Monday, April 18, 2016

"It's a String Thing" #140 Tiles

Happy Monday!

The tiles sent in this week will certainly make your Monday happy - if it isn't already.

We used a straight lined string and some classic tangles.  Just three tangles, yet the variations on the theme are so diverse...Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Joke Leussenkamp (The Netherlands) ~
This really was a challenge for me. Copada give me a hard time to transfer it in string nr. 140.
I hope you like the end result.
Tangle greeting from The Netherlands
 Tangled Tidbits -
*grand variation of Copada
*rich black background accents the beautiful tangles


From Sabine (Germany) and here on her blog ~
a straight lined string filled with curved tangles was a little bit difficult challenge to me. I have used a light-grey paper. Marnie was new to me and I have draw it as string border. It's an interesting and variation tangle. Thank you for an other great challenge.
Greetings from Germany
Sabine
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh weaves its way into Copada and Pokeleaf
*pleasing balance of small and large tangles, light and dark spaces


From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) and here on her blog - 
This tile is dedicated to you, because it is done on my first real Zentangle tile and was sent to me by you. I've saved it, but decided that it was sent to be used! I loved this challenge and looking forward to what my fellow tanglers did.
Thank you, Susan :)
Tangled Tidbits - 
*three lovely variations of Copada
*Copada detailed Hollibaugh intertwines with Pokeleaf



From Sarah (Michigan) and here on her blog - 
Here is my entry for the week. I kind of got carried away by Hollibaugh and managed to fuse a few pieces of Copada in there. It was a great string to work with and I enjoyed doing this tile a lot. Thanks for another great week!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh changes size in each string section
*Copada overlay


From Joanne Faherty (Bedforshire, United Kingdom) ~
Here's my crazy tile for the week. I'm calling it opposites' attract . I did the copada ( which I've never used but have meant to glad I did I like it) and holibaugh and had the idea of it going through the 2 string sections, while doing that I thought hey it would be cool to have one side white and one side black.
After doing that I was looking at the little sections of string I had left and though umm pokeroot will look strange in there, until I realised copada looks like the top of pokeroot ta-da pokeroot diguised nearly. However I didn't like the patterns on the lower pokeroot so coloured them black.
I really like how this has come out
Funny...I never realized that until you wrote, but Pokeleaf does mimic the shape of Copada - great find!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*rich contrasts along with sparkle and shading
*Copada and Pokeleaf morph 


From Michele Wynne (California) and here on her blog ~
Thanks for another great challenge. I had a lot of fun with this one. I used a previously hand painted watercolor tile in the vein of Renaissance tan tiles. I started this about11:30 last night after I got home from work. I'd only meant to gather up some tools so I'd be ready to hit the cafe this morning to draw. Then I thought "Maybe I'll just position the string"...Well...and hour+ later I finally crawled into bed;-)
Time well spent!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*grand sense of depth with the layering of Hollibaugh
*wonderful variations of Copada
*aura-ed and shaded Pokeleaf


From smgg (Taiwan) and on her Instagram ~
Have a nice day!!!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh 'highways'
*Copada filled string lines


From Hilary Merola (Rome, Italy) ~
I have just finished admiring your beautiful, flowery Wednesday Words of Wisdom. I always enjoy seeing them, but this week's was especially lovely.
I really enjoyed this week's string thing. When I first look at your chosen patterns, it always seems to me that it's going to be impossible to put them together. Once again that's what I thought, they're just too different, they won't work in the same string! But I am actually happy with my solution. I used the string for Hollibaugh, then decided to put my Copada variation inside the Hollibaugh. Then I filled in the rest with Pokeleaf and its cousin Pokeroot.
Thanks again for providing so many creative opportunities!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*delightfully detailed vines of Pokeroot and Pokeleaf
*four sizes of Copdada filled Hollibaugh add a sense of depth


