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Friday, December 6, 2013

Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love got from me

Five
Golden
Things
!

From my Treasure Box of ATCs!

-----+-----

Maria writes:
Not everyone has these tools, but it's what I work with on a daily basis. I used one of my pointed pens, dipped in (actually "swiped" with a brush loaded with) gold gouache. 


Gouache is a watercolor-like paint in a tube with a little more gravitas than the usual watercolor. I used a Turner® Gold Orange and a Holbein® Brilliant Gold. Both of these tubes of paint (approximately 0.5 ounces each) are a hefty investment . . . each around $20 a tube. I tell you all this because, well, someone is bound to ask! 


I have yet to find a gold marker capable of producing this effect. Maybe someone out there in this Zentangle universe has found one. If so, give it up to these passionate tanglers!  :-)

- M


Click images for larger views and . . . 

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4 
Day 6 
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
 

155 comments:

Linda Farmer said...

Beautiful! Love the delicate little filaments on Punzel, and Swarm almost looks embossed.

Margaret Bremner, Artist said...

Sakura's Gelly Roll metallic gold is the best I've found, but I'm really going to have to hunt down these gouaches! Yummy.

floweringmoon said...

That gold is just luscious! Wow.......

Anonymous said...

Lovely and so lush! Where Can one find this sort of pen!

Zentangle said...

It is a pointed pen. Available in calligraphy (online) stores, such as Paper and Ink Arts or
John Neal Booksellers.

m

Zentangle said...

It is a pointed pen. Available in calligraphy (online) stores, such as Paper and Ink Arts or
John Neal Booksellers.

m

Brenda said...

I just love the gold on black!

Tina said...

Wow

Robyn said...

when in doubt- add gold!

lonimk said...

So very lush and beautiful! You keep me inspired!

Deborah Lee said...

Gold on black - who could ask for anything more?!? And I thought diamonds were a girl's best friend.

tommye said...

Love the gold - just elegant!

WeedyMama said...

The drama of black and a color! Love it!

Suzanne Johnson said...

Gorgeous...guess the Sakura metallics wouldn't quite give the same effect. (Might not stop me from trying!)

Holly Williams said...

These just **glow**! Lovely!

Unknown said...

My favorite so far!

Grace said...

These are absolutely beautiful! I am going to have to give the gouache a try!. I love how the artwork sparkles.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Cheryl C. :)

Unknown said...

I can use my new metallic Sakura pens ,

Lori said...

Gorgeous!!!

Noreen said...

Not only are the tiles beautiful, you are poetically gifted as well. Perhaps a youtube video of this completed song will go viral soon. ♡

Anonymous said...

How beautiful!!

KAYC said...

Different...never used gold gouache..lovely effect..

Cheryl said...

Gorgeous! I am thinking I need to combine this gold idea with the tri-card ornament idea for some very eye-catching goodies on my tree! :-)

Natureluvr57 said...

I bought a "dot" of Gold Gesso and misplaced it :( I hope to find it someday and see what results it gives. I loved UniBall Gellyz Quicksilver pens but haven't see them in ages. Looked beautiful on black paper or ink.

BeverlyBL said...

So pretty. If I wasn't iced in I'd be on the way to buy some gold gouache.

Unknown said...

Agree with Chantell...my favorite. But then it was bound to be. It has always been my favorite verse of the song!

heberube said...

I would like to try those.

Brianne Neufeld said...

Wow! I'm loving the gold on black. Such a luscious contrast! :)

Creative Genie said...

Love the gold on black! Here is another possibility: Create the design in white or gray, trace over it with a VersaMarker watermark pen, then sprinkle with gold embossing powder and heat. The tracing idea may not be ideal, but it could work.

Christine

OkieCrafter said...

These are by far my favorite! I just love the contrast of the gold on the black. It's such a rich gold too.

Unknown said...

I just read all six days. The art is beautiful and so inspiring. I know that my Santa bought me Zentangle for Christmas and I can't wait to begin! I want to jump right into colour and gold and ornaments!

Linda Fine said...

The gold with your tangle designs is absolutely heavenly! What Christmas delights!

Mickey Weitsen said...

