Skip to content

Cassowary Coast, North Queensland, Australia heychrissie@ChrissieMurphyDesigns.com

Chrissie Murphy Designs

Mixed media artist, Certified Zentangle® Teacher (CZT39), and always exploring beauty, curiosity and the little things that make us smile.

Home
About
Blog
Gallery
The Final Chapter Online Exhibition
The Magnified Fragments Gallery
Contact

$0.00 0 items

Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram

Tag: #penreview

September 9, 2026September 9, 2026Chrissie Murphy DesignsLeave a Comment on A White Gel Pen That Finally Behaves Itself

A White Gel Pen That Finally Behaves Itself

chrissiemurphydesigns

🎨 Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT39)
☕ The kettle's on and the pens are out.
😊 Come for the art. Stay for the smile.
👇 Step into the studio

Some more Nomadz have moved in 😀 This is Day 3 of

Some more Nomadz have moved in 😀

This is Day 3 of Project Pack 30 - a little piece that's building quite nicely I reckon 🤗🤎

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio
#Zentangle
#ZentangleArt
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#PP30Day3

A few weeks ago we had our monthly @yintangles mee

A few weeks ago we had our monthly @yintangles meet up and @ashwinichaskar lead us. Ashwini introduced us to two new tangles she had deconstructed, Golden Drop and Tapa Grid ✨️ They are tangles that Ashwini says were inspired by New Zealand flora and traditional Art of Fiji.

Ashwini lead us in this beautiful composition, and I just love how this tile turned out 💕 its one of those tiles I keep coming back to to admire.

Thank you Ashwini for such a wonderful class, and @yvorein for hosting us all again 🤗

#chrissiemurphydesignsstudio
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#ZentangleArt
#zentangle
#zentanglelovers

I’ve been losing ideas. 🤦‍♀️ Not big, earth-shat

I’ve been losing ideas. 🤦‍♀️

Not big, earth-shattering ideas. Just those little gems that sound like “Ooh… I could try that!”
The problem is, I keep thinking I’ll remember them when they arrive.

But then....

I don’t. 😂

So, I really want to try and do something about it.
I’ve ordered myself a little Field Notes-sized leather journal from Asperaria with some notebooks to go inside. My plan is simple:

📖 Buy a journal that’s small enough to take with me everywhere
💡 When an idea pops into my head, actually catch it!
🖊️ Then grab my trusty journal and jot it down.

But my journal hasn’t arrived yet, so I’m just getting myself ready....

Well, let’s be honest....

What I’m actually doing is dreaming! 😂 I’m dreaming of what life will be like when I actually start to remember my ideas. 🤪

Soon friends.... soon.

I'm gonna be dangerous! 😉

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio
#Zentangle
#ZentangleArt
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#ZentangleLovers

Over the last few years, I must have learned to be

Over the last few years, I must have learned to be a little kinder to myself. 😂

Because I can tell you that when I first created this #MagnifiedFragments, I really disliked it!
It was too structured. Too ordered. Too... not me. 🫣 Never mind the fact that I was intentionally exploring structure and order when I created it! 🤦‍♀️😂

I also wasn’t particularly happy with the way I applied the weighting. Looking back, I think I probably would have used more patterns too.

But anyway...

Fast forward all these years and, as part of the Zentangle Down Under Group's focus on this fragment this week, I photographed it again.
And you know what? I actually feel okay about it now. What the!! 😂

How have my feelings about this piece changed so much?

Now I look at it and notice the things I completely overlooked before. I see the way I blended the colours and... I really like it! In fact, I suddenly want to do it again. 😍 And that central pattern? Look at the dimension in there! I think it's pretty cool.

Maybe I'm a different person now.
Or maybe my eyeballs have changed. 😂👀

Magnified Fragment B1 — exploring weighting as an enhancer.

