Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Zentagle® Garden by Adele Bruno, CZT

More things
grow in the garden 
than the gardener sows.  

~Spanish Proverb

"It's a String Thing" #38

We have been tangling together for three quarters of a year now - already at week #38.

While that is monumental for this challenge - Linda Farmer at TanglePatterns is celebrating FOUR years on her website this Sunday, May 4, 2014.

That is a lot of 4's -
4th anniversay
4th day of the month
4th year of this decade

"It's a String Thing" #38 will be a celebration of Linda's four years of invaluable work for all of us who love Zentangle®.

We begin with my string - TanglePatterns String 032 - a tilted #4 -

Copyrighted image used with permission by TanglePatterns

We will use four (of course!) tangle patterns that begin with the letter 'A'...

Aquafleur - an official Zentangle® pattern
Aura Leah by Carla duPreez
Axlexa - a new pattern by "It's a String Thing" contributor Henrike Bratz
and
AA's by Judy Murphy

These patterns can be found here on TanglePatterns.  While you're there, take a minute and send a note to Linda.  Wouldn't that be fun to flood her inbox with happy wishes?!

Use as few or as many of these tangles as you wish.

Simply pencil in your string line onto your tile and tangle away!

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.
*Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays. 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.

PLEASE NOTE: I will add a link to your blog or web site with your tile photo, upon request. The site specific URL must accompany your request.

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!!

"It's a String Thing" #37 Tiles

This week's string was a wonderfully loopy one and the tangles won over the hearts of their users as you will see with the finished tiles ~

CZT Anna Houston was determined to do this challenge "right away."  She said, "It was a toughy, took a lot of concentration and I didn't really like it until it was shaded."

She made the "tough" look effortless - especially Palrevo.  It is quite a detailed tangle to draw and her shading really gives it life.  Anna has a really nice variation of Pavonia with the added aura and darkened center loop.

Colette Horsburgh added her take on the challenge - 

She used several other tangles for a festive look.  She has a nice take on Palrevo with her bold lines.  She posted her tile here on her blog.

Lucy Banta wrote - 

Tried not to go with the obvious placement of Paushalov, but in the
end, I did. This string reminded me of birthday parties with pinatas
or Chinese lanterns.

It really does!  Lucy used Pavonia in a single line - nice idea - and her tangles look great against the airy background space.  She has some wonderful variations of detail in Paushalöv.

Lily Moon sent in this beauty ~

What an eye caching background!  Her Pavonia and Paushalöv melt together.  It is a lovely layering of patterns finished with a great depth of shading - so nice!
Lily also poster her tile here on her blog.

Kylie Vitnell said she really enjoyed this -

and it shows!  She ran lines of Pavonia through the center area and the loops of Paushalöv blend into the detail lines of it so well and Paizel makes perfect 'book ends" to her tile.  Her added sparkle and dots of red are wonderful touches.  Kylie also posted her tile here on her blog.

Joan Delony's note read, "I really like all the patterns for this challenge and planned to use them all. BUT this is what came out!"

What a wonderful Zentangle thought and what happy result!  Note that Joan used Paushalöv along the string line - love that idea and love the look of it.  Paizel dances in every direction and as she drew it here, it is very delicate.

Henrike Bratz said this challenge was fun and she especially liked the patterns - 

And speaking of patterns, Henrike created one of the newest patterns on TanglePatterns.  She named it Axlexa - congratulations to Henrike!
Of note in her tile is the way she mingled Pavonia with Paizel, added a bit of Paris, and the random darkening of space in Palrevo gives the tangle a wonderful look.  

She also posted her tile here on her blog.

Angela Carstensen said - 

...this was an excercise in using the string but not being restricted by it. I really marvel at how some of the others dance around the string freely and gracefully.
And as I also said before, I was instantly smitten with the string and love all the patterns, especially Paushalöv and Palrevo. This was a fun prompt and I took your words to heart and made time for drawing. And you know what? I enjoyed myself very much. Thank you for making me have such a good time!

