Monday, November 7, 2016

"It's a String Thing" #169 Tiles

First, may I say a huge "thank you" for the kind compliments for my new tangled map.
Secondly, I thank you all because you are the reason I made it.  It is a privilege to be part of this tangled community.

Our challenge this week was a nod to the beginning of November.  It featured a three looped string inspired by the letters e-l-e for the eleventh month and three curvy tangles.

Let's take a look ~

The first tile arrived from Jennifer (Switzerland) ~
These three tangles were all new to me and it was very helpful to watch the videos for Narwal - several times! I chose a black tile and was surprised to watch it progressing from classical chalk board to balloons floating in a blue sky to sparkling winter wonderland with three pinecones! This was my very first black tile with color on it - in the end it was pure fun and has inspired me for the future.
 Tangled Tidbits -
*perfs and colorful layers of Narwal
*Viaduct filled string loops and wonderful imagery by Jennifer


From Lily (Hungary) ~
Dear Adele, here is my tile for your weekly challenge.

Tangled Tidbits -
*one large Narwal in the background
*Onion Drops in the string loops with a touch of Viaduct in each one
*lovely aura


From Joan Delony (Florida) ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*perf tipped Narwal string curves
*Viaduct under a starry Ahh sky



From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~
Hi Adele. Busy busy busy this week but used this tangle challenge to calm my nerves before one of my first auditions in many many years--this time, for the role of Mrs. Claus. I think it went well-will know by next week. Have a great weekend!
Tangled Tidbits -
That sounds like fun - let us know!
*vertical Viaduct
*alternating curves in Narwal
*shaded inner aura of Onion Drops


From Lisette (Zolikon, Switzerland) ~
Hello everybody This string was really a challenge for me. I'm looking forward what you created with it.
Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkled Narwal
*Onion Drops run horizontally and diminish in size



From Lori Byerly (Washington State) and here on her blog ~
Thanks for all you do, Adele. I so look forward each week to the collection of everyone's tiles. I enjoy the amazing beauty and learn a great deal as well.
Tangled Tidbits -
This looks like a place I'd like to live :)
*Viaduct variation springs from the string's loops - note the upside down one
*long and narrow Narwal



From Patricia (Switzerland) ~
Many thanks for lovely tangles all new to me. ...and thanks to the artists who created them. I like the way they spell 'nov' for November!
Tangled Tidbits -
*double curve lines for Narwal
*Onion Drops grow from the string loops



From Jutta Gladnigg (NRW, Germany) ~
Greetings from Germany to Adele and all the other participants from all over the world...!!!
Tangled Tidbits -
*elongated Onion Drops, deep black spaces, shaded, and lighter ones
*terrific twisty Narwals



From Hilary (Chicago) ~
First of all, congratulations on your map! It's an awesome achievement. By that I mean both your artwork on the map and the huge community you've built. Seeing it all there on the map makes it so real. So a double WOW!!Here's my contribution for this week's challenge.
Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Hilary.
*individual aura in Onion Drops variation
*tucked in curves in softly shaded variation of Narwal


From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~
The theme of my tile this week is 'doing things differently' - once it started going that way I couldn't stop.
Firstly I saw the loops of the string as providing the negative space, where usually I'd fill them. Then I decided to added different amounts of detail in different loops of Onion Drops - where usually I'm keen on repetition. Then I decided Viaduct looked good upside down. And then I drew a bare bones Narwal, resisting any of the delicious embellishment it invites - and instead just shaded it.
I broke all my usual rules - but guess what, I love the result! Who needs rules when you have Zentangle
Until next time, thanks for the invitation to anarchy in ink and graphite!

Tangled Tidbits - 
...thank you for taking us along on that charmed creative journey...
*sparkle, stripes, white space in Onion Drops details
*teetering Narwal defines the string
*hanging Viaduct



From Anita A Westin (Dalarna, Sweden) and here on her blog ~
Here comes my tile for IAST 169. As I visited your blog today I found the post about the map of tanglers around the World! Beautiful idea!
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Anita.
*dots define the string line in Onion Drops 
*Narwal's larger white spaces accent the detailed curves


From Gaby Gracia (Alberta, Canada) ~
Greetings everyone! I had so much fun with this challenge that end up drawing two tiles. In the first one I thought the three Narwals looked like hot air balloons so I decided to use onion drops for baskets ;-)
For the second tile I turn the tile around and see the string upside down, and then Narwal took over and created some kind of whimsy trees, so I used onion drops as leaves and viaduct as the ground.Thanks Adele for such a great Challenge.
Tangled Tidbits - 
...our second balloon reference - how fun!
*Viaduct in Narwal - great idea
*lovely large sparkle

