This week's challenge began with a loopy string, two classic patterns, and one brand new one:
B-Twixt. A close cousin to Maria Thomas' Betweed, it morphed into Betweed on several tiles.
We welcome seven first-time participants this week (that's a record!). Prepare to be inspired by this growing community of tanglers - and come join us too!
Let's take a look ~B-Twixt. A close cousin to Maria Thomas' Betweed, it morphed into Betweed on several tiles.
We welcome seven first-time participants this week (that's a record!). Prepare to be inspired by this growing community of tanglers - and come join us too!
This is my tile:
After filling in the large string loop with Chillon, I surrounded it with Tagh, overlapping, enlarging, and diminishing. I would have been perfectly content to fill in the remainder of the tile in Tagh, it flowed so pleasantly. At first B-Twixt looked a bit stark, so I rounded some edges to transition into Tagh (the main attraction!).
The first email arrived from Sandra (Germany) and here on her blog ~
thanks again for a wonderful challenge :-) I didn't know the patterns before but I just fall in love with B-Twixt! It's a very effective pattern and easy to do, really nice.
I also liked your created string because I love loopy ones. So I enjoyed to tangle this challenge
Many greetings from germany
*B-Twixt filled Chillon
*linear Tagh
A very warm welcome to Chris Leach (Lodi, California) ~
*Tagh tipped lines of Chillon
*weighted lines and soft shading
From Christine King (Kansas) ~
This was a fun one Adele! I used a grey 4x4 tile and colored pencils for shading.
*B-Twixt curve with just a touch of detail
*curved Chillon grid with one aura for each grid section surrounds a deep blue gem
From Allison Durno (Richmond Hill, Ontario) ~
Fun challenge! I worked on it while watching "The Force Awakens" on DVD for the first time. Really liked working with B-Twixt- I like how the pattern grows! I found Tagh a bit tough to unify, so I'll look forward to your tips tomorrow. I liked Chillon, too, and it was interesting to work in two variations. I'm excited to send this first square to you!
*aura-ed string line
*Chillon - detail lines used in the C curves and as a filler in the two variations
From Yvette Grasset (France) ~
Coucou bonjour .c'est était un immense plaisir .j ai pas pus M arrêter à une seule tuile. Trop agréable à faire
Amitiés à vous tous Yvette grasset de france passer une belle et agréable semaine merci Adèle
*two more tiles emerge from the original center one
*black centers of Chillon give it great depth
From Sarah (Michigan) and here on her blog ~
I was in an odd mood and did two. One to satisfy my needs for a mono tangle with the new tangle, and then one raucous with too much color and shine. I have no idea why I colored in the center of the first with a silver paint.
Perhaps I've been reading and looking at too much stuff on the MOMA website. It's been a strange week. Perhaps it's all the terrible Superman movies my boyfriend has been making me watch. Kryptonite, Fortress of Solitude, molten metals... I'd rather think it was due to the former and not the latter.
*full B-Twixt background
*multiple auras for Chillon
From Lily (Hungary) ~
*alternating black and white Tagh
*sparkled Be-twixt filled Chillon
*brown, elongated, highlighted, and fine lined B-Twixt
From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~
Here is my tile for this week. I discovered that I quite like B-Twixt, and that Chillon is like drawing half of Bales.
Tangled Tidbits -
*flower-like Tagh - the seeds form in the middle of the petals as well as in between
*B-Twixt shaded points add depth
Here's my its a string thing for this week. I like b'twixt I hadn't used it yet, I think I'm going to play with it more and see what patterns you can make with the betweed going in different directions.
*string loops accented as white space
*tapered lines of Tagh
From smgg (Taiwan) and on her Instagram ~
Have a nice day!!!
*Tagh filled string loops
*curved border along B-Twixt compliments the straight lines of the tangle
A very warm welcome to Joke Leussenkamp (The Netherlands) ~
...Besides B-twist, Tagh and Chillon I added Hollibaugh, which I love so much, it is really fun to draw.
Tangle love and greetings from the Netherlands,
*rounded corners for B-Twixt
*Chillon grid curve follows the string curve - adds more dimension
From Adri van Wyk (South Africa) ~
With little time on hand this week I have tangled tagh, B twist and Chillon. This has calm me down on a busy week with so much to do and gives the perspective I need. Thanx.
