"It's a String Thing" #188 Tiles

Happy Monday and Happy First Day of Spring!

If the weather in your part of the world defies the season, take heart because these tiles will put you in a sunny mood.   We've taken the '-ing' from Spring and as Jane (Colorado) says below, we have all had fun "Fricling, Zingering and Fescuing"!

Let's take a look.

The first tile arrived from Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~

...I Loved these tangles, they all work so well together.

Tangled Tidbits -

*pretty perf filled doubled Fricle base lines

*tangles push out passed the border
 

From Ria Matheussen, CZT (Belgium) ~

Everyone loves Zinger, don't they? Together with Fricle and Fescu is this a wonderful challenge that I really enjoyed. Thank you very much.
Again, I have made a background with watercolours and used brown and black pens but also white and green gellypens.
I added a few "Perfs" to finish my tile.
At the moment, we have some nice springfeeling days in Belgium and we all love that!!!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*gorgeous shades complimented by multi-colored tangles

*wonderful highlights

From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~

Agh! I have missed so many weeks of Zentangling! I hate when life gets so crazy busy. But this week, I have at least done two small tiles. I NEED to do more...

 Tangled Tidbits -
Congratulations for making the time to tangle - doesn't it become a 'need' some how?!
*sparkled black perfs accent Fricle, compliment the dark surround of the white perfs
*Fescu flows around the border


From Robin Steinbeck (Ohio) ~

...Here's my entry for IAST #188. This was fun to do on a snowy cold afternoon.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*striped and sparkled and five other fabulous variations of Fricle

*brown Fescu and Zinger

From Barbara (Germany) ~

this time I knew all tangles and found the string easy to follow. This was a pleasure as spring brings sun, light and colors back to our li[v]es. I love this season!
I wish everybody a wonderful time With greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits - 

*plump Zinger, ground patch of Fescu, and a touch of leaves for Spring

*detail lines and sparkled aura - creative variation of Fricle

From Tonia Croce (Rhode Island) ~

Here is my submission. I liked the strong shape. Had some trouble coming up with different ways to do #Fricle tangle, even though it's lovely. Maybe with more practice and patience. I did decide to share the strong and remove the outside lines for a different affect.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*bold and light Fricle

*Fescu and Zinger spring in multiple directions

From Vonnie Schneider (Missesota) ~

Thank you for a wonderful challenge! I usually think of these tangles as fillers and extras, so having them 'be' the tangles had me thinking outside the box a bit. I wanted to explore a bit and see how many variations I could make with Fricle and Zinger, so I started on a piece of paper that was not in my IAST Journal. As I was filling the tile, I was starting to lose what line was for which tangle, which brought out the colored pencils. As always, my purr-baby distracted me and when I looked back at my tile I was astonished! What started out to be my "practice" sheet had now become my submission for the week! Now to figure out how this 5x5 tile will fit in my 3.5x5.5 journal...

Tangled Tidbits - 

Don't you love when that happens?!

*swirls and curls add a wonderful sense of movement

*Fricle tipped Fescu - how fun!

From Hilary (Rome, Italy) ~

Well, I had a lot of fun with this one. I hadn't done Frickle in a long time, so it was good getting reacquainted. I added a bit of Vitruvius at the ends since I just discovered it a few days ago and wanted to practice it.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*mirrored detail on Fricle

*scalloped lines accent both tangles

From Lori Byerly (Washington State) and here on her new blog ~

We're still buried in snow here in Washington state, but even hearing about Spring is an encouragement. Looking forward to seeing the ground again and those first few flowers.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*light and airy wisps of Fescu

*cross-hatch detail for Fricle

From Lisette (Switzerland) ~

First of all congratulation and thank you for the Celtic Knot Mosaic. What an awesome masterpiece! It must have taken ages to complete it I attach what I’ve tried with this pattern on 3Zs and I’ll definitely try your version too.
And finally my version of #188. It made me happy to draw in this string.

 Thank you for the compliments, Lisette.  (link to the post)
I took the liberty of posting Lisette's 3z tiles (above).  She demonstrates how tangles can be included beautifully into Celtic knot designs.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*such a fun Zinger and beautiful butterflies

*curls and Fescu filled Fricle

From Joke Leussenkamp (Eibergen, The Netherlands) ~

It was very nice drawing this challenge, although I never draw fricle before, I found it really fun experimenting on this one!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*glowing white highlights

*pretty perf lined Fricle and shadow shading

From Susan (United Kingdom) ~

I tried to do a monotangle of Fescu, but Zinger and Fricle put in appearances too! It is amazing what you can do, one little line at a time.