*Narwal splits into two
*single Onion Drops for leaves


From Lynn (Palm Coast, Florida) ~
Absolutely love your map!Thanks again for the challenge.
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Lynn.
*three versions of Narwal - and another Viaduct layer
*Viaduct black spaces repeat in Onion Drops



From Karin (Germany) ~
this is my entry to challenge nr. 169.I just kept it simple...
 Tangled Tidbits -
*Viaduct string line
*Narwal dangles to fill the white spaces



From sra (India) ~
Here's my tile for this week's IAST.
I kept seeing Narwal everywere after I drew one in a corner, and that's what you see here. This tangle is one challenge that I gladly take on, though I have to re-learn it every single time.Have a great week!
Tangled Tidbits - 
*detailed variations of Narwal
*pretty look of Viaduct along the curve of Onion Drops



From Miriam G (Port Hueneme, California) ~
Another great challenge! I do have problems with Narwal - just can't get it to flow the way I think it should, but I'll keep at it. Thank you for the inspiration, always!Oh and the map is just amazing - you are so talented (and organized!). Fun to see where in the world we are all 'tangled up'.
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Miriam - we are "all tangled up" aren't we?!
*curvy clusters of Onion Drops
*weighted lines of Narwal
(I think that Narwal is a pattern that looks much better than it feels as you draw it.)


From Jody Genovese, CZT (New York) ~
Attached is my tile for #169. Once again you have provided not only a challenge in how to make the tangles work together, but another tangle I haven’t done (onion drops). It came out more like an onion flux I’m afraid…J So far every week I have learned a new tangle. It’s terrific!
As always thank you so much...
Tangled Tidbits - 
*large Diva Dance accented Viaduct
*Onion Drops clusters spring from a center point
*black sparkled perfs accent Narwal and Onion Drops


From Gesine (Germany) ~
this one is a bit strange (don’t know why those little bubbles wanted to float out of a golden viaduct-door…), but since I finally managed to finish a tile on time again, I’ll submit it anyway.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*double Viaduct string lines
*aura-ed Onion Drops
*pretty bubbles!


From Jane Glotzer (Boulder, Colorado) ~
First off, that map is absolutely fabulous! Congrats...every blog is going to want one--:)My #169 turned out light and airy...some giant Onion Drops balloons on the top (or tip) of Tipple mountains...and just a touch of Narwal wrapped here and there...alas, no room for the magical Viaduct (I really do love those 3d ones) but still pretty fun--:)
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Jane :)
...and our third balloon reference!
*smattering of Narwal curves hug the border and Onion Drops filled loops
*shading softens the white spaces 



From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~
When I saw your string I knew I had to flip the tile ... it reminded me of a string of Christmas lights ... and as I'm sending off my tile I'm thinking I should have added a little Verdigogh. Maybe I'll revisit my tile again.
Cheers to the early onset of holiday brain! PS. I'm still in awe of your tangled map ... absolutely stunning!
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Sharyn.
*Narwal's top curve curls along the string line
*Onion Drops accented with perfs
...great idea to add Verdigogh - I'll add it to a December IAST (nice frame!)



From Sue Agnew (Tucson, Arizona) ~
WOW your map is wonderful! I love the way you used the background tangles that look like ocean and bays and included everyone's names. The red flags and red pins are an effective solution to the overly busy problem.
I really enjoyed playing with these tangles, which were all new to me. I like tangles that magically turn 3-D. Wasn't very creative in my integration of them, though, and I "cheated" the string a little.I totally cannot believe it is November!
Tangled Tidbits - 
Thank you, Sue.
*elongated Viaduct features gray centers
*sparkled Narwal



From Katrina Handson (Florida) ~
Here is my entry from its a string thing 169 this is probably late but its been so busy lately :) it was nice to do another challenge i just used the onion tangle and added some designs that reminded me of onions. hope everyone's falls going well.
Tangled Tidbits - 
*tangles border the darkened string loops
*Onion Drops shaded around the outer curves


From Michele Wynne (California) ~
Hi Adele! Here's my tile for the challenge this week. I had some orange and black tiles left from Halloween challenges. I liked how Narwal ended up looking like horns. The mask was just sitting on the counter at my neighborhood cafe and I though it made a fitting prop;-)
 Tangled Tidbits -
...it does!
*fabulous highlights and shading
*aura-ed Viaduct



From Susana Theron (Velddrif, South Africa) ~
At first it was difficult to decide what to do, but this morning it started to fall in place.