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio
#Zentangle
#ZentangleArt
#ZentangleInspiredArt

Just a taste of August in my studio 🪾💫 #zentangle

Just a taste of August in my studio 🪾💫

#zentangle
#ZentangleArt
#ZentangleLovers
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#chrissiemurphydesignsstudio

Now that Project Pack 6 is finished, its full stea

Now that Project Pack 6 is finished, its full steam ahead with Zentangle® Project Pack 30 for me 🤗

This is Day 2 on the beautiful new Zuade® tile surface 🤎

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio
#Zentangle
#ZentangleArt
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#ZentangleLovers

Yep, it's one of my favourite things 😀 Earlier th

Yep, it's one of my favourite things 😀

Earlier this week I received some happy mail from @7f5r.studio with a few things I ordered for my studio... I know! I couldn't resist 😉

@tangled.pursuits has put together such a special little package for me, I just have to share it with you because its so beautiful 🥰

So, go and grab your Milo or a cuppa ☕️ and join me for a few minutes as we have a look at some tangly goodness✨️🤗

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#ZentangleArt
#Zentangle
#ZentangleLovers

✨ ICYMI I'm giving away these six original pieces

✨ ICYMI I'm giving away these six original pieces of artwork, and I'd love your help deciding where they should go.

Do you know someone who could use a reminder that they're thought of?

Perhaps someone who is:
🤍 living with illness
🤍 caring for a loved one
🤍 grieving
🤍 working tirelessly in their community
🤍 facing a difficult season
🤍 or simply someone who always brings kindness to others.

If someone comes to mind, please nominate them in the comments, or if you'd rather keep their story private, send me a direct message 📩

Over the next week, I'll read every nomination and choose six people to receive one of these original artworks, along with a handwritten note from me 🤗

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio #Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleInspiredArt #ZentangleLovers

✨ 4,000 followers!!! 🤍 I wanted to celebrate this

✨ 4,000 followers!!! 🤍

I wanted to celebrate this milestone a little differently 😀

So I’ve created six original pieces of artwork to give to six people who could use a little reminder that they’re thought of.

There’s no competition. No prize to win.
Just a little beauty, some kindness and a bit of generosity I want to send out into the world 🙌

Thank you so much for stopping by my studio so regularly and being a part of my journey 🌿 It means the world to me.

Now, pull up a chair ☕️ The kettle's on, so grab yourself a Milo, and let me tell you about what I'm doing to celebrate with this reel. Sound on friends! 📢

#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio #Zentangle #ZentangleInspiredArt #ZentangleArt #ZentangleLovers

A little flip-through of a project I’ve recently f

A little flip-through of a project I’ve recently finished. 🖤🤍

I’ve just completed Zentangle® Project Pack 6, and this one has been a bit of a confidence builder for me 🙏
I’ve never been especially confident working on black tiles or using white ink on black. So, spending this much time working that way was definitely a challenge. Somewhere along the way though, things started to settle in place and I began to feel more comfy with it.

I’m certainly not claiming to be a black tile expert now 😂 But I no longer feel like I should avoid them either. And that feels like progress 🎉🥳

I’ve written more about all of this over on the blog, along with a closer look at what this little project pack taught me.

🌿 The link is in my bio if you'd like to have a look.

#Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleInspiredArt #ZentangleLovers #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Lastly, Session 3 of the Mindful Marks Workshop wa

Lastly, Session 3 of the Mindful Marks Workshop was Pattern Remix with @katrinasartroom CZT. And this one had my systematic little business analyst brain VERY VERY happy! 😂

Katrina introduced us to the idea of letting tangles literally walk away from the grid they normally live on 👣

🥰 I loved this idea!

