"It's a String Thing" #103 Tiles

This week's string reminded me of an ocean wave with all of its momentum and beauty.
While there are similarities in pattern placement, each tile is intriguingly unique.
Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Tina Kirchhübel (Germany) ~

This week's challenge was very difficult for me. But I tried it and enjoyed the process a lot. Here is the result. You can find my tile also on flickr Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*bold black spaces and aura of MI2
*thick stacks of Mr.E, varying line thickness and well shaded
*white space string lines


From Anita Aspfors Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) ~

Here comes my tile. When I saw the patterns you´d chosen, my first thought was NO!. I couldn´t see them together. But when I had worked on it I found something I didn´t expected. They matched!

Tangled Tidbits -
*the tangles meld beautifully
*it is very true that all tangles "match" - part of the magic of it all...
*balance of light, dark, and shaded spaces


From The Yorshire Tortoise (Ireland) ~

...Unlike you, I don't really enjoy Meer, i find it a rather ugly pattern, although I have seen it drawn very finely by other people. I do enjoy Mr E though. It is one of the first patterns I came across and I just loved how it fills different shaped spaces. As I said on my blog, I preferred the string upside down :-)

Tangled Tidbits -
*great orientation of the string
*Mr.E oozes to fill its spaces
*sparkled and shaded Meer


From Jessie Plouffe (Connecticut) ~

For this week's challenge I decided to focus on Mr. E and Mi2 since I
am not a huge fan of Meer. I used Mr. E in the large portion of the
string similar to how I draw Crescent Moon, and added some Tipple to
make it more elegant. I then put Mi2 in the next largest areas, and
decided to leave the smallest areas blank except for a bit of shading.

Tangled Tidbits ~

*a fabulous edge to Mr.E
*MI2 has great depth
*wonderful white space



From Beverly Gotthardt ~

Meer and Mr. E shouted they wanted to be in this string. When you hear those shouts you know the tangles are going to flow from your pen where they want to be on the tile. LOL
Here's the link to my tile

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Yes,that is very true!
*large and lovely Meer
*bubbling Mr.E


From Kim Winebrenner ~

I love your blog. Finally I have had the time to finish one of your challenges. I had a good time dong this one. Thanks. [my blog]

Tangled Tidbits - 

*detailed Mr.E
*large and small Meer
*repeated perfs of Meer in the center of Mr.E


From Dorothy Allison (Adelaide, South Australia) ~

I really enjoyed the organic feel to this string.
Cheers

Tangled Tidbits - 

*fabulous blend of Mr.E and Meer in the curl of the string
*pretty variation of MI2
*just a touch of shading to accent the white space

From Sabrina (Finalnd via Norway :D) ~

...I am writing you from my trip to the Nordkapp in Norway :) I drew my tile in a more or less shaky car :D but I am in love with the result . I loved the patterns this week :)
Greetings from the road!
My blog

Tangled Tidbits - 

*super shading
*marvelous curves in all three tangles
*nice touch of sparkle


A very warm welcome to  Holly Morales (S.F. Bay Area, CA) ~

I following It’s a String Thing a few months back. I really enjoy the beautiful artwork that’s shared. This is my first attempt at emailing my work, hopefully I did it correctly. One of the funnest things about “String Thing” is learning new tangles, this week was no exception. Meer is fun and I use it a lot. Mr. E I’d seen, but never tried. Mi2 was new, I liked Rick’s “bare bones” version of it for this tile though. Thank you for the weekly challenges and the Wed. Words of Wisdom, love it all!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*striped and sparkled Mr.E
*simple, sharp MI2
*fabulous Mr.E curl


From Sarah Antoinette (Michigan) ~

I used Mr E and MI 3 in the string. There were some 'big' tangles to squeeze in there this week, at least for me. I'm happy I stuck with the string and the tangles look similar to what they were in the step outs! I hope! :). Thanks!
[my blog]

Tangled Tidbits - 

*string line curl filled with Mr.E
*wonderful background of MI2
*soft shading

From Joanne (England) ~

Here is my it's a string thing #103 entry.
I'm liking this one the string the tangles. I need to work more on mi2 it was kind of messy so surprise surprise my brain said don't do it. So I listened!! :)
The thing that took me nearly the longest time was picking which way round I liked the string the best. Even after I was was finished I was still turning it around before finally deciding. I love the spiral bit.
Mr. E is fun haven't used it before. After I filled mr. E in that section of the string which original I had thought I'd put meer there. I was going to then put meer in that lovely white space, brain was saying no again it will be too much!. It was talking to me a lot during this challenge! ( haha am I going mad maybe I shouldn't be saying this out loud?).
It's on my blog too come and take a look around and see what else I'm up too :)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*what a great thought process - and tangle to show for it
*beautifully shaded Mr.E
*darkened spaces around the tangles add depth


