Too much fun with Pentel gel pens. I love the precision they allow.
Not the best choice for a scarf as they only really show up on one side. Will be great for some other applications though.
Then beavering away with the Inktense pencils. I wasn't crazy about all the coloring lines that resulted, so out with the Inktense blocks and much mixing, rubbing and blending and it's more to my liking.
I think I will use the blocks more in future, but the pencils are great for detail. Once I got to the background it seemed much too expensive to use the Inktense so out with the Dynaflow and salt.
How I wish Procion dyes could replicate this effect! But once the Dynaflow started its old abrading tricks I remembered why I switched to Procion.
The abrasion marks work with the antique look of the scarf, luckily.
Designs loosely based on Jacobean embroidery.
I've never zentangled, such a shocking revelation, I know! So when my drying mat got grungy looking - it was beige to start with, so not far to go...
I got out the Pentel gel pens and started making it prettier.
Then out with the Inktense pencils, my newest toy. They were a lot of fun, pretty much colored pencils till you add water. I can see how this adult coloring craze got started. It's very restful coloring a design. No pesky composition choices to make, just play with the colors.
Once I added water the flaw reared it's head as usual. Not only was this a waffle fabric, which had added some kinks to the coloring process, but the mat is designed to be absorbent. It's for dishes to dry on after all. I wafted a brush over the Inkense and not much happened because the water just got sucked into the fabric instead of having time to turn the pencil marks into flowing ink. Eventually I was painting with spoons of water. An interesting technique...eventually I got on enough water to make the lines melt together. I didn't like the strength of color I'd achieved, so turned to the blocks of Intense and adding a little more oomph.
Now I like my drying mat much better. I also have a new batch of scarf blanks because I can't wait to try this on a more receptive fabric type. I think zentangle and Inktense were made for each other and will make funky scarves! Stay tuned!
