From Sandy to Thanksgiving

When hurricane Sandy hit New York this past October, I was stuck indoors for days (lucky for me I had electricity). I got out a new watercolor sketch book and began a series of ZIA's (*Zentangle inspired art)
It turned into a book of drawings that I worked on for several weeks and finished on Thanksgiving Day 2012.

*Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Maria Thomas & Rick Roberts are the founders of Zentangle.
I became a CZT, Certified Zentangle Teacher, last summer)

Moleskin watercolor book
sakura markers (assorted sizes)
watercolors
brushes pencil
and any other marker making tools that you might enjoy working with such as other types of markers, color pencils, white out..etc.

Begin your drawing lightly with a pencil.

using the sakura markers begin to add detail. I use Sakura markers because they are a waterproof pigment ink and eventually when watercolor is used the ink from this marker will not bleed. Later in my work I often choose to use water base markers that will bleed because it can create an effect that i want. But to begin I use waterproof lines.

keep drawing

add more detail (I like to create mostly double page spreads.)

The 3.5X3.5 areas in my drawing will become the area that I make zentangles, all the other areas are the ZIA's

I say painting because I am going to start to add color using watercolor, which as everyone knows is paint.  However, I think of my way of using watercolor as drawing with paint.

I continue to paint while leaving the 3.5X3.5 areas B&W