Tips for Tangling Warped Eggs

Warped Eggs, a wonderful pattern by Livia Chua, was featured in last week's IAST #137.

There were many compliments for the look of Warped Eggs, but many tanglers experienced difficulty when trying to draw it.

I have spent some time this week studying the tangle, and have drawn up Tips for Tangling that I hope you will find helpful.

Livia's original step out has the first 'C' curve lines running horizontally.
My alternate step out below begins by working vertically.  For me, this small change proves to make a big difference in orienting the tangle.  See what you think...

ENJOY!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Earth laughs in flowers.  

                                                                                  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mel Mel Zendala by Adele Bruno, CZT

"It's a String Thing" #138

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

It is also a daring departure from our usual Tuesday routine.  Instead of using a given string, we will create our own with my tangle Citrus.

The step out can be found by clicking here.

Citrus can be used as a string and that is just what we will do, create our own configuration of the pattern and in turn create a string.


Here is the challenge:

Create a tile using Citrus.  Choose your approach from one of these two suggestions:

Create a monotangle of Citrus and embellish the tangle to your liking.

     - OR -

Create a monotangle of Citrus and then fill in the sections of the tangle with pattern/s of your choosing.
(Please be sure to include the name/s of the tangles featured on your tile.)

The results will be very exciting to see.  Each one will be very unique - from the amount of Citrus, to the size and shape, to the tangles and/or embellishments that fill them.

Have fun creating and may your experience be filled with zen!


Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.
*Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays. 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.  WHEN YOU SIGN YOUR NAME, PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE YOU LIVE.  
FOR EXAMPLE:   ADELE BRUNO (FLORIDA)

PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary for you to have a blog or website to participate. 
In order to eligible for the drawing, you must send in your completed tile.

If you do have a blog or website, I will add a link upon request. 
Please include the site specific URL. 

I look forward to your emails.

"It's a String Thing" #137 Tiles

Happy Easter Monday!

I hope you enjoyed - and are still enjoying - a joyous celebration.

Our string line this week included an oval (egg) shape and the tangles were very spring-like. The pattern Warped Eggs proved to be a bit of a challenge to many contributors this week.  To make it easier to understand and use, I will work up some Tips for Tangling and post it on Thursday.

Let's take a look ~

The first email arrived from smgg (Taiwan) and here on her Instagram ~

Have a nice day!!!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Warped Eggs defines the string section (much like Rhoda Roy's tile from Vancouver Island, Canada, posted further down the page - I just love when tanglers from across the globe has similar approaches to a string.)
*aura and dark sparkled perfs for Zenith


From Juul (France) ~

Chère Adèle
Finally I tangled a "finished" tile....i'm very happy about that!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Mel Mel string line - the curves compliment the horizontal lines of the oval string section
*Zenith weaves in and out as it curves along


From Joanne Faherty (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) ~

Happy Easter Adele loved this weeks string thing not used warped eggs before lots of concentration needed it looks ok though if you don't look too close .

 Tangled Tidbits ~
*alternating white spaces that feature two beautiful variations of Zenith
*Mel Mel springs from Warped Eggs


From Anna Barbro (Portugal/Norge) and here on her blog ~

Here is my contribution for iast #137
All the tangles are new to me but I liked them a lot and, your string made me just start - love it!
Have a Happy Easter and thank you so much for these cal`s you are administrating!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*large, lovely Mel Mel sparkled and yellow
*sparkled stripes for Warped Eggs - notice the depth that adds - and interest when only some of them are finished that way


From Cheryl Stocks (Black Canyon City, Arizona) and also here on her Flickr feed ~

Thank you for posting these challenges. I appreciated the link to the IAST that had Zenith in it, as it's not one I've quite wrapped my head around. YET!
Still have a way to go!
I drew your egg string diagonally and it turned out looking like a lemon. I put the Warped Egg in as I did and it all looked like an Angry Bird and I really had "lemon" on my mind. I still have several yet on my tree and it recently bloomed. So Mel Mel turned into a giant lemon blossom. When I started adding color pencil to it, the middle turned into a suggestion of a butterfly. I kept to a pastel palette as a nod to the Easter theme and added the yellow as I was really stuck on having a "lemon!"

Tangled Tidbits - 

*creative blend of the tangles in large format

*dots, stripes, and sparkle

From Sarah (Michigan) and here on her blog ~

This week's string was great fun. I liked it. I wasn't dreading negotiating all the curves like I used to. It's still not 'perfect' but it's not supposed to be, right? :)
Always love Mel Mel, and Zenith was a good one for curves! Warped Eggs didn't make it, but I did practice and plan on getting it down better! Happy Easter!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely shades of pink and green for the pretty tangles
*aura and Mel Mel creates the string's oval


A very warm welcome to Christie King (Kansas) ~

You do such a great job hosting these challenges! Thank you. I look forward to the entries each week as there are so many talented tanglers!
This is my first entry and excited to join in the fun. All three of these tangles are new to me and MelMel proved much more difficult that I thought it would. I was a little frustrated with my practice attempts and ended up going with a variation surrounding the egg. I used a 4x4 tan tile with sepia and black Copic Multiliners and a gelly roll pen for the circles.
Happy Easter!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkled for Warped Eggs
*open line variation of Zenith


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~

So, last week I switched things up by using a round tile for our Pi Pie. And this week, I went all out with colour - I'm usually quite cautious about using colour, but it's now officially Spring and I went out in the sun the other day and could actually believe that the seasons are shifting. So I broke out the watercolours and coloured pencils and here you have it!
A single line of Warped Eggs for the two bands, which offered up some neat little cups to hold your MelMel, plus a simple version of Zenith to allow me to carry it outwards to the edges.
Happy Springtime, Happy Easter,

 Tangled Tidbits -
*single lines of Warped Eggs with Mel Mel sprouting from them
*Zenith echoes outward from the first row of it along the string's oval - that is beautiful.