*pretty variations of Chillon and B-Twixt share details
*Tagh fills the large string loop and flows along the aura-ed arcs
From Jennifer Sparrow (North Carolina) ~
Thanks for this week's challenge. I love your string, and the suggested tangles. Here's my tile:
Tangled Tidbits -
*highlighted, shaded, and shadowed Chillon
*tangles flow with the string's curve
From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
I've never got on that well with Tagh - I don't know why, but I just find it a bit... lumpy. But I've tried to give it the benefit of the doubt this week. The darkened string and little loop begged to be echoed on the Tagh section of the string, and then I added the feathery fill so it wasn't all so heavy with contrast. B-Twixt is fun and like its Tangle-cousins it changes depending on how you begin each section. I went with it this way for a half border. And Chillon is always so light and airy and provides gentleness wherever you need it - but perhaps a case of always the bridesmaid never the bride? I hope someone puts it centre stage this week - if not I might have to try!
Fun, absorbing and satisfying as always - thank you!
Tangled Tidbits -
*"feathery fill" - fabulous idea
*softened edges of B-Twixt with a touch of sparkle
*shading and dainty dots for the "bridesmaid" :)
From Kate (United Kingdom) ~
My contribution to your latest challenge.
I used the rounded version of B-Twixt and a very wavy grid for Chillon -
loved the shapes that appeared. Then the Tagh-filled string emerged as a
rather weird hanging fruit - a pineapple maybe?
*Tagh moves from small to large to small again for a three dimensional look
*curvy Chillon seems to nestle the Tagh filled string loop
From Kath Gregitis, CZT 16 (North Jersey) ~
I was playing around with water colors and painted a few tiles. I am not that happy with the tangles, but I like the way the color works.
*softly colored ZIA
*Tagh repeats in opposing corners and along the string line
From Jean Beckstrom (Alabama) ~
Thank you so much for the lovely challenge string 139 and fun Chillon, Tagh, and B-Twixt. These were all new to me, except that I know paradox. Once I got used to the change of strokes, I was good to go. It was lots of fun. Thank you for the practical and helpful step outs that you send us. After deciding where to put what, it went well for me. After wards B-Twixt tried to be sociable and intermingled itself with Chillon. Hope that looks OK.
*B-Twixt filled string loop and Chillon
*Tagh radiates from the top corner and fills the upper string space
From midori, CZT (Florida) ~
it's been awhile since i last submitted a tile for your challenge,
so i spend a quiet moment, creating this tile. i tangled 'tagh' and 'btweed' (instead of 'b-twixt'). when i finally put down my pen,
i noticed i had totally forgotten about 'chillon'! i really must have been in the moment.'
*beautiful Tagh bursts
*curvy, shaded Betweed/B-Twixt variation
From Audrie Weisenfelder (Arizona) and here on her blog ~
*Tagh loops follow the string line and work upward - notice them in the string loops as well
*B-Twixt flows with the string's curves
From Sabine (Germany) and here on her blog ~
I have had so much fun while drawing this tile. Especially I love B-Twixt. Drawing triangle again and again and what surprise of the result at the end, it's lovely. Thank you for an other great challenge.
*loopy Tagh with elongated white lined seeds that repeat in B-Twixt
*pops of Tagh in Chillon
From Karen (Canberra, Australia), The Creative Miss L, and here on her blog ~
The tile that I’m submitting for the challenge is a bit of a surprise for me. I had a particular idea to begin with - the idea of using Chillon as a string. I was then going to fill the outside border with solid black as I’ve other people do with great effect. The two globes were going to white space or maybe black. However, when it came down to it, I couldn’t resist some colour. The colour was going to stay on the border and in the billows of Chillon. That idea didn’t stay too long either. I liked the colours on the border so much that I decided to have a try at a Zen Gem. I’ve been working on these for ages and am only just starting to be happy with my results.
The colours are from my 12 pencil set of Intense pencils - Teal Green, Sea Blue and Apple Green. And some white pencil and white gel pen...
Thanks for keeping us creative with the challenges each week.
Before doing the above tile I did a much simpler tile. Comparing the two you’d hardly think the same person drew them both. And only 15 minutes apart.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Tagh filled Chillon and Tagh filled string loops
*thickened corners of B-Twixt with shading in the corners
A very warm welcome to Pam Clower (Heidelberg, Germany) ~
My first ever completed IAST attempt! I love giving the challenge a try but always run out of time before Saturday. We were on spring break this week (I teach at an international school) and I made it my goal to finish the challenge. I had a very hard time with Chillon and was only successful when I made it teeny-tiny.
I haven't yet taken a ZT course and don't have "official" supplies. I've always just tangled on my own in a sketchbook. I'm looking forward to receiving my starter kit in early May and learning more about shading, and I'm working on getting a group of us to take a class soon.
Many thanks for giving us these challenges!
Tangled Tidbits -
*Chillon flower center
*elongated arced curves of B-Twixt
From Christiane (Germany) ~
Today I take part again in your challenge. Chillon is one of my favorite patterns and Tagh I already no longer in use. B-Twixt is new for me and so flexible! I will use it more often. Thanks for this great challenge:-)
*Chillon variation features dots, dashes, sparkle, and shading
*shading adds depth to B-Twixt
From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~
*stripes, aura, and fans adorn Chillon
*large and small burst of B-Twixt fill the string loops
From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~
Thank you for this lovely loopy challenge. I am feeling a little loopy myself so this one suits me well.
