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Friday, September 30, 2011

Around the Web

I'm showing up in a few places around the web (cool!):

• Suzanne McNeill wrote about her visit to the Sketchbook Project and she actually found my sketchbook in the library (there are thousands of books!) She took a photo to prove it! This is a great shot of Suzanne too. :-)
Suzanne showing my page with my tangle "Flores DeCasa"
• Suzanne also posted a video on YouTube of the CZT Retreat this summer in N. Andover, MA. This is Part 1 and has some great tangles and tips. I'll be in part 2 which will be posted next Thursday. So be sure to check back - I show how to draw the tangle "Oshun" - and I remember being insanely nervous - so no making fun of me, OK?            (It's live! Go here to see part Two).

• Alyce Edrich featured an interview with me on her blog, The Dabbling Mum! It's a great interview (if I do say so myself.)

• I was a featured artist on the Luminarte blog in Sept.
The first post was an introduction.
The second was a Black-on-Black ZIA project.
The second, a White-on-White canvas project.
And the third (should be posted next week), a junk mail, Zentangle® journal (inspired by Carla Sonheim - one of my heros).

If you guys see me anywhere else in your internet (or real-life) ramblings please let me know! It is such a freaky feeling, but kinda cool too. OR, if you have any great ideas about where I SHOULD be - let me know that too. :-)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

AlphaTangle Opinions?

I could use your opinions...
Do you own a copy of AlphaTangle? The original black covered one that I self-published, or the red covered one from Design Originals? Do you have a preference? Are there any changes you'd like to see to an updated or revised version? Larger? Smaller? Unshaded? New letters? Labeled tangles or no? Anything... Tell me your tangled (alphabet!) fantasies.

The Red Pen!

Lilah found the red marker...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Lilah Bean Invasion

I taught a great bunch of ladies tonight in The Belfry. When class ended at 8, my daughter came up to my studio with dinner for me. Yes, a Happy Meal. There was a red Power Ranger in it - in case you were curious. While I ate, she.... adapted the tangle sketches I had done in class...

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Squam Recap




I've barely been home for a day or so and already Squam seems like a dream. Sigh. I took some great classes so I wanted to tell you about the teachers and show my (mostly) finished pieces...

On Thursday (my birthday!), I had "Pages and Paint" with Sarah Ahearn. She did a really fun and clever game to get us to try all different mediums and techniques. (The game is in her book). My piece started with the command to "paint with a color you really dislike" - that kind of set the theme and, once I gave in to the messiness of it, I had a lot of fun.


These house collages were my favorites. I got rather caught up in ripping bits of Japanese Washi tape to create the roofs and windows and details.

On Friday, I had "Play & Process" with Susy Pilgrim Waters, an amazing illustrator, with a lovely accent. In this class, we dove right in to the piles of papers and started collaging a cigar box. I thought mine looked OK, but it didn't feel like...me.

I used some of my own leftover painty-collage tissue papers, on the inside, and I liked that a lot.


Then I played with black and white bits and some Zentangle-y patterns...


After lunch, I had "Hand Lettering" with Penelope Dullaghan - who you may know from Illustration Friday fame. We also dove right in. But this time, we had to create an alphabet where each letter used a different technique or material to form the letter.



Once I got started, I LOVED this challenge. I could have worked on this for the whole three hours. But we had to stop to do some hand lettering. Imagine!? ;-D I struggled with trying to turn my quote into an image. until I stopped thinking "Seuss" and went with some of my own little characters. Then, it was fun again.


 That evening, I was inspired to start this weird illustration while curled up by the fireplace...


Saturday, my last class was with Jen Lee - "Care & Keeping". (This is the one I blogged about while I was doing my homework by the lake.) She had a wonderful visual of how we, as women, tend to just give, give, give... but we have to learn how to receive as well, so that we can refill our well and keep giving. The image she shared was of passing a glass of water around. You receive it from someone else, take a sip and pass it on. Then receive another glass, sip, and pass it on. I think what I took away from this class was that I need to not only ASK for help, but I have to actually ACCEPT it! Yep, working on that one.

That afternoon, we had a lecture with the other Jen Lee. Jennifer Lee wrote the book, "The Right Brain Business Plan," which actually makes planning fun and visual. She had us do a guided imagery tour of our ideal business and work environment. I was surprised to see that my images in my brain are still so similar to ones I glimpsed years ago at another retreat. Sooner or later, I will need to create an artists' retreat center. It just keeps coming back to haunt me. It's funny how you can beat these things down into the back of your closet and they pop up the first chance they get. Resilient critters. Dreams.

The Art Fair on Saturday night was absolutely amazing! I sold a bunch of books and a few of my prints too. it was such a thrill to have people do a double take and then come back to my table and say, "Ohmigosh! I have your book! I can't believe you are HERE!" Superstar moment. :-)


Oh - I also want to tell you about my roommate, Heather Renz. Her business is called Bumblebird. Yea, I know, what are the chances? (My business is called Bumblebat). Besides being the best roommate I have ever had, she is a really talented painter and fabric artist. Her work has been in Stuffed (one of my faves) and Artful Blogging magazine and she sells on Etsy.

Here's an example of one of her dolls....

Isn't that the cutest!?  (She has some very cute little girl dolls too.) Click here and take a look at her stuffies.
Now, back to reality.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Squam day #...?

I am sitting on a dock, with a chocolate chip cookie, thinking about what I need from my life. It is actually homework for today's class with Jen Lee. Well, the cookie isn't homework.