Oh, those are happy thoughts for a very happy result!  One large block of Palvero in the middle of her tile, Pavonia as lines and accents within it, wisps of Paizel with plumes of Paushalöv - so much tangled goodness here!!
Anglea also posted her tile here on her blog.

Ragged Ray wrote ~

Palrevo was the only tangle I'd used before - typical then that was the one that went wrong! I realise now how important the position of those little black corner squares is to allow for the magical shading to create those layers. Never mind, move on!
Paushalov is lovely - and I know I will use it to fill lots of awkward spaces. For me Paizel worked better lifted from its Nekton background. And I overlapped the arms in the way I've seen in other tangles. I love the way our learning builds!

Pavonia made me smile - and hence stole the whole background of my tile. A while back I'd been playing with making up a tangle based on peacock feathers. Reading about this tangle it seems that Angie Shade had the same idea! I think it looks like little bird nest-caves hollowed out of a cliff face. Or the wobbly wonder of the frontage of Gaudi building I saw when I visited Barcelona.

She has again showed us a wonderful way to outline the string line and here it ties nicely into the Pavonia waves in the background.  She's added marvelous detail lines and shading as well - lovely!


CZT Sindy P said that she is "allergic to white space" ~

When she finished Paizel, she dotted used her silver Gelly roll pen and dotted the background!  She has so many wonderful lines and curves and swirls here - a really nice mix of delicate and bold.

Sue said that she "tried this twice" ~

"I tangled it and then added a little photo enhancement again bringing the two together," she said.
In her first tile, see how she used Paizel in multiple spaces, but treated each one individually.  That gives the pattern a wonderful look.  In her second tile, her shading and shadowing of Paushalöv really stand out.

Vicky Brison wrote a wonderful note with her til:

Adele...howdy....life is on a fast forward for me right now but loved the string and the choice of tangles and just had to stop the merry -go-round and spend some time with my pens. even with out time to tangle I have been peeking in on the fun and wow! there has been some fabulous Art coming out of these folks.....so enjoyable.

The thought of "spending time" with her pens brings a smile doesn't it?  Something we can all relate to, for certain.
Vicky carried the Perfs from Paizel through the string line, added sparkle to stripes in Paushalöv, and shaded beautifully - so well done!


Marie-Therese Dubois also said that she "took the opportunity of this challenge to have some calm time."

Zentangle is wonderful for that very reason - much like my post from last Wednesday that read, "The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."
And the results are proof, are they not?  Her tile is fascinating.  Marie-Therese is a quilter and her love of fabric shows in the detail and variation of Palrevo.  It is a wonderful tile.  She closed her note with compliments to her teacher CZT Darla Williamson and added, "In the past I used to say "quilting people are great", well you know what "so are the Zentangle people!!!!!!"  

Claudia (Beewatch) said that she likes "curvy strings very much" and this challenge was "big fun."

It looks like fun - great touch of color, nice detail, and a wonderful embrace of white space!  She also posted her tile here on her blog.

Cathy Cusson said: 

This was a much needed bit of zen this week. Our school is doing the state testing and it is so stressful for us. And even more so for the children. So a few moments to unwind with some art was much needed. Please do invite people to come over to look at my blog - penstrokesbycathy.blogspot.com. I would love new followers!

More reinforcement for the "Zen" of Zentangle...
Cathy tangles are very pretty - with a special nod to her Paizel touch on Paushalöv.

Annie Taylor said that she is "doing everything on tan tiles at the moment until the novelty wears off..."

She also said that all four of these tangles were new to her.   She did a beautiful job with them as well as with shading and especially with highlighting.  Annie posted this tile along with her work for other challenges here on her blog.

Jenni Summers wrote:

I looked and looked and looked at this string and couldn't get a feel of where to start. Paizel is one of my favorite tangles. None of the loops seemed to be quite right to put paizel in them. Then suddenly I saw that the loops were giant paizels! Waa-laa! The rest just came together. This turned out being one of my favorite tiles as of yet.