From Susan (United Kingdom) ~

I had some problems with the Warped Eggs so there are three variations going down the left hand side. Think I cracked it eventually! Happy Easter to you.

I appreciate a good pun!
Tangled Tidbits -
*three variations of Zenith decorate the string's ribbons
*aura and perfs for Mel Mel


From Michele Wynne (California) ~

Thanks for this fun challenge! I didn't take this very far "out-of-the-box". It seemed pretty obvious where each pattern was going to go so I didn't over think it. I'd started this on a plain white tile, then I found an old watercolor practice page in my bag of tricks and thought the colors were very Easter so I cut out a tile from that section.
Happy Easter

 Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkle, highlights, shading, and color add wonderful depth to the tangles
*white Mel Mel with just a touch of black line to define it


From Karen Aiken ( Alberta, Canada)  and here on her blog ~

This was a tough one … I didn’t like my first attempt and the finished tile ended up in the trash. First time I’ve actually had to toss a tile. But I tried again and like this one better. I am not in love with it, ha ha - but I did give it my best shot. Didn’t include Warped Eggs, as I couldn’t figure it out. I tried and tried and finally threw in the towel. Some tangles just do not compute for me, ha ha. Like Vega … CANNOT get Vega for the life of me.
Anyhow, here is my tile. I love love LOVE Mel Mel though - what a fun tangle!

Tangled Tidbits -
*aura of Zenith border flows through the string's ribbons
*super shading adds depth


From Karen L, the Creative Miss L, (Canberra, Australia) and here on her blog ~

Here is my Easter Egg tile.
Of the 3 Tangles, I found Warped Egg really hard to draw. It looks great on the step out but I couldn't get the guidelines to look right when I tried it in my sketch pad. I decided not to even try getting this Tangle to fit into a string. What I did instead was cover a black tile with Warped Egg, cut the egg shape out a of normal Zentangle Tile and stuck the black tile behind it. This is another case of making lemonade out of lemons.

Tangled Tidbits -
*very clever idea to layer the tangles, literally!
*pretty use of  Mel Mel along the border


From Sabine (Germany) and here on her blog ~

here is my tile for the Easter week. Zenith wasn't easy to draw - now I have seen your simple tip, it's really easier, and I knowing it for the next time :)
I love Mel Mel, to draw it makes a lot of fun. Warped Eggs are also beautiful. Thank you for an other great challenge. I wish you Happy Easter.
Lovely greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*large, medium, and small grids for Warped Eggs
*multiple variations of both Zenith and Mel Mel (in black and brilliant blue)


From Sandra (Germany) and here on her blog ~

thanks for this nice easter challenge :-) I loved the string!Normally I prefer black and white tiles, but in this Easter challenge I added some colour :-)
Have a nice Easter weekend!
Many greetings from germany...

Tangled Tidbits -
*continuous aura line for Zenith
*deeply shaded string oval accent the colorful Mel Mel and Zenith


A very warm welcome to Bea (Switzerland) ~

I follow your great blog already for some months. Sometimes I tried to draw a tile, sometimes I just admire all the great tiles from all the other tanglers. So fare I was never satisfied with my work. But today on Eastern I thought that I could submit my first tile for your challenge.
Thank you very much for all you work and your great blog.
Happy Easter (Frohe Ostern in German)

Tangled Tidbits -
*pops of white space in Warped Eggs
*fancy aura of Mel Mel


From Kate (United Kingdom) ~

Here is my contribution to this week's challenge.
Wishing you and yours a very happy Easter

Tangled Tidbits -
*perf filled aura in Zenith
*great shading, highlights, and dark centers in two variations of Warped Eggs


From Roberta (Germany) ~

Happy Easter and thanks for this fun challenge!

Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant Mel Mel defined string line, very softly shaded
*pops of Warped Eggs along the border
*pointed and rounded variations of Zenith


From Lily Moon (Hungary) ~

Dear Adele, here is my tile for your weekly challenge.
Happy Easter!

Tangled Tidbits -
*curvy light and dark Warped Eggs
*gorgeous variation of Zenith
*pops of red and lovely shading


From Tina Kirchhübel (Germany) and here on her blog ~

...The challenge this week is wonderful. I love this string and immediately had an idea how to fill it. Because it's Easter and the egg should be a real Easter egg I added a bit of colour to my tile.
This is the result.
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*Zenith sifts black and white spaces as it passes through the string's oval
*wonderful Warped Eggs and pretty Mel Mel top and bottom


From Karin (Germany) ~

HAPPY EASTER!  Greetings from Germany

 Tangled Tidbits -
*full Warped Egg string oval
*double black perfs for each Zenith arc that passes through Warped Egg


A very warm welcome to Yvette Grasset (Languedoc Roussillon, France) ~

Merci de vos partages. Je découvre le zentagle que je trouve merveilleux. Ma participation a mon premier défi . Voici l'oeuf de pâques.