 Tangled Tidbits -
Yes, it is!
*Fescu forms Zinger and Fricle - great fun!
*Fescu border floats from the base



From Tina Kirchhübel (Germany)  ~

here is my tile for this week's challenge with some fresh spring colours.
I wish you a great day.
Greetings from Germany

 Tangled Tidbits -
*wispy clusters of Fescu and Zinger
*Fricle curls and curved lines



From Lily Moon (Hungary) and on Instagram ~

...here is my tile for your weekly challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*long, graceful lines of Fescu - and some are tipped with Zinger
*darkened sections feature white tangles


From Linda Goncalves (Pennsylvania) ~

I had much fun putting tangles inside Fricle. I did the black and white one first, then thought I wanted a more delicate "Spring". I am sending both. Happy Spring!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*weighted lines and pleasing balance of light and dark

*five variations of Fricle

 *heart accented Fricle
*vine-like variations of Fricle

From Mariam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~

What a lovely string to celebrate the beginning of Spring. And with your choice of tangles, it made me think of our CA Poppies swaying in the breeze. What fun - thank you!

Tangled Tidbits -
*thin and thicker lines for two variations of Fricle
*lovely, long tapers of Zinger



From Lynn Gotham (Florida) ~

Happy St. Patty's Day Adele. Thanks for the challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful balance of colors on a Renaissance tile
*each Fricle 'frond' boasts its own variation


From Trudi (Woodview, Ontario, Canada ) ~

Wow did this Tangle ever go fast I drew the string and had no perceived notion at all and I just started drawing, never happened like that before! After drawing Frickle I thought it needed an echo or aura and it just seemed to come together. Took me longer to colour than to draw. Such fun!

Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for that description of your experience - pure Zentangle!
*layers of aura add depth and movement
*delicate Zinger tips


From Carina (Germany) and here on her blog ~

Here is my IAST #188. Thank you for the new tangle Fricle! I like it very much! For some spring feeling I put some color in the back :)
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*one large doubled Fricle
*fun curls of Fricle feature individual details


From Terri Dulane, CZT (Massachusetts) ~

My tile for Your latest challenge. Thank you for everything you do to inspire us.

 Tangled Tidbits -
The inspiration is mutual :)
*especially wonderful effect with Fescu and shading on Fricle
*mingling of Fescu and Zinger with shadow shading


From Emily Shelton (Kentucky) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*lines, blue fields accent Fricle
*dotted aura


From Susie (Thailand) and here on her blog ~

Thank you for this fricle, zinger, fescu challenge. The easy patterns and simple string got me inspired to turn it into a dedication.
I made this tile for a friend of mine in Berlin, Germany, her name is Renate. Every once in a while I send her a tile of mine or a link to my website (trying to twist her arm into tangling) and every time she returns with a remark about missing colors. Well, she paints and paints with color - that makes sense. With this tile, however, she no longer needs to get her magnifying glass out to hopelessly search my 9 by 9cm tile for any strokes other than ink and graphite. THERE IS PLENTY OF IT RIGHT HERE.
I am sorry if it looks a bit unfinished (background), but all of a sudden I had an invasion of fruit flies circling my zingers. All shooing didn't help. So I quickly packed the tile - bugs included - into an email and sent it off to you. They are severely pesty little things and might well survive the shuttle through space so better have your pesticide ready, or be prepared to become an unwilling host to some illegal Thai fruit flies immigrants.

Tangled Tidbits -
I think we are safe, they are stuck to the page 🙂
*full, fabulous Zinger
*varying tangle sizes and lengths and shadow shading


From Lin H (Florida) ~

Thanks for your challenge, Adele. I enjoyed using Fricle with Zinger and Fescu. When I look at my results, it feels very playful to me. I think my relaxed state came through. Loved seeing your posted Celtic knot tiles, too. Your work is beautiful!

Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Lin.
*simple and elegant tangles
*highlighted spaces between Fescu curves



From Sabine (Germany) ~

yesterday we had spring in Germany, but today it's raining and stormy weather like autumn. So I celebrate spring by my own with the tile for this week challenge. I love Zinger and Fescu. Fricle are new to me and I love it too. It's a simple but amazing tangle. I looking forward to the tiles of the other participants.
With many greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*plump, sparkled tips of Fescu
*sparkled dark aura and pretty layers of color


From Talia Maynard (London, United Kingdom) ~

Here's my tile for this week's challenge.
I really liked using such organic tangles for a change and a free form string. I really felt about to zone out and relax with this one.

Tangled Tidbits -
*Fescu filled Fricle - and shading sets it off beautifully

*Zinger sprouts from the four corners and from the string's mid point

From Jennifer Moor (Switzerland) ~

What a lovely string and such twirly tangles! Not only did we enjoy exceptionally warm weather here this week, but spring arrived on my tile as well. A swirling mass of fresh growth that just cried out for some green! Thank you for the inspiration.