No wonder they look so brilliant. I've tried a few pens, but nothing seems to compare to the gold gouache. It's a decision whether or not it's worth resurrecting all the calligraphy stuff (for those of us who don't always have them out on our desktop).

Gerri said...

Just now venturing into color tangles. So many new possibilities!

Teri said...

I love the gold on black. I have gold ink in jars so I think I will give this a swirl!

Kris N said...

Maria, I love to see how you bring your many artistic talents to bear on Zentangle!
Kris :-)

joann said...

my favorite yet. So dang beautiful.

Unknown said...

Simply stunning! And I thank you for the information about the gold gouache. I am going to have to try this sometime soon!

Rhonda said...

Beautiful. Has almost a golden wheat look. Very pretty.

Ginny Stiles said...

Thanks for sharing the cost of the gold paint.
For most of us having that is a little outside the realm of everyday use. But hopefully someone will find something to substitute. Or you could make one of these pens a prize sometime?

C. Sage Deerborn said...

What a beautiful affect you have created using the combined paints. More of a special treat than a normal everyday purchase for me. Have you tried Liquitex professional acrylic ink! or any of the new acrylic ink brands out there?

quiltnut said...

What did you use for the black background?

Valerie said...

Beautiful. Inspiring.

Kasey ~ in Oz said...

This is so rich and elegant, your artistic talent shines brightly Maria.

LindaM said...

the gold is gorgeous, but I would love to see these in a pearlescent color with gold highlights

Linda said...

I have spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms this year and have found the stress levels go way down when working on a tangle. Thank you for this gift.

Mary Pennington said...

So rich looking; gold is one of my favorites to work with on paper. Wonderful ideas.

SandyK said...

Beautiful, love the gold

Unknown said...

The gold is EPIC, love it. Its worth buying to me.

Zachary said...

I love working in ink - that moment when the ink from a brush hits the paper and produces a rich, glimmering mark is simply the best! I bet gouache is the same way!

Betsy Budney said...

I love the mix of golds, so beautiful!

luvhymns said...

Simply stunning!!!

crotnem said...

Also, I have the Zig Painty pen it's oil based one end is silver and the other is gold. But as Genieve said the gold metallic pen by Sakura, is an awesome pen too.

Mackin-Art said...

Such a rich technique!

Unknown said...

Rick, Maria, you guys are AWESOME! My hand is too shakey to do some of the finer strokes, which can be frustrating. But I'm working on making my shakey lines my own unique style. Bless you for sharing your talents.

DS said...

These are beautiful! I have to try this so I'm putting the gouache on my Christmas list!!

swakins said...

I could see some of these done small scale and sealed and used as jewelry. They are so rich and elegant looking.

Unknown said...

I love the effect of gold on black tiles! Beautiful designs! Have you tried using the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen? You can easily find it at Michaels, and it comes in silver and copper as well.

NanW said...

These are so elegant and festive.

Gail said...

That gold on black is just stunning!

Paula (PEP) said...

Each ATC is like a firework exploding in the night sky - golden brilliance like I've never seen before. The gold seems to have colours in it too. No wonder it's an investment!
Paula (PEP)

Paula (PEP) said...

Each ATC is like a firework exploding in the night sky - golden brilliance like I've never seen before. The gold seems to have colours in it too. No wonder it's an investment!
Paula (PEP)

Unknown said...

WOW! Now this is my favorite day! Makes me want to try it right now! Thanks oyu so much!

Unknown said...

another wonderful item.. love love the colors.

Marge Taylor said...

I always love a black background, even in cross-stitch or other medium- but the gold gouache paint is particularly lovely and striking on the black tiles. Beautiful!

melanie said...

oh wow, that looks amazing! When I want gold in mine I use acrylic paint and a very fine brush! Love this though.

Basiljen said...

These just keep getting better and better. The gold is just lovely, and thanks for the information and technique!

Amy L. Smith, CZT said...

That paint on black is stunning!!

BB said...

The black and gold pieces are so elegant and deep. One of the things I've noticed about viewing any tangle is that they're rather mesmerizing - it's hard to look away. These black and gold are no exception. They draw my attention to their beauty and I can rest in this awareness, enjoying the individual story of each one. Zentangle has opened me to seeing more. Thank you very much.

Jillb said...