Very loosely translated - (Thank you for your shares. I discovered zentangle I find wonderful. This is my first challenge - my Easter egg.)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Zenith furls into an Easter banner
*lovely details along with shading that adds roundness to the Mel Mel filled oval


From Adri van Wyk (South Africa) ~

I am sending in two tiles for this weeks challenge. Not sure about which one I like best.
Happy Easter.

How could you pick just one?!
Tangled Tidbits -
*remarkable detail in Zenith variations - Paradox, Queen's Crown morphs into Mel Mel, sparkle, stripes, thick aura lines...

Tangled Tidbits - 

*more elegant tangle variations with gem-like perfs 

*lightly lined curls provide a perfect backdrop

From Cathy Cusson ~

It has been awhile since I have found the time to do one of my favorite challenges. I could not pass up this Easter egg. I love dying eggs...
This was a real challenge. I struggle with warped eggs or any of those similar curved tangles. Zenith was pretty straight forward and easy. Mel-mel I love! It has such a relaxing easy flow. I could fill a whole page with those lovely "swoopy" lines!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*double aura for colorful Zenith

*Mel Mel covered string oval

From Rhonda Roy (Vancouver Island, Canada) ~

Thanks for this challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone does with this; I learn as much or more from seeing the variations as I do from trying out the challenge.
Happy Easter

As mentioned in the top of this post - in a happy coincidence - this is similar is tangle choice and position to smgg's from Taiwan.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Warped Eggs defines the center string section

*light background of Mel Mel

From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

In the attachment my tile ST # 137. I loved to work with the string and the given tangles. Great to meet Mel Mel again!
I hope you and your family will have Happy Easter Days!!!!!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*light detail lines of Warped Eggs

*rounded Zenith

*pretty variations of Mel Mel

From Jane (Boulder, Colorado) ~

Well, even with the wonderful ideology of no mistakes in Zentangle, this week's submission took 3 attempts--:)
At first, I was trying to cram the very fun Warped Eggs in its entirety in somewhere, but I just couldn't get the size/scale pleasing...I also tried some smaller variations of Mel Mel somewhere else in an earlier incarnation, but that wasn't working for me either...(usually I make one piece for your challenge and I'm done!)
So the third time was definitely the charm...I noticed the center most egg section was shaped like a piece of Warped Eggs, and I went from there...large Mel Mels and pieces and parts of Zenith's motifs...a touch of shading and lots of blank space to make it pop! Not very Easter-y (no time for any color) but interesting, nonetheless...
I always love seeing what everyone else does, but very much looking forward to seeing how those Warped Eggs got used this time around--:)
Wishes for a very happy Easter!
(we had a foot and a half of snow last week--springtime in the Rockies!!)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*one large Warped Egg

*alternating white and tangled string ribbon spaces include three variations of Zenith

From Heidi Sue (Salt Lake City, Utah) ~

this was such a fun challenge. Great string, and loved the selection of patterns. I had a couple of false starts, because I wanted to go outside the box and do un ribbony things in the ribbony part of the string, and ribbony things in the larger spaces...but at the end there was no fighting it: Ribbony Zenith in the ribbon looking parts, and of course Mel Mel on the egg...is it noticeable? I did it in two shades of pink prismacolor pencils...
With a minimalist Warped Egg in the background and a brackets-and-dots border. Rather Easter-y after all.

 - love the "ribbony" references :)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*"minimalist" Warped Eggs - wonderful idea

*pink shading and Mel Mel filled oval

From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~

Thank you for your tip about drawing Zenith. (click here to view) It's hard enough to draw an even scallop, and then to draw a reverse scallop evenly is doubly hard, so your tip was really helpful. I wanted a filler tangle, so I ran Zenith back to back and simplified it. After I had drawn a garland of MelMel and then filled the egg with Zenith, I almost threw my tile away because it just looked so busy and confusing. Since I was going to throw it away anyway, I started filling the seed shapes with lines, which ended up helping MelMel to stand out. (Just now I see that I could have aura-ed the MelMel garland and that would have solved everything.) I had also intended to fill the inside diamond shape with shades of grey triangles like the tangle Pinch, but I chickened out of that. I'll attach a sample of what I meant, though.
I've been eating Jelly Bellys all afternoon so it's time to rustle up some real food.
Thank you!

It is also very similar to the tangle Bales when it is drawn that way.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*sparkled detail lines

*delicate Mel Mel

From Audrie Weisenfelder (Arizona) and here on her blog ~

... As soon as I saw the string and the tangles, I pretty much knew what I wanted to do. But when I finished, I realized that there was an area that really got away from me. There was absolutely no way to make it work. So I started again, and not till I finished and scanned the tile did I realize that I hadn't used Mel Mel, which I really like. But there wasn't any way to add it to the tile at that point. So here's what I have:

Tangled Tidbits - 

*colorful ZIA with single and double aura-ed Zenith

*weighted lines in Warped Eggs

From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) and here on her blog ~

Happy Easter! Here is my contribution...

