"It's a String Thing" #160 Tiles

Thank you for the prayers for our safety in the face of stormy weather here in Central Florida.   Aside from torrential downpours, we were spared any truly severe weather or flooding - many prayers answered.

With tanglers writing from around the world, we are privy to mentions of all the seasons of the year. It is fascinating to think that summer is ending for some and spring is in full bloom for others.

And speaking of fascinating, IAST #160 was described more than once as a "real challenge".  It proved to call on much imagination and trust in the tangling experience to find that 'zen' we all enjoy.  Fengle and Shattuck were the stars of the show along with an angular string.

Let's take a look ~

The first tile was sent in by last week's honoree, Traci Frogley (Missouri)  ~

First, let me say thank you for selecting my tile for the place of honor last week. I so enjoy seeing everyone's work and appreciate your allowing us to be challenged, share with, and learn from each other.
When I first read about this week's challenge I have to admit that I shook my head ... (I might have rolled my eyes a bit too.) Use Fengle and Shattuck together?? Inside a string with sharp corners???? Really??? LOL
Thanks for carrying me out of my comfort zone. Believe it or not, I enjoyed this one!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle springs from a top point on the string to create short and long arms
*Shattuck fills the randomly shaped spaces of the string and Fengle



From Val Steele (Johannesburg, South Africa) ~

I first did Fengle early last year and have only used it once. It was lovely to revisit it again. Others are Shattuck, Printemps and Bales.
The angular number six has been "taken out" by the tangles. :)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*the string is wonderfully lost in the tangles
*deep black centers of Fengle and lines of Shattuck



From Brenda Urbanik CZT (South Africa) and here on her blog ~

I have to say that the string did not play along nicely with those tangles, and in true Zentangle style my pen followed its heart.
My first tile is a traditional black on white tile.But then I had to do another, on a Renaissance tile.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*aura and sparkled stripes of Fengle
*perfs along Shattuck

*beautiful Shattuck border

*A-dalfa filled Fengle

From Joan Delony, CZT (Florida) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*thin lined Fengle filled with large, lovely Shattuck arcs
*Shattuck lines mirror along the border

From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~

...Sending in this week's challenge. These patterns remind me of octopuses (octopi?)...

 Tangled Tidbits -
*perfs along Fengle lines do look creature like
*dark fields and accents make Fengle stand out


From Renee (Tennessee) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*Tipple filled Fengle - notice the center shading adds depth
*angled aura lines on two sides of the string give the appearance of a box - beautiful!
*straight lined Shattuck




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

I adapted the string VERY loosely, but I also used your idea of Fengle as the string. So I sort of combined the 2 ideas.

But then, of course, i couldn't settle on one finished tile. So, as usual, you get 2 for the price of 1.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*a bargain to get two!
*Shattuck filled Fengle
*three variations of a three pronged Fengle

*lighter background shading

*dark lines for the larger Fengle

From Julie (North Carolina) ~

Here is my tile for this week's challenge.
Thank you for these, I am learning so much.
I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*detailed Shattuck variation
*aura adds movement to Fengle


From Trudi Taylor (Woodview, Ontario) ~

Hello Adele, thank you for the new string. This is the first time I was confident enough to leave white space, I had penciled in another Fengle in the bottom but decided it was too much and erased it. Composition is hard to learn.
I've started to draw circles where I want my Fengle and pie shape 5 pieces to draw the S's. That allowed me to place the bottom layered one and know where to have the ends appear all though some times it looks a bit weird.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*leaving white space is a big step!
*Fengle spins into smaller Fengle
*multiple arcs for Shattuck detail



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

After a lovely Summer holiday (to the USA!), I'm getting slowly back the challenge rhythm ;-)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*long curved arcs for Shattuck - notice how each is shaded as are the initial lines

*Fengle on a shaded field of Tipple

From Hilary (Spain) and here on her new blog ~

Here is my entry for your IAST Challenge #160.

