Punkins

 

While shopping in a local craft shop, I came across this white vinyl pumpkin.  It's a little thing - fits in the palm of my hand.  The surface is a bit 'toothy' and seemed to take well to a Micron.  I used my new brown Micron 01 and tangled it throughout the day today.  Here is a picture of it when I began tangling from the tip top of the stem:

 

 

Here it is all covered in tangles:

 



 

 

 

My sister-in-law Diana sent a plaque to me one year and it reads: 

 

"You can never have too many punkins" 

 

I agree - especially if they are tangled ones.  Happy Fall!

 

 

 

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Pauline's Pigtail: A Pattern for a Princess

 

I am in love with this little girl - our granddaughter Pauline.  She is a princess, plain and simple.  She is sweet and loving, a wonderful big sister, and as pretty as the day is long.  (Do I sound like a proud Gramma?!)  The first time I ever put her hair up in pigtails, this is what they looked like:  

 

 

Just look at those pudgy cheeks, the sweet curve of her ear, the chubby little hand, and that pigtail!!  That pigtail so captivated me that I came up with a pattern to mimic the movement and

sweetness of it. 

 

At first I called the tangle Pauline's Ponytail - but my girls reminded me that a ponytail is singular, and so the name changed to Pauline's Pigtail.  Here is the step out:

 

 

It is a very simple design and uses one only one elemental stroke - a curved line.  I suggest in the step out to layer in Hollibaugh fashion, but you can create the tangle without any lines crossing or tucking under and it still looks nice. 

 

This is the first tile I drew using Pauline's Pigtail:

 

 



And this is the latest one I completed:

It's a monotangle on the new "Renaissance" tiles from Zentangle®.  I used both brown and black Micron 01 pens, white gel pen, and a white charcoal pencil to shade.

This post is a bit of a birthday present for Pauline because she turns four this week - what a big girl! 
Happy Birthday, Princess Pauline.  I love you.

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Thank you!



Where there is a will...

...there is a way.   My friend Sindy, a newly minted CZT® (yay!), exemplifies this statement.

Sindy underwent surgery last week on her right hand.  

She's been recuperating very well, despite the disappointment of not being able to tangle.   The ability to draw with her non-dominant hand did surprise her, she said, but she has missed her usual routine of tangling.    

Yesterday, I text her and ask for an update.  She replied with this photo:

Ahhhh!  The joy!  The determination!  The celebration!  She's back!! 

Where there is a will, there is a way. 

Thank you for showing us the truth in that statement, Sindy.  Happy tangling!

"It's a String Thing" #13

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

This week we will concentrate on just two tangles.  One is a favorite of mine, the other is one I've wanted to try since Linda Farmer first published it on her website.  So, here we go!

The string line for this week was created by Anne Marks and is listed as number 010 on Tangle Patterns.

In Anne's honor we will use patterns that begin with the first two letters of her name -  'An' - and they are: Antidots by Anita Roby-Lavery, CZT® and Angel Fish by Marizaan van Beek, CZT.  You can find the step-outs for the patterns here.

Antidots is one of my favorites.  It is especially fun to play with as it seems to lead the pen and morph into unexpected shapes.

Angel Fish has been on my 'To Learn' list since Linda first posted it.  I welcome this dedicated time to concentrate on it and hope you do too.

Both patterns are easily enhanced and you may even surprise yourself with a few tangleations as you go - have fun!

To Recap - use:
String 010
Antidots  by Anita Roby-Lavery, CZT®
Angel Fish by Marizaan van Beek, CZT

 If this is your first visit, welcome!  If you are new to Zentangle®, welcome! 

This exercise is for beginner and seasoned tanglers alike.  Use it as an excuse to keep up with your art work, take time for yourself, learn new patterns, share your talent... 

  Here are the (Not so) Official Guidelines:

     * Challenges are posted on Tuesdays.          

