"It's a String Thing" #81 Tiles

The results for this week's challenge are absolutely mesmerizing.  We used the sister tangles Phroz and Fassett created by CZT Lynn Mead along with a very angular string line.
Tanglers also had the option to use a string line of their own choosing.

Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from the Netherlands.  Carmela wrote ~

At the first sight i thought we were near before christmas, with this star string.
Wen i saw the patterns and i thought, my gosh, this never fits in
Then i started to draw the string and draw all lines to make triangles.
In the center i made Phroz and in the rest i draw Fasset.
i love both patterns, but when i start to make them, i don’t were it goes to.
At the end i could see how it turns out and this time i was very, very pleased with my end result.
Thanks for this lovely challenge and i made it with much joy an zen.
[On my Blog]

Isn't that a wonderful description of a classic Zentangle® experience?!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*small and large versions of the tangles give a sense of depth
*Fassett shaded along the outer edges frames the larger diamond 

Kristen Kostelnik Killips wrote ~

What fun this one was! Although some of my triangles were quite wonky. We have been in a deep freeze up here in Michigan, so these patterns really resonated. I used some Sakura Koi watercolors to wash the tile in blue first to really give it that frozen feel.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*dark center concentration of Phroz
*wonderful white spaces in the Fassett

From Heidi~

This was another truly enjoyable tangling experience. Phroz and Fassett are so interchangeable that they become hard to differentiate which tangle you are looking at. The center square used Phroz with 4 Fassett triangles surrounding it. The furthermost outside triangles were first trisected like Phroz and then completed with Fassett. I liked the tangle with the white space "star" but I was so enjoying myself that I couldn't resist adding Tipple to fill in between the 2 stars. The shading brought added dimension and made the stars pop.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*superb shading
*the heavier line adds great depth as well

 A very warm welcome to Talia Maynard from the UK.  She wrote -

This is my first time sending you a finished String. I hope you like it.
I found the patterns quite striking but felt they needed a little softening, hence the added circles. My shading isn't the best but I'm learning!

The shading is great - and you must know that we are all still learning :)

Tangled Tidbits - 

* circles are a nice touch
*contrast of the round and sharp lined edges
*the tangles appear layered

Ilse Lukken said ~

Fassett and Phroz are wonderful patterns, so I loved this challenge! Gave me plenty of zen :-)
You can find my tile on my blog as well.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*rich contrast
*Phroz corners and center section
*simple shading 

Lily Moon said, "I love both beautiful patterns :)"
(and on her blog)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*yummy white space
*sensational striped and sparkled lines of Fassett around the border
*perfs in the centers of Phorz

Joanne Hawes wrote ~

Love this one. Haven't used either of these before and I like them. Also use colour which I don't always do broke into my daughters pencils while she is at school. She has heaps more colours than me!. Thanks to Santa.

Isn't it a treat when you can share supplies? :)

Tangled Tidbits -
*a rainbow for Phroz
*corner star bursts of Phorz
*Tipple accents



Sandra Sch. said ~

thank you very much for your challenge. I like the star-shaped string and the both patterns with triangles.
It was really relaxing to tangle those geometric patterns for me :-)
In my blog the tile is here.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*an elegant take on the string line
*black and sparkled perfs
*splendid shading

Cathy Cusson wrote ~

Lots of fun with this one! My tile isn't very fancy, but it was nice to just sit and practice with these two relatively new tangles (at least to me). I really like how they both work and plan on using them something else in the near future.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*all light centers in the tangles
*minimal contrasts



Marie Tvrdíková sent "many greetings from the Czech Republic!" and added ~

My current tile is not very successful, I think. I was not able to cope with the space of the string. I like rounded shapes... :-(. But I have tried it and used plenty of variation, a black base too, in part of it I have used a steel pen (with a penholder) and some acrylic ink, and then a gelly pen too, but the lines are to thick. I think I have too little experience with such a complicated space. There is the rub!!! :-).
I named it: Four seasons because I can see inside the tile florets, ice and a glacier :-), ears of corn, a ploughed field, snowflakes, a Christmas star ....

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a beautiful tile to show for all of the effort put forth!
*wonderful variations of the tangles
*delicate details

Ann K said ~

Two beautiful new tangles this week. Both wonderful to draw. All those straight lines so easily lets me find zen.
And a lovely string which in cooperation with my pen quickly found it's way... I love when the tile just seems to draw itself, so relaxing.
I also posted this here.

That is a lovely description - "when the tile just seems to draw itself..."

Tangled Tidbits -

*grand white space
*dark arcs to soften the sharp corners
*elongated sections of tangles contrast well with the shorter ones


Sharyn Penna said ,"...I love how Fassett and Phroz combine seamlessly yet are still very distinct. Each line a ray of warm sunshine. Thank you for a happy tangling prompt! "

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Phroz center with arced lines - gorgeous!
*shading and aura accent the center and lend a beautifully layered look

Lucy Banta, CZT said, "Here's my tile this week! The challenge was fun, I hope mine doesn't look like everyone else's."