It is one year today since I drew my first ever Zentangle and, while I have a long way to go and a lot to learn, Zentangle has made a huge difference in my life. Thank you to you and all of the supportive community of tanglers for all you do. You can touch the lives of others in ways you may never really know. I truly appreciate the enormous effort and commitment you put into bringing us "It's a String Thing" week after week with all of the extra tips and the sharing of your own wisdom and art. You are a treasure.
Tangled Tidbits -
*B-Twixt string line weaves in and out of Chillon
*beautifully shaded layers of Tagh
*deep shading and use of bold, black lines
*Tagh travels in horizontal rows
From Karen Aiken (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~
I ended up doing two tiles for your challenge this week - I really liked the string! All three tangles were new to me and I have to admit I struggled getting them to work together. When I started shading the first tile, the large loop reminded me of a pineapple so I rotated the tile and continued shading. I like the Tagh in Chillon and will likely use that again. :-). I did the second tile simply because I wanted to try Tagh the way it was ‘supposed to be’ done.
*white on black Chillon with Tagh seeds
* Chillon packed with Tagh
Tangled Tidbits -
*double aura for Tagh
*just a touch of B-Twix
From Talia Maynard (London, United Kingdom) ~
Here is my tile for this week, and a cheeky late one for last week that went extremely colourful!
*shadowed, sparkled Chillon
*Tagh filled string loop, aura-ed and surrounded by an angular B-Twixt
From Jane Glotzer (Boulder, Colorado) ~
Well, this is kind of a mash-up of #138 and #139! I did begin a Citrus tile for last week, but unfortunately, didn't get it completed. WOW! What amazing things people did with your new tangle...I am always astounded...
So, I started this week with the new loopy string...worked away at it...used Tagh in the top left and Chillon in the bottom right (put a Citrus in the large middle loop!) but by the time I was almost done, I decided I didn't like it at all...not enough contrast with all the lined patterns. So, instead of starting anew, I spied my unfinished Citrus string, and decided to finish that, using the tangles from challenge #139. My B-Twixt is more of a Betweed and I used pretty simple variations of Tagh and Chillon, along with Antidots, where I originally started...used white pencil to highlight the areas around the Citrus sections, a touch of shading...and I like the result! It's like a Citrus sampler
Tangled Tidbits -
*rounded corners of B-Twixt
*tow variations and sizes of Tagh
From Becky Welty (North Carolina) ~
I took a little break from tangling while my kids were home on spring break. It's good to be back! I didn't realize how much I missed it and enjoy it! Thanks for the challenges!
*Chillon curves in when running parallel to the small string loop (very cleverly left blank)
* rounded arcs of Tagh compliment B-Twixt
A very warm welcome to Gesine Pless (Germany) ~
though I am not quite satisfied with these, I send you my tiles anyway. I started with the renaissance one and redid it on white, but I still don’t think I got the hang of this string. B-Twixed was great fun!
*double the treat to see both side-by-side
*highlights pop and shading adds depth
*leaf-like variation of Tagh
From Cheryl Stocks (Arizona) ~
Tagh you're it!
I have completed several for this challenge. This one is "more better" than some of the others.
Thanks for stretching the ol grey matter for me.
*dashed grid lines of Chillon
*seeds of Tagh are centered to each petal
What a fun string this was! I rarely use Chillon, mostly because I haven't found ways to change it up a bit, so I'm counting on your tiles presentation to enlighten me.
Tagh is a first time tangle for me ... I really enjoyed shading it ... At a blink of the eye, the design reminds me of pine cones, auditorium seats, and tongue depressors.
B-Twixt gave me a struggle. Practicing the tangle, I was bothered by too many lines too close together. I went bigger, but comfort wasn't there. Finally I went for a larger than usual Tripoli filled with Betweed. The spaces between the triangles helped me make sense of the lines. Astigmatism is its own creative challenge sometimes.
