Pen & Ink Challenge Week #18

Good Morning folks, I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  Sorry I missed last week, I got caught up in preparing for the Art Journey Show and Sale and it completely slipped my mind.

The challenge for this week is an interesting line composition.  I love when lines overlap to produce a dimensional effect.

This one is called 'Hurry' though it reminds me of a flag for some reason

    

This is a very meditative pattern to draw...I love to see how it fills in as you build your lines.

Enjoy your week and remember 'Be Creative Everyday'

Talk soon,

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week # 17

Can you believe it is May and we are on our 17th Challenge Monday...WOW! Blows my mind.

Grass is getting greener due to the rain we have had but we needed it.

On to our challenge for this lovely Monday.  It is called Cruze...not sure why I guess once you get going you just 'cruze' along.  This is a fun one (I try to choose patterns that are fun for you to tackle, makes it much more appealing)

Try this sone on the straight then play with the positioning of the initial square and twist it slightly...it has a neat effect.

Have fun this week, get outside, take a hike (in a nice way) it's all about BALANCE.

Talk to you soon,
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #16

I haven't forgotten about you my doodle fiends...I had a little delay but all is good and here we go.

This week's Monday challenge is all about the lines.  It has a very mesmerizing effect on the mind don't you think?

It takes a little concentration, better to do it when your eyes and mind are fresh or just do a little at a time...especially when tackling the more complicated grid.

Try it in different colours as well.  Works well as a great filler pattern.

Happy doodling,
See you soon
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #15

Good morning pen friends, it is Monday and our challenge is at hand.

Our challenge today is again more of a drawing than a pattern, I think it's where my head is at most days.  This one is interesting, simple once you understand the concept and it looks very cool.

I didn't do the step-by-step in the small boxes, I didn't think it would be as easy to see.  I did use a circle template for my centre but don't feel you need to...it's just a little more balanced this way.

You can join up multiples as you can see in the lower right box.  You could add pattern or shading to the sections if you like or add something to the centres.

I hope you have fun with this one,

Talk to you soon,
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #14

Good Monday Morning friends, weather around here is still cold but it was sunny yesterday and I was outside starting my yard work...it felt good.

Our challenge today is about contour lines.  You can use this technique in any shape, contour lines give depth and dimension to a drawing.  With a little shading you have a fabulous concept.  Depending on how dense or tight you lay your lines down, your drawing will appear more intense and detailed.

Try different shapes and spaces to use your contour lines.  

Have a fabulous day!

Talk to you soon,

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #13

Greeting good friends, I trust you had a wonderful weekend?  Me too though it's really cold around here.

Your new challenge for this week is one I use a lot and one I think you will also.

You can do so much with this one when you add patterns inside the bands.  Always outline in pencil first for your guides then ink in squares and add lines then you can erase your pencil guides.

Have fun and we'll talk next week.

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #12

Good morning pen lovers.  We had a lovely Easter weekend...lots of food, lots of family...two of my favourite things.

I took a little break as we had an extra long weekend around here...and today really feels like Monday to me so here is your challenge pattern.

It is called Leaf-let.  A fun and easy 'nature' themed pattern (my favourite for sure).  Use this one for a fill in or a background and fun to colour as well.

It's pretty straight forward and relaxing to boot.

Enjoy your week and we'll talk soon,

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #11

Hello fellow pattern lovers.  I do hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  Lots of cooking and baking going on around here and we had a wonderful sunny weekend...Spring is here, the birds are back just need a little warmth to come too.

Now on to our challenge for this week.  I found it under the name Huggy Bear...very cute and again we can add shading which always makes it more interesting.

Many variations we could do here and add some colour too.  Some days it's nice to have a pattern you don't have to think too much about.

Enjoy my friends

Talk to you soon,
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #10

We had a beautiful weekend around our neck of the woods...got out walking and enjoying some nature, I hope you were able to as well.

I think this week's challenge is a beauty...lots of depth and dimension.

This pattern works well when you vary the size of your circles and use contrasting colours for your secondary pattern that appears behind the primary.  

Experiment with different colours and multiple patterns.

Enjoy your week and I'll talk to you soon.

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #9

Good Challenge Monday...I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Always lots of creating going on around my place.

I am reading a few books all at once including 'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert...if you get a chance add it to your reading list, good inspiration for creatives.

Since our workshop for this coming Saturday is a Celtic Knot pattern I thought I would give you all a chance to learn it ahead of time or at least play a little with it.

This top step by step is a pattern I was toying with when I switched over to the knot pattern so don't pay too much attention to it, study the second step by step.

I love doing these weave patterns, it's the optical illusion that is appealing to the eye.

Enjoy your day and playtime.  Remember it is important to 'Play', it's how we learn.

