Challenges, Challenges

I get so inspired every week by the Diva's challenge, the I decided to join a few more, just to keep me growing as an artist.  I am joining the Second Floor challenge whose sole purpose is to spark creativity and challenge yourself.  According to the challenge, 

at some point you need to “take it to the second floor.”  What does that mean?  It means trying something vastly out of your comfort zone.  Doing something that might not work.  Experimenting with a crazy idea.  It’s all about pushing yourself.  If it works, awesome.  If it doesn’t work, awesome!

If it sounds like fun, click the new button below and join me. 

Tools!

I am short on time this week (who isn't?) because I've been traveling and taking care of a sick kid, so I decided to combine the two.  The Diva challenge is to tangle using a spiral string with paradox.  The Second Floor challenge is to use gold paint.  Hmm. Not having gold paint on hand, I decided to go with my new Brillance Galaxy Gold stamp pad and my gold Sakura jelly roll pen. And to up the difficulty, I decided to go big and use the 7x11 sheet of watercolor paper that has been staring blankly for the last week.  I also decided to experiment with my Whispers markers to tangle with - using the brush end!  

Paradox in a spiral - "shaded" with my water brush on the Whispers Markers.  Who knew plain H20 could do that?

After looking at this a while and wondering how to add the gold "paint," I thought perhaps it was time for another Zentangle-Inspired stamp.  I guess it is true that if all you have is a nail, everything looks like a hammer.  So, I carved a Paradox stamp and put it all over the background. I went right over the paradox string, but masked out the big spiral.  

I didn't want to cover my "echoism" ribbons because I like the shading and it was too much effort to mask them out, so I decided to fill the inside with spirals using my gold pen. 

Gilded - for the 2nd Floor Challenge

At this point, I wasn't sure if it was done, but I got called to tend the sick kid and when I came back, I discovered that it looked pretty good from across the room.  It's amazing what a difference a break and change of perspective can make.

The picture doesn't do it justice, so here are some close-ups.

 Hope you like it.  Thanks for stopping by.