"It's a String Thing" #48 Tiles

This week we tangled on a loopy string line with some very beautiful patterns.  The results are as varied as they are spectacular.  Let's take a look ~

Carmela wrote, "I really loved this string and the choice of patterns. i like them and worked with much joy and zen.  Thank you for this beautiful challenge."

Her contrast of light and dark really accentuate her lovely work.  She also posted it here on her blog.

Devin wrote, "This is fun!" 

She added some wonderful details here - the lines of Pippin and Primtemps popping through.  She also posted it here on her blog.

Linda Bladen said ~

Here is my tangle for this week's challenge. Loved doing this one. As soon as I saw the tangles for the challenge I couldn’t wait to get started because I just love using Purk. Pippin was a new one for me. I think it would benefit from some embellishment in the petal shapes another time, but not here because I thought it would be too much next to the two purks!

Note the bit of Fescu on Purk, her detail on Prestwood and all the lovely shading.  Linda also posted her tile here on her blog.

A very warm welcome to first time contributor, Lori Byerly ~

Lori featured Pippin with lovely detail, especially how it flows from the border.  Heavy and light lines along with shading add to its beauty.  She also posted it here on her blog.

Lily Moon drew larger tangles with  Primtemps springing all around ~

She shaded Printemps in a lovely fashion - one for all of us to use - darkening in the bottom third of each one.  Lily also posted her tile here on her blog.


Sue Jacobs wrote ~

This is a lovely string - perfect for Purk - one of my favorite tangles. And I loved doing Prestwood too. As you can see I adapted the string to fit what I wanted. And after I got the first two tangles in I decided I liked it so much that I would stop then and there and just add shading.

It is very elegant - especially the way she shaded the tangles and border.  Sue also has it featured here on her blog.  When you visit her site, be sure to scroll down to see her ZIA flag for the Fourth of July :)

Ragged Ray described her tile in these words ~

I love the look of Pippin but couldn't get multiple ones to sit nicely together, so I broke the mould and popped them in a different form in the big loops. Prestwood is lovely, but takes real concentration to get the initial loops nice and even. And while I'd deconstructed Pippin, why not do the same for Purk and turn it into a bejewelled border. Gritty shading this week as the paper was toothier than my usual.
The finished article resembles a framed image of a very strange vine, dripping pollen and home to two very strange looking cocoons. Who knows what might emerge from them!

Beautifully rendered and beautifully described!  She has given each pattern a fresh look - amazing.

CZT Char Carpentier wrote ~

I figured everyone would put Purk in the Purk shaped openings, so I thought to be different. This is one of those tiles that takes on a whole different look when you rotate it, so that was fun too.

Different and delightful, it is - the orbs in Prestwood, the aura, Pippin in the loop lines, and the lovely white space - great details!

From Audrie Weisenfelder ~

I was really anxious to do this one, as I already like this string; and even before you suggested Purk, I was ready and eager to use it. As I mentioned in my blog, probably lots of other tanglers were up for it, too. But a funny thing happened on my way to this tile, and I quote: 

"It's true that there's nothing like the spontaneity that comes when you just go with the flow when starting a tile or ZIA. It can never really be reproduced. When I started working on this challenge, everything just fell into place, except that I had a few really messy areas that I couldn't claim were "design elements", or clean up satisfactorily. So I started over, and after 3 or 4 attempts, what I came up with is OK, but nowhere near as good as the original."and here's the link to my blog: 

Many thanks to Audrie for the lesson in spontaneity - there is not substitute, especially in the experience that tangling provides.  Her tile is beautiful with Prestwood flowing around loops of Purk.


Christiane Plate said, "...here is my tile for the "string thing #48". Most i love the "hanging purk"
Best wishes to you and all tangling maiden."

Happy thoughts - hanging Purk and Tangling maidens :).  Christiane's perfs, scrolls, and shading add to the elegant look of her tile.

Christine Forrester wrote -

I loved this in black and white but it reminded me of Ballet shoes – and jewelry in plaited ribbons – so again I re-drew it in colour.
I used a combination of wax based pencils, Gel pens, and ink pens.

What a treat to see both pieces.  Prestwood really comes alive in color, doesn't it?

A very warm welcome to Asja Goven!  She wrote, "I liked this challenge because it made me think more about how I'm going to use the tangles.  And for a beginner like me, it was an excellent opportunity to discover new patterns."

Asja is a quick study in tangling judging from this tile - lovely lines from Purk to Purk, throughout Prestwood and topping off Pippin. Her tangleation of  Pippin is extra-ordinary.
She also posted it here on her blog.