The Diva Challenge was simply to spill something onto a tile and tangle so I thought I would combine
the two :)
I had some budget tiles that must contain bleach because anything I tried to spill, well they just stayed white!
This paper that I have cut a tile from was some my mother bought 28 years ago! Waste not want not :)

It's not snowy white anymore but as I was throwing red wine at it it doesn't seem to matter!
Your string, Shattuck and Fengle plus a sprinkle of, I think, Zinger?Have a great weekend everyone.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely combination of the two challenges - along with the history of the paper :)
*Shattuck and Tipple filled Fengle sections
*wonderful variation created by overlapping Fengle sections


From Jennifer (Switzerland) ~

Here's my tile for challenge 160. Thank you for the inspiration - I don't think I would have attempted Fengle yet if not for you!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Shattuck branches out from the four corners
*Tippled string line repeats in the Fengle detail



From Patricia (Switzerland)~

Here's my tile for the latest challenge!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Shattuck radiates from points
*Tipple outlined Fengle - three in a row


From Jonesy (St. Louis, Missouri) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle/Flux combination topped with Tipple - very pretty
*exaggerated elements of Shattuck roll in the background



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

Here comes my entry for this week! It was a real challenge to me. I am not playing freely with Fengle. But maybe this was a step forward to me. ..
Thank you for a great lesson!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle fragments in three string sections - multiple variations
*Shattuck shaded on each set of curves



From Aloyna Pakhomva and son (Toronto, Canada) ~

This time it was quite a challenge as I don't like Fengle much, may be because I cannot make it "perfect". So I decided to draw it's "petals" along the string lines, this way it wasn't possible for Fengle to be perfect, and it wasn't expected. :) I like the result in general, though see ways to improve.My son choose few tangles from my notebook, all but Fengle and Shattuck. :) At least he put them all on your string.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant lines and curves of Fengle
*Shattuck lines flow from Fengle and end in similar curls

*a happy mix of tangles
*very good balance of light and dark spaces


From Leslie Funk (Clermont, Florida) ~

Just learned these two patterns and I must say I preferred Shattuck over Fengle...

Tangled Tidbits -
*tangles change slightly as they pass through the string's sections
*Shattuck filled Fengle
*aura of top right Fengle weaves in and around Shattuck lines


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

Here are my tiles for this week. Both are favourites, with Shattuck appearing frequently in my work. The Zentangle Primer has some lovely variations of Shattuck which I’ve tried to use here.

Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkled Shattuck
*Fengle stripes arua from neighboring sections
*bold black and white string spaces



A very warm welcome to Gudrun (Germany) ~

It was not easy!!!!!

Tangled Tidbits -
*black, sparkled perfs float inside and outside of Fengle
*Shattuck lines mirror from one section to another
*soft shading adds depth



From Henrike Bratz (Germany) ~

Thursday for me was one of the days, when everything just goes wrong, when you kind of vibrate with a stressful energy, when you spill your coffee on your desk, drop things, bump your head ..... or as I did: meet for a nice dive in the Baltic sea on a sunny afternoon and then – in the moment when all the equipment is put together and you’re ready to put on your diving suit .... – you notice that you left it at home!!!
So home again I sat down and began my #160 tile and felt as clumsy as all day before. I was tempted to tear the tile to pieces in frustration but then resisted and tried to slow down and just carry on with the lines already there and slowly slowly... And I ends up just fine. Another Zentangle-experience .
I’ve been playing around with some “fragments” lately. It’s just fun to fill a bijou with just one or two fragments. I uses some for the latest diva challenge here.From a cool and rainy Germany. It already smells like autumn.

Tangled Tidbits -
Your description gives us all pause to slow down, enjoy, and trust the process - thank you!
*sparkled inner detail lines of Fengle
*Perfs, detail lines, aura, shading, weighted lines - fabulous details
*Shattuck curves reflect Fengle's

From Jutta Gladnigg (Germany) ~

Greetings from Germany to Adele and all participants 😀❣

Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle details spiral outward from the center point
*doubled string line doubles for Shattuck
*pleasing balance of black, white, and shading


From Sabine (Germany) and here on her blog ~

IAST was a really challenge for me this week. Both tangles (Fengle and Shattuck) aren't new to me, but together on this string? I thought a lot about how to draw, but than I said to myself, don't think so much, just do it .... and I did it. Here is my entry for this week, with which I'm very satisfied. Thank you Adele for an other great challenge. I'm looking forward to the next.
With many greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
...another wonderful tangling experience :)
*Fengle variations change through string sections
*pops of Shattuck in Fengle
*striped and sparkled arcs of Shattuck



From Kate (United Kingdom) ~

My contribution to this week's challenge. Two tangles that I really
enjoy - thank you!

Tangled Tidbits -
*long, lovely lines of Shattuck and Fengle
*Shattuck filled Fengle spaces



From Montse (Madrid, Spain) ~

I liked to draw this tile, because I didn't know "Fengle"; I love colors too and zia and I used my watercolors and pencils (Faber-Castell). I'll draw this tangle often.
Thanks, it was very [fun].

