Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Today, in the United States, we remember and give thanks for the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. We appreciate their supreme sacrifice.
IAST #195 embodied many things - a three ringed string, two newer tangles and a familiar one, all of which evoked a sense of the celestial for many of us.
Marla Mendenhall (California) summed up the entire experience with a note that she sent as a follow up to the one she submitted for the challenge.
We begin with Marla's whimsical, witty, sentimental note and accompanying illustration ~
We may have been expecting the professor to sign this masterpiece, but there is no denying it is a Marla Original. Thank you endlessly for sending this along.IAST #195 embodied many things - a three ringed string, two newer tangles and a familiar one, all of which evoked a sense of the celestial for many of us.
Marla Mendenhall (California) summed up the entire experience with a note that she sent as a follow up to the one she submitted for the challenge.
We begin with Marla's whimsical, witty, sentimental note and accompanying illustration ~
Sarah Fowler's nod to Heath Robinson as an inspiration for her Strutz design, and subsequently Linda Farmer's reference to the Rube Goldberg machines, got me thinking about IAST #195 and what those three circles might look like in one of their cartoons.
And then, will wonders never cease, I ran across this old illustration of an invention entitled The Wave Machine by Professor Algenon Gildenstern, reproduced in a badly abused copy of the little known publication, "The Journal of Non-Granted Patent Applicant Apparatus Vol. I: Abstruse thru Inane". And, amazingly, there were the three circles!
Now, I may not fully understand the Professor's process or purpose and, based on the size of the rodent on the left and the lackadaisical attitude of the cat, I'm not sure he wouldn't have been better off trying to build a better mouse trap. But I can certainly appreciate that he added a flag to the waving hand, in honor of our upcoming Memorial Day. A safe holiday to all, and let us remember those who have served.
(By the way, pay no attention to the name at the bottom. That is not the signature you're looking for...)
The first arrived from Ann Gotowy (France) ~
ma participation pour ce nouveau challenge
bonne semaine à vous
*curved and straight-lined Strutz
*alternating details for Tessell creates lovely pattern
From Renee Womack (Austin, Texas) and here on her blog ~
Thank you for this week’s challenge! My goal was to keep things simple and clean - a counterbalance to a busy time. I simply wasn’t in the mood for a grid pattern so I just left it out. Hoping you are enjoying a good week.
"Counterbalance to a busy time"...wonderful thought.
Tangled Tidbits -*woven Strutz
*weighted lines for Printemps and little pops of color
From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
I didn't get to finish a tile in time for last week's challenge but I'd like to say how much I'm enjoying playing with your new tangle Trella. It has so much to offer - and as soon as it comes together into a coherent form on a tile I shall of course share it with you!
And so to this week - which took an unexpected turn when I immediately began to see columns of Strutz holding apart swirling banks of Printemps. I grabbed some strange and hard to work on paper, which had a suitably ancient feeling to it. A tiny nod to Tessell on the columns! I think my tile is more than a little influenced by the fact that I was reading this week about how Galileo tried to calculate the dimensions of Hell based on Dante's Inferno!
Tangled Tidbits -
*weighted, sparkled, and shaded curves of Primtemps
*lovely details for Strutz - lines, interlocking curves, shading
From Vonnie Schneider (Saint Paul, Minnesota) ~
What a fun challenge! I love it when the tile goes a completely different direction without me realizing it until I'm done! As I was drawing, I kept think about my Dad when he would work in his wood shop or on one of many vehicles...definitely shows in this tile! Sure do miss the smell of sawdust and engine oil...and I do miss him, but this tells me he is still watching me!
Tangled Tidbits -
*central axis for Strutz
*single line of Tessell features angled Primtemps
From Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~
Another set of wonderful tangle patterns, I’ve enjoyed each one.
Recently I purchased a set of Sakura Micron 01 coloured pens,
So I’ve taken this opportunity to try them out.
Attached is my entry in ‘It’s A String Thing’ #195.
Thanks Adele
I’ve been reading with interest of your wonderful trip to Italy,
What a great time you have had, As you have used Fabriano Paper,
It must be a great honour for you to be where it’s actually made.
Love all the pictures you have taken.
Thank you, Adele, for sharing your fabulous trip with us.
*colorful wheel of sparkled Primtemps layered against Tessell
*Strutz angles off Printemps and itself
From Lynn Gotham (Florida) ~
Thank you for another fun challenge Adele. Sure wish I had Fabriano paper to put on my fabulous IAST frame. 😊
Tangled Tidbits -
*pops of Tessell topped Strutz
*shading adds wonderful dimension to the tangles
From Juliane Lopez (Florida) ~
It's not quite what I had intended when I started, but isn't that the way things go?