Wow! so pretty!

Scrappy Canuck said...

Oh, this is so beautiful!!!!!!

mewTilman said...

Absolutely gorgeous. I wonder if you could do this with Delicata Pigment Ink, "Golden Glitz" by Tsukineko? (The inker bottle is intended to re-ink stamp pads.) A 0.5 ounce bottle is $6.99 retail, so more economical.

Unknown said...

The gold on black is stunning!

Susan M. said...

Elegant and festive for the Christmas season.

linesbylynn said...

These are beautiful!!! I am getting out my gold gouache and copperplate pen and trying these - I love that I can use materials that I already have! thanks for these wonderful ideas!

Unknown said...

Absolutely beautiful!

Cris said...

Wonderful. Thanks for sharing your tips on gold. I have a few gold pens, but none of them are anywhere near as beautiful as these. They are now on my Christmas list!

Kathy said...

Beautiful!

Dorian said...

Oo, my favorite (so far : )
Thank you.

gobarb26 said...

Wow, these are magnificent!

Unknown said...

Absolutely beautiful. I collect dip pens and have a number of different nibs. Do you think these would work with the gouache?

Darkskye said...

Wow. Now that's how to do gold on black....

HVNFUN said...

All the gifts and cards are awesome...love the blog,
Thanks so much for sharing...

Julie said...

Amazing how the color on black has a rich and elegant look.

Verity said...

The gold on black, Wow! I didn't know gouache could be used as ink, too bad my gouache stash doesn't have any metallics in it.
These are spectacular. Thanks for sharing these great holiday gift ideas. At least some will be used this season - and I am a total novice. Folks who have been tangling for more than a month can probably do many of the ideas. Happy holidays to you all.

Renata said...

The gold on black is absolutely stunning. (I might have to fish out my old calligraphy pens and try them with some of that gold gouache.)

Bonnie P said...

Stunning!

Unknown said...

I read about gouache but I never tried it. The effect is stunning...like liquid gold. Very festive.

Chriss said...

Such attention to detail in the type of products you use, thanks for the info. I shall experiment.

Alycia said...

Absolutely GORGEOUS!

Jennifer said...

Wow! My first thought was that it was gold thread stitched on black. Absolutely beautiful!

Mary said...

That is breath taking! It actually glows! Well worth the cost of the paints.

Tess Imobersteg said...

I haven't seen a pen so rich. Some Lumiere metallic paints give a beautiful iridescence and they go on like ink.

Ginnyzz said...

Perfect for the Season! Another technique to play with!

Anonymous said...

Gold enriches anything. Beautiful!

Cheryl Kashtan said...

Beautiful and thank you for the instructions.

Anonymous said...

This gold has a look of a gold leaf. Beautiful!

Theresa Merkling said...

another reason to check outh that gouache stuff - I've been hearing about it more and more lately - seems like the universe speaketh

Barb F said...

Just what I love, a new kind of paint! I do love paint!

Unknown said...

Beautiful! It is the gifts we put ourselves into that glitter the brightest! Happy holidays!

Rhonda Miller said...

These are beautiful designs.

Unknown said...

Absolutely gorgeous! I am always inspired when I look at your work and am so grateful to have recently been introduced to Zentangle.

Jane Monk said...

You guys never cease to amaze me ... Just wonderfully inspirational :)

karenmac said...

Zanta's zleigh is full of gorgeous Zentangles!!!

Gail said...

That gold is gorgeous and so rich. Beautiful!!

Kaye Kittredge, CZT said...

Lovely! Gelly rolls and gold acrylic paint make a decent substitute.

Unknown said...

Oh oh stunning. Must go create

Sophia Lightfoot said...

I love how it has a tribal look to it.

Corinne in Forks said...

Beautiful gold on black. Thanks for the new (for me) product hint.

Sue said...

This I REALLY would love to try

kkezir02 said...

I love the gold on black but I think silver on black would be equally cool.

Carla said...

I absolutely love these! Gorgeous work.

Esther Piszczek said...

Thank you for that description, Maria. Beautiful work! I've been wanting to "paint" my tangles, but my pen skills are more precise than my brush skills. The technique you described is inspiring and I'm excited to play with it. Thank you!!

Jane said...