Lucy Banta said, "I loved this week's string and tangle. I just felt all tangles fell into place, and I even tried adding color :)"

They did fall right into place.  Note how she varied the size of Printemps, added sparkle, and darkened in the spaces between - so pretty!  Lucy also posted her tile here on her blog.

Annie Taylor said ~

 I have always been a great fan of Printemps and Purk but I've loved learning Pippin (the name of my dog!) and Margaret's Prestwood is absolutely delightful.
With great restraint on my part, I've given the larger part of the tile to the two new tangles. I could happily fill a whole page with the other two but it was the turn of the others this time. I'm happy with my tangle and am, as always, really looking forward to other contributions - I'm sure they'll be amazing this week.

She is happy with her tile - and it is a happy tile at that.  Leaving one of the loops free of tangles was clever as was her aura around the entire piece.  Annie also posted it here on her blog.


Sal wrote, "I’m _still_ working on restraint, though this is possibly too minimalist!"

That is a direct quote - underscores and all :)  Yes, this is minimalist, but when tangling - there is no such thing as too much or too little - it is always just right.  Thank you for demonstrating!

Robin Gosland wrote ~

I totally had a plan in mind when I started this tile; almost none of my original plan ended up in the piece. I started with Pippin in each of the two loops. Then it all took off on its own. A few more Pippin. A single, straight line of Purk. And many small Printemps. I love the way it turned out. I think it has kind of a Moroccan feel to it (which I could never do on purpose, only accidentally).

Another well captured experience of how line and pattern take on a life of their own - and the fun brings to follow their lead.  Robin's light and dark spaces, large and small tangles play so well together.

Brand new CZT Kathryn Crane sent in this tile ~

White space in the string loops lends such an elegant look and her shading is wonderful.
(Kathryn was one of the first contributors to "It's a String Thing" and she also was featured on an earlier post of mine that highlighted her scroll work on palm pods - click here to read more - little did she know she would soon be a CZT : )

From Juul ~

Bonjour chère Adèle, Here is my contribution for this week. I love purk very much and admire the ones I have seen here and there. But I find it still very difficult to make them look 3D with shadowing etc... But I will continue trying!

Many greetings from very rainy France.

By adding detail lines, she did accomplish a dimensional look to Purk.  That is a wonderful idea - along with her delightful dark spaces.

Annemarie again added a touch of soft color ~

Her tile is light and lovely, with just enough darkness to anchor her tangles.  She also posted it here on her blog.

From Judy Wanner ~

Note how Judy used Printemps in Purk - that is a first and a fabulous idea - along with Pippin in the string loop - nice!

Carhy Cusson said, "Believe it or not - the string is really under there! It just got lost in this fantasy garden. I had a lot of fun with this one and really began to fall for pippin. That is a fun tangle!" 

And what a pretty garden and great example for those of us who enjoy tangling gardens.  Printemps has new life here!

Jane Glotzer

#48...yes, those loops seemed to cry out for Purk, although I decided to fill only one. Experimented a bit with Pippin--I had learned it before, but hadn't used it in a piece--and Prestwood was new for me. I had trouble finding a place for it until I "aura-ed" it around the second loop...finished off with lots of Printemps...so very fun, and a few had to escape--:)
Looking forward to seeing how everyone else used this string...sometimes, at first, it seems so obvious which tangles to place where, but then, when I view the other artists' choices, the results are always surprising!

The escaping Printemps are very fun as well as the dark spaces around Pippin!

CZT Kate Ahrens wrote ~

I wasn't sure if I would be able to get to the challenge this week, but managed to carve out some time today. I really liked the string and the tangles this week, and wanted to use one of the techniques that I learned at Tangle U this year, using color on black tiles. I really had fun with it. Attached is my tile and it can be seen on my blog here.

What gorgeous color Kate achieved on this black tile - it seems to glow.  The dark background plays up the bright tangles.

LonnetA is back this week, she wrote~

 After a break for several weeks I´m back again and I feel a bit better now! I really missed your wonderful "It´s a String Thing".
Therefore I looked forward to your challenge this week and I enjoyed it!
I didn´t know the tangles Pippin and Prested Wood and I had used Purk a long time ago. Therefore I had to familiarize with these tangles.
While doing so I had some ideas for the challenge. Here is the result!

There are so many details here that make this tile so appealing - dark Purk, loopy Prestwood with Printemps peeking through, light and dark Printemps, just to name a few.  Welcome back!
She also posted her tile here on her blog.

Jocelyne Pigeon-Bernier said that she liked drawing these patterns, two of which were new to her...

She created her loopy string line inside a looped border  - what fun!



Sherrill Herron said that she has been busy quilting lately but managed a tile on time this week -

Her photograph was a bit blurry, but I wanted to be sure to include it. She used Purk in very creative way.

