z...s

TanglePatterns: How to Draw Marasu
TanglePatterns: How to Draw Drawings
TanglePatterns: How to draw ICANTHIS

Tutorials & Art Journaling PromptsPainting Maggie the Goldendoodle in Watercolor14 Simple Kids Crafts for HanukkahDrawing the Side View EarGlaze and Soufflé Special Effect Pen Holiday Crafts
GiveawaysWestcott® Giveaway - CarboTitanium TrimmerArtistsNetwork 7th Annual Holiday Sweepstakes-a new p…

Yep.  Owls are definitely aliens sent to spy on us from Outer Space!

I used different mix ratios of  Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna throughout, with a touch of Winsor Newton Lemon Yellow  for the eyes.  It's a 6x6 inch Twinrocker paper.  My reference photo came from Pixabay.com.

What was fun about this one was that it's the first time I had used any of the brushes from my newFabart interchangeable brush sets.  I learned about these on the FrugalCrafter website.  I've written a very mini review below, but if you really want to know more check out Lindsay's review.


The Fabart interchangeable brush set


Nothing I dislike outright.  There are a few things I wish were different.  I'll cover those first:
the ferrules (the metal piece that hold the bristles onto the handle) don't seem very secure. They are what I would expect for this price range though.the interchangeable heads slide out of the bands in the wallet.the information included about the brushes was spars…

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
Weekly Zentangle Challenge #297

TanglePatterns String 239
Ben Kwok template: 209-Christmas-Ornaments

DoodleGem #ShimmeryArt Ornament Acrylic Painting Tutorial
Elfhat Zentangle Pattern Video

On the Ninth day of 3Zs . . .
On the Tenth day of 3Zs . . .

Pattern-Collections New: Zipfelmuetz
Pattern-Collections New: Cirq-6


Tutorials & Art Journaling Prompts
Step-by-Step Watercolor: How to Paint a Blue Hydrangea
Barred Owl: Drawing Maine Wildlife
MIXED MEDIA CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS WITH A VINTAGE STYLE
PAINTING WITH WORDS-FREE 4-part introductory art journal video series Clothespin Snowman Craft for Kids to Make
Giveaways
ArtistsNetwork 7th Annual Holiday Sweepstakes-a new prize every dayKaisercraft 12 Days of Christmas GIVEAWAYS -new prize every day thru 12/17
Kingston Crafts: 12 Days of Christmas giveaways - new prize every day thru 12/1…

I accidentally posted this out of the planned order.  I tried deleting it. But it's still out there in cyber-space, so I'm going ahead and posting two artworks today.  Hope I don't confuse people too much (including myself!).

A combination of Sakura of America's Gelly Roll, Metallic, Glaze and Souffle gel pens on black paper.  6 x 6 inch.

I really hate doing the last bit of a project.  Even if I'm enjoying the subject overall, I get so impatient to be finished and want to hurry, hurry, hurry.  It's a definite flaw of mine.

It's very hard to relax and just enjoy painting these birds.  Once I'm done with the '52 Weeks of Watercolor Birds' I know I'll paint birds with no problem.  The mind is a very strange thing.


Done with a variety of Senelier, Winsor Newton, Daniel Smith and M Graham watercolors.

This bird was painted in the Global Art Materials Field Watercolor Artist Journal Hand Book, 7 by 10-Inch that I'm using for the '52 Weeks of Watercolour Birds'.

My reference photo came from the Morguefile archive.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
3DTANGLE SHADING CHALLENGE #070: Focus tangle: Aura-Leah

"It's a String Thing" # 173 Tiles
"It's a String Thing" #174 Tiles

Tangle Refresher 143

On the sixth day of 3Zs . . .
On the seventh day of 3Zs . . .
On the eighth day of 3Zs . . .

Gogglez Pattern Video
Gear Flower Pattern Video
Gemma Pattern Video
Prasima Zentangle Pattern Video
Golanas Pattern Video

TanglePatterns: How to Draw Cheerz

Weekly Zentangle Roundup #301

Tutorials & Art Journaling Prompts
Shrink charms made from plastic packaging
DIY Holiday Card with a Hidden Gift Card Pocket
How to: Vintage Sewing Tree Ornaments
Journal52 Week #50: Fire OR Ice
FREE WATERCOLOR HOLIDAY NOTECARDS

Giveaways
Colored Pencil Magazine Coloring Contest-Win Staedtler Colored Pencils
Crafter's Companion giveaway-Win Spectrum Noir Colorista Goodies
Strathmore Holi…

Ohto Graphic Liner & Pigma Micron Pen on  Strathmore Artist Tile.

The last of my sky-centric paintings from the last session of my watercolor class (though I still have a couple of urban city paintings from that class).  I used a triad of M Graham Cobalt Teal & Quinacridone Rust, and Daniel Smith New Gamboge on Strathmore's Gemini Coldpress paper.

Silver Black Velvet 1 inch flat, 3/4 inch oval and size 6 round.

Links to Tangles, Tutorials and Giveaways is published on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays

Zentangle
The Daily New Tangle Challenge
Pattern-Collections Daily Pattern Focus
joey's weekly tangle challenge #142
Monotangle Adventures BEG CH #40 – EMINGLE 
DUOTANGLE ADVENTURES BEG CH #18 – EMINGLE & PURK

DIY Snowman Doodlegem Tags Free Holiday Designs Mini Coloring Books
Echoism Zentangle Pattern Video

On the fourth day of 3Zs . . .
On the fifth day of 3Zs . . .

TanglePatterns: How to draw ODEE
Pattern-Collections New: Chank
Pattern-Collections New: Spy Knee

Tutorials & Art Journaling PromptsPainting Animals in Watercolor | Cheng-Khee Chee’s Saturated Wet TechniqueTechnique Tuesdays: Watercolor for Mixed Media
Writing Wednesday: Work the 2016 Words of the Year Into Your Writing
GiveawaysEuropens Giveaway-Cross Fountain pen & Ballpoint SET, ink and moreAQYLA Paints giveaway
Sakura Giveaway- Brush pens, Coloring Brushes, Soufflé  pens, Gelly Roll pens, coloring book 
Graphic45 giveaway-priz…