From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~

When I first saw this week's string, I thought immediately, "How Burton-esque." (Tim, not Richard.) I fought the urge, played by the rules, stayed with the string, and used all three patterns in my first tile.
But then the madness took over, a bit of skewed Beetlejuice sneaking into #2, and before I knew it I had Mr. E turning into Oogie Boogies in front of my eyes in #3. All too fun, once again.
There are no thanks too profuse to offer you for all you do.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*marvelous takes on Meer's center line - ribbon, woven, and zigzagged
*Mr.E tapers and expands
*MI2 in various sizes


K. Bish (Michigan) ~

I loved this challenge! What a treat. I sat down to tangle and the next thing I knew, I was about done. School supplies in the stores meant new colored pencils and this tangle just seemed to scream for color.
MR. E is one of my go to tangles when my brain won't seem to function properly of a morning but I love it none the less and, as you say fun to do.
MEER is another great tangle I love the line work... What fun!
MI2 is a tangle I have tried before, I really want to master this one because I love the tangles that weave together.... More work is necessary.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a perfect name for a colorful tile
*rainbow Mr.E
*three intersecting sections of Meer


From Ragged Ray (The UK) ~

What a lovely tangling week I have spent with your latest Challenge!
There is something about that extra bit of concentration that Mi2 asks for that really gets me in the Zen zone. I think it's about the need to stop and look and focus on each stroke. Those moments where you feel that something isn't quite right, something is out of balance and then realise you've missed an aura or a seed. I loved it - it was just what I need this week. And I kept a record of my tile as I progressed (I sometimes aim to but rarely do!) - and I thought I'd send that too as the journey is sometimes as interesting as the destination!
A slight tweak to the string and I set the scene for a peeling away of Mi2 (with added Meer and Mr. E) wallpaper! I've always loved peeling away old paper to see the patterns, the people, the lives that live behind. Nothing there this time though, just white space!

Tangled Tidbits -
*a royal treat to read - and see - the process
*MI2 embellished with Mr.E and Meer - very creative
*great shaded edges of the white space curl


From Susan Szathmary ~

Loved the challenge of Mi2!

Tangled Tidbits -
*rows of neatly tangled MI2 blend with Meer
*curls of Mr.E
*deep black spaces


From Susan Theron (South Africa) ~

Here my contribution. After drawing MI2, I thought that it did not look so good, but then remembered - it is Zentangle - you can do what you want, as long as you enjoy it, and that I did.
on my blog 

Tangled Tidbits -
*yes - so true!
*a Mr.E curl and a Meer curl
*stripes and sparkle for Mr.E


From Juul (France) ~

I think I made what you call a monotangle?
Lots of love from france

Tangled Tidbits -
*a very pretty monotangle
*center thicker line of Meer is complimented by the black background
*wonderful shading


From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~

Here is my tile for String Thing 103. These were new patterns for me, and I think I need more practice on them. But it was still a fun challenge. I like how Meer and Mr. E wrapped around each other. My husband thinks Mr. E looks like caterpillars.:)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*rows of Mr.E with darkened spaces
*black perfs of Meer
*dew drop detail


From Ann (Denmark) ~

Great tangles in this weeks challenge! I am really happy to have learned Meer. Such a great tangle, I love doing all those lines. :)
Mi2 and Mr E I already knew though someone seem to have pulled the line on my Mr E... But no mistakes in zentangle right?! ;)
My tile is also on my blog

Tangled Tidbits -
*remarkable perspective
*very detailed Meer - sparkle, thick and thin lines, shading...
*grand variation of MI2


From Lisa Preston (Georgia) ~

I loved Meer so much I considered stopping after I laid it in, but I persevered trying to use the other two as well. I really like the elaborate version of MI2, but felt this tile needed something simpler, so I used the version from Rick's demo. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
Looking forward to seeing all the tiles. I'm always totally blown away by the incredible creativity of this community.