A very warm welcome to  Aloya (Elena) Pakhomova (Toronto, Canada) ~
I am very new to Zentangle, only discovered it a few week ago. And this is my first try of your Challenge. Hope I did everything right.
Couldn't choose one zentanle of few drawn, so I am sending two of them I like best.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*single Copada caps morph into Hollibaugh and Pokeleaf

*Copada filled string lines
*graceful flow to Pokeleaf


From Tina Kirchhübel  ~
today I really enjoyed drawing the challenge tile. The children went to their grandma with dad and I had time to tangle. It was very relaxing and I really love the result.
Greetings from Germany
Isn't time to tangle a wonderful gift?
Tangled Tidbits -
*Hollibaugh divides the tile into checkerboard spaces
*Tipple filled Copada
*black and white Pokeroot


From Cheryl Stocks (Arizona) and here on her blog ~
Thanks for this challenge. It gave me a chance to add more drama than I usually do.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*large, lovely Copada - sparkled black perfs and detail lines
*doubled string lines kept white accent the tangles


From Jean Beckstrom (Alabama) ~
I have so enjoyed all the challenges and I especially love to see the diversity of design placement and interpretation from other tanglers.. It is wonderful. Thank you for all the time you spend with us each week.
 
Tangled Tidbits -
*jewel-like look of Copada
*shaded Hollibaugh with a smattering of darkened spaces


From Karen - The Creative Miss L - (Canberra, Australia) and here on her blog ~
Here’s my tile. I made it in a bit of a rush. I really appreciate the comments you make on my tiles. Helps my confidence grow a little more each time.
I do believe that tangling itself instills confidence - happy to help, too!
Tangled Tidbits -
*Hollibaugh flows into Copada
*single row of Pokeleaf seems to tuck under and re-emerge into a cluster


From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~
A lot less loopy this week and still good fun. Hollibaugh is the tangle that I would love to hate, yet somehow I keep getting drawn to using it (no pun intended). It was hard to figure out how Pokeleaf was going to fit into something as angular as this string, but in the end I thought the tangles worked well together. Thank you for another week of fun and inspiration.
I love a good pun :)
Tangled Tidbits - 
*tree-like Hollibaugh branches of Pokeleaf - great touch with the dotted line aura and shading down one side of each leaf
*one main string line of Copada


From Gesine (Germany) ~
Tangled Tidbits - 
*fabulous angles of Copada filled, Pokeleaf tipped, Hollibaugh - note the perspective achieved
*Tipple filled opposing corners


From Jennifer (Kansas City, Missouri) ~
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Pokeleaf branches out from Copada
*lovely light and dark version of Copada repeats in different directions through the string lines


From Ilse Lukken (The Netherlands) and here on her blog ~
Thanks for your continuing challenges! Here's my entry for this week...
 Tangled Tidbits -
*various line width of Hollibaugh adds even more depth
*rounded lines, ovals, and petal shapes in Copada variations



From Karen Aiken (Alberta, Canada) and here on her blog ~
Another fun string this week, and a new-to-me tangle too (Copada). I’m trying to embrace using the string as a suggestion, rather than areas that need to be completely filled in. That's hard for me! If you look closely though, you can see that I did use your string #140. :-)
 Tangled Tidbits -
*Hollibaugh and Copada gracefully flow into Pokeleaf
*shadowed Pokeleaf


From Annie Taylor (Spain) ~
Copada is one of my all time favourites and I used it in a fairly minimal way with a nod to Hollibaugh. And Pokeroot is also a long time favourite - so nothing not to like this week! Many thanks.


Tangled Tidbits - 
*curved and shaded Copada appears rounded
*Pokeleaf flows from Hollibaugh lines


From Kate (United Kingdom) ~
My contribution to this week's challenge - I did enjoy it!
A lot of black areas but I think it has a bit of an 'art deco' look to
it which appeals to me!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*the black makes the tangles pop
*Pokeleaf flows into Copada and from Hollibaugh


From Beth Gaughan (North Carolina) ~
Here is my tile for IAST 140. Thanks for continuing to post the weekly challenges!