     *Use the string posted for the week and patterns that begin    

                  with the letter(s) indicated                 

     *Work must be completed on Zentangle tiles or on your 3.5" x 3.5" paper      

     * Submit a photo of your tile saved as jpg or         

                  scan your tile (300 dpi) 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 never know who you will encourage and inspire.

I look forward to your emails. 

"It's a String Thing" #12 Tiles

It was a Happy Halloween evidenced by the gorgeous tiles sent in this week.

 

Mindy submitted the first one:

 

She said that, "this tile came out suddenly in a whoosh.  As I traced the string, a pumpkin appeared! ...a bright, cheery pumpkin against the blue, black of the night, with spiders tangling their webs!  Yes, how perfectly Halloweenish!

At first Joan Delony sent in this tile with a note that she was so caught up in the holiday theme she had more fun doing this than following the string line:

 



Now that's an excellent example of how strings are meant to be suggestions.  What a pretty piece!  Joan followed up with another tile:
                                     
This time she said she used the string line.  Her Lanterns are beautifully varied.  Shortly after Joan submitted another tile.  She said that after reading the Baby Steps for Bumpkenz, she was able to incorporate the tangle into her tile.  Now, that does my heart good!

What a treat to see the progression of Joan's work - one entry more detailed than the next.  The first was all fun, the second completed with patterns she was comfortable with, the third - after learning a new tangle - a gorgeous piece.  Thank you, Joan.

 

Welcome to Susan Green from Maryland.  This is her first submission to "It's a String Thing".

Susan's variation of Bumpkens with its light and dark spaces seems to anchor the other patterns.  Her lovely lines and tangle enhancements add such a special touch. Very pretty!

 

This next tile is from Ragged Ray: 



She said that she read the article on TanglePatterns about stippling and incorporated it into her tile - "to add a little extra spooky atmosphere."  Her shading, especially of Betweed adds depth and movement - just lovely!

Sue Agnew sent this with a note that said, "That was a fun Halloween treat! 

It's a treat to see her work!  Sue's lines are so neat and crisp.  What a nice touch to add that little guy in the corner, too!!

Jackie Becker treated us to this tile:

She used Betweed on her string line - what a nice touch.  The darkening of the negative space around Bupmkenz gives the pattern a really rich look.  It also creates such a pretty edge doesn't it?

Sue Jacobs, CZT, is back with more color to treat us.

 She said that she began with a colored tile in keeping with the pumpkin theme.  She also used Betweed as a string line.  Her Lanterns appear to be lighting up the Bumkenz below.  That's beautiful!
 

Jenna Wheatman said her tiles were too plain and so added color:

 

What a dramatic effect!  The detail in her Bumpkenz is wonderful and the way she used Betweed is very dramatic.  It is interesting to see that her 'pumpkin' appeared in much the same way that Mindy's did and they are literally an ocean apart - amazing!

Diana Schreur - a brand new CZT from Seminar #12 - honored the challenge with this tile:

This is splendid!  Diana used the new Brown Micron and adding a beautiful compliment to the black.  Her details are really lovely.  The Lanterns suspended from the tips of Betweed is a playful touch.


Cheryl Rotnem emailed this tile:

 

Cheryl used a pleasing combination of the patterns.  Her Lanterns are playful and her 'mark' appears to be part of the tangle.  Very nice!

 

 

Brenda Urbanik who is headed to the CZT Seminar later this week, made time to send in her tile:

A few remarkable things here:  she took the time to tangle, her work is splendid, she will be a CZT this week, AND she is traveling half way 'round the world to do so!  CONGRATULATIONS and thank you!

 

Next we are treated to two tiles from Carolyn Russell:

Even with this blurred photo, Carolyn's details shine through.  Her composition is captivating and very festive.

Last week, I overlooked this tile of Carolyn's.  It would have been a shame not to post it at all, so here is her lovely IAST #11 tile:

Thank you Carolyn for those pretty pieces.

 

This week the tile set apart for honors was submitted by Vicky from Montana.