Tangled Tidbits -
*marvelous MI2 - tapered edges, tipple, shading
*thicker middle line of Meer
*just a touch of Mr.E


From Sally Sheldon (Massachusetts) ~

Here is my entry for the week. I did not mean to have a ghost floating through but there was a need for contrast in the center. I do enjoy the challenges you present. It is great to try so many strings and new patterns. Thank you. I learn something new each week.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*superb shading
*black surround for Mr.E
*sharply angled Meer 

From Simone (Germany) ~

while you (hopefully) had lots of fun with your grandchildren I had fun with this patterns.
Thank you Adele!
This time I did not use any additional colour (but it was hard for me to do not!!)
You can find my tile also on [my blog]

Tangled Tidbits -
*two wonderful variations of Meer in one - perfs and sparkled stripes
*marvelous MI2 - note the darkened edge of each diamond
*a lighter Mr.E


From Debi Jacob (Wisconsin) ~

 #103!! Thanks as always for the wonderful string. Can't wait to see how other tanglers filled this string. I plan to use it again.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a pretty blend of tangles
*detailed MI2
*white space accents the tangles


From CZT Lucy Banta (New Jersey) ~

I really like the MI2 tangle, but need to practice more and/or find a larger area to try, maybe a monotangle.
Here's the link to my blog

Tangled Tidbits -
*Mr.E flows right out of Meer
*shading adds depth
*dark MI2 compliments the lighter Mr.E


A very warm to Jacquelyn Melanson (Maine) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*long and lovely strands of Mr.E
*straight lined Meer
*detailed MI2


From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

I love the tangles that offer lots of shading options... and this weeks prompt gave us three! Thank you for helping me find shade during a heat wave! Hope you have another grand week!

Tangled Tidbits -
*overlapping Meer
*MI2 curves with the string lines
*a fabulous filler of Mr.E


From CZT Cheryl Rotnem (California) ~

Here it is. I struggled at the end of Mi2. No mistakes right?
Otherwise I like it.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*that's right! - and it did take shape
*nicely shaded Meer
*great curl of Mr.E


From Juliane Lopes (Florida) ~

I found Mr. E challenging, and I didn't like what I did at first, but the shading really pulled it together in my opinion.
Thanks for all you do!

Tangled Tidbits -
*perfs of Meer are highlighted between the thick black edge and great shading
*fabulous fills of Mr.E


From Lily (Hungary) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*sensational MI2 - note how Lily adds one white dot to the dark rice shapes
*a sublime Mr. E
*many detail lines for Meer


From Michele Wynne (California) ~

Thanks for another fun challenge! I love this string and a re-visit with some tangles I haven't used in a long time. I forgot how much I enjoy drawing Mr.E. I wish I'd given it more space. Meer is such a relaxing pattern to draw. I love doing straight lines...although I went a little off the mark a few times
;-) 

Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely shading adds such softness to the tangles
*curls of Meer and Mr.E
*wonderful depth in MI2


From Cathy Cusson ~

Mi2 gives me a fit. I really love the way it looks, but I just can't seem to make mine look the way I want it to. My tile is simple. I spent all my energy trying to conquer Mi2. I will...

Tangled Tidbits -
*a very nice MI2
(It can be difficult to add many details if the spaces between the initial rice shapes is narrow.)
*well shaded Meer
*grand white space


From Linda Gonclaves (Pennsylvania) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*double dark spaces in the center of each Mr.E
*they repeat in Meer
*aura-ed centers of MI2


From Sidney Kapinos (Virginia) ~

Attached is my tile for this week's challenge. [Here is the] link to my blogThis was a difficult challenge for me. I could not figure out how to fit the designated tangles within the curving, spiraling string. Eventually I chose to modify the string a good bit in order to fit in the patterns. I predict that once the results are posted on Monday I’ll realize that there were all sorts of creative ways to follow the string that I didn’t see. Anyhow I learned two new tangles this week, and had fun with this tile.
As always, thank you for providing us with a good Zentangle challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a good reinforcement to listen to the tangles, it adds to the relaxing nature of tangling
*marvelous MI2
*super shading


From Becky Welty (North Carolina) ~

My friend, Beth, introduced me to dew drops. I'm hooked. They are so much fun.

Tangled Tidbits -
*bold string lines
*floating dew drops
*curl flows out of MI2


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Mi2 is such a nice tangle pattern, but I never had the guts to try it, because it seemed to complicated to me. I was afraid to get lost when tangling. But with this challenge I had to give it a chance. I did not practice before on another piece of paper. I directly drew on the tile. So this is my first try ever with Mi2, and I still have to practice a lot more. Meer and Mr.E were new to me too. But I am happy with the result of this whole tile.

Tangled Tidbits -
*a hearty congratulations on learning MI2 so well
*Meer curl - note how Ingrid treated the lines as they intersected
*super shading througout


From Donna Flynn (Maine) ~

Less is more - the theme of my submission. M12 was new for me, and challenging to make look neat. I love Meer!