Now that is fun!  She filled in those giant Paizels with the other three tangles and shaded to make them rise from the tile - fantastic!


Juul Gendreau said that she is trying out new Rotring pens and likes the thinner ones for "tiny details."

Very nice tiny details.  She added rows and rows of Paushalöv that flow and taper.  In her style, she added dense areas to compliment the lighter ones.  She closed her note with these wishes -
"Je souhaite un beau printemps à tout le monde"
I was so excited to recognize the word 'spring' in her greeting because of the official tangle pattern Primtemps!  And we all wish you a beautiful spring as well, Juul.

Sharyn Penna wrote -

This week's prompt was so much fun. As I drew Paushalov I knew I had to try the pattern with Paizel and then with a Mooka tendrill. Gotta get my Mooka fix whenever possible. 

She did just that - Mooka tendrils in Paizel - a great tangelation.  Her lines from Pavonia ease into her string lines as well, and the backdrop of Palrevo in a simple line form without filling in darker line spaces is really striking.

Cheryl Anne Day-Swallow, as I told her in a recent correspondence, is going to have to write and illustrate a children's book with her mesmerizing work -  She called this one, 3 Little Fishes

She wrote:

Fish Tail Fins created using Paizel
Fish Bodies near fins created using Paushalov
Fish noses created using Paushalov
Fish Eyes were created using Pavonia

~With this little poem :)

3 little fishies swimming in the sea.
the first one said - hey take a look at me.
the second one said – I’m happy to be free
the third one swam quickly all alone
just so he could Zentangle at his home

We would all be that one little fish scurrying home to tangle!  It is difficult to pick a favorite detail - but those eyes, those eyes...are just ingenious!

Melanie R once again sent in a piece that could be studied for hours on end ~

If you wondered how Palrevo would work on a curved grid - look at what she did with this pattern.  She made it behave beautifully and even left some spaces free of the aura lines (love that!).  Paushalöv on a bit of the string line, darkened 'eyes' of Pavonia, and pretty, pretty Paizel - so many details shine here.  It is lovely.
She called her piece “Overlapping Auras” and can be found here on her blog.

Sal, still calling herself a "noob" - surprised herself and took her tangles "to the edge of the tile."

It should be a happy surprise because the result is wonderful.  Many Palrevo detail lines and a nice darkened string line to set it apart.

Ingrid Coventon said that while Palrevo is one of her favorite tangles, Paushalöv "seemed to fit better" with this string ~

Ingrid said, "Pavonia was new to me and suitable as a background pattern in my tile. I had fun drawing this tile."  Her enjoyment shows!  She used Paushalöv along the string line and to fill in the loops - and the loops, free of a border or visible string line, have such an airy feel to them.

Annemarie sent her tile along with good wishes from "sunny Holland:" ~

She has some very nice variations of the tangles here -her top row of Pavonia with the rays, simple and shaded lines of Palrevo, Pavonia-like orbs in Paushalöv - just to name a few!  She also posted her tile
here on her blog.

Lila Popcheff tangled the challenge on a Zendala ~

~ what a wonderful idea!  The string line works well in the space - and her mix of tangle patterns, light and dark, curvy, round, and straight all work so well together.  Note she has three variations of Palrevo on her tile - so pretty!

Jenna Wheatman also took time from her busy schedule and "had a nice day relaxing and playing with various challenges.  This challenge had a few new tangles for her -

Jenna has such a way of finding the best in a tangle pattern...look at how she tangled Paizel.  She made the initial long comma stoke along the loop of the string line and then filled in below it - masterful!

A very warm welcome to Manja from Germany!  She is very new to Zentangle and really loves learning it.  She has blogs that feature her photography and her needlework and now, her tangles.  This is her first submission to "It's a String Thing" ~

It is very exciting to see her work - not only did she create the patterns well, she shaded them too!
You can see her work - and learn some German, too - here on her blog.  WELCOME!

CZT Cheryl Rotnem said she "had lots of fun with this one."