Tangled Tidbits - ...twirly tangles, indeed!
*wonderful gems with perf accented Fricle surround
*Zinger tipped Fescu springs from the scalloped edge of Fricle


From Cathy Cusson ~

Since I used my calendar to draw my tile on and it fell on the 17th, it had to be done in greens for St. Patrick's day! Hope you are having a great day!

Tangled Tidbits -
*great shades of spring green
*playful variations of Fricle


From Patricia (Switzerland) ~

I love the tangles, Fricle, being new to me and zinger and fescu are both among my favourites!
I drew some of Maria's flux in the insides of the Fricle curls and some feathery bits with small leaves.
I am sending the one with green colouring, and shattuck, as well : but the black and white tile is my official version!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*straight lined Shattuck brings out the curves of Fricle

*feathery Fricle lines and fuller, perf filled ones

*Fescu branches

From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*soft and spiky variations of Fricle
*weighted lines and darkened inner aura


From Sra (India) ~

I keep looking for clever, out-of-the-box ideas for the weekly challenges but end up doing simple stuff. I even started making a list of the unusual interpretations and methods participants here do but that was just a week ago. Nevertheless, I am pleased with my simple effort this time. I got the idea for the string within a round rather than a square soon enough. The Zinger idea came almost immediately and then followed the Fricle. But where do I put in Fescu? That came a few days later and am I happy!
I love Zentangle for how abstract it is, but this time my work ended up resembling a speckled orchid that I've seen. I'm so glad I got the idea for Fescu, it's not unconventional, it's probably even predictable but I feel it lends wholeness and beauty. I find it hard to appreciate my own efforts vis-a-vis all the wonderful work I see here but this is one about which I feel really good, even though it's simple.
And I got a brainwave to fill the gap between the Zingers with my signature!

Tangled Tidbits -
You remind us all that the simplicity is beauty, especially in tangles, thank you.
*Zinger rounded border
*Fescu buds into branches


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Here is my tile IAST # 188 for this week.
I am so glad I was able to do the challenge this week.
I loved the string and I love how this tile turned out.
Thank you for the good and peaceful moments I had drawing this tile.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*Tipple filled Fricle with delicate penciled details surrounded with weighted lines - beautiful!

*deep shading, wonderful depth

From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~

Hello everyone! what an interesting String we had this week. The patterns that we had are so beautifully organic and normally I would have used them randomly in a more botanical setting, but for some reason the Pinwheel String kept calling me, so I let it go and didn't force it, I followed the Pinwheel String creating a kind of order and repetition with the patterns. I realized once I finished that probably I should have use more Spring-like colors, oh well.... although now that i think about it I saw yesterday the first Ladybug of this year, so maybe orange-reddish tones are not so bad after all ;-)
Thank you Adele! ....Greetings from Canada!

Tangled Tidbits -
..."order and repetition" - soothing words to describe tangling
*Fricle used as a filler - that's fun!
*shading and highlights add depth - dew drops are amazing


From Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~

So, we are still thawing out, though it is not as bad. Florida is sounding better by the minute as we are possibly getting 1-4” of snow this evening…you have to just laugh about it. I may be stopping by when you least expect it.
With many family obligations, I felt terrible that I couldn’t submit a tile last week. It was like I skipped school or something. Feels good to be back in the swing of things. Here is my Spring Fling tile. I am hoping it is like a rain dance and moves things along .
Always enjoy your challenges and seeing what everyone creates.
Cheers and your Celtic Knot 3Z was just stunning!

Tangled Tidbits -  Thank you, Jody.  That is a great analogy about skipping school - don't worry though, here you don't need an excuse note to join in again 😉
*delightful details abound - aura, shadows, shading, perfs, dots...
*Fescu and Zinger flow over and under and through



From Donna (Vermont) ~

I almost didn't do the challenge this week because I couldn't come up with a plan that I considered to be creative enough. I finally decided to just go with simple. No color, no shading, no intricate design, just pure black and white and a straightforward plan. I rather like it. Especially because this is actually the first time I've gone with an all black background. I can't wait to see what everyone else does.

Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful sharp contrasts of black and white
*delicate details in the five Fricle


From Jane (Boulder, Colorado) ~

Hope St.Paddy's day was filled with all the Luck of the Irish!
I haven't been getting to IAST until the very end of the week lately, but it gives me just enough time to play with something without a lot of forethought, and that is a good exercise for me!
...
So I played around with a lot of fun, springtime Fricle on a pale watercolor wash (and my scan doesn't pick it all up) with bunches of fun Zingers and some Fescu done with a purple micron! Used the string lines very loosely for some starting points, and then just had a blast Fricling, Zingering and Fescuing from there...and look at that! any tangle can be verbified: I Fricle, she Fricles, we all Fricled, everybody is Fricling--:)
For the moment, we've skipped spring and just jumped right to summer--80 degrees today and tomorrow in Colorado--crazy! The trees are starting to bloom and that's not a good thing...hopefully we'll get a bunch more snow before the real summer returns...it's very dry around here and the fire danger is high...it's lovely walking around in shirt sleeves in March but it's important to acknowledge that climate change is a real danger and threat to our planet and hopefully we can all be working to combat that and the current assault on the scientific community!

Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you for the "ing" insights and the smiles it brings Jane.
*loose and tight Fricle curls and individual details
*all curves flow in the same direction adding smooth sense of motion



From Heidi Sue (Utah) ~

HeidiSue from Utah here, with gratitude for this weeks challenge. I enjoyed it so much, I did two. One in color, that reminded me of the beach and a friend with roots in Cali, so I gave it to her, and a black and white with shading, that reminds me of a meadow. Love love!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Fricle curls create little shelves for Fescu and Zinger
*shading adds depth the the layered tangles

*curves and colors do bring the beach to mind
*touches of white, beautiful highlights

From Sharon Fite (California) ~

Love this vanishing point string! And I appreciate the chance to add a wonky grid where I can. In addition to Fricle, Zinger, and Fescu, I added Pokeleaf, Margaret Bremner's Dust Bunny, and Genvieve Crabe's Fleuri.
Thanks for all you do!

Tangled Tidbits -
*happy mix of tangles, shading blends them together
*heavier and lighter lined Fricle


From Marla Mendenhall (Long Beach, California) ~

Fun week. Fricle has so much potential I have a full page of possibilities in my notebook. Zinger isn't one of my favorite go-tos, only because I don't think I render it well, but Fescue finds its way frequently into my tiles almost without conscious thought.
All three tiles follow the string with a little variation, which also created an inaccurate pinwheel for Tile #2, given the string had only five "spokes" while true pinwheels have an even number of sections. But what the heck, right? My nod to all things Spring - YEA! - with dandelion fuzz thrown in for good measure. Ahhhh ... chew!

 Tangled Tidbits -
Of all the pinwheels I've made over the years with my kids, I never knew they had even numbers of sections - thank you for that tidbit!
*marvelous variations of Fricle, tight swirls to feathery finishes
*awesome aura

 *fabulous Fricle pinwheel - notice the curves, button and stick details
*Zinger and Fescu centers

*graceful Fescu curls - notice how the lighter curls up and over the darker one
*large, tight, double aura-ed spiral



From Vicki Mitchell, CZT (Moscow, Idaho) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*aura and detail lines
*Zinger tapers to lines of dots




From Michele Wynne (California) ~

Thank you once again for another inspiring challenge. I was happy to explore Fricle, a pattern I've seen and admired but never used. I actually finished this so early in the week that I almost forgot to send it. I posted it on Wednesdays blog and then thought it didn't quite seem finished. It was;-)
I had a couple of hand painted zendalas I'd created for swap that I ended up forgetting to sign up for (sigh...story of my life;-), so I was saving them for a moment of organic inspiration. Thank you!

Tangled Tidbits -
...and the colors match the photo's background, that is so pretty!
*highlighted perfs along three large Fricle
*swirls of Fescu and Zinger reach to the tile's edge - notice the rounded intersecting lines of Fescu


From Lovelygiraffe (Japan) and on Instagram ~

here is my tile for your weekly challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*stunning study in black and white - blocks of alternating dark and light change as Fricle passes through the string lines
*long, flowing Fescu lines

And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

Top of the mornin' to yer of this fine shamrock day!
I'm sending you a HUGE thank you for a spring inspired prompt that distracted my attention from the 77mph winds of our (hopefully) last winter storm of the season.
Fricle is high on my favorites list ... it plays well with other tangles. I added Official tangles of Mooka, Flux, and Printemps , along with Rose Brown's Cayke and a strong influence of Sandy Hunter's Akoya. Oh, I can't wait for the tile show!
Cheers to spring!

Tangled Tidbits -
*ingenious way to add other tangles to Fricle
*Mooka waves overlap and repeat from large to medium to small
*Tipple accented gradations of Tipple that suggest a scalloped line
*Cayke encore from last week's challenge
*Zinger and Fescu flow under Fricle
*shading accentuates the neat, clean lines of the tangles
(and what a great frame :)


Congratulations, Sharon!

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

Many thanks to everyone for sending in your precious tiles.  You inspire all of us and help build this wonderfully supportive IAST community.

Special thank yous to the creative minds behind the tangles used with my string this week ~

Fricle by Julie Evans, CZT

Zinger 
and
Fescu both by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, Zentangle® founders


Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #189!