"It's a String Thing" #74 Tiles

This past week, we tangled with three very pretty patterns and a string with two long loops. The results show just how much tanglers enjoyed the exercise.  Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Texas and this is the first time CZT Terri Young has participated - a very warm welcome to you!

Notice the dimension she achieved with shading and layering of the tangles.  She added a sweet touch of red too.

Cathy Cusson wrote ~

After looking at the three tangle choices I sort of thought about skipping this week. I am really glad I didn't. It was so much fun working with new tangles outside my comfort zone. Thanks for the challenge!

Great news and a great tile to accompany it!  Notice how Cathy followed the curve of the string line right into the base lines for Lealad.

Lori Byerly said ~

I was looking for an opportunity to try lealad (It's been sitting on my to-try list just itching to be used), so I was delighted to see it in your challenge. It gave me the motivation I needed to work it into a tile. Kiss is new-to-me as well. Love trying new patterns. :)
You can see my tile here.

Doesn't that bring a smile?  Lori tangled a lovely Lealad along the string line along with  kisses that broke free from their grid

CZT Kath Gregitis wrote, "Maybe because the temperature has been in the 20s, or maybe because my Master Gardener classes have begun, this tile needed some color! And flowers!"

It is a winter "cure all" - warm tangles and spring flowers!

Another very warm welcome to Amrita.  She said~

I've always admired your work and follow your blog as well.
This is my first ever response. Am still to learn a lot but I think, I will get there in my own time.
Had fun trying the leaf-like Twizted.
Also on my still nascent blog Simply Amrita 

Twizted fills her string loops and free falls in through the center.  Kudos for sending in your first tile and for the fabulous vocabulary word :)

Joya said, "I never used one of these patterns before but I fell in love with all of them. It was really recreative to tangle with them, and I will use them again for sure :-)

Joya makes her tangles look layered - first the base of the straight lined Lealad, then Kiss on a slightly curved grid followed by the deeply shaded swirls of Twizted.  Notice how she began Twizted at the base of each loop.

Ilse Lukken said, "These were three new patterns to me, so I decided to keep it simple in String 074 ;-)...I really love Twizted. You can also see this tile on my blog."

Ilse's darkly defined string line, delicately lines tangles, and shading shine against the large white spaces.  

From Audrie Weisenfelder ~

Audrie tangled one side of the Lealad pattern along her string line and in the process gave it a very lace-like look.  She filled her loops with lovely Lealad and a deeply shaded Twizted.  She also posted it here on her blog.

A very warm welcome to Michele Wynne.  She wrote ~

Here's my first entry to your inspiring challenges. I've been lurking about for a couple of months now and attempting to get a few technical ducks in a row so that I am able to share the many great gifts I've received from the Zentangle community. This was a good challenge for me as I've been attempting to blur the lines of the string a bit more...

A gorgeous tile and fun to study - a background of brown Kiss that stretches out passed it's grid, a loop of one sided Lealad, and a very graceful Twizted.  Welcome!

CZT Joan Delony described her tile as "simple".   It is simple and very elegant ~

She posted  posted on her blog as well.

Katie Booth - yes, the Katie Booth - creator of Kiss, sent in her tile with a bit of an explanation...and more on her blog post...

Not sure if you want to post this because I misread Twizted as Twistee, so my tile will be quite different from the others :) I really wanted to participate in this challenge since you chose Kiss as one of the tangles, but I'm not sure I'll have time to do another by Saturday night. The post link on my website (Click here) If you want to include it, I explain my mishap. Have a good weekend!

Read her post as it is sure to make you smile.

Juul wrote, "I found this string very difficult to do with those tangles....but I absolutely wanted to finish and send my tile!"

Twizted makes a wonderful border.  Juul wraps it up and into the string loops that are filled with detailed tangles.  It must have taken determination to get it finished.  Bravo!

A very warm welcome to Magdalene Lee who wrote ~

I'm new to tangling, and this is my first time submitting a tile for a challenge. Tangling has been very enjoyable. I've never been artistic, and it's wonderful how Zentangle allows even me to produce artwork! ... At first glance Twizted looked like it would be the hardest, but in the end I enjoyed it the most.

Notice how Magdalene tangled Lealad on the string line - both sides of the tangle split apart after they meet.   Notice the wonderful dark spaces around Twizted and those she incorporated into Kiss.



CZT Judy Wanner said, "...The tile is dark and dreary (wish I could erase!) just like our cold PA days....but good news is I got it done!"

It's good news for the rest of us, too!  Judy's dark string line is simple and lovely against her white space.  Add to that a touch of Twizted and Lealad and a clever take on Kiss.  See how she curved the detail lines of the tangle?  

Carmela wrote ~

I liked the string, but found it difficult to fit in Twizted in one of the places, so I used it under in the tile.
I am not happy with the result, but i worked many hours on it, so I decided to show this and not make an other one.
At my blog 

Sometimes in tangling, it is the process that is more pleasing than the finished piece at first- but over time the artwork does become treasured as I am sure this will for Carmela.  

 The delicate detail lines of Lealad make a nice back drop for her larger tangles. 