It is an incredible experience to be around so many other square pegs. I had thought I would blog about my classes and the amazing teachers, but I was too tired and just didn't feel like it. But today I am taking a class about the care of artists. Kind of like a self- maintenance guide. I am learning how to recognize the edge of the precipice, and not allow myself to keep walking over that edge. Willingly.

So, what is the universe telling me? Other than I need to blog at this bizarre moment in time? It is saying that the lake is very high and the water is only inches below my butt.... No, it's saying I need to make some new stories to tell myself. The old ones are bringing me down. I need to be a little bit more of who I was before I let myself become who I have been portraying. And it's a fine time to try on some new clothes. Literally and figuratively. Kind of like that old saying about using the good china. What the heck am I waiting for? AND, tonight is the Squam Art Fair and Wholly Tara will be there! I SO need some artsy clothes! :-)

Time to go back to class- I must embrace my weirdness. Most people were probably enjoying the beauty of nature and writing in their journals. I needed to blog. Go figure.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Squam Day One

I have started a tradition of running away for my birthday, which is tomorrow. So right now I am sitting on my bed in my cabin... Completely exhausted. This is the second year that I have spent my birthday at the Squam Art Workshops and I think I am addicted. At the welcome lecture, I noticed these very cool lights. It looks like a tube of sheer fabric with fairy lights inside. I'd like to put these all over my house.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Trading Cards and Art Fair

Here's some very exciting news! My Tangle Trading cards are in the Top Ten on Zazzle for business cards! That's so cool! What's in it for you?
They are 50% OFF through Sept. 14, 2011!
Just remember to enter the promo code: DEALBIZCARDS when you check out.



Also, I will be away at the Squam Art Workshops taking some amazing classes. On Saturday night, I'll be selling my books and other Zentangle stuff, as well as some prints of my work, at the Squam Art Fair. This is one of the nicest little Art Fairs around. I hope to see some of you there. Be sure and bring a flashlight as the camp is quite... rustic! (Dark!) 
 

But it will be bright and cheerful inside the fair. 
Magical, actually.
 

Luminarte Blog

I am a guest artist on the Luminarte blog! My intro is up now, Wednesday there will be one of my projects, another project next week, and another the week after. Be sure to check the Luminarte blog to see each project. Of course, I integrated some Zentangle® into each one! :-) And feel free to link to them, retweet them and tell all your friends to take a look too.

Here's a little bit of my Intro post...

09/12/2011

Sandy Steen Bartholomew

ZTCityWebHello, my name is Sandy and I am addicted to Zentangle®. It's been a few years Sandy Beenow that I have had the uncontrollable urge to draw black and white patterns on everything from little pieces of paper, to my bathroom floor, to large resin cows... My greatest thrill is sharing my addiction with other people - especially those who don't think they have a creative bone in their bodies. I've got it so bad that I have written four... five? Oh dear, I've lost count... I like to write books! My first book, AlphaTangle, was self-published. Totally Tangled, Yoga for Your Brain, and AlphaTangle Revised, were all published with Design Originals. Design Originals is  now an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing, so my newer books are with them.

Zentangle® for Kidz - A Comic Guide with Alex and Lilah - ZTKidsBookwebwhich just came out a few weeks ago - is my favorite so far. I adore comic books and kids' books and my kids (Alex and Lilah are my kids). And, just in case you are not already exhausted reading this, I finished another book yesterday called the Tangled Fashionista. This one is really fun and kind of like a mash-up between a Zentangle coloring book for big kids and a fantasy fashion magazine. Yes, weird, I know. I really like writing books. And designing them. And illustrating them.
Also, I own a cool creativity general store called, Wingdoodle type2_edited-1. I teach classes, have a rubber stamp company and studio (Beez Ink), had another stamp company (Bartholomew's Ink, now part of Stamp Francisco), I sell lots of stuff on Etsy Iusb_760x100.6408705, write a blogBelfry Logo3 and another for  ZTforKidsHeader2. I went to Brown, SVA, and RISD where I got a BFA in ILL. (tee hee). I've been illustrating since I was at least 15 years old and still dream of being an archaeologist (like Indiana Jones, but without the bad guys and snakes!) Pumpkin-ScreamPCW



To read the rest of this post, CLICK HERE.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Tangled Stairs, Part Two

 For part two of our stairwell tangling adventure, I was joined by my son Alex, my daughter, Lilah, Jodi Ehler (CZT), and Valerie Kelley (tangle addict). We added to the previous designs and spread to the other walls...
Alex embellished the boring wall sconce. I love that he uses tangles from my books that I forget to play with! Like "Tung" and "Ogel"
"Chakra".
He started adding his own "Eddies" inside Chakra.
Lilah attacked the entire door, with... Lilah Beans!
Valerie tangled what looked like an underwater scene...
... love the bubbles!
Tangle, Jodi, tangle!

Jodi added onto Bette Abdu's section and expanded on Krystin Watt's "Shrooms"
The Shrooms grew larger and more complex!
I tried to work around Lilah, but she kept adding to MY wall! I tried to fight back with "Btl Joos" vines, but they were no match for her infectious dots.
I added to my section from the first session, but my son claimed the central box by adding a big "Rick's Paradox" I don't know how he drew it without turning the wall!?
Session Three will be held on Oct. 2, from 12-3pm if anyone would care to join us. We'll do some shading too! And if you would like to see our day's work from the level of, and the viewpoint of, a 4 year old... my daughter posted her photos on the Zentangle for Kidz site.

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