That made me smile because I wondered myself how much variation these similar tangles would yeild.  I am sure by now, my dear readers, that you are as astounded as I am!

Tangled Tidbits -

*shaded lines of Phroz
*alternating shaded lines of Fassett

Audrie Wiesenfelder wrote ~

Well here we are doing a challenge using Fassett again, and I unknowingly used a gray tile; the same as I did the last go around. I didn't even realize the repeat until after I finished and went back and read your "Tips for Tangling Fassett" (after the fact). I clicked on the link to see the tiles from that challenge, and lo and behold; there was my gray tile. I wonder what it is about Fassett that makes me think "Gray"?
Anyway, as I mention in my blog, I found that regardless of whether I was tangling Fassett or Phroz, the results looked the same. I played around with both patterns, and each time they looked different. All in all, both patterns seem quite versatile.

Tangled Tidbits - 

* gray suites the tangles and makes white centers shine
*great balance of light and heavier weighted lines

Magdalene Lee said ~

I was happy to see another duotangle this week! I loved the tangles this week, but for some reason I had a bit of difficulty with them. I did two tiles, both with the suggested string, and I'm submitting the second of these for the challenge. I've posted it on myblog as well. The string was calling for a symmetrical tile, but I didn't want to do anything symmetrical, and I tried very hard to break up the regularity of the string.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*sparkled Fassett
*dot and dashed Fassett
*detached Fassett
*wonderful details

Susan Theron wrote, "Thanks for the tips on how to tangle Fassett. Here is my contribution. Also on my blog."

Tangled Tidbits -

*black and white centers of the tangles
*detailed center with great divide of white space

Emily Shelton wrote of her journey ~

Well, this was fun...not. I decided to explore all the things I could do with both of these patterns for a couple of days. But when I started working within the confines of the string, I couldn't really figure out how to do much beyond the basics.

Thanks for the follow up post mid-week to explain the finer points of Fassett. I had already figured out the need to intersect all 3 points of each triangle. But I couldn't figure out how to get a large enough field of Fassett within String #81 to get the lovely star to emerge. I can't wait to see how everyone else did it.
I almost gave up entirely, but gave it one last try this morning. Not very imaginative, but then again I had two preschoolers staying all night. I'm blaming it all on them!! BTW - the light blue is homage to Phroz -- Now that I've got 3 young granddaughters, anything that looks or sounds like Disney's Frozen has got to have some pretty blue in it. I made about a dozen Frozen-themed pieces for Christmas last year.

Granddaughters do have a way of influencing every wonderful thing !

Tangled Tidbits - 

*daring dark mid section
*elongated points of Phroz

Michele Wynne said ~

This was a fun one. I loved the string and the patterns were a natural fit. They were both new to me and it took some doodling practice to get comfy with them.
This also came on the heels of the Diva challenge to use new tools, hence the watercolor Printemps. I  had every intention of leaving white space in that area but the watercolors were sitting right there and I just couldn't help myself.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*wonderful details
*dark perfs at the center of Phroz
*kudos for trying a new tool :)

Lucy Hesford said, "Here are my two submissions for this week's challenge.[on]my blog ."

Tangled Tidbits - 

*grand use of white space
*sections appear bejeweled 

*very pleasing light and dark balance

From Ingrid Coventon, with happy greetings ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*the aura-like appearance of the outside Fassett
*dark arrows
*lace-like look of the lighter tangles

From Juul ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*sharp, splendid light and dark contrasts
*lace-like detail of the background


Joan Delony said,"I love these two patterns. This tile didn't turn out like I thought it would, but I sure had a great time drawing it."

Tangled Tidbits -

*a flurry of lovely tangles
*slight differences in tangles sizes, just enough to hold attention for a long time

Annie Taylor wrote, "Great fun doing this tangle - I enjoyed the very triangular theme!! Fassett was always a favourite but I do like Lynn's new one too."

Tangled Tidbits -
*Phorz center
*alternating pattern and white spaces
*great shading

Joya said, "...here's my tile for the String Thing. It remembers me to a window in a church or an ornament. I think I will do it again with some watercolored background, that might look good :o)

Tangled Tidbits -
*large Phorz in the center beautifully compliments the corner 'sprays'
*fabulous shading


Jane Glotzer mused ~

This week's tangles were appropriate for around here...we've had a lot of snow, snow, snow and everything is phrozen, phrozen, phrozen!

