"It's a String Thing" #58 Tiles

This week's string was another graceful loopy one from Sue Agnew.   We used tangles that began with the letter 'G' as the were a bit neglected in the previous challenges.  Most every tangler who participated this week said that one or more of the patterns were new to them.  Let's take a look~

The first tile arrived from Hungary.  Lily Moon said,"...This week I [drew] one classic black and white tile."

With perfs and flourishes, Lily created a very pretty varitaion of Girlande.  Shading along the string line added great depth.


A very warm welcome to Sarah Hluchy.  She wrote,"...I liked gingham and gothic, but after using gingham, my tangle didn't want gothic. so in the spirit of "G", I used golven for part of it instead."

She is new to tangling and already listening to her tangles and following their lead.  That is wonderful.


Carmela said that she "made it simple" using only two patterns and a bit of color.

The touch of color makes Girlande appear plant like.  Note how she shaded Girdy along the curved long lines adding to the vertical depth.
She also posted it here on her blog.  

Cat Trask wrote, "...This twas my first time using any of these patterns. But how will I learn if I don't try, right?"
That is a great attitude to have for all things Zentangle®, isn't it?

She darkened in the string line.  Girdy looks especially fun in that loopy space.



Lori Byerly wrote ~

Here's my tile for #58. I took your advice and just let the patterns and string "take me where they want to roam." All in all a fun challenge. My tile is also posted here.

It is amazing to see what unfolds when a tangler can isolate one special element of a pattern and highlight it. That is just what Lori did here.  It is a brilliant piece.  She writes on her blog that it is "generally whimsical".  We can all agree!



Sara Belmont-Kleingeld said that she had "fun using Girlande for the first time."

She made it look like fun, too.  The sparkle on that tangle as well as Girdy make her tile shine.  Note how she shaded under the right edge of Gothic to give it a rounded look, as if it was curving up off the paper.

Welcome back to CZT Sue Jacobs who missed a few challenges while she was traveling ~

She said, "I'm happy to get back to it with this one. Girlande is a tangle I especially like so it was fun to use it here."  On her blog she also added, "Going back to the basic black and white is a wonderful, comforting way to tangle."
That is a wonderful, comforting thought and it can be felt when viewing her tile.  Girlande makes a lovely string line and Girdy is striking in its boldness.

CZT Charlotte Carpentier said that she has been busy back at school.  She wrote ~

But...on the bright side, I have lots of time listening to lectures in class to tangle while I listen. That's rather the story behind my tile this week. I drew the string and labeled the back of the tile before I went to school, and tangled away. Once I got to the last part, I looked down and realized I was on a Knightsbridge instead of Gingham...I started to say "oops" but then I said...VARIATION! I finished it off with my new Inktense pencils and Niji brush when I got home, and here it is!

She has an admirable determination to tangle and a sense of humor to brighten a day!  The first time I ever tangled Gingham I ended up with the same variation - that is fun.


Dorothy Allison sent this lovely ZIA ~

She said that she "let the Girlande tangle dictate the circular evolving" of this piece.  Note too, how she added sparkle to Gingham and wavy lines to Girdy.


A very warm welcome to Kathryn White who sent in two beautiful tiles ~

She also used wavy lines in Girdy (above) and straight lines as well (below).  She has some lovely shading in her tiles that finish off the tangles so nicely. 

From Christine Forrester ~

Three tiles and each one is so different.  She captured depth and movement in each one, especially with Girdy in the second tile.  Note how she used Girlande inside the string loops in the first and last tile and then along the string line itself in the middle tile.

K. Bish called her entry, "Up North".  She wrote, "The 'Gingham' reminds me of the plaid shirts I tend to see this time of year."

That is fun - and it looks like she had fun tangling it as well.  Note the wobbly looking Girdy - that is a nice variation of that pattern.

From Joyce Evans ~

Joyce left the edges of Gingham feathered with lines, Girdy without them, and Girlande gracefully moving with them - all beautiful, thoughtful touches.  

Annie Taylor returns with a lovely tile.  She wrote ~

So sorry to have missed a number of String Thing challenges in recent weeks - just been out and about and generally having a lovely summer. I've been checking each week to see the wonderful entries though and never fail to be impressed at the great challenge you set and the amazingly good responses you have!
This week's string was lovely although I don't feel I've done it justice! My Girders are definitely wobbly and I feel I just wasn't inspired by the other three tangles, lovely though they are. However, I have done a tile and feel happier for completing it and taking part.