Breathtaking!

RitaN said...

First of all, gorgeous ATCs! Love the orange gold! You are right, it's very hard to find a pen that could compare with gouache. My absolute favourite, though, is Pilot Choose Gold 07. It's more orange-y than most gold pens, slides easily over paper, does not seem to clog, gives a consistent thin (but rich) line... Here's a link to an ATC I tangled today (the shading is in gold pencil by Koh-I-Noor): http://flic.kr/p/ikbidR :)

Carol said...

The black and gold are just lovely! I think I have some old quill pens from my drafting days...

Cindy Blake said...

Will have to get me some gold gouache.

Corey said...

Gorgeous gold!

Jennianydots said...

Just beautiful!

Terry said...

These are truly beautiful!

IwonderWhy? said...

The black tiles are my favorite so far! Beautiful !

lfd said...

Gold on black is always lovely, but that gold really pops.

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

Gold is always a winner in my opinion. So are new paints and tools.

Jungle Beads Maui said...

Very elegant!

Laura Francis, "Your Minimal Effort(tm) Guru" said...

Gold - my favorite holiday color! These are gorgeous! I'll have to make do with a Metallic Gelly Roll.

Unknown said...

Love the gold on black! Do you think you could come up with a burgundy colored paper?? Or a navy blue?? Love those rich colors, so many possibilities with the silver and gold.

Taz42 said...

More inspiration. So little time, so many things to try.

Dennie czt9 said...

That's incredible! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful ideas!

Bette Abdu said...

Gold on black - so rich looking.

Jan Brandt said...

Ohhhhhh myyyyyyy ... EXQUISITE!!! I love the rich color on black tiles! My local art store thanks you for your continuing inspiration ... ;)

Cathrine Nicols said...

Practically glows. How beautiful!

Annika Wiener said...

Wow, How beautiful!
Black tiles with gold, fantastic.
Must try. Thanks for sharing. <3

Eden said...

The pen gives it such versatility, wide, narrow, fine or bold, I have never seen an ink pen that does that .

Anonymous said...

Such a radient color looks like it glows. Thanks for sharing the tools you used.
-Melissa CZT6
mwcahn@ptd.net

Nancy Roth said...

your amazing tangles are pure gold!

Unknown said...


Sparkly tangles! WOW!

DJ said...

Day 5. Am racking my brain to come up with a less expensive alternative.

Snazzy Doodle Designs said...

These look very elegant

Unknown said...

These ornaments are so elegant. Thanks for giving the tools you use. I have gold oil pens in several size nibs.

Unknown said...

They're simply beautiful!

Sue said...

Zentangle give us endless possibilities - gold is just perfect for Christmas xx

Unknown said...

Love the gold, just a beautiful effect!

amy said...

five golden things-funny.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorites! I have found good artist quality gold gouache online for quite a bit less, but you have to figure in shipping & handling. I have also found that many online stores are out of gold gouache right now, Hmmmmm.... :-)

Unknown said...

I love these! The gold is stunning!

Ashley said...

These are truly beautiful!

ElizabethCan2Tangle said...

Maria, at 1st I thought you were going to say you'd made the color from squash or pumpkin juice mixed with something else! I love how they look.I tried my FABER CASTELL gold marker on the black tile for you, but it's a NOPE. It seems like the tile soaks up the ink quickly;in some areas I needed to go over line 2X's;it looks kind of green compared to your lovely gold. I wonder if you could talk to one of those 2 companies that make the "Metal
Clay"--they seem ingenious!(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_clay)

Unknown said...

Lovely! I have some black tea tins I am going to try to decorate with a gold pen.

SuBru said...

The gold is so rich-looking and glowing and the heavier lines just work. Maybe by next year I will feel confident enough to try a brush or calligraphy top...just maybe.

Opal Carew said...

Love the bright colour on the black. I love black tiles!

Susan said...

Spectacular. Are the black tiles from this site?

Barb Round, CZT said...

I just got some metallic markers...will try them out in imitation of your designs...don't think they will be as flashy, though

Unknown said...

Stunning and timeless, like an ancient treasure box from the Wise Men.

Unknown said...

I can only imagine how beautiful the gold looks in person, the digital image is amazing.