A few of the tangles turned out to be favorites of hers.  She worked with brown and black Microns and added shading and highlights - all of which play out especially well in her tangle, Pavonia .  You can view Cheryl's tile here on her blog as well.

Jane Glotzer sent in her lovely tile along with this description:

Here is my submission for the week...I do so love your challenges as they require me to explore and use all kinds of tangles that I'm not normally drawn to.
I was able to use all four suggested Pa tangles...those teardrop shapes were crying out for Paushalov (and I fit in some Pavonia around them in the auras.) Paizel is one I love (anything paisley shaped) and I had a really nice, clean white space left for a while that I liked, but then I went crazy filling in any and every blank area with Palrevo...fun...what a cool effect that design creates!

There is so much here - and she said it all so well...another great detail to point out are the tiny detail lines in Palrevo - just grand!

Deanna Spence said, "I think my favorite tangle of the week was Paushalov - it was fun to draw, I like the way it looks, and I especially liked the story of how it was named!"

Deanna used various line widths in the tangle and look how that turned out - beautiful work!  She managed a very light look to the background and even with Palrevo.

Here is Sherrill Herron's tile for this week - 

Sherrill used Paizel for her backdrop of lovely loops - each featuring a different tangle and outline.  Of special note is her use of Pavonia in the upper loop - has a very dimensional feel to it when used that way - another good idea for the rest of us to use.

Rachel Godbee said that she also enjoyed using these tangles ~

Her tangle patterns flow and swish into the middle where Paizel makes for a grand background.  She used shading and darkening in her lines on Palrevo for another wonderful look.

Chrissie Murhpy tile arrived along with inspiring words ~

She wrote,"Each week I could continue to say I'm challenged, but when I look at my end result, I find it hard to see the struggle I've undergone."  That was so nicely said and much appreciated by all tanglers, I am sure.
Chrissie tangled a single line of Pavonia in each of the string line loops and echoed Paushalöv around them anchored by Palrevo - all very nice touches.

Peggy Kohrmann said that all four tangles were new to her - she is even doing monotangles in her sketch book of each of them because she likes them so much...

She has certainly done them justice.  She has a pleasant mix of light and dark lines and shading as well.  Peggy is going on vacation soon and planning on taking her Zentangle supplies along - now that is a true devotee!

CZT Brenda Urbanik sent in this beautiful tile ~

She gave Paushalöv a grand look by darkening in to the string line and shading every other one.  Her Paizel are long and elegant and Palrevo is shaded just so.  It is a wonderful piece.
Brenda also posted it here on her blog.

Melissa Lemmons said that "Palvero was a challenge".  She said that with the curved string lines around it, she kept "forgetting where the next shaded corner was supposed to go."

She speaks for many of us - but perseverance pays off once again!  She added several variations of Paushalöv and Pavonia as well and topped it all off with a great touch of shading.



AND now... the tile selected for honors this week...was created by
Victoria - a first time participant from (are you sitting down?!)...
RUSSIA!

A very warm welcome to you Victoria and congratulations!

Victoria not only submitted her first tile to the challenge - she worked the patterns and string line into a very unique work of art.  She blended the lines of the string and the lines of Pavonia into the grid lines of Palrevo.  She added Tipple in the spaces of Pavonia, some sparkle in her dark round shapes, and has Palrevo popping out of Paushalöv - just to name a few of her special touches.

Victoria's blog has some gorgeous ZIA pieces as well as step outs and work that feature several tangle patterns.  It's a treat to visit - especially to see the Russian language associated with Zentangle.
You can find it all here on her blog.

Congratulations, Victoria.   I have a little something coming in the mail for you.

Many thanks to the talented tanglers who sent in their artwork for the rest of us to learn from and enjoy.

Special thanks to the creative minds behind the challenge this week -

CZT Pat Ferguson and Linda Farmer for TanglePatterns String 031
CZT Amy Brody for Paushalöv 
Angie Shade for Pavonia 
CZT Angie Vangalis for Paizel  
Karry Heun for Palrevo  

Stop by tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #38!