I've posted this and a couple of other recent tangles on my blog.

I left Annie's entire note because of its important message.  First that she has been away from tangling, but still checked in and appreciated work from other tanglers.  Then, while not being completely satisfied with her tile, she sent it along anyway, happier for having completed it and satisfied for taking part.  Besides sending along inspirational words, Annie's tile is fabulous!


Sue Agnew, the creator of the string used this week (how exciting!) wrote ~

...it was just so much fun to draw a pretty floral garland with little black beads... as well as lots and lots of little lines -- so pleasing and calming.

She said she preferred to concentrate on just these familiar tangles - and the result is really lovely.  Gingham without the darkened squares and Girlande with sparkle...it truly is pleasing and calming.

Peggy Kohrmann said ~

Girlande was my first choice to learn since it seemed to grab my attention. The others are my architectural lovelies and I loved them. My first tile was the Girlande and then the background of Gothic. I like its airy feel but I didn't do the grid before so it looks off and uneven. So I tried another tile with the Gingham background and drew the grid before starting Girlande. Then I did the aura to put a bit of light between Girlande and the back. So the three step- back, string, then to the back made the most sense.
With excitement I began a third tile. I wanted to use several patterns on the background and the ribbon string let me do that. Girdy took part of the string and I really liked its flow with the other tangles. Making the grid for Gothic and Gingham helped to make the patterns work for me. I love the color. Fun, fun, fun this week.

 

One tile is more detailed and fabulous than the next.  I couldn't describe them better myself - and the best part of what Peggy wrote is that it was FUN.  

Ilse Lukken said, "I found it quite hard to make a nice composition of it, but I think it's OK like this. I'm looking forward to see the other entries! It's on my blog as well.

She did make a very "nice composition" of this. - lovely lines everywhere.  The bend in the white double lines of Girdy make that tangle look amazing.

Audrie Weisenfelder echoed similar sentiments to Annie's above when she wrote ~

Another week gone by, and another challenge I almost didn't do. Another case of my liking the string, but not liking the tangles so much. But I've become so addicted to all these challenges (I guess because I'm so addicted to Zentangle itself) that I have to at least try every one of them. I don't think I've done any of these tangles before, except for trying them out in my sketchbook. So I just jumped in and let the tangles tell me what to do. And this is it:
This is the link to my blog: Purple Butterfly

The tangles spoke well to her and lead the way to a beautiful tile.  Girdy and Gingham flow along the same curved lines and Gothic springs from Girlande.  That is fun!


Ingrid Coventon wrote ~

Oh such pleasure to play with these string and tangle patterns. I love Girdy and Girlande. They are not new to me, but they got lost among all the other new tangle patterns that pop up regularly. At first again I thought Girdy would be a tough one to draw, but that turned out not to be so again.

Igrid drew Girdy from three of the four corners and what perspective she achieved in the process.  Note how she finished two with Girlande and one as though the beams ended on top of the band.  That is delightful!

From soon-to-be CZT, Judy Wanner ~

She drew her tangles in a way that makes them appear stacked.  She layered and morphed one pattern into another with just a hint of shading - that is very creative.


Lucy Banta wrote ~

Loved the tangle patterns you selected for this week's challenge. Without intending to, my finished tile looks like bumble bees and a web (of sorts). Go figure!
Here's the finished tile on my blog.

Isn't it wonderful when you are surprised by what unfolds as you tangle?
Linda's string loops turned into gorgeous shapes - yes, much like bumble bees.  It is her shading of Girdy as well as the other tangles, the light and the very dark spaces that make this shine - pure tangle magic!

A very warm welcom to Kelly Rickert a very new tangler.  She wrote ~

I just stumbled across your blog! I am a grad student who avidly collects hobbies :)
I have seen zentangle art all over pinterest for a while, but I only just decided to learn how to do it. Needless to say, I have added another hobby to my hobby collection!

Kelly went on to express second thoughts about her creation.  Again, in Zentangle there are only positive outcomes and this one is very positive!  She tangled very pretty patterns, added shading, and has a new hobby to boot!


Donna Flynn wrote ~

Thanks for your recent reminder to let the tangles guide the process. This helped me get into a much-needed meditative state after an emotional day. Gingham formed it's own variation in one area. Girlande and Gingham go so nicely together. It's like remembering a summer picnic.

It does bring to mind a summer picnic.  Note how she ran the same lines of Girdy through the entire tile - a very nice touch.

