"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!