Sandra sent "many greetings from Germany" ~

I didn't know the patterns and so I tried them out and had some tiles I wasn't really satisfied with... But then I tangled Kiss and Lealad in combination with Punch and Clove and this is my result ;-)
It was a great fun to do this tile and I am sure I will use Kiss and Lealad again. They are so nice.
I posted the tile on my blog too:

What a pretty tile.  Sandra's tangles blend so smoothly together and shading makes them stand out.

Beverly sent in two tiles this week ~

Notice how she used larger Kiss centers - free from a grid - to accent her string lines.


A very warm welcome to Dr. Neha Sanwalka who wrote ~

Thank you for the wonderful challenge. I am new to the world of Zentangle & Tangling. This is my first "It's a string thing" challenge...
I have shared the tangled tile on my blog too...

Her work is bright and colorful.  Notice the graceful flow of Twizted she accomplished.

Christine Forrester wrote ~

This week's challenge was really exciting. I was not familiar with any of the Tangles and I got a little lost with Kiss but was amazed at Twizted, just changing the shading makes it look so different, so I have sent you two attempts.

What fun to survey both tiles and the differences shading makes with these tangles.  Sparkle, thicker stripes, and pattern placement all contribute as well.


Felicity Stohfeldt sent "Seaside and sun regards" while on a little vacation on the west coast of her South Africa.  She wrote ~

Anyway, I did battle a bit with Twizted and missed your tips, owing no technology at the beach, but however it’s done. A bit strange and please excuse the hmmm? wallpaper of Lealad in the background, but it and Kiss were a (sea)breeze. Looking forward to see the wonders all the others created.

Lealad is a lovely wall paper, especially with the variations Felicity tangled.  She also alternated her shading of Kiss and left little white centers of Twizted - nice touches.

(PS Happy Birthday to your hubby!)

Annmarie said, "You made me tangle a long time with these three (very detailed) tangled and ..... I liked that."

And I like the way she expressed that.  Time to relax and time to tangle with such a delicate and pretty tile to show for it - that is a gift.  

Also on her blog...


Natasja Rijsbergen from the Netherlands wrote, "All 3 tangles are lovely!! It was a great string.
I really liked drawing and couldn't stop."

Now that is a happy thought - tangling intently and unable to stop!  Twizted hugs the string's curve and notice the two variations of Kiss.  The dark back ground is dramatic.


Sharyn Penna had the world's woes on her mind as she tangled this week.  She wrote ~

Sometimes there are weeks when we are overwhelmed by news ... this was one of those weeks.
I sat down and thought I was just going through the motions of keeping to a routine. When I completed my tile and viewed it from all angles I saw bumble bees. A symbol of immortality and resurrection, that thought soothed my heart.
I also remembered that bumble bee is considered the oldest emblem of the sovereigns of France. And with this in mind, I thought of Charlie Hebdo and those in Paris. The similarities of events in France to those in Boston a blink ago are haunting.
May the bumble bee serve once again as the symbol of perseverance and strength for France, and for us all.
Holding my micron high for freedom of speech, I thank you and send cheers for the tangles and string you chose this week. 

Amen.

From Ingrid Coventon ~

All tangle patterns were new to me.
To draw the leafs of Twizted in a comfortable way caused some difficulties, but happily your tips for tangling helped me a lot...

Two big Kisses :)  and the lines of the string loop aura in the tangle - that is wonderful touch.  Ingrid's created wonderful contrast with her bold and light lines.

Jane Glotzer said ~

This week I used some Kiss and some Twizted, but had no room left for Lalead...Lily Moon's work is quite incredible--I recently subscribed to posts from her blog... I kept it kind of simple, and focused on my linework. I had come up with a way to do Twizted (before I read your tips) as the original instructions were not that clear, so there's a bit of variation here, but of course, no mistakes--:)

Yes, Lily's work is amazing and yes, there are no mistakes :)  

By shading down the center of Twizted, Jane gave yet another lovely look to the tangle.  Notice, too, how she tangled Kiss without a grid and ran all the lines parallel.

Sue Agnew wrote ~

Here's this week's challenge. All the tangles were new to me, so it was fun to experiment and practice. Your tips for tangling Twizted were very helpful. I was drawing the leaf shape and the central line and then working outward, so working inward turns out to feel a lot smoother.
This one feels awfully busy, but it was all the things I enjoy ... the organic-ness of Twizted and the regularity of the other two, "floating" a string over repetitive grid patterns, patterns that form clean edges, and especially all the little lines. I was thinking if I shaded all of the little lines in Kiss it might make the white "flower" stand out better, but I didn't want to try it and be sorry. So here it is, busy.

Busy?  Detailed perhaps and beautifully detailed at that.   The subtle shading around Twizted does break up the similar size of the three patterns.


Traci said, "Fun tangles! Somehow mine decided to look like a couple of blimps! LOL"

They do!  Though we would be hard pressed to find blimps that were this remarkably tangled.

Notice how Traci alternated the direction of the lines in Kiss - wonderful idea.

