Sandy Steen Bartholomew's Blog, page 35

Tangled up and Creepy!

I was asked to teach up in New London (NH) today at the Tracy Memorial Library. Their book program has the theme "Edgar Allen Poe" and with Halloween coming up fast, the question, "can you do an intro to Zentangle with a creepy theme?" Ah, let me think about that one... YES!

I actually spend a lot more time preparing for these workshops than you might think. Not fond of repetitive tasks, I have to come up with new ideas to keep it fresh. And, in this case, I was told I had kids ranging from 5th-12th grade. Whoa.

The first hour was classic Zentangle, except that I prefer using Sharpie Pens with younger people - for many, many reasons. The second half we did white on black. I tried to pick as many of the creepier tangles as I could squish onto two tiles. We did do shading, but I am still mastering my iPhone camera and its flash blew away the shadows!


 For the last half hour or so, I gave each  student a piece of black 12x12 cardstock on which I had traced a cobweb as the "string" - and told them to go at it! This is the part I love - when they start creating their own patterns and improving on my ideas!

 

I was slightly impressed with myself - we fit all this into 2.5 hours! I have definitely gotten better at estimating what can be accomplished. Although, when I tested it out ahead of time, my spiderweb actually took... well, let's just say it was more than a half hour! I did have a great time making the sample, but after watching what the kids did with their spiderwebs, I may need to make another. That's what is so wonderful about teaching classes - so many cool idea to stea...AHEM.... inspire. ;-D

Tangled Cobweb - Sandy Steen BartholomewA couple of things I want to point out in my piece: Btl Joos transforms easily from its plant-based origins to a more tentacle-y tangle by adding little dots for suckers. And do you see how different Hollibaugh looks just by changing the drawing tool!? For the ribbon-y one at the top, I drew with a white gel pen and colored in, lightly, with a white Prismacolor pencil. For the more traditional one near "Boo" I drew and filled in with the gel pen. Then I added shading with a regular pencil. That one looks more mummy like. The puffballs? Those are vintage Sandra Strait... dismembered "Caterpillar". Ah, creepy. [contented sigh]

As usual, I crash after social interactions. To be followed by a social hangover the next day. It's a tradition. So upon arriving home, I sprawled on the couch and rented  "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" on Amazon. Good choice. I think this is now one of my most favorite movies.

I could relate to so many of the characters in the movie. Especially that of Judi Dench. I know that feeling of trusting one person, blindly, for a long time. The excitement, adventure and terror of suddenly being... just you. And having no idea what you are doing. I laughed and cried at the same time when she tried to change her internet plan, but they "can't" help her because it's in her husband's name. And he's dead.

I am so fascinated, and rather terrified too, of everything that is India. I love Bollywood movies, the dancing, henna tattoos, the carved wood fabric stamps, the sari fabrics, the people, the milder ("child mild") foods, the architecture and mystery. And I am completely fascinated by the junk statues of Nek Chand. I am  equally frightened of the chaos. (Well, I get disoriented just entering a Home Depot or Walmart! Imagine me on the streets of India...)  Some day, when I grow up, I'll make it out to India. I almost went two years ago with my sister and some friends, but I got divorced instead. Hmmm... I'm not sure I avoided the "chaos" part.

I love the boy who is trying to run the hotel, win his mom's approval, and marry the girl of his dreams. His great line, which made me chuckle, but also, consider:

"Everything will be alright in the end. 
If it's not alright, then it's not the end."

How to Shade Your Zentangles

Very exciting news! I am the guest blogger on Linda Farmer's TanglePatterns.com site today!


Linda did a two part series on Shading. Marizaan van Beek wrote Part One...


I wrote Part Two. Please take a look and let me know what you think. And be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom so you can see my.... um... Zentangle/shading/cartoon - joke. :-) Intrigued, eh?

I am currently working on an ebook about Shading Tangles, so I would greatly appreciate your feedback, questions and comments. Also, how do you prefer to learn? Written descriptions and instructions? Photographs of steps? Diagrams? Video instruction? Pop-ups and animation?! :-) A combination? How can I make shading easier for you?

Book Review - Carla Sonheim's Newest

Quarry Books has asked if I'd like to review some of their new books here on my blog. I don't get paid, so I can be as honest as I like. ;-) But I do get a free copy of each book... and these are books that I would have bought anyway... so, um, YES!


