"It's a String Thing" #216 Tiles

This week's challenge was a nod to aura and to Maria Thomas' Rixty.  My birthday just happened to tie in the with the theme of the tangle. 
(Geez, it's been a week and it is still the number doesn't trip off my tongue easily😉)
My celebration included wonderful times with family and friends, some very relaxing time away, pretty flowers, birthday balloons, presents...
I must say that I am feeling very spoiled, humbled, and grateful for all of the fuss.

Sunset on my birthday over the Gulf of Mexico - Indian Rocks Beach, Florida 

In addition to all of this goodness, the tiles and greetings this week were the sweet icing on a birthday cake.
Let's take a look ~


The first tile arrived from Joke Leussenkamp (Eibergen, The Netherlands) ~

As soon as your challenge arrived I started drawing. Although the string to me was complicated I managed to make a Rixty tangle, it was quite fun.
Thanks again for your work!

 Tangled Tidbits -
*Rixty reaches over from one string section to another
*wonderful detail lines, Tipple, black spaces, and curves


From Lisette (Switzerland) ~

Hi Adele, I’m not sure if I understood the challenge right: String, Auras, Rixty…? Well, I had fun tangling this. I like Rixty a lot, but here I didn’t feel comfy with it… never mind.
Lots of hugs to all of you

Tangled Tidbits -
*fabulous aura lines overlap in the center

*alternating Rixty and string loops topped with aura and shading

From Margarete Gilge (Germany) and here on her blog ~

congratulations to your 60th birthday and good luck and health for the future.Tangling your weekly challenge was a lot of joy again. When drawing Rixty I modified the pattern several times. Then I developed from it a heart-shaped new pattern, which I call ‘Herzlich’ which means 'warm'. You can find my contribution to the challenge and the Instructions to ‘Herzlich’ on my blog under the link .
Thank you for this new interesting challenge.
Best wishes from Wuerzburg in Germany

Tangled Tidbits - 

*lovely new variation combined with triangular and circular Rixty lines

*sparkle and striped aura along with a beautiful mix of light and dark spaces

From Vonnie Schneider (St. Paul, Minnesota) ~

Firstly, Happy Birthday!!
Wow! Now THAT was a challenge! Rixty + Aura + this string???? I instantly saw a Celtic Knot when I saw the string....but Rixty wasn’t behaving on the string. Then I remembered that the whole string didn’t need Rixty! I looked for where Rixty best fit and before I knew it four little clovers appeared! Auras have always been a challenge with bifocals that don’t cooperate with fine pen work. I think this was the slowest I have drawn a line...and many of them! It was interesting to see patterns emerge and shading was fun. I especially like how using a brown colored pencil and my 2B shading pencil changed the color of the sepia pen on the aura. Thank you, yet again, for pushing me beyond my comfort zone...I love the process AND the end result!

Tangled Tidbits - 

How fun that clovers appeared!

*Rixty adorned continuous loop lines

*aura, shading, and color create wonderful depth

From Hilary (Chicago) ~

Happy belated birthday! I hope it was a good one.
I haven't done anything with Rixty for quite awhile, so it was fun playing with it. I really had no plan for doing this one, so I just started and here it is!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*fun shapes and variations of Rixty

*pretty highlights and shading

From Susan (United Kingdom) ~

Many birthday congratulations. Hope you enjoy all the Rixty designs.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*colorful aura surrounding red Rixty

*just a touch of shading adds depth

From Lynn G ( Florida) ~

Happy Rixty-th Birthday Adele.
Thanks for another great challenge.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*pretty penned and penciled aura - notice how it shows through Rixty

*Rixty melds into aura

From Ragged Ray (United Kingdom) ~

What a thrill this week to see all the wonderful tiles people drew featuring my Clob tangle. It's so inspiring to hear people say they love using it. And thank you too for choosing mine as one of the pair of honored tiles!
This week's tile took on a life of its own. Merely 4 little Rixtys and lots and lots of weird and wonderful auras. Lots of lightening and darkening. And there it is!
Best belated birthday wishes - I hope you had a truly wonderful day!

Tangled Tidbits - 

*"weird and wonderful" aura - that is a great description and just look at the fabulous result

*highlights, shading, and overlap all add to a great sense of depth - the tangles seem to float above the paper

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

A happy "rixty" birthday to you! I'm so glad you were born. :)
Here's my tile for this week's challenge.

Tangled Tidbits - 

That is such a sweet sentiment, thank you.