Katrina worked with Bales, but I decided to have a play with Dex instead. I broke Dex down into the individual elements that make it, then started walking those elements away from their usual grid structure.
From there, I had fun finding other tangle patterns that would work alongside the broken Dex grid

This was such a different way of tangling, and I really enjoyed seeing where those little pieces of Dex would end up once I let them escape. 😊
It was a fantastic concept and class. Thank you so much for sharing with us Katrina 💕💯

If you didn't catch my wrap up blog post about the workshop, you can still have a look. Just head to the link in my bio ⏫️

#Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleInspiredArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Session 2 of the Mindful Marks Workshop took us Of

Session 2 of the Mindful Marks Workshop took us Off the Grid, Onto the Orb with @ashe_x CZT. 🌌 This one was FUN!

We created our own little spiral galaxy, complete with alien glow worms as rulers and worted tubes guarding our boundaries! 🪐👾 At one point, we even had to “kill off” some orbs that weren't going to make it into the galaxy, while we promoted others to become planets. 😂 It's serious work!

This was such a fun tile! I really didn't think too much as I tangled, I just let myself enjoy the story Ashe was telling. I found myself smiling ear to ear..... just like my glow worm rulers 😀

#Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleInspiredArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Last weekend I spent the day at the Mindful Marks

Last weekend I spent the day at the Mindful Marks Workshop, hosted by @heidi_froelich CZT.
This was my tile from Session 1: Floating 🌿
And I'll admit, this one made me nervous!

Tangling over work I've already created is something I still find challenging. There’s always that little voice saying, “But what if you ruin it Chrissie?” .... like I was working on some kind of masterpiece to begin with 😂 but anyway, I digress....

We created a Huggins-based grid in light grey ink, filled it with patterns, then added botanicals over the top and allowed them to float above the grid.

I chose warm browns, burnt oranges and mustard for my botanicals, and I really love how they contrast with the grey underneath.

Heidi is fast becoming a bit of a grid-tangle expert, and every class with her has been giving me a fresh appreciation for grid-based tangling.

But most importantly, this tile helped me build a little more confidence in trusting my work. Sometimes you just have to take that deep breath and tangle over it. 😉

#Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleInspiredArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Over in Zentangle Down Under Land on Facebook this

Over in Zentangle Down Under Land on Facebook this week, we’re looking at #MagnifiedFragments A6, using Zenbossing as an Enhancer technique.

This is my tile from when I first completed it, and I have to admit… I wasn’t particularly happy with it at the time. 😔

Zenbossing was a technique I struggled with, and I remember feeling quite disappointed with how this tile turned out.

But looking back at it now, years later, I can see things I really like about it.

For one, I LOVE how much white ink I used for the tangling. I don’t do this nearly enough these days, and looking at this tile has made me wonder why! There’s something about that white against all those rich colours that just works.

And those colours! 💜🧡 Oh, they are gorgeous. Purple and orange together are so wonderfully zesty!

It’s funny how time can change the way we see things. What once felt like a disappointing tile now has plenty of little details that make me smile.

Now… if only I could remember that while I’m actually struggling with something today. 😂

#zentangle
#ZentangleInspiredArt
#zentangleart
#ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Some creative days leave you with more than a fini

Some creative days leave you with more than a finished tile. They leave you smiling 😀

On Saturday, I spent the day at the Mindful Marks Workshop, hosted by Heidi Froelich, CZT.

There were three sessions. Three very different approaches and three very different tiles were created.

🌿 Floating with @heidi_froelich CZT
🌌 Off the Grid, Onto the Orb with @ashe_x CZT
🌀 Pattern Remix with @katrinasartroom CZT

From floating botanicals and a rather eccentric little galaxy, to letting tangle elements walk away from their usual grid.... every session took us somewhere different.

The best thing though.... was spending a wonderful day creating alongside so many other Aussie and New Zealand tanglers.

I've shared my experience on the blog, including what I loved about each session and what I took away from the day.

👉 Mindful Marks Workshop: A Day of Creative Exploration is now on the blog. Head to the link in my bio to have a read.

And keep an eye out here over the coming week, because I'll share a closer look at each of the three tiles individually. I absolutely love them all.