Today's book is the newest one from Carla Sonheim, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed-Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim. Carla is one of my role models - I've taken a few classes with her at the Art and Soul retreats and some online classes too. Her website has links to more information about her and her blog (fun, colorful reading!). And if you are excited about this book, there is even a class that goes along with it! And to be really thorough, I'll throw in that Carla has an Etsy shop where you can buy her prints.

Her previous book, Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series), came out in 2010, and was #1 for Drawing books on Amazon for a year (My Totally Tangled was #2!!)

Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals is even more fun because it is so obvious that she is passionate about animals. Her style is non-threatening and she admits that she didn't really start drawing until she was thirty. Her animals, some of which are completely unrecognizable as to parentage, are bursting with personality and attitude. If I had to sum up Carla Sonheim's style of creatures... the name that comes to my mind is "Snuffleupagus"! Her style and techniques are very close to the Zentangle philosophy - keep it simple, no such thing as mistakes, make it your own, one line at a time, enjoy the process... all that good stuff!

And since I am highly influenced by finding patterns in the world around me - her first chapter - "Blobs and Sidewalk Cracks" - makes me want to run outside with some chalk! I already can't walk to my mailbox without needing to make a note about how the tomato plant leaves might make a good tangle... now I will be overcome with an urge to turn my driveway cracks into sleeping elephants.

And, if you are hoping to learn how to make your creatures look more realistic, Carla covers that too. But she uses fun games and exercises to make it feel easy. It's not just about drawing animals though - Carla has projects using paint splatters, collage, fabric, even tape! All of these are ways to start your imaginary creatures.

My favorite part is Chapter 6 - "Junk Mail Creatures Book"! I took this class at Art & Soul, years ago and am still using what I learned. The book uses junk mail that overlaps in funny ways for the pages so a drawing on one page will peek through on another. The challenge is how to integrate the overlapping areas into new art. It's too hard to explain! I will go finds some pics of my own book...

(Art by Sandy Steen Bartholomew)
This is the first page (cover). The little bear is a small page in front, but it has to make sense with all the other parts of pages sticking out behind it.

(Art by Sandy Steen Bartholomew)

 Here's the second page - the envelope's windows still make sense here. The "fishbowl" is actually the clear window on a CD envelope. I found this exercise really challenging! But then, I tried too hard to create backgrounds and such. Using more imaginary creatures might have simplified it... I have to try this one again some time.

Another class I have taken with Carla is "Creatures on Wood" - Chapters 10 and 11 in this book. This exercise I found very soothing. Here are a few of my mini-masterpieces, not quite complete. Yes! Those ARE Lilah Beans in the middle! :-)

(Art by Sandy Steen Bartholomew)
If you ever get a chance to take a class with Carla - especially "live" - do it! Her teaching style is encouraging and supportive. She works hard to make techniques work for you and encourages you to infuse it all with your own style. You know how passionate I am about "making it your own"! I really have little patience for teachers who teach you how to create exactly the way they do.

The book itself is about 8.5" square (just the way I like it!) and laid out really nicely - easy to read with plenty of white space - and not too much text either. I like to see lots of images with step-by-steps. The text that is there is easy-going and funny. Galleries showcase images from other artists. It is nice to see how these projects are approached with different styles.

I don't tend to read the pages and pages of tiny text in most art books. Imaginary Animals breaks what text is there into differently styled chunks. I read the widely spaced commentary at the start of each chapter. I read the shaded boxes with tips. As I study the images, if I am curious to know more about the step-by-steps, then I can easily find the text that gives more details for those pictures. It's a pleasure to have an inspiring art book written for creatively impatient people like me!

(Extra note: Carla has another new book coming out in November: The Art of Silliness: A Creativity Book for Everyone. I took her online class version of this and it is exactly as the title says. What a hoot!!)

Warner Fall Foliage Festival

My Open Studio on Saturday went really well! People tended to come in waves so I didn't get much time to talk with everyone in depth. I did meet a fellow who was trying to discover all 106 of the official Zentangles and he had an impressive stack of finished tiles. I have to track him down for you all - he described an intriguing system he has of cataloging all the tangles.

Lilah and I did face-tangling. Actually, I started out doing all the painting and tattoos myself. But then Lilah slowly took over. At one point she even snitched my paints and took them out to her friend Nathan's booth where she undercut me by working for free! Hey!?