Zentangle® Goes to College

This beautiful young woman is my daughter Catherine, pictured outside of her office in the Student Union Building at the University of Central Florida.  She is finishing up her term as the Chief Justice of the Student Government Association's Judicial Branch..  (Yes, my buttons are popping!)

For a year-end bonding event, she asked if I would teach a Zentangle® class to her talented team of justices and their faculty adviser.  In the midst of finals, with little detail of the activity they signed up for, they stepped out of their busy lives and last Monday night became students of Zentangle -

Very intent students of Zentangle.  And look at the happy result - a new group of artists unleashed!

Here is the collage of their first ever tiles ~

We completed a monotangle of Huggins for our second tile.  This is Catherine's ~

It was a privilege to meet and work with such an accomplished and talented group of college students.  It is especially gratifying to know they have yet another life skill in their arsenal in the art of Zentangle.  I can confidently attest that, looking to their futures, "anything is possible!"

Tips for Tangling Mooka

There is a theory that to become a master at something 10,000 hours of practice are needed.

I am quite shy of that mark when it comes to tangling the official Zentangle® pattern Mooka - and so am not an expert!  But I do have a few tips that have grown out of my determination to learn the tangle as well as helping others do the same.

With my daughter Isabella's wonderful camera work, here is a little instructional video that I hope you find useful in your drawing of Maria Thomas' beautiful pattern ~

Enjoy!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Adele Bruno, CZT

Take time to relax and tangle - especially if you "don't have time for it"!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

"It's a String Thing" #37

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

This week we begin with TanglePatterns String 031 created by CZT Pat Ferguson and pictured here with Linda Farmer's kind permission ~

Copyrighted image used with permission from TanglePatterns.com 

In honor of Pat, we will use patterns that begin with the letters "Pa".  They include ~

Paushalöv by CZT Amy Brody
Pavonia by Angie Shade
Paizel by CZT Angie Vangalis
Palvero by Karry Heun

The string as well as the tangles can be found here on TanglePatterns.

Use as few or as many of these tangles as you wish.

Simply pencil in your string line onto your tile and tangle away!

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.
*Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays. 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.

PLEASE NOTE: I will add a link to your blog or web site with your tile photo, upon request. The site specific URL must accompany your request.

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!!

"It's a String Thing" #36 Tiles

A heartfelt "Thank You" to everyone for the lovely Easter greetings sent in with your beautiful artwork.

This week we used a curvy string line that - so fitting for the season - was created by Bunny Wright.  The tangle patterns were favorites of the tanglers, with the exception of Bucky which proved to elicit a love/hate relationship with its users!  Let's take a look...


Lucy Banta said that this was a "perfect project for a rainy day!" and the string reminded her of a "flowing river and water lilies."

She said it was a "stretch" - and a pretty one at that.  Her river is very bubbly and Buttercup makes a lovely lily.

Colette Horsburg sent in this next tile -

She spotted Bunzo through the spaces between her string lines giving it lighter feel.  You can see her tile here on her blog as well.

Sal from the UK said that she is a "noob" to tangling and this is her first submission - 

That's a great word - noob - although Sal looks like a seasoned tangler with this tile.  Of note is the way she pulled her petals from Buttercup in a "He loves me, he loves me not..." fashion - a wonderful idea.

Sal also posted her piece here on her blog.

Rachel Godbee sends Happy Easter greetings from Sydney, Australia - 

She said that she found doing this challenge "a challenge in  itself" because all of the tangles were new to her.
She learned them well and the result is just beautiful!


Claudia Egli wrote:

 Bucky, I think, will never be one of my favourite tangles and somewhere between the lines I lost hopelessly control. Thanks to the shading you can not easily see it. But therefore this challenge is so interesting, because we had to use patterns we will never have used then.
Thank you very much and I wish you a happy Easter

Yes, that is so true - and one of the purposes of the challenge.  It does introduce patterns that may not be used often, or at all.  Sometimes these patterns become favorites, and sometimes they don't :)
The tangles show up so nicely on this Renaissance tile, especially with the white highlights and look at the little Bubbles floating throughout.
Claudia posted this tile here on her blog as well.