Tangled Tidbits - 
*multiple aura for Pokeleaf
*Hollibaugh string lines
*curves and rounded details for Copada


From Heidi (Salt Lake City, Utah) and here on her blog ~
The patterns are loads of fun, but overall, this tile was a tough one to love, until I got the shading in there.
Pokeleaf caught my imagination to start, and I like how it ended up "on top" of the hollibaugh, though it would have been cool to really load the piece with leaves. Anyway...it just blew my mind what a difference it made with the shading. It sort of reminds me of a garden trellis in Morocco.
thanks for yet another lovely, fun challenge

Tangled Tidbits - 
*Pokeleaf 'grows' through the other tangles and across the tile
*elegantly simple variations of Copada


From Susan (United Kingdom) ~
I tried to keep it simple this week and leave lots of white. I usually like to fill all the available space so it was quite a challenge. Thanks for all of your work on these challenges.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*morphing of Hollibaugh and Pokeleaf - again the sense of depth with angled stems
*light, medium, and dark spaces repeat the divides of the dotted string lines


From Yvette (France) ~
Bonjour Adèle merci pour ce défi. J'ai eu grand plaisir à l' emmêler. J'ai fait un tonneau avec hollibaugh (dans le rectangle). Sur lequel repose une plume qui signe mon nom et prends le rebord du petit triangle. Hollibaugh, s'envole autour d'une corne d'abondance d'où sort un bouquet de pokeleaf en blanc et noir (façon le ying et le yang). Bordure avec copada. J'adore emmêler. Sa fait travailler l esprit ,c'est formidable un travail mental de recherche de réflexion de concentration. Merci pour ce défi.
Je vous souhaite à tous une merveilleuse semaine.

Even with the translation google provides, my English doesn't do Yvette's description justice, but her beautiful work does...
Tangled Tidbits - 
*sparkled Hollibaugh twirls and swirls into a Pokeleaf cornucopia - notice how it is woven and shadowed
*beautiful Copada variation



From Christiane (Germany) ~
My tangle is colorful this time. It gives me much pleasure to use color.
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits - 
*one large Copada cap
*Hollibaugh in alternating spaces as the lines match up with Copada


From sra (India) ~
Somehow, the designs didn't come together but I didn't give up. Then this morning (Saturday) I decided I would put the Pokeleaf and the Copada inside the Hollibaugh spaces. I had imagined the Hollibaugh as a trellis and the Pokeleaf as a vine that went through it and around it but the Copada really took some doing! So when I thought of filling the Hollibaugh with the Copada it felt like a brainwave.
All three tangles are new to me as I'm a beginner. Would you understand if I say I am pleased with my imagination and visualisation but not with the final result? It became a bit too chaotic and I had to black over one spot because the Pokeleaf didn't turn out well.
What I do like about the tile is the black parts. My Copadas turned out better than I imagined. I like that I treated them and the spaces between and around differently, with fillers, auras and left some alone to give a bit of white space and contrast.
Isn't it interesting that the black spaces became your favorite?  "One stroke at a time" and the tile unfolds beautifully.
Tangled Tidbits -
*Hollibaugh divides the tile into spaces filled with pretty variations of the tangles
*Copada lines, corners, and stacked in rows


From midori, CZT (Florida) ~
i've been playing with sakura calligraphy pens all over my notebook.
when i realized, i had 'hollibaughed' along your strings with gentle sweeping strokes. i tangled poke leaf with tipples,accented with a brown pen (since it, too, was close by.) in my notebook...
 Tangled Tidbits -
*"gentle sweeping strokes" can be felt - sparkle adds the Hollibaugh effect
*Pokeleaf springs from single branches
*elegant shading, Tipple, and a touch of brown


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~
It was very nice working with this string you made. Nice tangles too, to meet again.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*alternating light and dark, white and lines spaces of Copada
*aura-ed Hollibaugh



From Adri (South Africa) ~
 Tangled Tidbits -
*multiple sizes of Pokeleaf - and Pokeleaf filled Hollibaugh
*dashes and perfs alternate in Copada variations
Tangled Tidbits -
*stems of Pokeleaf appear to weave in and out of the tile - notice how shading adds to that look
*clusters of Pokeleaf and lovely Copada


