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Thursday, November 3, 2016

We Are On The Tangled Map!

We are literally on the map - my new "It's a String Thing Map".

Let me explain...

Some time early last year, our good friend Mark suggested that I pin on a world map where tiles are sent in from for "It's a String Thing" (IAST).

I immediately loved the idea.  I cherish our community here and the fabulous tiles sent in each week. I delight in the fact that it is truly world wide.  We come from far different worlds and share a common passion for tangling.  How remarkable would it be to see it displayed on a map!

At the time though, many other ideas needed my attention.

As the months passed, I would occasionally search the internet for a map.  Several times I even added one in an online shopping cart, but never followed through with the order.

The idea continued to hover on my 'To Do' list as a few more months passed.  I gave just enough attention to it to keep it from slipping away.  My search for just the right map kept turning up empty and I decided to draw my own.

I bought a black framed cork board - and even that sat in the closet off my studio room for a few more weeks.

Finally, just this week, my schedule cleared enough to put the project into production.

Here is the saga of the creation of the piece.  I hope you enjoy it and who knows, it just may inspire you to make a similar one...

I began by cutting a piece of paper that covered the cork center of the frame - 14" x 20".  With a line art map image from the internet for reference, I penciled the world outline and then traced it over with an 08 Micron.

Next, with an 05 Micron, I added Printemps by Maria Thomas around the shapes.  My daughter Isabella suggested that I use a "wave looking" tangle, and I filled in the remaining areas with large curves of  Sandswirl by Karry Heun.

This is what it looked like at this point~


Shading worked wonders for the tangles.  For contrast, here is the map partially shaded:


And here it is with the shading finished ~






























My initial idea was to use little flags on large pins to mark each contributor's name. To date, that number is well over 300 - too many to fit into a small space - so the idea morphed into using the flagged pins to designate the countries of origin.

My husband, Lou, suggested that I have the map scanned and copied in case I wanted to use it for other projects.  I took it to our local Staples and was delighted to pay just under four dollars to have it scanned and a few prints made.  Using one of the copies enabled me to pin the flags and try other little details before deciding what to do with the original.

I used a thin red tape to make the flags.  Using a Sakura Identi-Pen, I wrote each country's name twice, folded the tape over a pin, and then trimmed the end in a 'v' shape.

A bit disappointed that the map was too small to personalize the pins, I penned IAST tangler's names in the waves of Sandswirl with an 01 Micron.


It was coming together nicely ~


Once the large country pins were set, I added small red tipped pins to designate approximate locations of where tiles were sent from.  In the early years of IAST, I did not always know where the tiles originated, so some contributors' names are included but not their pins.

And (ta-da!) here is the final - the ongoing, I should say - project, hanging on my wall ~


Living art, we could call it, as I will continue to add names and pins as more tanglers join our wonderfully creative community here.

The visual is remarkable because it shows at a glance that five (five!) continents and twenty-six countries are represented, as well as where IAST tanglers are located.

If you have been following along, observing, thinking of sending in a tile - please do!  I'll add you to the tangled map with a very warm welcome.

Enjoy!






32 comments:

  1. This is brilliant, beautiful and heart-warming, Adele. This personal touch is why I cherish you and IAST, you know that, of course! How long did it take you? - Sra

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    1. Thank you so much. The map took about three days to complete.

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  2. Oh Adele, this is such a wonderful idea and an awesome eye catcher! Well done!

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    1. Thank you, and thank you for your little red pin on South Africa.

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  3. Oh, Adele, how very cool! You're such an inspiration and you foster community so well. Question: when we're on vacation and complete (and send in) a contribution, should we list our vacation location? :) (Currently on vacay on the island of Mallorca and have been playing around with this week's challenge, so that's what prompted the question!)

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    1. Pam, that is a great idea. I can imagine we may get some exotic places marked on the map. Enjoy your time in that bit of paradise you are in.

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  4. Wow - stunning idea and execution. What a true labour of love.

    Come on South American tanglers - your continent is looking empty!

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    1. ...and that is how I feel about the tiles sent in every week - true labors of love.
      Here, here! to your challenge to South America. Who will be the first on the map?!

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  5. What a wonderful idea and it looks WOW.

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    1. Thanks to you and to Felicity, I now have my South African geography correct :)

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  6. What a wonderful idea and thoughtfully done. The result is gorgeous and I love it. It's beautiful proof of your dedication to art Adele, you're truly inspirational.
    And yes, come on South America- home of centuries of fantastic design!

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  7. Cheers to you, Adele! You never cease to amaze me. A most elegant, non-techie way to display flags and pinnings ... Sand Swirls connects all the continents and names included in the San Swirls is like connecting hands (and microns) around the world! You are doing yeoman's work ... thank you for inspiring us all to go beyond our own comfort boundaries every week.
    Might we see your map evolving in the side bar of your blog??

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    1. ..."hands and Micorns around the world" would have been a perfect title for this post - thank you!
      Love the side bar idea, I'll see what I can do :)
      Cheers to you!

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  8. What a wonderful idea! How great it is to see that zenangle really unites the world!

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  9. Adele, what an awesome project!

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  10. This is a brilliant way to visually unite the entire IAST process! You've crafted a very classy, old world-style map - I love it. And all done in three days, very motivating.

    Jennifer, Switzerland (but my heart still lives in South Africa where I was born)

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  11. How fun is that! Love your beautiful artwork and sense of community.

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  12. Wow! This is just awesome, Adele! Thanks for sharing you the photos and story of the process.

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  13. How cool is that! Love it!

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  14. Oh Adelle - my jaw just dropped when I saw your post. What an amazing, heartfelt project. Wow!

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  15. Three days to complete! Amazing.
    I see Singapore is represented. I'm proud to contribute to IAST, even if I don't often send my submissions in on time... I do still keep the strings as inspiration for future tiles. :)
    Thank you for keeping up this lovely blog to inspire other artists to keep tangling.

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  16. What a delightful idea! And so beautifully executed! I'm sure you'll love having it to grace your workspace.

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  17. I love the way you did the water!

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  18. This is a gorgeous representation of the community that comes together for your challenges, Adele. I love it!

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  19. Adele. This is such a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing your wonderful map.

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  20. This is awesome what a great idea!!!

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  21. What a great idea! You are so talented!
    :)

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