Sherrill Herron sent a few words with her work - "A little challenging...but fun"

That made me smile - mission accomplished!  Sherrill's Bonzo sparkles and shines.

Now, if I may, my proud mother comments are about to flow -
My daughter Sarah sent this in.  It is only the second tile she has ever completed - and just look at it!

It's just amazing.  She began Bucky with a very tiny grid and to her credit, tangled each little space.  Bunzo oozes and twists and her shading is sublime.
Not only is she my daughter, but she and her wonderful husband have given us darling grandchildren - my inspirations for the patterns Pauline's Pigtail and Xav.

Thank you for indulging me with a motherly interlude  ...

Cathy Cusson wrote -

I loved this challenge! I love all the tangles you chose - well, except maybe bucky. But the others are so much fun. Bunzo has become a favorite of mine - it just keeps growing and growing.

It does grow beautifully.  Buttercup grids dotted here and there - marvelous idea!

Kylie Vitnell said she really liked the string line and she loves using Bunzo -

and it shows!  Her Buttercup makes a wonderful center tangle too.  Kylie also posted her tile here on her blog.

Robin Grosland said that in the midst of a very busy time -

This week's challenge was just what I needed. Bunzo is one of my favorite patterns, and I had lots of fun playing with Buttercup. I found string 042 enchanting. This challenge was soothing and wonderfully distracting. Thanks for motivating me to draw again!

And that is just what Zentangle affords all of us - some quiet down time.   What Robin has to show for it is fascinating.  Her tangles curve and move, sparkle and shine!

Lily Moon submitted this happy tile -

She blended the patterns beautifully and the touch of colors is so very pretty.  Note her shading, especially of Bubbles - really gives them a layered feel.

Lily alsot posted her tile here on her blog.

Christine Murphy said that she finds "It's A String Thing" Challenges to be the ones she finds most challenging.  (I take that as a compliment :)  She wrote:

This week, I'm using "Buttercup" and "Bunzo" for the very first time. I love the pshychadelic feeling of "Bunzo"! "Bubbles" is a favourite tangle pattern of mine, I use it often, but in this week's challenge, I felt the tile only needed a couple of "Bubbles", just bursting from the top of the tile.

What a welcoming tile - the Buttercup lined white space invites you to take a stroll, doesn't it?  Chrisse also posted her tile here on her blog.

Sindy P of Real Life Strings sent in this tile -

She has a great take on Bunzo - so many lines and she darkened them in to give the tangle her signature touch.  Sindy's shading is wonderful too.

Angela Carstensen wrote -

Here is my submission for the week. The string you chose was really nice and wavy. I sometimes seem to get lost in all those strings and patterns available and it helps immensely to have someone else make the choice for me. This way, I get to play with patterns I have never given any thought to, like Bucky. I had never considered to include it in any tile before, but now I really see the charm in it. I am still working on not following the string all the way :)

There are so many beautiful details here - the way Bunzo grows across the tile, the corner lines on Buttercup, the lovely line work and shading of Bucky - just to name a few!  It's a gorgeous piece.

Ragged Ray wrote:

All the tangles were new to me this week. Unfortunately I didn't get on at all well with Bucky, in fact we're still not speaking! And Bubbles wasn't that endearing. But I loved spending time with Bunzo and Buttercup. I decided to free Buttercup from her grid and let her roam across the page. And once I started with Bunzo I just couldn't stop. I even tried a bit of that blocky sparkle for the first time!
All in all I love the finished effect. It reminds me of a sixties summer of love scene - strings of flowers, the shining vinyl of records and a few scattered beads, or pills or bulging eyeballs - or any combination of the three!

What a crisp and clean look she achieved.  Buttercup is lovely on a line and Bubbles gains a whole new look with her details.
And Ragged Ray echoes about half of today's tanglers comments about not "getting along with" Bucky - but only as she could - with the words, "in fact, we are still not speaking!"
Do visit her blog - link is listed on the right side of my blog page - for more endearing stories and comments about tangling.

