JennaBlackZen

I've been a writer for as long as I can remember, and a published novelist for more than ten years. I love all things creative--over the years I've sung in a college chorale and a barbershop chorus, I've done ballroom dancing competitions, I've written (obviously), I've drawn, I've knitted ... you get the picture.

Zentangle is a meditative method of abstract drawing, and I fell in love with it. It started out as nothing but the occasional stress relief, and I drew in pen and ink with no embellishments. Then I started learning how to shade with graphite to lend depth to my drawings. Then I started learning how to color with colored pencils and markers, while still keeping the depth of shading. And then I discovered how to make pendants out of my drawings, and a monster was born.

I loved my small, colorful works of art, and I loved being able to wear them. I loved them so much I kept making them, and making them, and making them. Needless to say, there are only so many pendants I can wear. People kept asking me if they were for sale, and I kept saying no, but I realized that if I didn't start selling them, the pendants would eventually take over my house. And so the JennaBlackZen shop was born.

There are two basic kinds of pendants available in my shop: those that are based on pen and ink drawings, and those that were made using alcohol ink. (which may then include some pen and ink drawing as well). The alcohol ink lends super brilliant colors and combines to produce wonderful patterns. Working with alcohol ink is like watching a fireworks show, because you never truly know how the inks are going to interact with each other. I especially love working with alcohol inks on foil, which creates a luminous effect that I find just breathtaking.

All pendants are individually handmade. Those with alcohol ink are sealed with two coats of varnish before I glue them. The settings are nickel free, so those with nickel allergies need not fear.