Tangled Tidbits - 

*shading defines the string's oval filled with a ruby red Mel Mel

*lovely Warped Eggs background and two versions of Zenith

From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

It was such a treat to see your Easter e-Zia! Absolutely sunning! (click here to view)
I was happy with my tile before shading ... It looks muddy. It was late and i wanted to complete the tile before bed. Note to self: when feeling tired wait till morning and shade with fresh eyes.
I enjoy Warped Eggs ... It reminds me of my pattern Well-Mooka-Z. (click here to view Sharyn's step out.) Looking forward to Tuesday's Easter (eye) candy post ... my favorite day of the week! Hoppy Day!  

Tangled Tidbits - 

*bold Zenith weaves in and out of the oval Mel Mel section - similar to Juul's all the way from France :)

*fabulous field of Warped Eggs

From Simone (Germany) and here on her blog ~

This week´s IAST challenge, within the Easter week, comes with an egg shaped string.
It is already Easter Sunday evening in Germany, I have just finished my tile for this challenge.
I had some nice days with my family and friends and tomorrow we will have another holiday which we will spend in the rocks of "Saxon Swizerland" which is a wonderful place to relax on walking tours in beautiful landscape.
Here is my contribution to IAST#137 with the tangles Zenith, Warped Eggs and MelMel.
I had lots of fun with it.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*striped and sparkled inner aruas of Warped Eggs

*weighted spirals of pretty Mel Mel variations

From Jean Beckstrom (Alabama) ~

Happy Easter Adele and tangler friends,
Here is my version of the Hidden Easter Egg in the ink version. I then tried some new color pens and pencils to experiment with color. This is the outcome.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*contrast of the original and the colorful version is a treat to see

*full loops of Mel Mel and wispy swirled lines

*perfs on either side of the aura-ed points of Zenith

From Daniel (Oklahoma) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*single Zenith on the top and bottom of the string's oval

*grid of Warped Eggs scrunches up and maintains the pretty pattern

A very warm welcome to Joan Omans (Michigan) ~

I discovered Zentangle in the Fall of 2014 and have been crazy about it ever since. I love your weekly challenges, which is ever so helpful to me......it takes the guess work out of what string to use, what tangles will look good together and challenges me to try new tangles. Here is my first submission after watching from the sidelines intermittently over the last year and half!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Mel Mel alternates up and down as it fills the string's ribbon

*spacious aura outlines the tangles 

*Tipple filled outer spaces

And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Robin from Nevada ~

Here is my entry for this week’s Easter challenge. These were such fun patterns to draw! I especially liked Mel Mel. Warped Eggs is a little dizzying when stared at for too long! Thank you for posting these challenges. It’s exactly what I need each week!

Tangled Tidbits - 

* weighted line Zenith aura and string oval

*multiple variations of Mel Mel sprinkled with perfs and Printemps

*beautifully tangled and shaded Warped Eggs

*Deep shading adds dimension and layered look to the tangles

*Zenith moves from small to large to small again

Congratulations Robin!

I have a little some thing coming in the mail for you.

Thank you to everyone who participated this week, for your beautiful tiles and for your Happy Easter wishes.  You inspire the rest of this tangling community.

Many thanks to Maria Thomas for Zenith and to Livia Chua for Warped Eggs -  two lovely tangles that we used along with my Mel Mel and string.

Check back tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #138!

...and Wednesday for some Words of Wisdom,

...and Thursday for Tips for Tangling Warped Eggs.

ENJOY!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter ZIA by Adele Bruno, CZT

Tips for Tangling Zenith

Zenith, a new tangle from Zentangle® co-founder Maria Thomas, is one of the three patterns we are using for this week's "It's a String Thing".  (Click here for all of the delightful details.)

Once I studied and tried Maria's step out (click here to view), there was just one small adjustment that I made.  Once I did, the tangle flowed for me.  I've also taught my students the tip and they have found it very helpful as well.  I think you will too...

Continue on with the steps as Maria outlined them.  Embellish in any number of ways.

This is a very simple tip, but it will give you confidence in your stroke as you add the second row of arcs.

Enjoy!





 

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Let the resurrection joy 

lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair 

to strength and beauty and happiness.  

                                                                                                             ~Floyd W. Tomkins

ZIA Mel Mel Easter Egg by Adele Bruno, CZT

Project particulars:
Wooden egg
Black Identi Pen by Sakura
White Uni-ball Signo Pen
and my  Mel Mel tangle

"It's a String Thing" #137

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

It is also the Tuesday of Easter week.  With the first day of Spring behind us and the promise of good things to come, let's begin with this string ~

Easter Week String by Adele Bruno, CZT

Next, let's review some past tangles by using the following:

Zenith  by Maria Thomas, Zentangle® co-founder

Zenith was one of the tangles used in IAST #107 (click here to view the lovely tiles from all over the world)  I'm always inspired by seeing how other tanglers use a pattern, you may find an idea you like or adapt one to your own.

Warped Eggs  by Livia Chua

Warped Eggs was featured in IAST #32 (Click here to view.)