A very warm welcome to Jenni Summers.  She wrote:

This is the first time I have submitted to this challenge. I found this a fun tile but it ended up being a bit busier than I had intended. Bunzo and Bubbles are tangles that I use often just never on the same tile. I had originally left the area between those two blank but at the last minute added the Buttercup path. The shading behind buttercup helps define the path.

This is lovely!  Bubbles oozes from the center and is especially dimensional with the spaces darkened in. With Bunzo flowing from either side, Buttercup turned out to be just the anchor for both.  It was a nice touch to shade around the tangle instead of darkening in the space - well done!

Cheryl Anne Day-Swallow titled her tile - On the Bucky Trail to the Buttercups

She added -

Flowers of course are made using Buttercup
Worm body was made using Bunzo
Worm eyes/glasses made using Bubbles
Trail made using Bucky

So much tangled happiness here and her colors are so bright and Springy - just beautiful!

Ingrid Coventon

This week I liked the string and the tangle patterns, but for some reason I did not succeed to bring some balance in the tile. I tried to bring in the blue for more harmony and make buttercup more pop because bunzo is very dominant which made a little difference. I drew buttercup freehand without a grid. I like it this way better than with the grid.

Bunzo in very dominant, but in a very pleasing way.  The blue adds such a heavenly touch as a background, especially behind Bubbles.  This is a gentle reminder that 'balance' is in the eye of the beholder!

Sue Agnew wrote -

Fortunately for me, this week's challenge included my very favorite tangle, Bucky, which I absolutely love to draw. I think I've said it before, it takes so much concentration that it really "zens me out." I wish I had done the shading on Buttercup with pencil, but once I'd started I was committed, so went ahead with the Pitt pen. I wasn't sure that I would find a place to put sparkle, but finally added it to the Buttercup centers (played with using it on Bubble and didn't like it). 

Sue loves Bucky and it shows - can just imagine the 'Zen' it brings to her.  It is fabulous across the whole of the background with a trail of Bubbles and Buttercup. And, yes, the sparkle in the center of Buttercup add just the right touch!

Celeste Hickey added some humor with her tile as she wrote,"I finally sat down to tangle. I like to call this one "headache" because I gave me one while drawing bunzo lol I think it looks cool though a little hypnotizing."

That is a lot hypnotizing - and wonderful too.  When her Bunzo is added to Bubbles with darkened centers and the other very dark spaces the result is very dramatic.

Melanie R returns with another delicately detailed tile she calls "Buttercup Road"

-and what an inviting road it is.  The orientation of her grid lines make the tangles flow and gives them a feeling of depth and distance.  Melanie's line work is oh so delicate and she must be in the group of tanglers that is very partial to Bucky because she illustrates it beautifully here - even tucking it into Buttercup.  Note how she varied Bunzo with sparkle and with areas where she chose not to add darkened spaces.  So much lovliness in one space - whew!  Melanie also posted her tile here on her blog.

Jane Glotzer wrote:

For #36 I used bubbles, buttercup and bunzo (one of my favorites)...Bucky was just too too many lines for me to consider, but what a cool effect when done well!
I've only just started attempting some shading, and I do like how it gives the designs so much depth.

Jane's darker Bunzo and the dark background for her airy Bubbles wrap nicely around Buttercup.  Jane used little lines behind Buttercup - a really nice touch!



Cheryl Rotnem  CZT wrote -

Adele, I was excited to start this one. Such a different string! I love it. Well, after saying that, there are no mistakes in zentangle® ! I started off w/ Crescent Moon, and after doing the first 3 rounds of it, I remembered that wasn't part of this zentangle! Oh well, I just went with the flow and finished up with Bunzo, Bubbles, and Buttercup, w/c is a favorite of mine. I used some tan c/s I had and used Microns 01, 05 black and 01 Brown. highlighted with a jelly roll pen in white.