We worked out a compromise eventually.


I am learning that, just as my son considered Wingdoodle to be "his" store when it opened 11 years ago, now, Lilah talks about the new studio shop as "hers"! She is also asking when I will create a line of rubber stamps from her images. We really need to come up with a good name for the new... place. So many people walked in assuming it was Wingdoodle re-opened and I kept stamping my foot (in my mind) and mumbling, "No, it's MY studio!" I've been thinking of calling it BeeHive and BumbleBat. A beehive is where all the busy creatures hang out and create their magic. And Bumblebat is my online store's name... If I could only decide, then I could get a real sign made and start re-training everyone.

Alex performed a scene from Alice in Wonderland (his dance school did it last spring, set to Beatles' music). He was the Mad Hatter and his specialty is twirling knives. In this scene, he gets to cut the cake at the Tea party. :-)



Today, Sunday, I was feeling less than social, so I didn't push myself to open the shop again. Although it was an even bigger crowd than yesterday, I just felt like wandering.

I wandered into the Town Hall where all the crafters are set up - and I found Dianne Klabechek - a former Zentangle student of mine, now a CZT - selling her beautiful tangled cards! Dianne's Zentangle inspired art is worked into the shapes of animals and insects and drew lots of attention from passersby.


 The big attraction on Sunday is the parade. The theme was "Entertainment Through the Years" and there were some very clever floats. I loved the Pirates of the Carribean dinghy, and the Angry Birds were hysterical. The High School band performed music from James Bond movies. This one sounded pretty good... (Alex is playing the saxophone)...

Fall Festival - Open Studio - Prepped

Lilah and I have spent the past few days trying to make my mess of a studio look presentable. I think it finally looks a bit like a store! Yesterday we climbed - OK - LILAH climbed- up ladders to string tinselly fall decorations and place bats in high places.

Today, my son crawled out of bed, around 2pm(!?) and reluctantly started designing my sandwich boards. He got really into it. Then his sister said, "I want to do what Alex is doing!". Predictable. So I said, "Sure!" Alex glared. Then, I said, "but I have an even better job for you... you can design the sidewalk sign!" Squeals of delight!

And here are the results...



It's not really a "NEPO OPEN STUDIO..." The NEPO is for people who are reading it from the other direction...

After she finished my "sign" Lilah proceeded to decorate the wooden bench in front of the window, then she drew arrows from 30 feet in either direction leading right into my shop. And THEN she warned away all the pedestrians, "Not today! We are open tomorrow! NOT today!" (By the way, we are open tomorrow!)

While she drew, Lilah narrated. Suzanne McNeill would be proud (she always tells me I have to talk while demonstrating... anyway....). I thought it would be a hoot to film her - she could do her own tutorials. But it sounds like there is an airplane taking off in the road behind us, followed by a fire engine! Good grief. I'm not kidding when I say that thousands and thousands of people invade our tiny town for two days - and you have the proof in this video. By the way, I did the sign on the wall. I don't make my kids do ALL the work. :-)




And when I thought she would burst with excitement if she had to wait any longer... we headed over to the amusement rides. We twirled and slid and ran and laughed (and shed just a few tears)...
the Warner Fall Foliage Festival has begun!

Another Spin...

For anyone who had trouble seeing Carolyn's spinner in yesterday's post, here is another shot. This one is much larger and clearer too.

Carolyn's Spinner

And speaking of "spins" - my brain is in a spin. (What's new, right?) This weekend is our town's annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival... in which 30,000 people flood our town of 3,000. They eat fried dough, ride the rides, shop, watch performances... my son is dancing in the street as the Mad Hatter at 2pm on Saturday. Right after the childrens' parade.

I thought I would do some face painting - actually face tangling - but that sounds really... wrong. Now that my studio is right down at ground level, in the middle of the teaming masses, I thought I might pretend I own a store and open it up on Saturday.

I've spent the weekend spray painting an old stamp display. My hands and feet are purple - I think my lungs might be too - and my right hand is cramped in trigger position. I keep telling myself "I can do this. I can do this. And if I change my mind on Friday night - no biggie - no one knows what I was thinking of doing..."
But now, you know.
So, I will have an Open Studio. A test run. Because I am tired of people telling me to get a real job. A store is a real job. I have a store. Therefore... I have a real job! Yeah ME!

