This week's Zentangle® challenge from The Diva prompted us to use 2 specific tangles and ONLY those two tangles -- Dex and Verdigogh. I read a lot of other bloggers who didn't find this challenge very fun, and I have to confess, I had a bit of trouble with it myself.

Not the using only two tangles, but because I have never, ever used either tangle ever before. I hadn't even drawn them in my sampler pages for reference for future use. I was lost.

After adding them to my sampler section, I practiced a few bits, then jumped right in with my newest little sketchbook I bought from World Market. (the camera lost the photo of the outside of the sketchbook, but it's bright fuschia with a gorgeous gold embossed paisley pattern that reminded me of tangles).

Here's my actual attempt at combining Dex and Verdigogh.


Once I started working with Verdigogh, I really liked it. Erin Koetz Olson called it 'Hollibaugh on steroids,' which is an accurate description. Being that Hollibaugh is one of my favorites to fall back on when I have no special plans for a space, I can see Verdigogh coming in when I want to finish out an edge with a nice flourish.

I wasn't too crazy about Dex because I don't really dig grid patterns. For me, boxes just seem anti-Zen because somewhere in there, I don't like being confined to a little box. I don't even like the original boxy version of Cadent, but I love the circular, swirly version.

But aside from a dislike of grid patterns, I had fun with this challenge and I discovered a new favorite pattern that I should have tried out long before now!