The "zen" in Art ah zen
http://animoto.com/...
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Ok, we do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
Art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
broths
Sunday:
loggersbrat
This is my first shot at a diary for this group. Of course, the biggest thing I really need to do is get it posted and everyone else does the work by checking in. Thank you for the chance to try my hand at this.
In my spare time, I spend some time drawing in a style referred to as z.i.a. or zen inspired art. It is based on the formal style called "zentangle", a copyrighted style owned and defined by Rick and Maria at rickandmaria@zentangle.com. You can read their original ideas and the parameters of their art form. I am not trained by them, and indeed, I am not trained at all. It seems to me that doodling is at the root of the art form and most of us are competent to doodle without too much fanfare. The wonderful information, patterns, clubs/groups, and images are so easy to find online or at your local art class. If you are interested, I urge you to investigate further.
But, for my purposes here, I have created a little 2 1/2 minute video on an online site called Animoto. They provide program formats, music, and the ability to make fun little videos using photos. Here, I scanned each step of the process to make one of these drawings. It is done with Prismacolor markers of varying nib widths in black ink on 140lb cold pressed watercolor paper. The music is not what I might have chosen but it was royalty free so I won't bag on it.
I post these, and other things I make, at the flickr page linked at the end of the video. My primary purpose is to offer them for donations that I send to the Los Angeles Food Bank. I don't make much at it; the art form is odd and I may not be the best at it, but I did quite well with the bookmarks for awhile.
I hope you take the time to enjoy this even though it may be 2 1/2 minutes of your life you will never get back.