*plump, rounded lines contrast beautifully with the thinner, angular ones

*depth created with layering and shading

From Susie (St. Louis, Missouri) ~

Tangled Tidbits - 

*wispy tangles surround Rixty loops

*delicate shading

From Shirley Wohlsen (Queensland, Australia) ~

Extending a belated ‘Happy Birthday’ wish to you Adele, hope you had a wonderful day, and many happy returns of the day.
Another great idea this week Adele, I enjoyed the tangles and the challenge.

Tangled Tidbits - 

*rounded and triangular Rixty

*aura of rounded Rixty creates fabulous shapes

From Jutta Gladnigg (NRW, Germany) ~

First of all... congratulations, Adele!!!! (Have we been drawing “brixty” this week ???)
And thank you for this challenge! Drawing so many triangles in a line was so relaxing... and once I had started blackening the background and embellishing the loops, the fun began...

Tangled Tidbits -
That certainly looks like it was fun to tangle.
*deep black background accentuates the detailed tangles
*lines, orbs, and aura adorn Rixty (It makes them look like fun little creatures.)


From Pat Kennedy (Washington State) ~

Thank you for a great Challenge. I enjoyed all the swirls!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Rixty covered, interwoven string lines
*pops of mushroom-like Rixty



From Sra (India) ~

Here's my attempt at the latest challenge!
I congratulated myself for using the Rixty this way, to go with the string, but on second thoughts, I'm sure so many others have thought of that! I intended some really great shading, but did not know what to do beyond a point. The whole thing reminds me of a robot doing a joyfully clumsy dance.

Tangled Tidbits -
*wonderful tangle and wonderful imagery - and you will notice that no two tiles are the same
*Rixty tipped string loops



From Priscilla DeConti, CZT (Kingston, New York) ~

Almost forgot I did this
Small rixty with striping balloons!

Tangled Tidbits -
*Rixty flows from the string loops inward
*stripes and shading add dimension



From Laurel Davis, CZT (New York) ~

Another great challenge and a very happy birthday, Adele!

Tangled Tidbits -
*continuous line aura, complete with dots, on the outer four string loops
*Rixty rings around the aura-ed string lines


From Barbara Steyer (Germany) ~

spontaneously I was able to join your string thing this time.
I love RIXTY and here is my tile:
That was fun!
Greetings from Germany

Tangled Tidbits -
*detailed Rixty, aura-ed and shaded
*layered Rixty and and colorful aura



From Sharon Fite (California) ~

I like Rixty, although I don't use it very often. And when I first saw the string, I thought it was pretty busy. Over the week, the more I thought about it, the more things I wanted to try, and I realized that a 3.5" square wouldn't be large enough. So I went up to a 6" square -- so roomy! To Rixty, I added Floo (Zentangle) and Trio (Hanny Waldburger). Thanks for another challenge that gets the creative juices flowing, Adele!!

Tangled Tidbits -
*delicate, mulyiple curves of Rixty
*beautiful tangles fill the outer string


From Marla Mendenhall (California) ~

Tried a bit of a different concept this week ... It really is Rixty if you look closely, assuming it doesn't give you a headache to do so. Of course my shaky hand doesn't help either ...
Happy birthday, Dearest Lady. Sending blessings and best wishes. And this is a good time to once again send beaucoup thanks for all you do for the Zentangle community, and especially for our growing family. Hosting the site, coming up with the challenges, posting all your encouraging notes. Hours and hours of devotion and love ... I don't think there are enough words to express my admiration and gratitude. Zenlicious hugs and kisses.

Tangled Tidbits -
You do make me blush, thank you Marla.
*This lends an entirely new meaning to Rixty - absolutely amazing - one central Rixty flows outward to each of the string's loops, filling them with their own bursts of Rixty.
*outer aura and touch of shading highlight the string


From Ute Andresen (Germany) and here on her blog ~

What a year of anniversaries! Congratulations for a new decade of your life!
Very happy birthday, dear Adele!
I hope my tile has something celebrating for you. I had a glittering birthday thing in my mind while making it. (Especially when I did the colouring, sure. ...)
But I have to tell you: First I doubted if I could manage this detailed string together with the pattern Rixty.
Well I started in the center and – what a surprise – the string was not too detailed and delicate but really helpful. Each triangle of the pattern leans on the stringline. This thing went out much different than I thought before.
On my blog I show the first step on the tile. But it is impossible to show my surprised face, when I got it.
Thank you for all your work and passion for your Tickled to Tangle site.
In the attachment my tile and some borage (starflower) out of our garden for you.