Tangled Tidbits -
*Shattuck filled Fengle spaces
*dashed line aura of Fengle
*elegant border line


From Talia (London, United Kingdom) ~

Here's my tile for this week. I decided to use Shattuck as a monotangle and then used lots of colour to make it summery and fun. I really enjoyed making it. Thank you for a great challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*Shattuck changes color and size in each element of the tile
*black and curved lines add contrast



From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Enclosed my IAST # 160 tile.O dear, o dear, this one was a tough one. I saw no other possibility than to skip the string. I'm sorry! But in the end I'm happy with the result. Fengle and Shattuck are so nice to draw.

Tangled Tidbits -
Skipping the string is always an option :)
*thick dark lines of Fengle, highlighted for emphasis
*large black perfs, elegantly shaded and sparkled



From Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~

First and most importantly I hope you are making out ok with the hurricane. Been sending some extra prayers to you and all in FL.
I wasn't able to do the last two weeks, but I am back! I actually finished one for Rio, but haven't finished shading it yet...
Anyway, here is my submission for #160. Not sure where my string disappeared too!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Tippled and wrapped lines of Shattuck through the center

*three creative variations of Fengle

*curved and straight lined Shattuck

From Linda Bladen (United Kingdom) ~

It's a rainy Saturday here so a perfect time to forget the weather and tangle. Not sure that I've used Fengle before and hoping that I've hidden a couple of mistakes.

 Tangled Tidbits -
...only creative opportunities :)
*three Fengle variations peek out from under a happy field of Shattuck
*shadowed Shattuck curls



From Jane Glotzer (Boulder, Colorado) ~

Well, this was a tough one for me...started out with my cute little Fengle in the middle, which I loved, but by the time I was done, Shattuck had taken over, making it a little bit too busy...plus I was working with two very scritchy-scratchy pens and once I started, I didn't want to break out a new Micron, so I had to keep going over my lines, which is never good, and by the time I was done, I was not in a very zen mood at all...definitely time for a new pen--:) Still love my Fengle, and actually, some of the Shattuck--its symmetry appeals to me, but they are two patterns I haven't really explored too much.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*curvy Fengle sprouts into Shattuck
*detail lines repeat in both tangles



From Michele Wynne (California) and here on her blog ~

Thank you for another challenging challenge. I always forget how fun Fengle is and Shattuck is one of my favorites. Getting them to work together however was a bit vexing. About half way in I wished I'd made Fengle bigger, but kept going. It's gotten a bit lost. I did enjoy drawing this so I may have another go at it.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle blends beautifully into and around neighboring spaces
*Shattuck filled doubled string lines - notice the smaller arcs are darkened in



From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) ~

Hi everyone!. Here is my tile for It's a String Thing #160.
Greetings from Canada :-)

 Tangled Tidbits -
*elegant Fengle details - duel colors, highlights and shading, elongated loops
*horizontal Shattuck
*just a touch of white space



From Vicki Mitchell, CZT (Moscow, Idaho) ~

This was an interesting challenge, especially since I have a long history of ending up with mutant Fengles. I drew a practice Fengle to work on the proportions first -- and somehow Shattuck sneaked into the act, too. I'm sending that tile as an example of Fengle acting as a string.
The tile actually using the challenge string took a bit of work to keep the Fengle in proportion and still have each leg end on the border of, or in, the unoccupied sections of the string. (The body of the Fengle, of course, occupies the enclosed section of the string.) As a reformed (read: involuntarily retired) geologist, I always visualize Shattuck as the structures in a river bed -- and since rivers go anywhere they want -- the Shattucks that sprout from the tips of the legs of the Fengle do their best to encroach on the "territory" of their neighbors. That means the string became very much a suggestion for this piece.

 Tangled Tidbits -
That was the first scientific explanation of a string's purpose that I've read.  Thank you :)
*very detailed Shattuck filled Fengle

*inner aura

*Shattuck sprouts from the end points of Fengle

From Becky Welty (North Carolina) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*dark double lines for Fengle filled with Tipple

*Shattuck follows the string lines

From Robin (Nevada) ~

Hello! It’s been a while since I have been able to join your fun! I’m happy to be back to it. I had never tried Fengle before. It’s fun but a little hard to contain. It seems to have a life of its own, changing and growing and taking over the tile before I knew it there wasn’t much room for the Shattuck. Oh well! Not my best, but at least I’m tangling again!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*how fun that Fengle was "a little hard to contain" 