Looking forward to Tuesday.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Tripoli version of B-Twixt
*black center dots for Chillon
*meticulously shaded Tagh
From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~
Chillon has always seemed like a "blah" tangle to me, not much there. It wasn't until I looked at your step-out that I realized the curved lines are all on one side of a straight line (as opposed to bales where there are curved lines on both sides of a straight line). So then I started wondering what if the curved line wasn't always on the same side of the straight line. Of course as soon as you decide to alternate something it takes a lot of concentration to alternate consistently, but I liked the pinwheel effect. I darkened only half of the pinwheels, hoping to make it more pronounced (also I like the airy or netting-like feel of chillon and darkening them was taking that away). When I was practicing B-Twixt I ended up with the same quandry I have with Betweed, which is the part at the bottom when the overlapping lines are almost horizontal. So I tried drawing B-Twixts in a two-sided triangle with no bottom, and that morphed into a kind of curved arch shape, so then I tried arranging the curved arch shapes in Tagh fashion. Then I also threw in a line of individual Taghs. Tagh has always reminded me of those cardboard fans that years and years ago funeral parlors used to put in churches, in the days before air conditioning (a cardboard shape with the funeral parlor name and address fastened to a wooden handle) (I guess I could have said a ping pong paddle, similar thing). In trying to transcend that I ended up with shapes that reminded me of corn kernels, so I made them three-dimensional. Then I kept throwing in shading in an attempt to diminish the busy-ness.
So here you go. The fun is in the process.
*sparkled pinwheel-esque Chillon
*B-Twixt C strokes of Chillon
From Jenna Black (North Carolina) ~
I've been on a kick lately of coloring in my string sections with marker before drawing, so I went ahead and tried it with this challenge. I'd never used any of these tangles before, and it was fun trying out several that were new to me at one time.
*stunning Tagh features multiple variations
*Chillon aura run on opposite parallels from the center
*pretty pop of pink in the gem
From Linda Goncalves (Pennsylvania) ~
I had fun with these but it ended up a little " busy" for my taste. Linda (Pennsylvania)
Tangled Tidbits -
*aura, curls, dots, darkened aura for Tagh
*large and small triangle grids for B-Twixt
A very warm welcome to Heather Temple (Killingworth, Connecticut) ~
...I've been following this IAST for a month or so now. I'm very new to this and my biggest challenges are finding the time and figuring out how to put patterns together. It's a little intimidating to see some of the gorgeous works that others make.
But. I had an idea and it sort of came together. It's not exactly what I had in mind but pretty close. It's also not quite done. I've just started shading but as I look at the clock on Saturday night I'm out of steam and out of time. I've decided to send it in anyway as it will probably be months before I manage to get one done on time for another challenge. I appreciate the time it takes you to do these challenges as I do work on older ones to help me put patterns together.
Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful tangles and white space
*elongated triangles for B-Twixt follow the string's curves
A very warm welcome to Rena ~
I'm just learning to Zentangle. I've done about 10 tiles.
Thanks so much for providing a string and tangles to get me started! The string seems to be the hardest thing for me.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Tagh swirls slowly along the string
*black, sparkled perfs circle the large B-Twixt filled string loop
From Robin (Nevada) ~
Well… I finally got some real tiles. I had been measuring out a square and drawing in my sketchbook. The experience is very different — the tiles seem so small! I put the B-Twixt together a bit differently than the example, and I like the two kind of starbursts that happened. Thank you once again for the challenge!
*starburst look of B-Twixt
*Tagh beginnings in each corner of Chillon
From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) and here on her blog ~
*dots, detail lines, and shading for Chillon
*densely lined B-Twixt compliments the rounded Tagh
From Lucy Banta, CZT (New Jersey) and here on her blog ~
Boy am I rusty! Life's been busy lately and haven't gotten much time to tangle.
Love the new tangle B-Twist.
Thank you!
*Chillon variations - B-Twixt filled, double arua-ed seeds, Tipple, sparkle...
*Tagh grows larger as it reaches from the loop top outward
From Anita A Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) ~
I have ended my 365 Zentangle-project. This is my first post after that. I had fun doing it and I liked the string. Tagh is a pattern I haven´t used since I learned it from Beckah Krahula´s book. I was a revival-experience and I liked the way it came out today! B-Twixt was new to me.
Tangled Tidbits -
*darkened string line - large and small grids for Chillon
*Tagh loops around the large string loop and flows outward
*Tagh loops around the large string loop and flows outward
And now...
the tile for honors this week...
was sent in by Tabitha Bedoukian, CZT from Montreal, Quebec, Canada ~
*large curved grid for Chillon
*sparkled dark C curves of Chillon
*B-Twixt filled Chillon shaded at two points
*Tagh topped Chillon with a bit of shadowed Fescu
*and a revisit of Citrus inside a Tagh filled string line
Congratulations, Tabitha!
I have a little some thing coming in the mail for you.
Many thanks to the creative minds behind the tangles we used with my string this week ~
B-Twixt
by Randi Wynne-Parry
Tagh and Chillon
by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, Zentangle® co-founders
by Randi Wynne-Parry
Tagh and Chillon
by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, Zentangle® co-founders
Stop back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #140!
Congrats to Tabitha! Well done and beautiful work! Sarah.
ReplyDeleteWow- these tiles are outstanding. I'm looking forward to going back and re-reading the whole post. Wow.
ReplyDelete