But the important part is that people come in and tell me how wonderful the "store" is. OK? You can say things like... "it's very realistic looking!" If you visit me and say something nice, I'll give you a tattoo. If you are really, really nice... I'll put sparkly glitter on your tattoo too! (Tattoo-too?)

Oh - details: this Saturday from 10:30 til... til I can't stand it any longer and run for the fried dough. My new studio is in the store-formerly-known-as-Wingdoodle. It needs its own name, but that discussion is for a different post.

Carolyn Blocher in a Spin

Back in August, I taught at the Midwest Arts & Lettering retreat in Minnesota. I challenged my students to send me jpegs of some of their work - especially if they really "clicked" with a technique. I recently heard from my student, and CZT, Carolyn Blocher:

Well, dear teacher, you will be disappointed that I didn’t finish much at all, but the reasons were OK, to me anyway. Here is a picture of the Spinner I made and I’m actually using it! 

Carolyn's Zentangle made with guidance from her spinner                     
I went to the Retreat to be exposed to different things and that is exactly what happened. The time we spent on shading techniques topped my list. Interacting with others and seeing your illustrations, reinforced my interest in sharing Zentangle. Merely experiencing the generous sharing among artists; visiting with the talented women taking other classes or giving them, was enriching.  I’ve been corresponding with a few of the other students, sharing teaching methods and learning from them.  One more thing, I have signed up for the e-class you mentioned in your latest newsletter and have already learned something I can use, so thank you for that.
I’m trying to not take myself so seriously. I have my own talent to expand and share and that is enough. Huge thanks to you for inspiration through your books, blog, classes and delightful personality. I truly enjoyed meeting you, Sandy, and spending four days in your fun class was my birthday present to myself and I loved it.
Carolyn 

 www.itstangletime.com




Nice work Carolyn! If you want to have experiences like hers, then you need to come take a class with me! Actually, I'm not really teaching any classes, only teaching at retreats...

There is still space in the CZTs-only retreat in Tilton, NH (Oct. 25-28th) - the foliage is glorious, so jump right in! Email Bette Abdu for info: betteabdu@gmail.com
[I'll be teaching Zentangle and printmaking!]

There is also still space in my UN-Tangle Retreat: Holiday Edition in Ogunquit, Maine (Nov. 9-11th)
Email Linda Pearl for that info: linda@thepatchworkpearl.com

It has been brought to my attention that there is a rather large difference in price between the first retreat in the spring and this Holiday Edition. Thank you for pointing it out - I hadn't noticed. Seriously, there are two main (Maine?) reasons why this is so... 
1) there was a slight rise in price for the room and board (and taxes) 
2) I had a FABULOUS time teaching in March... but I decided I really... REALLY wanted to get paid for my work. I know, I'm an artist, but I don't buy into that whole starving thing. And I'm only telling you this shameful truth because we are friends, but - no- I didn't get paid for the March retreat. blush.

If you are the kind of person who already thought the March retreat was too expensive, then, OK, we'll still be friends, but this retreat thing is probably not your bag anyway. If you have been trying to justify it (I do that too!) - then think about it as a way of investing in yourself. It's good for your brain, your stress-levels, networking - all that stuff - but it also can boost your career by giving you great ideas, confidence, and if you are teaching... you'll make lovely samples! And you can pick my brain. Do you have ideas that you are afraid to discuss with your friends and family because they'll think you are "nuts"? Bring them on! UN-Tangle is a great place to just "Be".

And you get lots of "stuff". Ooooo! Stuff!! (And chocolate...)

CZT 10 and The Book of Zentangle

I am having a very hard time keeping my eyes open right now, but my brain is so excited I can't crawl into bed until I have told you guys what I saw today!

I dragged my carcass out of bed at 5am today so I could drive down to Providence, RI with Bette Abdu. She drove - I never could have stayed awake. Although I think we talked nonstop for the 3 hours down and the 3+ back. It was ironic to spend seven hours driving so we could spend three hours at the Certified Zentangle Teacher training workshop, but it was SO worth it.

Maria Thomas and Rick RobertsWe got to sit in on the last leg of the program and learned a new tangle pattern - it's a little like Tripoli, but... different. ;-D It will probably be in one of the future Zentangle newsletters, but for now, you have to wait patiently and curse me under your breath. (I'll redeem myself in a minute, maybe). I got to talk to a whole bunch of people - some of you who are reading this - "Hi folks!!!", a few who were at my UN-Tangled retreat in March, a few who are coming to the one in November, and a bunch of my customers. I was thrilled to meet the Ukelele guy, Jason, too. Actually, I just realised, there were more men at this session than I have ever seen before... that's a very good sign!