Thank you, Heidi, Ashe and Katrina, for such a wonderful day of creative exploration. ❤️ You guys were amazing!

#Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleInspiredArt #ZentangleLovers #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Day 1 of Project Pack 30 with Zentangle ✨ And so

Day 1 of Project Pack 30 with Zentangle ✨

And so it begins!

This is my first time on the new Zuade surface by Zentangle, and I have to say… I’m rather smitten 🥰

Zuade was developed from the idea of a blotter mat and you can definitely see that heritage when you work on it. The ink takes its time drying as it soaks into the surface — which is exactly what a blotter is supposed to do. Of course, this also means that if you aren't paying attention, you can give your lovely tangles a little accidental smudge. Zoom in and ask me how I know. 😂

I also found that the white chalk needed quite a bit of pressure to apply the depth I like. It ended up working beautifully, but it did make me wonder whether I’ve been doing things in the wrong order 🤷‍♀️ Next time, I think I might experiment with putting the white down first, then adding the other coloured chalks.

And talking about the chalks… just look at them!
The way they sit on the Zuade surface is just glorious 🙌 There’s a softness and luminosity to them that I really wasn’t expecting. It's like this surface was made for them 🫛

So, despite my little smudges and a bit of elbow grease, I absolutely adore how this has begun. And Day 1 has already given me something to experiment with.... yep, I'm always exploring 😀

#PP30Day1 #Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ZentangleInspiredArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

💢 This was one of my favourite #MagnifiedFragments

💢 This was one of my favourite #MagnifiedFragments from the Project when it first began - Fragment A5 with Coffee Stain Map Tangling as an Enhancer. I just love Map Tangling 🤎 and I love a good coffee...

Over in Zentangle Down Under Land this week, we are working on this fragment. There has already been some delicious coffee being splashed over tiles ☕️ making a girl thirsty 😉

I can't wait to see what the rest of the week produces 😃

#ZentangleInspiredArt #Zentangle #ZentangleArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

So believe it or not, this started with a gardener

So believe it or not, this started with a gardener on YouTube. 🌿

What caught my attention wasn’t just what he was making for his garden, but how he was making it — and by that, I mean using bits and pieces of things he already had at home.

It got me thinking… Why am I not doing the same thing with my art supplies? 🤔

I've been on this mission of trying and do better with this for quite some time. So I dug out some old tags I’ve had sitting around for years. I found some leftover washi tape and gathered up scraps of collage paper that had been waiting patiently for their moment. 😂

And then I made this.

I must say, its rather satisfying to give old bits and pieces a new life instead of always reaching for something new ✨ it's something I'm going to try to do more of going forward 💪

#ZentangleInspiredArt #Zentangle #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

And the very last page in my Project Pack 6 journa

And the very last page in my Project Pack 6 journal is complete 💫 Just in time for Project Pack 30 😀

#ZentangleInspiredArt #Zentangle #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

I thought I'd share this tile from a few years ago

I thought I'd share this tile from a few years ago where I was playing around with a pattern called Tissoooh by @tomas_padros. It's not a pattern I have tangled much since then....

It might be time for a revisit hey 💫
Happy Friday friends 🤗💕

#ZentangleInspiredArt #Zentangle #ZentangleLovers #ZentangleArt #ChrissieMurphyDesignsStudio

Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

A White Gel Pen That Finally Behaves Itself September 9, 2026
What Zentangle® Project Pack 6 Reminded Me About Creativity August 24, 2026
Mindful Marks Workshop: A Day of Creative Exploration August 17, 2026
Participating in the International Day of Zentangle® 2026 July 21, 2026
Why I Still Tangle Every Day After More Than a Decade June 15, 2026

Blog Post Archive

Blog Post Archive

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Sign up to receive Chrissie's blog posts by email

Click on the "Sign me up" button below, enter your email address and Chrissie’s blog posts will be delivered to your inbox

Email Address

Join 94 other subscribers

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email (Required)

Name (Required)

Website