Yes, there are no mistakes - just "creative opportunities" - and Cheryl capitalized on this one.  The Crescent Moon really looks nice with these tangles and her added white highlights are so pretty.

Joan Delony was visiting in North Carolina when she created this tile.  She wrote:

The scenery is gorgeous. The woods are filled with blooming Dogwood trees that have blooms similar to the pattern Buttercup. It was raining today (Bubbles) as we were out looking. There are rolling hills everywhere (the string as outlined with Bubbles) and depicted with Bunzo. This was great fun to draw, especially in these circumstances.

Her imagery is reflected in her tile and can't you almost smell the rain?  That is a very happy tile.


Samantha Wunderlich, CZT is another Bucky fan -

She used the tangle in the center of her pretty tile.  She also gave Bunzo - with added sparkle - a spiraled look and added variation to Bubbles with shading - very nice!  She also posted her tile here on her blog.

Audrie Wiesenfelder sent in two tiles this week.  She wrote -

I immediately knew that I wanted to start with Bunzo in the 2 larger parts of the center section, and have Bubbles spring from Bunzo. Once I finished that part, it felt like it was done:

But I felt like I should try to use more of the string, and/or more of the patterns. So I played around and realized that it didn't need the other patterns. But I did try one using the rest of the string. And I kind of like that, too.

It is wonderful to be treated to the thought process behind her creations - and both are beautiful.  Her darkened edges of Bubbles make the tangle appear to rise from the neighboring white space.  She also posted her work here on her pretty purple blog.


Peggy Kohrmann wrote:

This week was a time challenge and three new tangles too. At first I thought the string was too much movement when looking at the specific lines and bulbous structures. Buttercup was first placement and then my hubby suggested a background tangle to offset the opposing curving sections. Bucky was not the easiest to grid and fill and it wasn't until the end that I realized that not one hexagon shape is complete! Bubbles completes the upper curves and I will save Bunzo for another day.

Her hubby is a good art director!  Bucky does provide a wonderful back drop to all of the curves happening above it.  Peggy's shading finishes off this wonderful tile just beautifully.  And speaking of beautiful things, Peggy also sent in this photo - 

Of this she wrote -

Easter tangles on eggs are quite the challenge as well and by next year hopefully I will have a collection.
This plastic egg is from Walmart of all places. Sold by the dozen. Grab some for next year. I did Asian fan, Chillon, and Crescent moon with one Bubble at the tip top. They are dyeable to pastels so yellow is my next one.

Thank you for passing that along, Peggy.

Sharyn Penna sent in her tile with this note -

I've never used Bucky...I thought it would be tedious. But when I played with it in my sketch book I had too much fun...so many ways to shade. Somehow you always manage to find tangles that surprise us all in the ways they work so well together. 

Alas, another Bucky fan - and what a fan at that!  Sharyn managed to make the tangle look billowy, quite quilt-like and the little Buttercups tucked here and there are another nice touch as is sparkle on her fabulous Bunzo.  It's a wonderful tile.

A N D now, the tile selected for honors this week was created by Germany's
LonettA!

Despite her busy schedule in Easter week, she like the rest of this week's tanglers, took time to tangle and submit to the challenge.  She said she was happy that she did - and now, so are we!

LonettA added so many little touches to her tangles that her tile stands out among the entries.  The swatch of Bucky through the center, the larger floating Buttercup, the bend in her line of the same pattern along with the switch from a dark background to a shaded one, the pop of red in just a few of the Bubbles...and so on and so on!

CONGRATULATIONS LonettA!  I have a little something coming in the mail for you.

Many thanks to all of the talented tanglers for sending in your treasured pieces this week.

Thank you, too, to the creative minds behind the string line and patterns for this week's challenge:
Bucky and 
Bunzo - official Zentangle® patterns
Bubbles by CZT Suzanne McNeill
Buttercup by CZT Sandy Bartholomew
and Bunny Wright via Linda Farmer at TanglePatterns for String 042

Check back tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #37!