Thanks and take care.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Primtemp shines against a dark background
*multiple layers of Strutz crisscross and diminish in size
From Sabine (Germany) ~
.....here is my contribution for this week....
*sparkled aura of Tessell
*one large Printemps and the repeat of darker spaces highlight the tangles
From Hilary (Chicago) ~
Wow Adele! How did you ever drag yourself away from the fabulous Marchese del Grillo hotel? Talk about a dream location! Needless to say, I am totally enjoying your photos and can't wait to see more.
I was a bit stymied by this week's IAST, and had to make two different attempts at it. Neither one turned out quite the way I wanted, and that's all I'm going to say!Every time you add your explanation to a tangle pattern I learn so much. You've got a real talent for making things clear and interesting!
Tangled Tidbits -
*multiple, interlaced Strutz
*weighted lined Printemps swirl in between Strutz
From Sue Jacobs, CZT (Illinois) and here on her blog ~
Finally was able to participate again. Thanks for the challenges.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Printemps and Tessell tipped Strutz
*delicate layers of Printemps all softly shaded
From Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~
I am early for a change! I am heading to Kripalu in the Berkshires this weekend for a Zentangle class with Rick, Maria, Molly and Martha..so excited!!!
Your Fabriano emails are just wonderful. I feel like I am right there with you the way you are describing it and showing the pictures. Thank you for taking us on your journey with you.
Here is my 195 tile. Strutz by Sarah Fowler, one of my dear friends from Mosaic, is a favorite..had to make sure I got this one in before I left.
Tangled Tidbits -
*gorgeous white on tan tangles
*pretty Printemps variations and each Strutz is unique
A very warm welcome to Jane Rhea (Indiana) ~
*wonderful Printemps variations
*mulitple, and creative, variations of Strutz
Welcome to IAST and welcome to our tangled map, Jane!
From Gabriela Garcia (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~
I had so much fun with this tile! A few days ago I saw some images with amazing sculptures that looked as if they where floating, so as soon as I saw the string for this challenge and that it had the pattern "Strutz" I thought it would be fun to try to simulate a sphere sculpture hold in place by the "Strutz" supports. Then I thought why not try to make a whole inside the sphere with the other circle-sphere on the string! I don't know if I added all the shading to create the initial idea correctly but I can tell you I really enjoyed the process ;-) It is a little hard to see in the picture but the brownish area is filled by very thin tiny "Printemps". Thank you Adele for another great challenge and I loved reading your posts about your trip!
Greetings from Canada
*amazing details throughout - large floating Printemps, field of subtle Printemps, Strutz supports (love the ones leaning on the corners)
*superb shading adds dimension
From Henrike Bratz, CZT (Germany) ~
here’s my contribution to IAST#195. I also posted this together with some comments on the process here on my brand NEW WEBSITE!!!!! (Link)
A CZT needs an appropriate website for sure!!
I also made an interesting experience (as it is in the books) with a “mistake”. I wrote a blogpost here (Link)
Tangled Tidbits -
*Printemps topped Strutz
*beautiful variations of Tessell
*light and dark contrasts balance beautifully
From Jutta Gladnigg (NRW, Germany) ~
First of all thank you so much for letting us take part in your marvelous tour through Italy! Such an interesting report with beautiful photos! Makes one want to follow your footsteps!
This week's challenge was great fun because it did not only contain Sarah Fowler's cool new pattern but gave me the chance to present this week's challenge on a tile handmade by Sarah herself. Sarah is famous for cutting her own tiles and sometimes she glues small coloured blank paper discs onto them. Some weeks ago she sent me this blank handmade Zendala tile - white with a chocolate brown little Zendala disc attached onto it. I had not used it so far and was quite astonished that this tile exactly represented the string of IAST 195... So here it is... Big honour to draw this challenge onto a tile handmade by the originator of one of the selected patterns!
The original chocolate brown shines though from behind printemps, the rest of the small disc was coloured with red chalk.
Tangled Tidbits -
*aura-ed clusters of Tessell
*beautiful blend of browns and blacks, highlights and shading
Buongiorno Adele!
Living vicariously here in my humble little town filled with endless days of spring rain and vacuuming water from the basement ... I can't get enough of the recounts of your trip to Italy and all locations near and things related to Fabriano! Breathtaking and awestruck! I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next account!