*Shattuck arcs reflected in larger Printemps

*weighted lines and shading add depth

From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) ~

Mine. The colour disappear with the scanning process and as said on my blog - I've put salt on the wet tile, but it was too fine and the tile turned out a bit rough and therefore the black of my Fengles looks a bit grainy. At first I did not know what to do with the string and the tangles, but I started tangling and likes the end result. On the home front: It looks as if Spring really arrived and there are beautiful flowers in our area.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*perf filled Shattuck lines

*three center Fengle shaded around their outer edges

From sra (India) ~

The tiles using Fengle and Shattuck don't conform to the string. The first one sprung from a practice session and went amok, though i like the final result.The second one, I tried to contain the Fengle to the loop of the 6 in the string and put shattuck around it.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Fengle multiplies again and again
*Shattuck arcs compliment Fengle

*black, detailed lines for Shattuck

*shaded. multi layered arcs of Shattuck

From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~

It was lovely spending time with Fengle and Shattuck this week. It was fun putting these lovely curvy tangles into such an angular string.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*sparkled inner lines and spaces of Fengle

*radiating lines and sparkled arcs of Shattuck 

Jenny also sent this photograph of a sunset she enjoyed.  "Easy to appreciate God's handiwork", she wrote.  How very true!

From Juul (France) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*as on Ingrid's and Gudrun's tile above, black sparkled perfs seem to spin from Fengle's tips

 - don't you love when that happens?

*wavy lines and multiple variations for Shattuck

*bold striped for Fengle

From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

The weather has been quite a challenge in FL this weekend ... hoping you and your's are safe from harm ... as well as all those along the east coast this week.
This week's prompt called into play Mooka, my comfort tangle. I believe I went a bit overboard, but I'm happy with the result. My tile reminds me of a wrought iron gate.Cheers to official tangles, sunshine after a storm, and to the chance for rain in New England where we're experiencing a very long and unusual dry spell.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Mooka filled Shattuck - that is fabulous

*elegant curves of Fengle swirl on opposite directions

*Fassett like center sections of Fengle

The Tickled to Tangle frame magnet blends in with Fengle Thank you, Sharyn.

From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~

Angular string...unparalleled lines...curvy patterns...brain freeze. No amount of staring into space this week would help. Even two nights of dream-tangling, and yet my subconscious mind couldn't produce a suitable design (in fact, it discarded more tiles than I ever do). Truth be told, I was so flabberflustered that I was prepared to draw a picture of an empty tile and submit it with note reading, "This week I drew a blank."However, I decided if the string was going to make me that crazy, I'd make the string even crazier, and thus Tile #1. As for Tile #2...string? What string?

 Tangled Tidbits -
*so very happy that you persevered, Marla - the result is spectacular
*doubled, dark string line continues inward and bubbles with Shattuck
*weighted lines for Fengle and layered aura

*doubled lines of Fengle taper to a single lined curl

*small, larger, and partial Fengle/Shattuck combination

From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) and here on her blog ~

This weekend was also filled with duties and occasions, so my tile happened in a small space of time, but both Fengle and Shattuck by Maria Thomas are lovely tangle patterns, and a joy to do. Only thing is this old girl’s hand seems a bit shaky lately. Please look past it. Sorry too, that your string lost out, but as you say, Fengle has a way of doing its own thing. Experience enjoyed as always.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*This is a Fengle festival! - one large center Fengle with another behind

*elongated aura, perf filled aura lines

*Shattuck curls and perfs compliment Fengle

Felicity sent this photo of the Springtime daisies in her lovely part of the world along with this note:

Just couldn’t resist to send you a flower time update. After all the doom and gloom about the prolonged drought in our area, look what lady Spring came up with. I took these photos in the town garden. We are proud of the garden as it is the baby of Friends of the Museum, who established it four years ago on Nelson Mandela Day and who are responsible for its upkeep. It’s completely indigenous. This is absolutely the prettiest time of the year in our town.

Isn't it beautiful?

And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Lily Moon (Hungary) ~

here is my response for your weekly challenge with Shattuck and Fengle. I really enjoyed to draw it! :)

Tangled Tidbits - 

*colors change as the tangles pass through the string lines
*shading, highlights, sparkle, and beautiful shades of brown
*Shattuck lines radiate from Fengle's center point

Congratulations, Lily, and thank you for inspiring all of us week after week. 

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

Thank you to all of the contributors to this week's challenge.

Many thanks to Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, Zentangle founders, for the veristile

Shattuck and Fengle.

Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #161!