Hi and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog where I’m always exploring. A little while ago I shared a tile called “Worthy”, that had a beautiful little star cut edge. This is Die Cut Tangling and I’d like to dive into it a bit deeper today.
What inspired me to try Die Cut Tangling?
Let me begin by saying I have a die cut machine. I have the DIY Cuts machine by Kaisercraft. I use it a lot in card making, but not so much in tangling, and I started to wonder why.
Both are considered a “paper craft”. Both use coloured backgrounds (at times), both are decorating paper…. So I wondered; Why do I use it for card making, but not tangling?
You guessed it! I had discovered another limitation I’d unknowingly bound myself by. I’d come to believe die cutting is only to be used for my cards, not for my tangling.
What techniques did I use for the Die Cut Tangling and why?
Most obviously is the die cut. I used an edge cut die with a star pattern on two sides of a regular tile.
Other than that, I used some Distress Inks to lay a base of colour and then worked over the top with coloured pencils. This is one of my favourite colour methods.
It had also been a while since I worked a word into a tile. I used my faux calligraphy font that I’ve become fairly adept at creating to write the word Worthy.
How can you take this idea and use it in your own tangling?
Are you able to identify any limiting beliefs that relate to your creativity? Just when I think I have identified all of mine, another reveals itself.
Creative freedom cannot come until limiting beliefs are dealt with…. It’s that simple. It’s it’s taken me a while to get to this place where I can willingly drop or give up a limiting belief instantly.
And it’s only happened because I have a bank of evidence that proves that doing so, is far more rewarding than remaining bound. But this is my bank of evidence.
You have to develop your own bank of evidence, because you will never give up something until you know there is a greater, more rewarding alternative. This is part of your journey, and only you can discover it.
The materials I used
- Strathmore Artist Tile in Grey 4in x 4in
- Derwent Inktense in blues and browns
- Unipin Fineliner in Black
- Signo Uniball Gel Pen in white
- Prismacolor Premier Coloured Pencils in varying colours
- Grey Copic Markers in W4, W5 and W7
What tangles were used in the Die Cut Tangling?
If you ready my blog you will recognise my Mac and Cheese tangles are heavily featured;
- Mooka 3D by Eni Oken
- Caviar by Lori Howe
- Flux by Zentangle
- Variation of Archer by Christianne Gerstner
- Rixty 3D by Eni Oken
- Jetties by Zentangle
- Verve by J J LaBarbera
- Garlic Cloves by Jacquelien Bredenoord
How big is the tile?
It is 4 inches x 4 inches square minus some stars along a couple of edges.
Before you go…
Thank you for spending a little time with me today.
If you’d like to keep exploring together, I’d love to welcome you to Always Exploring.
It’s my occasional letter from the studio, where I share new artwork, creative adventures, behind-the-scenes moments, and the little discoveries that make me smile. Every now and then, you’ll even get a peek at what I’m working on before it’s shared anywhere else.
The kettle’s usually on.
The Milo certainly is.
And there’s always room for one more around the studio table.
🌿 Save Yourself a Seat at the Studio Table
Until my next blog post, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” Ephesians 4:1.
In peace always