Talk to you soon,

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #8

The flu has been visiting our home...I do not like the flu.  Funny I keep typing 'FLY' I guess I want the flu to fly!

But we always have our challenge to look forward to.

This week's challenge is called Gotcha...catchy title don't you think? And appropriate.

This is a beautiful pattern on it's own and especially when it is joined together...very intricate indeed.

I love when patterns intertwine the way this one does.

Enjoy my friends.

Talk to you soon.
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #7

Good Morning friends it's challenge #7.  This is a beautiful pattern called African Artist.  You can do so much with this one.

I don't know if there is any more I can say but...enjoy!  I hope you are having a good time with the challenge.

Talk so you soon
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #6

Well here we are, the weeks have been just flying by...how about for you?

I hope you are enjoying the challenge so far.  I am discovering so many wonderful pen patterns it's been very exciting!

So on to your challenge for this week.  I have included three variations of what I find to be the same pattern and very cool too.  The first one is called Foxtrot which can be done in line form as well.  I found Rock 'N Roll to be very similar it's just created in the round...mesmerizing!

I left a spare work square just in case I find another variation I want to try.

Try this one in different colours as well...it would add lovely texture to a pen drawing don't you think?

Have fun and don't forget to relax.

Talk to you soon,

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #5

Hey there, I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  We did our workbook workshop on Saturday, a great day at Dragonfly Dreamers studio...I love to show folks my process, how I set out to tackle my pen work. (though I think they think I'm a little crazy at times)

It is week #5 and we are just rolling along aren't we.  Our pattern for this weeks challenge is called Shasta.  It is the Cadent pattern but turned into a daisy of sorts by adding lines to make petals.  It reminds me of a bed of flowers in a field.  These would be lovely to colour.

This is a pattern you can try with many variations.  Give it a go and I hope you have an Inky day.

Talk to you soon,
Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #4

Good morning lovelies...I trust you had a wonderful weekend?  Me too.

Are you ready for your challenge this week?  I think you are going to like it.  It is called 'Zinger'

It is so wispy, I love the freeness of it...you can do so much with this one.  Add a few here and there or fill an entire section.  Use as a border, use anywhere you please.  Try it in colour.

I like to leave a blank box on my worksheet so I can go back later on and revisit the pattern, try something new perhaps.

I used only my 0.1mm Staedtler fineliner pigment pen and a 2B pencils for shading.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your week.

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #3

How are you doing this fine Monday?  The sun is shining here in rural Ashton, Ontario. Canada

I have our classic radio station blasting to get me going this morning...love listening to music while I work.

On to our challenge for this week.  This is a very freehand type of pattern, I like those best...you can do so much with them and add so many other elements to them.  Use them to frame an object or use as a border.  

Adding colour if always fun, gives the pattern a new life.  

Try using some of these patterns in Inky Imaginings...sometimes all we need is the seed, an idea to spur our imagination.

Hope you have fun with this one.  Post some of your patterns here on my Facebook Page I would love to see them.

Talk soon, 

Sheila

Pen & Ink Challenge Week #2

Good morning friends.  I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

How did you do with the start of your challenge last week?  Feel free to post on my Facebook page.

This is your challenge for this week.  It is called Yew-Dee.

I like this one when you can twist the lines and of course the shading is to die for.

Have fun!

Sheila

A Brand New Year - Doodle Challenge

Hello lovelies.  So let's start this year off with something new...new for me and possibly you.

At my Calendar workshop over the weekend it was suggested that I hold a pen and ink pattern challenge. Once a week I will post a pattern for you to try and then master.  I have challenged myself to a pattern a day which is proving to be VERY challenging indeed by the end of the year I will have 365 complete pages.  It is ambitious, I know, but I am committed.

By the end of this challenge for you, you will have a book filled with 50-52 patterns...AWESOME!

These patterns I choose for you are not unique to me but once learned we make them unique to us.  We put our own sweet touches to them and they become 'ours'.  I am reading 'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert.  To paraphrase she states many of our endeavours have been tackled before us but not by US.

I find many patterns on Pinterest and on the Zentangle site.  Once you learn the how's you practice to make it yours.  Add new lines, add colour, shading, incorporate them into your own work, paintings, quilting, drawings etc.

Here is Worksheet #1

Some of the patterns have names some I cannot find any.

If you are wondering about the book format I am using it is an Arc customizable system from Staples.  This is the 8.5x11 size with graph paper.  If you aren't familiar with these journals you will love them, it's all I use for my workbooks.  The pages are removable for ease of use and you can reposition them any where else in your book.  The paper is a lovely weight and smooth finish.  I chose the graph paper (which you buy separately) for the ease of drawing my squares.

So here we go!  Enjoy and happy inky fun!

Sheila