As a side note, looking back and reading through the names of the participants is very nostalgic.
The first tile listed was from a new tangler named "Lily Moon".   Fast forward 104 weeks - and much tangling - to see how her style has evolved.
Use Lily's example as motivation to keep tangling - eventually (if it hasn't already) your very own style will emerge.
Thank you Lily, for your inspiration.

Mel Mel  by me, Adele Bruno, CZT

We used my tangle in IAST #98 (Click here to view.)  With spring upon us, a floral pattern seemed appropriate.  While this tangle may take a bit of practise to master, I hope you will find - as I do - that it is one of your favorites.

To access step outs for the patterns, click on their names above.  

Simply pencil the string line onto your tile and tangle away! Keep in mind that string lines are suggestions and let the patterns lead the way.

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.
*Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays. 

Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.  WHEN YOU SIGN YOUR NAME, PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE YOU LIVE.  
FOR EXAMPLE:   ADELE BRUNO (FLORIDA)

PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary for you to have a blog or website to participate. 
In order to eligible for the drawing, you must send in your completed tile.

If you do have a blog or website, I will add a link upon request. 
Please include the site specific URL. 

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!

"It's a String Thing" #136 Tiles

Pi and Pie were on the 'menu' as we gave a nod to National Pi Day with this week's theme.
For some, it brought back pleasant memories of math classes and the memorization of Pi digits.
For others, it conjured up the thought of warm, fruit filled pies.  It makes me smile to think that a few more pies were enjoyed around the world this week as a result of our challenge.

The first email came from a new member of our community - a warm welcome to Karen Aicken (Alberta, Canada) ~

I’m new to your challenges, but excited to be able to play along this week.
Here is my tile (and here on her blog)  I left Tripoli ‘naked’ as I liked that it became a subtle background. :-) I’ve never drawn Pokeroot this large but I like it!

Tangled Tidbits -
*3 Loops 6 tipped Pokeroot
*angled grid and deeply shaded W2

From Adri van Wyk (South Africa) ~

My tile for the week.
Thanks for the challenge - it surely was a sweety-pie and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*striped and sparkled aura for 3 Loops 6 - so pretty!
*cherry red Pokeroot
*beautiful balance of light and dark

From smgg (Taiwan) and on her Instagram ~

Have a nice day!!!

Tangled Tidbits -

*Pokeroot pokes out from W2
*large field of Tripoli compliments the squared W2

From Susan Laing (United Kingdom) ~

Loving the pie/pi theme. I have quite literal in my interpretation. The idea of making it circular just wouldn’t go away, so here it is – poke root pie!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*glorious Pokeroot Pie!
*3 Loop 6 outlined W2


From Joan Delony, CZT (Florida) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*Tripoli flower stems
*3 Loop 6 stacked and beautifully shaded


From Cheryl Stocks (Black Canyon City, Arizona) ~

Ah, Pi(e) Day! What's not to like?
Did you realize that this year's Pi day matches the value of Pi to four decimal places? 03-14-16, 3.1416? We won't see that again this century!
This particular Zentangle challenge was totally garden-inspired, with little daisy-like brittlebush flowers, apricot blossoms, cherries and a garden path. I enjoyed coloring it in with pencils and was happily sitting still for about an hour to finish it.
So, I accomplished two things thanks to you: using some of my massive collection of art "stuff," and not getting into trouble doing other things I shouldn't be doing!

Tangled Tidbits - 

* gorgeous composition of tangles
*aura-ed 3 Loop 6
*cherry-like Pokeroot
*squares of W2 free float

From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~

Here is my pi and pie tile! Somehow I didn't use Pokeroot or 3-loops-6, but I added Betweed.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*tiny Tipple background makes the large red Pokeroots pop
*Tripoli with circular corners and dots in the middle of each section



From Jean Beckstrom (Alabama) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*paired 3 Loop 6, aura-ed, with a black filler for the string section
*Pokeleaf blends into Pokeroot


From Amy Place (Coffs Harbour, Australia) ~

Here is my entry for this week. I tried so hard to hide the string lines, but they took over again! I will continue to try and let the patterns lead the way.
I like using W2 in my work, but have not used the others before, so that was a bit of a challenge, but I will con tune to use 3-Loops-6 as it is such a delicate, pretty pattern.
Thanks for the challenge!

Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous variations of the tangles all tucked into W2
*tangles change as they cross over the string line


From Jennifer Montag (Kansas City, Missouri) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*woven lines of W2 continue on through to make the string lines
*lovely layers of the tangles follow a soft curve
*awesome use of aura


From Joanne Faherty (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) ~

Here's my its a string thing for this week. I like the new 3-loops-6 Tripoli has me tripped up again it all starts going crazy so I decided to make them 'start' falling to disguise it . I need to sit and tangle pages of Tripoli until I can get a proper hang of it I think.

Tangled Tidbits -
*two variations of 3 Loop 6 - one darkened in, one with lines and dots
*five variations of Tripoli - fabulous!


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~

I've thrown the idea of non-representation out of the window with this week's entry! Here in all it's glory a particularly pie-ish tile. Pastry coloured paper, a W2 (such a dream to shade) pastry lid with a little detail here and there, a Pi of glazed Pokeroot, with little hints of 3-loops-6 which have scorched a bit in the oven but then been dotted with tiny points of white icing! It looks good enough to eat, and I feel hungry just describing it to you!