From Jane (Colorado) ~
It's a very springy string thing! And here in Colorado we are having a major blizzard! Pretty typical spring weather...March and April are actually our snowiest months! But it is definitely hard to pull out the coats and boots when last week's temps were in the mid 70s and trees and flowers have been blooming away...I'm worried about my apples and peonies--:(
Anyway, I took the opportunity to use some watercolor pencils with a water brush to "spring" up my entry this week. I started with the Pokeleaf (one of my go-to favorites) following along the string line and then added just a teeny touch of Hollibaugh. I suddenly had a vine growing around a garden trellis, so although I absolutely love Margaret's work (as you know she has wonderful tutorial/explorations for lots of patterns...what she does with Cubine, Tipple, Echoism and more is so amazing!) I decided there was no room for Copada. I added the dashes on the trellis, a bit of shading, a few little curlicues and some Zingers and then colored my little spring garden scene--(oh well, a bit overworked, but fun, nonetheless!)
Thanks for all your time and energy, but mostly your love for all things Zentangle, which is always apparent! 
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Pokeleaf string lines (wonderful colors)
*dotted, deeply shaded  Hollibaugh


From Allison Durno (Richmond Hill, Ontario) ~
Fun tangles to work with this week. I liked exploring Pokeleaf and using it to fill space and as a border and also to add a bit of colour. Liked the dimension in the Hollibaugh. Copada was new to me, too, and since it seemed a natural to use it as a border I tried something different by coiling it up into a single section.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*a Copada coil - fabulous idea!
*Pokeleaf filled string spaces, string lines, and sprinkling along the border


From Val Brandon (United Kingdom) ~
I haven't participated for ages. Thanks for taking the time to share all our entries.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*stems of Pokeleaf cleverly emerge from Copada
*Hollibuagh melds into both tangles 


From Lucy Banta, CZT 16 (New Jersey) ~
Here's my tile this week. Congrats on your art show. Very exciting And well deserved!

Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh and Copada are interwoven
*darkened aura and centers of Copada emphasize the tangle and contrast with Hollibaugh's white space


From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~
Congratulations on your upcoming art show. Can't wait to hear more about it!
I loved everything about this prompt. I kept a simple approach to Pokeleaf and Copada ... I was going to go back to them after working with Hollibaugh but I got entranced, then decided Tipple and shading was all that was needed. Cheers to spring!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh emerges as part of the border
*Copada fills Hollibaugh and spills into Pokeleaf
*Tipple, soft shading, and similar sized tangles create an even look as the patterns flow from one to the next


From Sue Agnew (Arizona) ~
I ran out of time (a long-time friend called to chat while I was partway through) so this isn't as "perfected" as I might like ... (and yes I understand that perfection isn't the goal of Zentangle ... try telling that to a perfectionist). I've always liked Copada because I like the way it looks cylindrical when you use radiating lines. A few years ago during my "try to sparkle everything" phase I tried sparkling this one and I can't remember if I thought it worked or didn't work so well, but I do think it contributes to the cylindrical effect. I have always wanted to be "good" at Pokeleaf and never thought I was ... and same with Hollibaugh ... I always make it too symmetrical therefore boring, or get frustrated that it isn't symmetrical. I drew the leaves first and then joined them up by their stems without prior planning. This is probably the most I've ever liked my rendition of either Hollibaugh or Pokeleaf.
Keep 'em coming! So appreciate all that you do!

Tangled Tidbits - 
*a beautiful triangular melding of Pokeleaf and Hollibaugh
*splendid rows of sparkled Copada


From Jessie Plouffe (Connecticut) ~
I have had so little time to tangle the last few weeks, but I managed
to complete this challenge, and I'm glad I did! I decided to try
something different with the Pokeleaf, so I tried it stemless and with
the stem going all the way through the leaf.