Tangled Tidbits -
*MI2 is beautiful - note how Donna carried the diamond shape outward
*dark, sparkled perfs of Meer
*Mr.E morphed with Meer


From Linda Bladen (UK) ~

Here's my tangle for this week. Feel like I've had a work out with this one. Haven't used Mi2 before but enjoyed the challenge. 

Tangled Tidbits - 

*another gorgeous MI2
*softly shaded puffs of Mr.E
*Meer shaded toward the edges with a lighter middle



From Talia Maynard (London, UK) ~

Here's my contribution to string 103. I hadn't seen any of this week's tangles before and I really love the simplicity of Meer so I went for a monotangle of that with a bit of colour thrown in. I'm really pleased with the way it came out, and also that I managed to squeeze the challenge in this week!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a showcase of Meer
*narrow rows for the background
*large swirls in the string curl

From Sue Agnew (Arizona) ~

Here's String Thing #103. I love Mi2 and wish I'd had a chance to "perfect" my rendition of it. Meer was one of the first tangles I learned (actually literally the second ... we did Crescent Moon first and then Meer) ... and I didn't notice till this week that there's a double line between the "pearls" and the parallel lines. I'm not sure if it makes a difference or not. Anyway, I also enjoyed trying Mr.E. I liked it sideways ... reminded me of a stack of pumpkins. Thanks!

Tangled Tidbits -
*a masterful blending of tangles
*elegant unraveled edges of MI2
*a light, just right, sparkle and shading


From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~

That was a challenge that I found even more challenging than usual. I really like Mr E. It is fun to let all the little growths compete with each other for space - a bit of a metaphor for life when you think about it. I have spent a lot of time this week playing with that one. 

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Mr. E 'growths' nicely accented with black
*black, loosely spaced perfs of Meer
*pretty MI2


From Katie Booth (Texas) ~

Here is my entry for this week's challenge. I haven't been drawing for awhile...it's nice to be back.
Here is the link from my webpage

Tangled Tidbits -
*great dark Mr.E curl
*lovely touch of MI2
*light and dark contrasting backgrounds
Welcome back!


From Portia Hyde (Michigan) ~

Waiting until the last minute caused no anxiety and led to spontaneity. Just gave it a whirl.

Tangled Tidbits -
*...and have a masterpiece to show for it!
*two variations of MI2
*wonderful contrast of light and dark



From Karin (Germany) ~

this is my entry to # 103.
This time I only used two of the patterns. First I was not content with the result but after a while I got used to it...

Tangled Tidbits - 

*horizontal rows of MI2
*nicely detailed Meer
*soft shading


A very warm welcome to Elisa Pahlawan (Paris, France) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*full MI2 background
*billowing Mr.E
*pretty touch of aura for Meer



From Efie (Holland) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*a Mr.E filled curl
*Meer with wide and narrowly spaced lines
*a vine-like MI2


From Sandra (Germany) ~

many thanks for this nice challenge :-)
I used two of the three patterns for my tile and I really liked the curvy string.
On my blog

Tangled Tidbits - 

*a string curl of Mr.E - note the varied line thickness and shading
*Meer on all sides of the center curl
*nice touch of sparkle


From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) ~

 Enjoyed the challenge immensely when I was able to get stuck in... See it on my blog too. Have a great week. Regards from South Africa.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*perfs and stripes for Meer
*MI2's lines break from the grid and curl
*fabulous shading and use of white space

And now...the tile for honors this week...was sent in by
Henrike Bratz of Germany!

She wrote ~

this week’s challenge gave me so much joy! At the moment I’ve got some days off from work. I intended to spend these days diving in the Baltic Sea with a friend, but it’s cold, rainy and even stormy. so no diving but lots of time for tangling. And I enjoy the leisure of spending time tangling without being interrupted and without other things to be done. It made the strokes more smooth and fluent. And I think you might perhaps be able to discover this in my tile.
I also posted my tile here 

Tangled Tidbits -
*very mindful stokes of the pen, as Henrike described them
*the orientation of the string suites the movement of the tangles
*MI2 is curved and gives the illusion of depth, of being interwoven
*Meer maintains its angled lines as it curves around
*a touch of sparkle and sublime shading

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

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

TanglePatterns String 103 by Grace McIntyre

Meer by Maria Thomas 
MI2 by Mimi Lempart  
Mr.E by Shawn Hayden 

Now that we are all caught up, be sure to 

Click here to check out "It's a String Thing" #104 - 

come join in the birthday celebration!