Tangled Tidbits -
*totally yummy tile - complete with a Pokeroot string line that pops off the page with shading
*3 Loop 6 stems for Pokeroot
*fabulous description - makes me hungry, too!


From Jessie Plouffe (Connecticut) ~

Here is my tile for this week. I love love love all four of these
tangles, and had a great time using them!
Thank you!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely spray of tangles flow from W2 arc
*sparkled arc of Tripoli


From Jennifer Barlow (North Carolina) ~

I finally feel like I "got" Tripoli. I've always struggled with it before, so this challenge was very helpful. I was bound and determined to get those triangles at least marginally even, so I figured out a way to create pencil guides that actually worked for me. (I've tried before, but still struggled.) Then I had more fun playing with my new Polychromos pencils.

Tangled Tidbits -
*"got" is an understatement - Tripoli shines in multiple variations - with one even tucked into W2
*glowing gems repeat in centers of deep blue Tripoli


A very warm welcome to Sabine (Germany) and here on her blog ~

it is the first time for me to took part of your great challenge and it makes me [happy]...
With sunny greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*3 Loop 6 covered string lines
*aura-ed sections of Pokeroot neighbor elegant Tripoli variations


From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) and here on her blog ~ 

There are soooo many tangles, but I love Tripoli although I do not use it much and I love it thanks to tangling tips like yours. Thanks.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Tripoli with triangular arua
*thick, dark lined arua for 3 Loop 6


From Jane Glotzer (Colorado) ~

We are very familiar with Pi day (3.14)...our youngest son is currently working on a PhD in Statistics at UNC Chapel Hill, so mathematics has always held an important place in our family...also just found out March 14 is Einstein's birthday...nice coincidence, although being born in Europe, his birthday was probably 14/3, but nonetheless...
Cute...well, I hadn't planned on making a cherry pie, but there it is--:) I started with the single Pi string, and put in the W2 on either side of the center space, filled in the center with Pokeroot and lo and behold: Pie! Added a single touch of 3-Loops-6, soft shading and gray tones...no room for any Tripoli...but funny, I'm in the mood for some a la mode...
Have a great week...look forward to playing with some "Citrus."

Tangled Tidbits - 

*great math connections to the day - and reference to ice cream :)
*one large 3 Loop 6
*softly shaded tangles

From Anna Houston CZT 12 (Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada) ~

This is my rendition of string challenge 136. I chose to use just 3 tangles and penned the string( not my normal practice).

Tangled Tidbits -
*doubled string line give each tangle its space
*Tripoli is shaded in between the lines leaving a natural sparkle at the intersections
*dark background of Pokeroot compliments the dark squares of W2


From Tina Kirchhübel (Germany) and here on her blog ~

this is a challenge I absolutely had to do because I love Pi. You can say it's my favorite number. When I learned about Pi in class 8 at school I was immediately fascinated by it and learned 200 digits after the comma by heart. That could sound a bit crazy to some people but I found it great. Meantime I don't know 200 but still 35 digits by heart.
That's why I was very happy about this challenge and tried to do well.
I send you two versions: the first is the normal tile, the second with the digits as a frame around it.
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits - 

*totally remarkable to be able to know Pi so well :)

*lovely soft Pi symbols repeat in W2

*shading is soft and elegant

From Robin (Nevada) ~

This was a fun challenge! I especially liked Tripoli, but it’s the one that gave me the most trouble. Thank you for the tips on drawing it! My first thought when I saw the four patterns for this week was how similar Pokeroot and Tripoli (with circles in the centers) were. So, I tried to make a transition from Pokeroot into the Tripoli. W2 is so fun to draw, I think it will become a favorite! Thank you for all you do!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous Tripoli variations - black background, various details on the arcs
*pretty slope of W2
*lovely single line of 3 Loop 6


From Talia Maynard (London, United Kingdom) ~

Another fantastic challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed. I tried very hard not to daydream about pies while I was tangling away but failed miserably!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Tipple, little arcs of shading, and black background for Pokeroot
*little dots fill in the background of a pretty Tripoli


From Karen in Caberra (Australia) and here on her blog ~

This week’s Tangles were all fun to use and, for once, mostly Tangles that I’m familiar with. The 3-loops-6 is new and is one that fits well with my preferred style of drawing. Your tips for drawing Tripoli were helpful, however, I still end up making groups of 5 not 6 Tripoli’s. I used Derwent Watercolour pencils for the colour.

Tangled Tidbits -
*3 Loop 6 string line
*Tripoli groupings trail off into free floating ones


From Sarah (Michigan) and here on her blog ~

Here is my entry for 3/14. Used the string 'Pi' and Tripoli and Poke Root. Added some lavender colors to make the white show up.

Tangled Tidbits -
*the white does show well against the darker colors
*tangles flow into the white space


From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

Let me first say that I love your new tangle, Citrus. But the origin story and the photo of your granddaughter picking the last fruit from the aging tree ... whew! Glad a had a box of tissues nearby! Very moving!
Now Pi Day and Tao Day 6/28 (Tao is two times Pi) are celebrated in my math geeky home, so this week's prompt was right up my alley. I used 3-Loop-6 as a filler for Tripoli ... love how they worked together.
Thank you for sharing the zestful Citrus and photos! Cheers!