I did take you up on your offer this time to maybe use another string for these tangles...lots of triangles to begin, but then I ended up with some other shapes, too! As you may have surmised from our correspondence, I usually do a bit of pre-planning/thinking about where certain patterns might go--:) but this time I just jumped in with the Fassett in the upper right area, and then did the two larger Phroz in the top left and bottom right. Before I knew it, the rest of it had created itself! The only ending decision I made was filling in the black surrounding the Phroz variation, and leaving the centers unattached and empty...love the contrast with all the lines.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a reverse Phorz - white centers and black outlines - very striking
*soft shading


Natasja Rijsbergen siad ~

I was so busy this week..... I had to make time for drawing. I did because I really love your challenge.
Phroz was new... and Fasset is a tangle I already love. I will use Phroz more often because I really loved tangling it!  

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a wonderful reminder to take time to tangle :)
*superb depth achieved with thicker black lines and shading
*aura-ed center section

Portia Hyde said, "Until today, I didn’t really like Fassett and Phroz, but find they can be interesting."

Tangled Tidbits -
*a happy discovery with the tangles
*white, shaded, and black centers of the tangles
*alternating black and white lines of Phroz



Jackie J. wrote, "I enjoyed thinking of ways to vary the two tangles. You can also view the tile on my blog."

Tangled Tidbits - 

*shading, shading, and more fabulous shading
*detail lines and dark centers of Phroz

Peggy Kohrmann said ~

I liked having only two tangles this week. It was tough for me to tell the difference at first but once I started drawing it was easy to see the differences. Fassett was one of the first tangles I did when I began my journey with your String Thing. #25 was the one and I did all the tangles but didn't make a tile.
Your choice for the string was a whopper! I had no idea how anything would fit but suddenly the center was Phroz and after finishing that part, I saw the Fassett variation would fit the outer part.
The shading helps define the different types.

It is tangled magic, isn't it?

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Phroz center and corners
*shading adds great depth

Annemarie said, "I liked this one a lot and had fun tangling it. My result is quite simple nut nevertheless I do like it."  (and here on her blog)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*wonderful play on the patterns
*alternating white and detailed spaces

Suzy Moshier said ~

I had never used Phroz or Fassett. I had too much trouble with string 082 so I didn't use it.
I had trouble at first telling the two patterns apart, so it took some practice to finally get a tile done.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*shades of blue add dimension

*fiery orange and yellow Fassett

From James Hyde ~

Tangled Tidbits -

*dark surrounds make the tangles shine
*shaded centers of Fassett


Gillie Rhodes wrote ~

I liked the way this turned out..reminds me of a old fashioned compass..but right up until the last minutes I thought it was terrible..then did the cross hatching and shading and loved it!...just goes to show what a difference those finishing touches make!

The finishing touches can transform a tile.

Tangled Tidbits ~
*superb shading of Fassett
*perf caps
*white space takes on its own lovely shape thanks to the neighboring tangles


A note from Felicity Strohfeldt to bring a smile ~

Anyway as for Tile 81, Judi Palumbo’s String 082, Lynn Mead’s Fassett and Phroz this week, I phroz at first sight of this lot. I studied every fasset of the challenge and then contrary to my not going for geometrical shapes and patterns, I decided to adopt artist licence and changed the string into a symmetrical double star. Apologies Judi. I Fassetted the centre string and used a light version of Phroz. The result, I think, is a cross between a phrozty snowflake or a wintery star.
I noticed something interesting while doing this challenge. When I started doing zentangle last year, I couldn’t draw successful free-hand straight lines to save my life, and look at me now! Chuffed with myself.

As you should be, Felicity!  Congratulations :)

Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely line work
*dark center moves outward to lighter tangles and white spaces
*shading adds to layered look

Speaking of stars and ornaments... Henirke Bratz makes some of the most delicately intricate straw ornaments.  She showcases and sells them from her website, Handgefertigte Strohsterne.  Some parallels to our tangles this week can be seen in her work ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*center star carried through the white space and to the ends of the tile
*pretty accents perfs
*variety of tangle sizes

And now, the tangle for honors this week was sent in by
Lynn Mead, CZT
Yes, that would be the very same Lynn Mead who brought us Fassett and Phorz - how exciting is that?!

Lynn wrote - 

How could I pass this challenge up? Answer, I couldn't. Here is my tile using Fassett and Phroz in string 82 with just a couple minor tweaks. Anxiously waiting to see what wonderful tiles everyone else produces.
Thanks for using Fassett and Phroze in this weeks It's a String Thing challenge.

                       

Congratulations and many thanks to you Lynn, I have a little something coming in the mail to you.


I think Lynn will be very pleased with the results of this week's challenge.  The tiles created and submitted were just fabulous and her patterns were beautifully represented.

Many thanks to Lynn and to all the talented tanglers for the spectacular submissions and to
TanglePatterns  for String 082 by Judi Palumbo.


Stop back tomorrow afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #82!