Zentangle Throw Back

We have a pretty cool challenge this week from Diva Laura Harms. Go back to the beginning, to the first pieces of tangle art we did...It's been fun looking at some of the pieces already submitted, but everyone looks so GOOD...I wasn't going to do it, because it doesn't feel like I've improved that much. (heh, maybe I was already so darn good at it from the very beginning, right? ha! Just kidding)

Well, I grabbed my first sketchbook, the one I was "on" when I started practicing zentangle. Honestly, my "style" hasn't changed much...though my lines are finer and I know a lot more about weighting lines and shading and such. So I couldn't find a tile that I wanted to duplicate but I did find a pattern.

My very first zentangle video was a tutorial on B'Tweed, by Maria (with some Rick in the background)...and I gave it a try.

Hahahahahaaa! wow. But look, I made a border for my "tile" (which back in those days was just squares drawn in my sketchbook...no actual tiles or anything)

And here is B'tweed, with shading, done soon after, or maybe the same day:

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I clearly was confused and uncertain. I didn't know why lines were supposed to go where they were going, and so I didn't have a clear idea of what I was aiming for.

Believe me, this was my best attempt back about two years ago.








And so, I am up to strings 49, 50, 51, and 52 in my "project"....and string 51 looks like this


which seems about right, to make a new, improved version of that 2014 Btweed

Which is what I did:

So, maybe I have improved some... though I do prefer Btweed in a pointed pattern...triangles and radiating webs and such.Still, going back and seeing what I attempted, my first try. Pretty encouraging. Like before and after pics when you are getting fit.


Now...should I do a post on Mooka?