A very warm welcome to Susan Perego! She wrote ~

...this isn't the first time I tried a challenge but first time submitting my results. Love "Purk", one of my most favorite tangles so was hard to resist this challenge. Had a lot of fun with this and was glad to be introduced to Pippin, another great tangle!

                               

Susan's tangles are beautiful against the white space and the dots - shading, too - are fabulous additions.

A very warm welcome to Jane Patrick!

Jane created corners of Prestwood and Printemps in Purk is now a favorite :)


Debra Yabczanka

This week was a lot of fun. I tried Purk a couple of different ways and Pippin was challenging at first but seemed to flow once I got started.
This week I tried letting go of the defined string line and enjoyed the challenge and freedom of letting the tangles be the lines. Great fun!

And that is just what the challenge is supposed to be - Great fun!  It shows on her tile - so much movement created by beautiful tangles.

Sharyn Penna managed time to tangle while on a family trip ~

She also thought of tangling Printemps in Purk - and those little dots add the lightest of touches to the tangles.

Deanna Spence's enthusiasm was captured in her note - "This one was FUN -- definitely one of my favorites so far!!!"

The tangles grow from the Prestwood border and move up and out and finish with floating Printemps.  It looks like a celebration!

Donna Flynn wrote ~

Sorry this is a little late. I really enjoyed playing with Prestwood for the first time. The use of negative space just seemed right in this one even though I intended to add Pippin. I love how the tangles provide guidance!

They do provide guidance!  Along with her other wonderful tangles, Donna's tangleation of Prestwood is simple and elegant.

Melanie Ringler who is enjoying unusually hot, sunny days in Vancouver, said that she called her tile "Summer Squash" ~

It's a sumptuous summer at that.  Pippin grows across the tile, ornate Prestwood loops and squash-like Purk, stark black and white Purk, is elegant against the grey Printemps.
Melanie also posted her tile here on her blog.

Peggy Kohrmann wrote ~

Purk is great fun and the first tile looks like jewelry with chain of Prestwood and the two Purk orbs. My daughter in law said she wants a necklace like that!
The second tile was an attempt to use the other Tangles, Pippin and Prestwood in the looped portion. I took several pics without the Printemps and then added it. I'm very pleased with the result.

That would make a beautiful piece of jewelry.  Peggy's shading is wonderful.

Printemps does add just the right touch - along with the perfs and pearlz.

Kirsten Bish

Enclosed, please find "Bug City". Pippin reminds me of the rollie pollie bugs in my flowers. I love Printemps-such a fun tangle to do. Park and Pressed Wood all just kinda fed into the cocoon and larva thinking in my brain. 

That is a wonderful description and tile - and it is vibrant in red.

Joan Delony, CZT sent this tile ~

A Prestwood string line with waves of Purk - a wonderful idea with a fabulous result.

Henrike Bratz had an exciting week.  She wrote about it in her note ~

This was an exciting Zentangle-week for me, although I hardly painted myself. LauraHarms selected my pattern Crux for her Use My Tangle Challenge. And it was such a great joy to see what other people all over the world have created using my tangle. When you had chosen my pattern Axslexa for one of your challenges some time ago is was the same: simply exhilarating!
For the weekly challenge that you have provided, it was clear: The loops are calling for Purk. I thought: everybody will paint Purk in the two loops. I'm curious to see if it's true. I wanted to resist the temptation, but I couln’t! See my first tile. Today I gave it a second try and confined myself to Prestwood and Printemps: I like the second tile better. What doyou think.

Congratulations, Henrike!
Purk proved perfect for the loops for two thirds of tanglers this week :)
To select one tile over the other would be impossible.  The second tile is very eye-catching though - dark curves of Prestwood in the loops and the two large ones behind are stunning - as is Prentemps and Henrike's shading.




AND now, the tile selected for honors this week was sent in by
Sara Belmont-Kleingeld!

Sara's tile and note were the first to arrive this week and they left a lasting impression.  She said, "I am just learning how to zentangle having only discovered this art form in the past couple of weeks."

Just learning...and tangling for just a few weeks...a remarkable thought when viewing her work - aura, sparkle, and beautiful variations of Prestwood and Pippin - oh my!

CONGRATULATIONS, SARA, and lots of encouragement to continue tangling!
Thank you for inspiring the rest of us :)

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


Thank you to all the talented tanglers for sending in your tiles this week - what a gorgeous collection!

Many thanks to the creative minds behind the string and patterns used this week:

Pat Furguson for the wonderful string 
Purk and
Printemps by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas
Pippin by Juliet Herring
Pressed Wood by CZT Margaret Bremner

Stop by tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #49 

- a very special Zentangle® anniversary tribute.

You won't want to miss it!