So somebody pinch me! I'm ready to say ... I attended CZT27! (Thank you, Adele, for keeping the secret ... and for offering us all IAST ... I might not have ever gone on the tangly adventure had it not been for your prompts and positive reviews of everyone's tiles every week!). To everyone who is thinking about attending the CZT seminar ... its a true experience to behold and such a gift to yourself!
On to the prompt ... it took a few practice pages in a journal to get Tessell... my had wanted to draw the pattern Well. But now, I'm thinking of my 2017 Christmas card! And Strutz just might be in the card too! Can't want for the prompt reveals! And I can't wait for the next installment of the Paper Pilgimage!
Saluti tuti y ciao Bella!
Tangled Tidbits -
*glorious round of striped and sparkled Tessell
*lightly penciled Printemps background
From Susie (Thailand) and here on her blog ~
Attached my tile for the IAST 195 challenge. I didn’t think much about what to do with 3 circles and this weird tangle Strutz. However, in the end my tile turned out rather funny…sort of like a Mars capsule thanks (!) to that weird tangle Strutz.
Have to say, I would have never ever used Strutz of my own choosing in ANY of my tiles, so I am glad you did that for me. Thanks for a fun challenge, Adele.
Isn't it funny how that happens with tangles. I am so happy you worked with Srutz, you compliment it very well.
Tangled Tidbits -
Tangled Tidbits -
*elongated points of Tessell add character to the string's circle
*multiple 'steps' for the bases of Strutz
*multiple 'steps' for the bases of Strutz
From Mariam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~
This challenge did indeed challenge me! My brain just could not get wrapped around Tessell and I'm not sure why. I finally decided this was the best I was going to get (time running out) and just went with it. I love the string and I may go back and do another later on. Thanks again for another wonderful challenge.
Loving all the stories and photos of your trip - you look like you were in heaven! :-)
*stunning ring of Tessell, shading on each edge adds depth
*various sizes of Strutz and Printemps along with the deep black background adds wonderful depth
From Kim Winebrenner, CZT 11 (Ohio) ~
Here is my attempt for IAST #195.Thanks for the great blog, challenge, patterns, commentary, etc. I admire all that you do. I especially love your "Tips"; I can't tell you how many times those have been very helpful to me as I struggled with a pattern.
Tangled Tidbits -
*detail lines of Strutz
*layers of pretty Printemps float over a field of black
From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~
What a brainblowing challenge! I liked all suggested tangles , but I saw no possibility to fit in Tessell, so a duotile it has become and Tessell has to wait for some other time to play with.
I enjoy reading your wonderful Italian adventures so much! And thank you for making me and your whole IAST community a travel partner with you.
*fabulous wheel spokes of Strutz
*Printemps hub and filler
*deep black spaces and wonderful shading
From Kate (United Kingdom) ~
Wow, this is different! I feel as though my tangle this week could have
a starring role in 'War of the Worlds'!
*black, sparkled perfs for the centers of Tessell
*varying lengths and thicknesses of Strutz
From Trudi (Woodview, Ontario, Canada) ~
Your trip sounds even better each time you tell us more, fabulous! I think I should have stuck with black and white for some reason I'm not happy with the colours maybe it's because the shading doesn't look good with my colours?
Tangled Tidbits -
*stripes, sparkles, and color for Tessell
*Strutz stretches from side to side
From Tonia C (Rhode Island) ~
I used metallic colored pencils to differentiate where the #strutz began: Silver: small circle, Copper: middle circle, Blue: large circle, Mauve: edge of perimeter. It looks a little crazy, must have been influenced by the day I had at work (wink)
*very creative way to distinguish the layers of Strutz
*alternating black and white base layers of Strutz
From Cyndee Pelley (Oklahoma) and here on her blog ~
It's a String Thing challenge this week included a special treat for me! The challenge features my good friend and artist, Sarah Fowler's "Strutz" pattern. I've played with it many times but never completed a tile featuring Strutz. Of course, being in a pretty big artistic slump made forcing the tiles uncomfortable. That said, I love her pattern and its hollibaugh effect. It's funky bends and embellishment possibilities make it lots of fun to play with. Sarah is an amazing artist and such a positive person, it was a real pleasure to feature her art and story on my blog a few weeks back!
Strutz was a perfect fit for this week's string and it works great with Maria Thomas' Printemps. I'm hopeful I can relax enough to get next week's tile finished before Saturday night!