Tangled Tidbits -
*multiple layers of Viaduct in Narwal
*uniformly aura-ed Onion Drops clusters



From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~
A few comments from last week ... Thanks for the shout-out, Susan ... First three letters of "eleven": Yeah, clever, but no less than expected from you, Adele ... and DUH, everyone knows the white tips of the candy corn are sweetest! (I think it's a law.)
This week, three new patterns for me. I knew of Narwal but I'd never used it, and even after a whole sketch page of practice I'm not sure I've quite got it down. Onion Drops is too fun: love the effect, and I can see it fitting into all shapes and spaces. And while instinct (and habit) would have had me use Viaduct as a border, I pushed outside the box and I really like the effect.
Then again, every time I hear the word "viaduct" I think of the Marx Brothers skit, "Why a duck? Why not a chicken?" Kind of hard to perform the expected when I've got that kind of thing running through my brain!
 Tangled Tidbits -
I think it is a law too :)
*multiple layers of Viaduct along a curve
*interwoven Narwal curls
*Onion Drops crowned with luscious layers of Viaduct
*two variations of Narwal and plump Onion Drops



From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~

Tangled Tidbits -
*Viaduct filled Narwal curls (I could live in that too!)
*Onion Drops shaded at the center points


From Jenny Hopkins (Australia) ~
Such a clever string this week! And a great choice of tangles. I had fun with this one.
I am blown away by your IAST map. It is fantastic and a testament to the universality of Zentangle and the wonderful community you yourself have gathered.
Thanks again for all you do.
Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Jenny.
*Tipple filled Onion Drops
*great depth achieved with shading of Viaduct



From Rebecca I (Stamford, Connecticut) ~
Apologies that my tile is coming in past the cutoff, so no worries if I don't make it. I really just wanted an excuse to email you to tell you much I LOVE your map! It's amazing!! Artistically gorgeous and also so cool to think of all those people, all over the world, connected by you and Zentangle. Plus fun to see my name on it. :-) Just love it - thanks for sharing!

Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you - so glad you found your name.
*Narwal lines blend in with Onion Drops background
*vertical layers of Viaduct


From Lisa Preston (Marietta, Georgia) ~
I have been out of Zentangling for quite some time, and I could tell. I found this particular challenge VERY challenging. I had a really hard time seeing these tangles in this string. I spent way too much time planning, which pretty much "unzenned" me. I eventually saw some beehive-ish and chrysalis-ish images, so I decided to add my onion drops butterfly.
I am super interested to see what everyone else came up with for this challenge.
By the way, your Zentangle map was just stunning.
Happy November!

Tangled Tidbits -
Thanks, Lisa.
*creative take on the tangles
 *beautiful Narwal and Onion Drops Butterfly


From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) and here on her blog ~
Congrats with the lovely idea of putting all of us, your tangle friends on the Map! Proverbially speaking of course. What a task you set yourself. How amazing is it to see where all these zennies are in the world. There still quite a bit of world to challenge too. So, come on everyone get into your zen and start zending in your efforts.
But I must admit this past week a difficult, full week in which I found myself in a whirl of activities; no time to settle to find my zen. Almost gave up on challenge 169. Haven’t had much practice, drawing Narwal and Onion Drops was new and what to do with Viaduct between the two flowing patterns.
But I knuckled down eventually and decided I won’t be beat. Practised Narwal couple of times. Look at your string from different angles and jumped in. Now look what happened. My Narwals look like strange seahorses in a wavy ocean garden of Onion Drops and Viaduct, the mysterious underwater dwellings.
In the end, I found my ZEN!! Thanks to Samantha Taylor, Shasta Garcia and Wayne Harlow for their inspiring tangle patterns.
Tangled Tidbits -
Thank you, Felicity - and thank you for putting out the call!
*more glorious imagery - love the curls and bubbles in Viaduct
*whimsical details in Narwal variations




And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...

Renee from Tennessee ~
Tangled Tidbits -
*our fourth connection to balloons :)
*shading, multiple sizes, and overlap provide depth of field and sense of movement
*rounded layers of Viaduct
*very simple Narwal shaded into the larger white spaces
*single Onion Drops
*deep black starry 'sky'
This tile made me smile as soon as I opened Renee's email.  I hope it warms your heart too.


Congratulations Renee!

I have a little some thing coming in the mail for you.

A huge thank you to all of the contributors to this week's challenge.
Please know that I appreciate and treasure your kindnesses and encouragements as well. 

Many thanks to the creative minds behind the tangles we used this week along with my string:


Narwal by CZT Samantha Taylor

Onion Drops
 by Shasta Garcia

Viaduct
 by CZT Wayne Harlow



Check back Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #170!











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