 

Tangled Tidbits -

*a very creative use of the string - Rixty rests on the string lines and loops without being held to them

*delicate and delightfully colored
 

Tank you for the beautiful flowers!

From VenaC (Whitby, Ontario, Canada) ~

I am back home now and I am late posting my challenge. The string was a difficult one for me. I did get in some Rixty. Not sure about the auras.

Tangled Tidbits -
*sparkled and striped aura
*Abeko adorned string loops


From Sharyn Penna (Massachusetts) ~

from one 1957 baby to another ...
HAPPY RIXTY-ETH BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!
I’ve been on a bit of a self-imposed sabbatical... but I had to break it for this most auspicious celebration.
Three cheers and many thanks to you for always bringing light, hope, wonder, and IAST to our lives.
Love, Sharyn Penna
PS. I’ve always told my October-born daughter that even the trees here in New England get dressed up to celebrate her birthday! May your garden be filled with color and design this week/month/year!

Tangled Tidbits -
Yes, cheers to that for all of us this week/month/year!
*Rixty string loops weave behind weighted lined aura of the inner string loop
*inner aura create fun shapes


From Tonia C (Rhode Island) ~

This was a fun string to do with this tangle. It made me enjoy #rixty even more. I used shading to help the #rixty stand out. I used a Sakura white gel pen to create sparkle.

Tangled Tidbits -
*shading defines the aura-ed spaces
*wonderful Rixty covered string lines



From Felicity Strohfeldt (South Africa) and here on her blog ~

Here is my tile 216. Almost posted this one to the bin, but on second thoughts zentangling is a long suffering artform where no effort is ever destined for the bin, so submitted it is.
Think my muse is a bit out of sorts at the moment just like the punctuality too. Hopefully things will improve.

Tangled Tidbits -
You were good not to toss this - or any, as you so rightly mention.
*contrasting light and dark string lines and Rixty variations -note how the lighter one weaves in and out of the tile
* morphing shapes of Rixty with detail lined aura



From Stephanie Jennifer, CZT (Singapore) ~

Here's my tile for this week's challenge. I drew it in my sketchbook.
I could see the string morph into Abeko, so I went with that. Then I initially thought to draw Rixty in a loop, but that felt a little too stuffy, so I ignored some parts of the string. Colours were added using Peerless watercolours, and white auras were added using a Uni-ball Signo Broad pen.

Tangled Tidbits -
*our second blend with Abeko!
*trailing lines of Rixty, lovely colors layered with white aura


From Amy Barnickel (Florida) ~

...I'm just so grateful that I got to actually try this tangle this week after missing many many weeks of IASTs.

Tangled Tidbits -
*detail lines for Rixty accents the thick white center line
*Wired border


From Donna Symons, CZT (Pennsylvania) ~

Had to send the best birthday wishes to a very special friend.. you! With your joyful outlook and passion for sharing I'm positive that you had a great day.Many more happy times . This weeks fun challenge facilitated my return to more tangling in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A shout out to Freda Littleton for the cross hatching inspiration
As always thank you for all you do for the Zentangle community.

Tangled Tidbits -
Cheers to friends and to more tangling in our lives! 
*aura-ed string lines
*rounded Rixty


Here are my tiles ~

I completed both of these on a somewhat bumpy plane ride and grew to like the waviness of the aura it produced.  After drawing the string, I added aura to the string sections in the 'Z-Trick' fashion and then working in eight smaller sections, I added aura outward to the border.
I love how puffy this looked once it was shaded.

On this one, I ran Rixty over the middle string line and then added aura to the outer string sections.  To make the outer aura more interesting, I added Rixty triangles to the outside of the loops first.  

And now...

the tile for honors this week...

was sent in by...


From Karen Herstowski (Atlanta, Georgia) ~

This is wonderful! What a challenge. I used an isolation of the upper left quadrant of your suggested format. Love Rixty and love its many options. Auras are the best accent and fill-in. Couldn’t help but put a few Halloween-y elements in this great partnership! Thanks!

Tangled Tidbits -
*clever ideas abound - using a small section of the suggested string, Halloween details, a touch of color, web-like aura complete with a dangling little critter
*shadowed shading


Congratulations,  Karen!
I have a little something coming in the mail for you.


Many thanks to Maria Thomas for the lovely Rixty - and the idea of celebrating 60 years so creatively.

Countless thanks from the bottom of my heart for all of the sweet birthday wishes.  I cherish them - and all of you!

Stop by Tuesday afternoon for "It's a String Thing" #217!