MESSILY GOURD-GEOUS

The tangle challenge from the Diva this week was a brand-new tangle called "Gourdgeous." 

I was not too interested in this tangle when it was published.  And now, having drawn it twice, I'm still not enamored.  But hey, these things sometimes change with practice.  Perhaps in a few months I'll view it differently.

After all, I didn't like meditation at first, either, and now I'm 40 years into it, still "practicing," and although it's as challenging as it ever was, I certainly am reaping the benefits.

But I don't see myself doing this particular tangle for the next 40 years, even with more practice.  Even though Zentangle® is a form of moving meditation, some tangles increase the meditative experience, and some don't. 

Which tangle works or doesn't work to increase Zentangle's meditative aspect differs from person to person, which is one of the interesting things about the technique...just like different types of meditation work for different people.  Neither process is "one size fits all.")

Here is Gourdgeous, drawn in my Tangle-a-Day calendar.  Since Maria Thomas (my idol) came to this tangle by simply using lines and spaces, I thought I'd add a few lines and spaces behind it.  This was my first-ever attempt:

For the actual challenge, I put it on a black tile, using Signo Uniball pens (broad and narrow), a General White Charcoal Pencil, and a Rainbow Lead Pencil.  So here you see attempt #2:

Meh.

I'll try additional practice with it, both black and white and in color, to see what develops. 

Right now I'm going over to the Diva's page to see what other folks have done with this.  Usually I don't look until after I've submitted my own work so as not to be influenced, but this time I've accidentally seen a couple of the submissions on other people's blogs, and they are truly stunning.  Looking forward to seeing what everyone else did.