Tangled Tidbits -
*lovely details for short, fat, tall and thin Strutz
*ring of weighted lined Printemps and more for a center filler
From Sharon Fite (California) ~
Loved hearing about your trip to Italy! Here's this week's tile. Tessell was a bit of a brain-teaser, but I think I got the hang of it. Strutz was very fun, and I will definitely use it again. And Printemps is one of my go-to tangles. Wishing everyone a great week!
*tangled orbs perched on Strutz supports
*soft, subtle shading
From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~
Well, I just can't wait to see what our inventive tanglers come up with for this week's challenge. The patterns were great, but for three days my brain spun in circles (not unlike the string) trying to figure out what to do. And then ...
In Tile #1, while the smaller Strutz keep the string circles in place, the giant Strutz is attempting to keep the large Printemp from springing up as have the smaller ones at the bottom. And Tile #2 ... I was so much enjoying the single Tessell whirl-y-gig with its streamers flying in the wind as it spun, when all of a sudden these big Strutz rushed in and pushed the two large circles off to the side, squishing all the pretty Printemps into the corner. What's up with that? Huh? (When serious tangling there is none, with pen and and paper then have some fun!)
I'm so loving the details of your trip and the wonderful photos, Adele. I can feel your joy and passion floating out to us like a warm Italian breeze. Thank you for sharing.
Tangled Tidbits -
*the imagery exceeds even the descriptive words - amazing!
*incredible perspectives
*Strutz supports and squeezes - how fun!
From Jennifer Moor, CZT (Switzerland) ~
Thank you so much for all your posts on your magnificent trip to Fabriano - I have enjoyed reading every one of them as well as all the interesting information about the paper you have shared. Please keep them coming!
This is my first IAST tile since my return from CZT#26 seminar in Providence - I am thrilled to be part of this global community of tanglers that connects people of all nationalities! There have been so many interesting things to follow up on since seminar but now it was high time to return to your challenge. Both Strutz and Tessel were new tangles for me - thank you for the inspiration.
CONGRATULATIONS, Jennifer and welcome to the CZT community!
*Printemps centered Tessell
*Strutz filled center string circle and all wonderfully shaded
From Patricia (Switzerland) ~
Thank you for sharing the fascinating information about Fabriano paper history ...it makes me feel very privileged to be using their products.I am glad you had such a great experience. It is a while since I did a challenge...but I did do all kinds of tangling in the interim!
Thank you to the creators of the tangles too!
Tangled Tidbits -
*center string circle filled with one large Printemp
*Printemps blends into Tessell
From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) ~
Tessell did not want to play along so I decided to use Printemps. This was a fun experience.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Peintemps and Tessell blend in the the larger string circle
*Strutz pulls the inner and outer circle together and stretches out to the border lines
From Felicity Strohfeldt (Velddrif, South Africa) ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*short and long overlapping reaches of Strutz
*sparkled layers of Printemps - all beautifully shaded
And now...
the tile for honors this week...
was sent in by...
Lovelygiraffe from Japan and can be found here on Instagram ~
She wrote~
Thank you for introducing me and my students' efforts in the article "Wednesday's Words of Wisdom" (Link) . In April I tried zentangle as a sample of stair art at the entry entrance to a new student, and as a result I came to welcome 15 new members. It was the start with the largest number of people ever. The idea of tangling of junior high school students is interesting whenever they see it. I feel the depth of the zentangle. From now on, I will continue to pursue more and more myself, I want to return it to my works and students. This article was very encouraging. I'm really thankful to you!
And…here is my tile for your weekly challenge.
Tangled Tidbits -
*celestial, night sky coloring
*crystla ball- like center string circle with curved bases for Strutz
*layers of Tessell and sparkled, weighted Printemps
*bold black outer area highlights the tangles
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 ~
Strutz by Sarah Fowler
Tessell by Judy OkawaPrintemps by Maria Thomas
Thank you, too, for the compliments on the photos and stories of our "Paper Pilgrimage" to Fabriano, Italy. Part V is coming on Thursday ♡...
Check back later today for "It's a String Thing" #196 results
and tomorrow for "It's a String Thing" #197!
Hello Adele, I tried posting a thankyou earlier but it seems to have disappeared. I would like to say thankyou so much for using strutz in this challenge and a massive thankyou to all the lovely tanglers who had a go .....big big hug ��❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, Sarah. A huge thank you to you for such a fun pattern to play with. Don't you just love what everyone did with your tangle?!
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