Thank you for the compliments on Citrus - "zestful" Citrus, as you coined it :)
Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful 3 Loop 6 filled Tripoli
*graceful curves of W2 grid
*Pokeroot stems flow from Tripoli lines


From Michele Wynne (California) ~

Thanks for another challenging challenge! This did not come out quite as I had envisioned. It got a bit busy as I tried to balance it all out and even pondered starting again but I persevered. Tripoli generally trips me up, starting out nice a neat then it sort goes off the rails...so I just had to let it be;-)

Tangled Tidbits -
*3 Loop 6 covered W2
*spiral filled Tripoli flows into 3 Loop 6 and into Pokeroot


From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~

This week's challenge is one that resonates in my house. My daughter is one of those people with incredible rote memories and she can recite pi to 200 decimal places (on a good day). She has provided the first 100 of them for my contribution to It's a String Thing. Do you know that if you round pi to 736 decimal places, it will end in 136 - the number of this week's challenge? I particularly enjoyed drawing 3 Loops 6. It seemed to flow really calmly. And I always love W2 and the way it comes to life and gains dimension as you draw it. Thanks for a fun challenge.

 Tina from Germany would be very proud!
Tangled Tidbits -
*3 Loop 6 lines the string - with aura and shading to one side
*lovely tangles accent the white space
*compliments to the amazing talent of your daughter!


From Karin (Germany) ~

this is my entry to no. 136
I really had fun to fill the four spaces with the four patterns so that the sign of Pi stays white in the middle...
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*doubled string line with shaded white space to fill it
*pretty tangles fill each of the four string sections


A very warm welcome to Sra (India) and on her Instagram ~

I am Sra from India. I'm a beginner at Zentangle, three months old, so my repertoire is quite limited. I learnt W2 and 3 Loops 6 to participate in your challenge and Pokeroot is one of my favourites, could be because that was one of the first tangles I learnt. I flubbed on the 6, I think, I did it in a different direction!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Pokeroot covered string lines
*corner border of 3 Loop 6 and a full field of W2


From Roberta (Germany) ~

all four tangles were new to me and I had much fun with them!
With Tripoli I had a hard time practicing it but now we are friends :-)

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderfully shaded W2 - adds great depth
*thick Pokeroot stems and delicate 3 Loop 6


From Linda Boulton (NSW Australia) ~

3 flies on my cherry Pi pie :)
Coloured with Faber-Castell Classic pencils and Prismacolor Colorless Blender.

Tangled Tidbits -
*Tripoli filled string lines
*three 3 Loop 6 'flies' on her cherry pie :)


From Ilse Lukken (The Netherlands) and here on her blog ~

Nice challenge! I liked the Pi-string and the patterns (although I left Pokeroot out). Thank you!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*3 Loop 6 lined strings

*large and small grids for W2

*shaded circles in intersections of Tripoli

From Henrike Bratz (Germany) ~

I didn’t have much time to spare for tangling this week’s tile. All the patterns came out quite unevenly. But in the end it didn’t matter at all. I like the tile, especially the way pokeleaf grows out of tripoli!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Pokeroot and 3 Loop 6 grow out of Tripoli

*softly shaded and lined W2

From Deb Jacobs (Tishigan, Wisconsin) ~

Here is my answer to your challenge. Have a great week & thanks as always for your time!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Pokeroot - various sizes and wonderful shading

*curved grid for W2

From Anna Mega and her daughter (Greece) ~

Your challenges always are beautiful... I like it because you give us tangles and strings. So the challenge becomes more interesting......
The "π" (pi) is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. So this is very familiar. In school we learn about this..... the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes established the first scientific method by which the number is calculated..........
Anyway, we make zentangle!!!
With my tile, my daughter Marietta, 12 years old, made for your challenge a tile!
here are both...
good afternoon and you have a good zentangle day.....

How very exciting to read your note and to have your tile - and mathematical history - from Greece, thank you!
Tangled Tidbits -
*little perfs accent 3 Loop 6 - notice the tangle tucked in along the string line
*Tripoli sections create lines that curve outward
*both shading and highlight added to the tangles

Tangled Tidbits - 

*3 Loop 6 curls around  W2 filled string lines

*weighted lines in Tripoli

From Sally Sheldon (Massachusetts) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*free floating Tipoli and 3 Loop 6

*Tipple along the 3 Loop 6 string line and in Tripoli

From Nadjezdah (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*pretty, flower-like Pokeroot clusters in W2

*Pokeroot along the string lines

From Linda (Pennsylvania) ~

I really enjoyed working with the string and the tangles this week. 3 Loops 6 was just fun. I especially enjoyed the challenge of W2 and also Tripoli. My Use of W2 is "wonky" but I am sure I will return to it many times. I just couldn't understand how to keep expanding Tripoli. I will need help with that but I think it would make a great monotangle.