Tangled Tidbits - 
*aura and shading of wonderful Pokeleaf variations lend great depth
*stunning Copada with Tipple


From Becky Welty (North Carolina) ~
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Copada shaded along the points
*singular vines of Pokeleaf 


From Anna Houston, CZT (British Columbia, Canada) ~
It was fun as those are all comfortable but fun tangles!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Copada string lines
*beautifully dark background for the tangles 
*detailed shading


From Talia Maynard (London, United Kingdom) ~
Here's my tile for this week's challenge. I was surprised how organic it ended up, considering the linear string we were given. Pokeleaf is such a nice tangle to draw, it really does flow naturally.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*elongated, elegant Copada
*prettey Pokeleaf flows into shaded and black spaces of  Hollibaugh


And now...
the tiles for honors this week...
were sent in by...
Ragged Ray (Jem) from The United Kingdom and 
Henrike Bratz from Germany!

From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
I once wrote an essay for a literature course about a book I loved. When I got feedback from the tutor, she said that while I'd written a good essay it had suffered because of my evident passion for the book - because I had tried to include absolutely everything I knew and thought and felt about the book.
And so it was with this week's tile, and that wonderful Copada. I played with it for so long and came up with so many variations, and I think I included too many in one tile. But still - I had a great time and I hope that shows! I added an extra line to the string for symmetry's sake and added some balance of light and dark care of Hollibaugh and Pokeleaf!
And now to find places to scatter all the rest of the Copadas I didn't use!

Your passion for Copada does indeed show through, but you will only find praise here for your creative genius!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*Hollibaugh is an extension of the border
*little white perfs add charm to Hollibaugh's deep, black background
*stunning variations of Copada, sparkled and shaded


And from Henrike Bratz (Germany) ~
When I sat down yesterday evening to tangle my tile for your “It’s a string thing #140” with hollibaugh, capoda and pokeleaf, I first didn’t know how to start. I don’t like pokeleaf much. It always came out a bit awkward in the past. THAT moment I remembered my “opus-feeling” and got back to it. I just began with a single leaf of pokeleaf, which I draw bigger than I had ever done before. Just this single leaf! The next leaf and everything else just followed and it really felt like “one stroke at a time”. Great experience!!!
Isn't it a treat to tangle?
Tangled Tidbits - 
*wonderful, sparkled, detail lines in Copada and note the weighted line spiral
*splendid variations of Copada layered in Hollibaugh fashion
*Pokeleaf branches off from Hollibaugh


Congratulations, Jem and Henrike!

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 ~

Hollibaugh by Molly Hollibaugh, CZT

Copada by Margaret Bremner, CZT

Pokeleaf by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, Zentangle® founders


Stop back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #141!






Friday, April 15, 2016

Upcoming Tickled to Tangle Art Show

Yes, it is true!

For the month of May, the beautiful Casselberry Art House (pictured on my blog header) will host the "Tickled to Tangle" Art Show - the first of its kind in our area.   

Just yesterday the postcard to promote the event was printed ~
My tangles are pictured on the front and back of the card, with the exception of the fabulous 3-D Jump Polyhedron  by Dorian Eng, CZT.   This was largely due to the fact that photographs of my work were available at the time of printing.  The pieces by my fellow artists are absolutely beautiful and having them all presented in one gallery showing is incredibly exciting.

The show will feature the Zentangle® and Zentangle Inspired Art of CZTs Dorian Eng, Marita Eng, Joan Delony, Tracey Lyon, Sindy P, Carolyn Russel, Kathryn Crane-Thielen, and myself as well as the incomparable tangled pottery of
Su D'Alessio.

Consider this your cordial invitation to attend if you are near enough to come!

 






Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom



The flower that follows the sun 
does so even on cloudy days.

                                                              ~Robert Leighton

Tangled Flowers on Apprentice Tile by Adele Bruno, CZT






Tuesday, April 12, 2016

"It's a String Thing" #140

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

We begin this week with a straight lined string ~

IAST # 140 by Adele Bruno, CZT
We will use the following three tangles:

Hollibaugh by Molly Hollibaugh, CZT
This tangle is usually one of the first tanglers get acquainted with.  It is time to spend some time with an old friend.