Portia Hyde said that she tried three times and "finally got one" she liked.  Seems the string was more of a challenge than the patterns.

Wow.  That tangled string would make a beautiful piece of jewelry wouldn't it?  Portia added little perfs (circles) to the top and sides of Twizted - a little addition and a big look for the pattern.  

Peggy Kohrmann said that she "so liked learning these three new tangles."

Pure Zentangle - to learn new patterns and enjoy using them.  Peggy set a brown Kiss background for her Lealad and Twizted.  Coloring in the dark spaces helps to accent her lovely Twizted.  

From Janice L Johnson ~
I am submitting my blog site for this week's challenge... You can find my entry [here]. I enjoyed using the new tangles this week and found Lealad and Kiss to be somewhat similar and highly compatible.

That is a perfect description of the tangles and Carmela illustrated them beautifully.  Notice how she varied the shading from one tile to the next.




Susan Theron wrote ~

Here is mine.
I am not a poet
I am not a writer
But I can tangle!

Susan must be all three based on her words and work :)  Beautiful.

Lily Moon - yes, the very Lily Moon whose Lealad we are using this week - wrote ~

First of all I'm happy and honored because you chose my pattern for your challenge. Thank you again :)
Here's my tile:
And on my blog:

It is a treat to see Lily's Lealad - and there is much to learn from her.  Dark curved and sparkled lines and shading to add dimension to both Lealad and Kiss and the brown is beautiful.

Annie Taylor is back and she shared her tangled journey ~

I did enjoy this one, but I did something very unusual for me this time - I tried it three times. Didn't like the first one, the second one wasn't quite how I wanted it to be so I gave the third one some thought. I think this shows because I had to put quite a bit of effort into getting the 3D effect of the 'string'.
I liked Lealad and Kiss together but decided to give Twizted a miss, even though this is the sort of tangle I am instinctively more drawn to.
Good fun, as always, and I'm very curious to see the other entries.

Annie's determination does show - and with wondrous results.  She tangled a 3D effect with Lealad as it twists and turns around.  She drew a lighter Kiss and it is just the right background.  

CZT Lucy Banta sent her pretty tile and the link to her blog post ~

Perf filled lines of Lealad are a wonderful variation.  The four dark center orbs of Kiss Lucy added (instead of the usual one) are too.  

A very warm welcome to Christina Luis ~

Christine's tangles are detailed and delicate.  Notice how she doubled the string loops and added black and white spaces. 

Marita sent "Greetings from Holland!" ~

...love to do some tangling after a busy Christmas period!
I used Lealed to form the string. in the crosspoints I positioned one Kiss
tangle.
I wanted to use all tangles, so I tangled Twizted in the loops of the string.

Simple and so very pretty!


Henrike Bratz sent "Happy greetings from a stormy northern Germany" ~

I tangled this tile without any plan or concept – just the way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it? I’m very happy with it, especially with the shading an the empty space beneath the arc. I think it looks like an invitation to walk through. Yes, I will name this tile “invitation”.

Yes, just the way it is supposed to be.

The arc of Lealad is inviting - and inspiring.  Notice how Henrike tangled Twizted, moving around, under, and through and garnished it with little bulbs of Lealad.


Cat Trask sent  a happy note with her tile.  She said she does not always submit her tile, but eagerly follows along every week.

This week we get to see her terrific tile.  Cat tangled Lealad and Twizted string lines and filled a loop with Kiss.  

Kirsten Bish's note read ~

Enclosed please find my newest Tangle
"Bedtime for Nature". . .
I loved Twisted what a fun tangle! Kiss seemed kind of out of place - I may do another one and leave that one out. Lealad is a fun little pattern that reminds me of my childhood bedroom. 

A warm memory and warm tones of brown to go with it.  The fine straight lines of Kiss and Lealad are so very pretty against the curves of Twizted.  

CZT Sue Jacobs sent in this pretty pink tile ~

Notice how she shaded and added white highlights to create dimension. 

And now, the tile for honors this week was sent in by

Heidi.  She writes from the Midwest USA -

This is my first contribution to It's a String Thing. I first learned of zentangle a few months ago. I also found your challenges shortly afterward. I decided to start at the first one and play catch-up. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning new tangles and strings. So now that I have caught up, I am excited to enter my first tangle.
All three tangles were new to me this week. Twizted ended up being my favorite. I also played with using the inside circles as a type of magnifying glass on the Lealad tangle by making one circle a larger Lealad and the other I added Kiss on a larger scale because it has a lot of similar shapes and lines. The shading made it pop. I "twisted" Twizted around the string line in the corner!

My goodness that is a lot to accomplish in a few short months.  The details that Heidi listed are just beautiful, especially the enlarged Lealad against the smaller one. 

A very warm  welcome to Heidi and congratulations!

Thank you all for sending in your inspiring artwork.

Many thanks to the creative minds behind the string and tangles used this week ~

Kiss by Katie Booth
Lealad by Lily Moon
Twizted by CZT Terri Brown

and TanglePatterns String 074 by Melodie Hampshire

Stop back Tuesday for "It's a String Thing" #75!