Tripoli can be tricky.  There are so many wonderful examples compiled here for us all to learn from.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*large and small 3 Loop 6

*starbursts of Tripoli

From Elisa (Paris, France) ~

I was so busy with work lately that I have missed quite a number of your challenges ...
I really enjoyed finding time to do this one and learn new tangles again.
For a bit of change, I decided to do it on a black tile...
Zen regards

Tangled Tidbits - 

*W2 seems to glow with the white highlights

*each section of the string line is filled with a different tangle

From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Congratulations on your newest tangle Citrus! I think it will be a lot of fun working with this one. I love it already!
In the attachment my tile #136 for this week. What a wonderfull string you made for us. I loved to work with it and also with the tangles, but this time I lost my way drawing Tripoli. 3-loops-6 was my favorite one this time.

Thank you, Ingrid!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*softly shaded white string line looks rounded

*wonderful tangles fill the string sections - including a doubled 3 Loop 6 shaded in the middle

From Kate (United Kingdom) ~

My contribution to this week's challenge. My Pokeroot looks more like
mushrooms than cherries I'm afraid, and Tripoli needs some practice but
I've enjoyed myself - thank you!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*angled grids for W2

*added tear drop shapes for 3 Loop 6

*three variations of Tripoli

From Sue Agnew (Arizona) ~

In trying to deconstruct a pattern that Sue saw on wallpaper of a San Francisco restaurant, she wrote:

...So I set out trying to deconstruct it. It's a 60 degree triangle grid -- horizontal lines and then vertical lines slanting at 60 degrees -- which I find very difficult to draw. While I was messing around with it and putting triangles in each triangular space, I realized it was similar to Tripoli. I tried approaching it by using the small triangles arranged in a Tripoli fashion, but then I realized I could mash them up and lay out a Tripoli with no space between the triangle shapes and put a smaller triangle inside each triangle. I did a stepout (have never done one before).
It was tricky to figure out where to put the lines between the smaller triangles. I finally figured out that each side of the smaller triangle extends in only one direction. And the lines from the smaller triangle in the next big triangle over mirror the lines in the big triangles on either side. (Hope that makes sense. It didn't make sense to me for the longest time.)
So anyway, because this is based on a smashed-together Tripoli I decided it was "fair" to use it in this week's challenge. I did sort of take liberty with the string because since this pattern is so new to me I wanted to impose it on a really regular shape. And the funny thing is, trying to figure out where to put the lines extending from the small triangles felt very similar to deciding where to put the lines extending from the squares in W2. It was funny, and seemed serendipitous, to have happened upon a pattern that incorporates elements of both Tripoli and W2.
Pokeroot I like when other people do it but am never that happy with mine. A year or so ago I visited a friend in San Francisco and there was pokeroot growing in front of her house, and it really looks like that! I thought that was cool.
W2 is one of my favorites -- the first year I learned Zentangle my sister and I were tangling together and she started putting a design in each place where the strips cross over, so I stole her idea.
So here is this week's tile:

Tangled Tidbits - 

*little bits of 3 Loop 6 on W2

*plump Pokeroot along the top string line

*a fabulous "smashed together Tripoli"

AND here are Sue's step outs - 

Thank you for the instructions, Sue.  This pattern has made a few appearances in the tangled world.

CZT Molly Hollibaugh's Y-Not is the same pattern, but her step out is a bit different.    The original mention of the pattern was posted here on the Zentangle® blog. 

From Audrie Weisenfelder (Arizona) and here on her blog ~

... in trying to finish up all the challenges early for once, I got a little sloppy. So, even though I like my tile overall, I'm not so happy with Tripoli. But it is what it is (this seems to be the new catchphrase).

Tangled Tidbits - 

*weighted lines add variety to the tangles

*delicate 3 Loop 6

*shading adds depth

From Annie Taylor (Spain) ~

An inspired and inspiring choice. I always think Pokeroot looks like cherries... And yes, W2 has a pie crust look to it! A mouth watering combination.

Tangled Tidbits -

*3 Loop 6 along the top string line
*one large Pokeroot "cherry"
*sparkled Tripoli

A very warm welcome to Danielle DeRome, CZT20 (California) ~

Thanks for your Pi Day challenge. It was fun!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*spectacularly filled W2  - such a lovely variety of tangles
*delicate Tripoli and wonderful shading throughout



From Anita A Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) and here on her blog ~

 

Tangled Tidbits - 

*three variations of Tripoli

*aura-ed 3 Loop 6 layered with Pokeroot and aura-ed again

*great contrasts with light and dark and shading

From Daniel Lamothe (Oaklahoma) ~

So much fun ^_^ This one kinda reminds me of grapes.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*pretty cluster of Pokeroot accented with the other tangles

*fabulous curl of a minimal W2

And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by

 Lily Moon (Hungary) ~

Dear Adele, here is my tile for your Pi Day challenge.
ZenHug

Tangled Tidbits - 

*3 Loop 6 and Pokeroot lined string

*Tripoli variation with dots that repeat in W2

*brown W2 with black squares - and little pops of 3 Loop 6

*color, textures, shading, and tangles all add up to a beautiful Pi/pie themed tile

Congratulations, Lily!

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

Thank you to everyone who sent in their works of art for the rest of us to learn from and enjoy.

Thank you to all of the creative minds behind the tangles we used with my Pi Day ispired string:

3-Loops-6  by CZT Mina Hsiao

Pokeroot by Maria Thomas, Zentangle® co-founder

W2 also by Maria Thomas

Tripoli also by Maria Thomas

Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #137!