Copada by Margaret Bremner, CZT
I am a huge fan of Margaret's work.  This pattern is very versatile and very pretty.

Pokeleaf by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, Zentangle® founders
For most of us, it is spring so this plant inspired tangle seems a perfect fit for this challenge.

To access step outs for the patterns, click on their names or visit TanglePatterns.

Simply pencil the string line onto your tile and tangle away! Keep in mind that string lines are suggestions and let the patterns lead the way.

Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines: 
* Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.
*Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin or contain the letter(s) indicated
* Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or scan your tile (300 dpi or higher) and save as a jpg
*Email your jpg file as an attachment to - brunoadelem@gmail.com
*Entries are to be submitted by Saturday evenings.
*Photos and 'Best of Show' are posted on Mondays. 


Send in your photos - you will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle® enthusiasts all over the world.  WHEN YOU SIGN YOUR NAME, PLEASE INCLUDE WHERE YOU LIVE.  
FOR EXAMPLE:   ADELE BRUNO (FLORIDA)

PLEASE NOTE: It is not necessary for you to have a blog or website to participate. 
In order to eligible for the drawing, you must send in your completed tile.

If you do have a blog or website, I will add a link upon request. 
Please include the site specific URL. 

I look forward to your emails.
HAVE FUN!

Monday, April 11, 2016

"It's a String Thing" #139 Tiles

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 ~

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
 Tangled Tidbits -
*B-Twixt filled Chillon
*linear Tagh

A very warm welcome to Chris Leach (Lodi, California) ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*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!
 Tangled Tidbits -
*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
 Tangled Tidbits -
*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.

 Tangled Tidbits -
*full B-Twixt background
*multiple auras for Chillon


From Lily (Hungary) ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*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


From Joanne Faherty (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) ~
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.

Tangled Tidbits -
*string loops accented as white space
*tapered lines of Tagh


From smgg (Taiwan) and on her Instagram  ~
Have a nice day!!!
Tangled Tidbits -
*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,
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Tangled Tidbits -
*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!
I always sigh after reading your descriptions - makes me appreciate the tangles all the more...
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?
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.'
Tangled Tidbits -
*beautiful Tagh bursts
*curvy, shaded Betweed/B-Twixt variation


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

Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Isn't it amazing what color does when creating ZIA?
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!
It is amazing to think of Pam and so many others who have learned the joy of tangling on their own. And it reinforces the wonder of our community here each week...
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:-)
Tangled Tidbits -
*Chillon variation features dots, dashes, sparkle, and shading
*shading adds depth to B-Twixt


From Ingrid (The Netherlands) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Jenny's kind and gracious words extend to everyone in our community here.  The influence of this shared passion is far reaching...
Tangled Tidbits -
*B-Twixt string line weaves in and out of Chillon
*beautifully shaded layers of Tagh



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

Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
Tangled Tidbits -
*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!
Tangled Tidbits -
*shadowed, sparkled Chillon
*Tagh filled string loop, aura-ed and surrounded by an angular B-Twixt
Thank you for sending this in.  I love it!


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
Now, this is a treat - two revisits to Citrus...
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!

Tangled Tidbits -
*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!


Tangled Tidbits -
*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.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*dashed grid lines of Chillon
*seeds of Tagh are centered to each petal


From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~
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.
Tangled Tidbits -
*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.

Tangled Tidbits -
*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)
"Busy" is the recurring adjective this week - but busy is good, especially with these tangles...

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.
How wonderful that you found this challenge, welcome!
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!
Tangled Tidbits -
*starburst look of B-Twixt
*Tagh beginnings in each corner of Chillon


From Susan Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) and here on her blog ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*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!
Tangled Tidbits -
*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



And now...


the tile for honors this week...


was sent in by Tabitha Bedoukian, CZT from Montreal, Quebec, Canada ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*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

Stop back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #140!