Zentangle: Quilt

This post explains my entry into the It's a String Thing Challenge #294.

My route to the world of Zentangles is different from that of most people. Back when I was in high school I took geometry. At the end of the course, each class member had to do a project that demonstrated the concepts he/she had learned. I divided a canvas up into irregularly shaped sections and then filled each section with a pattern of geometric shapes. In essence, I created what we are now calling a Zentangle. And, I have to say, I considered myself quite clever.

Later in my life, my mother went through a quilt-making phase.  I became fascinated with the quilts she was making. They reminded me of my geometry project. I tried making a quilt myself, but sewing machines scare me, and sewing one completely by hand would have taken more time than I was willing to devote.

Years later, with the advent of the Internet, I started creating Web pages. A major part of that was learning how to create digital art.

With my geometry project, quilts, and digital art on my mind, I stumbled upon people tangling on YouTube. These YouTubers were using patterns the same or similar to the ones I used in my project. I started tangling too — at first on paper, then, almost exclusively, on my computer. I also began lurking around Zentangle challenge sites. When Joey offered a nine week, nine square challenge, I jumped in. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to recreate a quilt my mother had made; except, I would use my computer and tangles instead of fabric. It was the perfect combination of my geometry project, quilting, and digital art. You can click here to see the result. Participating in the challenge put me in a community of people who all share the same basic interest, and I love it.

That brings me to my submission for this week's challenge. I was looking at YouTube videos, and I saw that quilters were literally quilting postcards. I was wondering if I could simulate that effect on my computer.  Here is the result:

For comparison, I am including this image, which does not use any filters to create a fabric effect, but still has a real folk art look about it.

I used the following patterns: Crux, Ann, Printemps, Happy, and Floral. Floral is a pattern I designed that consists of randomly placed flowers on a seamless tile. Seamless tiles, a term used by digital artists, are tiles that when put together in a series of rows and columns, you cannot tell where one tile ends and the next tile begins.

I created the image entirely in Inkscape. To create the fabric effect I used the Textures > Rough Paper filter. To create the button effect, I used the Bevels > Button filter. And, to create the stitching effect I used the Bevels > Deep Color Plastic Filter.

Click for Similar Art: It's a String Thing