Cathy Cusson said ~

I hope you are having a lovely day! The weather here (TN) is now beginning to hint of fall which makes me so happy! I love this time of year. I didn't make it to using girdy, but used the rest of them! I love gothic - it is fun. 

These three tangles really play well with each other.  See how she used Girlande on only one part of each string loop and then changed the direction of Gothic each time she tangled it.

Jane Glotzer wrote ~

...I decided to play around with the border area and I like how that came out (although I shaded down the left side of the "corner" after I took these pix which added a bit more dimension.) I'm not seeing spots in front of my eyes, but definitely lines--:) I ended up with a "duotangle" again...I absolutely love Girdy, too, but somehow, I decided to put in the Gingham first, and with the white spaces still there, it looked like it would become a "background"--similar to the piece I did for string thing #54 where my Paradox floated on top of a Bitten background. But in true Zentangle fashion, it didn't come out like I imagined because once I did put in the Girdy, it ended up looking like it was peeking through the Gingham in the foreground! The teardrops were still floating though and when I looked at the tangle choices originally, I imagined I'd be using some Gothic somewhere but in the end, I thought the piece needed some white space for eye relief, and so I just shaded in those last teardrop spaces and left them empty of tangles.

It is always such a treat to peak into the mind of a tangler - somehow it makes the admiration for the piece that much greater.  Well done!

Sharyn Penna wrote ...

 Sometimes I almost panic with straight line patterns. I'm gradually overcoming it, curving a grid line and shading help diffuse the jitters. Toward the end I mashed Girlande with Girdy to sooth the nerves. It became my favorite part of the tile. Thank you for helping me face my straight lines phobia! 

That is a wonderful morphing of patterns.  It may help too to be reminded that there really are no seriously straight lines in Zentangle - we do the best we can to get from point A to B and so on, always mindful to let the line lead the way :)

Kristen Kostelnik Killips

This was a really fun challenge and I did monotangles for all of the tangles on Bijou tiles before I started this. I intended to use them all, but got really into Girdy so this is where I ended up!

Kristen tangled Girdy from all four corners of her tile to meet the Girlande covered string line - that is wonderful!

Joan Delony wrote ~

I love drawing Girdy. The other patterns were new to me. I had a few "unintended" lines (shhh) in Gothic and decided I wanted more berries in the tile. :)

Along with wonderful tangles, Joan added a good measure of sparkle.  Girdy springing from opposite corners makes the other tangles appear as if they were on a ledge of sorts.  That is very pretty.  She also posted it here on her blog.   

Deanna Spence wrote ~

My tile of the week is attached. I ended up using only two of the four tangles, but I think that was enough and am happy with the results. Girlande looks like a tangle that I would enjoy though, so I am going to have to add that one to my "to do" list. :)

What a glorious take on Girdy  - springing from a hole, looping intersecting lines - that is just fabulous!

Brenda Urbanik said, "I loved doing it, Girdy is such a nice tangle to play with!"

And play she did - those wavy lines are wonderful and they have such a feeling of depth.  The light touch of Girlande is perfect.

Jenna Wheatmann wrote ~

Loved this weeks challenge especially the tangle Girdy. I managed to fit them all in. I used girdy as the inspiration curving the inside squares between the poles to make it flow, I used gingham to decorate the squares of girdy, flowing through girdy I have lots of strings which create the fan shapes of gothic. I was not sure how to get girlande in so used it as the anchor pin for the strings.

All I can say is, reading Jenna's description, she makes it seem so easy and yet what she accomplished here is just astounding.  One tangle into another, into another, beautifully detailed, sparkled, and shaded, oh my!



AND now, the tile set apart for honors this week was sent in by Germany's Joya!

She wrote that she enjoyed discovering some new patterns as she tangled this - and she posted it here on her blog.

The one element that kept bringing me back to Joya's tile is the way she tangled Girdy.  Notice that even though she has a vanishing point, her drawing does not begin there.  The absolute treat of it though is how she shaded - follow from right to left, or left to right  and observe the angles of her shadows - just fabulous.  She also created the sense that Girlande is in the foreground.

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


Many thanks to the many talented tanglers who sent in their terrific tiles this week.

Thank you to the creative minds behind the string and tangles used this week ~

Sue Agnew for TanglePatterns String 058

Gingham by Margaret Bremner, CZT

Girdy by Karl Stewart

Gothic by Mariet Lustenhouwer

Girlande by Simone Bischoff
Stop by Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #59 !