 

 

Vicky sent these two photos because her camera "didn't seem to capture the clarity" she was looking for with just one. 

She used Bumpkens as a back drop for her detailed Lantern.  Betweed lends a nice texture to the Lantern and her use of sparkle and shading are splendid.

 

She said that, "...this submission is rendered in my brother's memory."

Each year Vicky dedicates a piece to her brother on his birthday.  It is an honor to feature her gift to him, here on this week's challenge.

 

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

 

Thank you to everyone of you for sending in your festive tiles.

 

Thank you, too, for the creative minds behind our string and patterns this week:

Joyce Bruns and Linda Farmer for String 017

Beth Snoderly for Bumpkenz

Livia Chua for Bulb Lanterns

Zentangle® for Betweed

 

Check back tomorrow for the next "It's a String Thing".

 

 

Please feel free to leave a comment below.

If you would like a response from me, please use the email box located to the right.

Thank you!

 

   

 

 

 

 

11/1

What better day to play with Paradox!

Today's date, November 1st, when written numerically, consists of three ones.

Looking at those three straight lines made me think of the pattern Rick's Paradox.

It's a tangle that is drawn with just that one elemental stroke - a straight line - repeated in such a way that it creates the illusion of a curve. 

Hmmmm....sounds like an inspiration to me. 

I set out to create a monotangle of Rick's Paradox to celebrate the day.

I dug into my Zendala kit and picked this pre-strung tile:

 

I traced the curved lines of the string and tangled Paradox in each section.  Keep in mind that all lines in the finished tile are straight with the exception of the string lines.  Here is my finished monotangle before shading:

And here is my completed tile with shading:

 

A straight-line tangle pattern, drawn in curved sections of a pre-strung Zendala tile - and the result is pure Zentangle® magic!  The lines seem to curve and twist and spin.

 

 

And it all started with the numeral one in today's date: 11/1.  See what inspires you and tangle away.

 

 

Have a happy weekend!



Baby Steps for Bumpkenz



Here's a little TRICK to make working with grids a TREAT!



 



When Linda Farmer posted the new pattern Bumpkenz by Beth Snoderly I could not wait to work with it.  As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I included it in "It's a String Thing" #12. 

 

(In my enthusiasm to get the message out, I misspelled the pattern name in my initial post.  My apologies to Beth and my thanks to Linda for bringing it to my attention.)  

 

Yesterday, I sat down to draw up the steps for the tangle in my pattern notebook.  Perhaps it was my mood or the distractions around me, but I had the hardest time learning it.  I'd start with a grid, slice it diagonally, and draw the Bumpkenz.  Every time I ended up with squished, odd shaped orbs - nothing as pleasing as the intended outcome.

 

It took the better part of the morning to figure out where I veered off the intended path.  In the process, I stumbled upon a little trick about grids.  I may be the last tangler to figure this out, but just in case this helps someone, here is what I found...

 

 

If a square grid is lined vertically in each direction like so:

 

 

 - the result in each of the smallest squares on the grid is a unit comprised of four triangles.

When you draw a tangle on the diagonal line in one of these square units, you work in a triangular shape.

 

 

On the other hand, if a square grid is lined vertically in each direction - in every other row - like so:

 

 

 - the result in each of the smallest squares on the grid is a unit comprised of two triangles.  When you draw a tangle on the diagonal line in one of these square units, you work in a square.

 



 



The latter is the base structure of the new tangle Bumpkenz.   I tried in vein to work it into the first type of grid and all too slowly realized why my orbs were so squished; the tangle was fitted to a triangle not a square as it was intended. 

 

Hopefully, I can save you some time and trouble by posting my notes.  I call them "Baby Steps" because I needed simple, simple steps! 

 

Give Bumpkenz a try - it's a lovely tangle pattern.  Check out "It's a String Thing" #12  and send in your tile.  I'd love to hear your stories!

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

 

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