What is everyone staring at....? ... CUPCAKES!In all, a really nice batch of new CZTs. And a lovely batch of CUPCAKES! These were carrot cake with cream cheese frosting INSIDE too - and the caterer had been inspired to create special Zentangle wrappers!


During break, I got trapped in the room talking and signing books (I'm not complaining, it's a total trip to be treated so nicely - and it does wonders to refill my confidence tank). In the middle of a conversation, I noticed people returning to their seats and muttered "Oh, I didn't get a cupcake". Next thing I know, someone is handing me a lovely, creamy... oh slurp... cupcake. And another wonderful soul brought me a glass of tea. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE having minions?
I LOVE my minions!! :-)

It was over before I knew what hit me and we headed home - where I promptly crawled into bed!

BUT!!!! Backup... The coolest thing EVER - Rick and Maria have finally published their book!!!!


I remember seeing some of these illustrations, years and years ago, on Maria's desk. She said it took her 8 years to do this book - and it shows. They published it themselves, it's beautifully designed - like a mini- coffee table book. The writing looks really interesting, but I zoom right to the pictures. The art makes me drool. I want to crawl into the pictures. Heck, I wish I had drawn them!! (That is my highest compliment). As usual, words fail me. At the back of the book, they have thumbnail sized images with "notes" about how and why the pictures were created. The back-stories. I always want to see the under-layers, the ideas and structures behind the art. So this book has it all.

I was so in awe, I bought ten signed copies. I'm keeping a couple for myself, but I put a bunch up on my Etsy store if anyone would like one. They won't be sold on Amazon, but you will be able to get them from CZTs, from Zentangle.com, and smaller bookstores, etc. At this moment, however, I seem to have the only (small) horde for sale! What a delicious feeling!!

Maria Thomas, Rick Roberts... and me

Birthday Week

Well it ended up being a very nice Birthday Week (from Saturday to Saturday).
Here are some highlights...
(the party photos were taken by my personal photographer, my paparazzi-to-go, Laurie Strysko)




 On Sunday, we had a good-bye party for the minister of our church. I created a mandala that we all filled with sand, then Rev. Donoghue took it outside and tossed the sand into the wind. Yes, I filmed it. :-) I'll put some of the pics on Facebook, but let me know (in the comments) if you are interested in knowing more about this project.

 


Then, I got my new iPhone. :-) I also gave myself a new dress, a new coat, some boots, a bunch of books... ah, yes, the new Lego Haunted House.
What a lovely week.

iPhone 5!

I am SOOO excited to get my new iPhone 5. I admit it - I am a geek. I love new tech toys. When my ex told me I had to get my own phone contract, I was actually excited - and it seemed like destiny that a new iPhone was coming out just at this moment!!!

On the other hand, I can't believe how ridiculously much people spend on their phone/data contracts. Seriously? Oh well... now I have my own number and my own ridiculously expensive data plan. So the only clear-headed thing to do is to get a ridiculously expensive case for the phone, right? Well... I am sort of practical. If I am going to spend THAT much on a case, I want a custom one with my own image. And, then I thought "Wow! That looks really cool! I need to show it to you all." And then... "Oh! Maybe they want one too?"

So I have posted my design on Zazzle! We can all have matching cases. Ooo-AH!


UN-Tangled iPhone 5 case by BumbleBat
Browse more Zentangle Casemate Cases
  I also have to tell you a ... strange?... revelation I had. My dad told me to trade in my old iPhone at Best Buy to get the new one. I usually avoid those big stores because they overwhelm me. Two seconds after entering, I can't remember why I am there. But when I want something badly enough... The sales associates were nice enough (the girl was particularly nice) - well, the sales guys were kind of idiots - but the GEEK SQUAD? Those guys are my people!! I handed my old phone to the Geek (I say that with respect) to assess it for trade-in. He fondles it looking for damage, then says "oh my god, is this a Lego case?" Sigh. True Love. So all those friends who keep telling me to go hang out in bars and start checking out guys, did you mean the Geek Bar at Best Buy? :-)