2 challenges, 3 tiles

First up, two tiles for the Diva's challenge this week, Curvy Gridlock: use square grid tangles but with curvy lines instead of straight. I wanted to try the tan tiles again with brown ink. I did two but really didn't like one of them so I did one on white with black ink.

Tangles: Knightsbridge, Knot Rickz, Sindoo, Well

Tangles: Beadlines, Black Pearlz, Florz, Seljuk, Spinners, Tortuca

The third tile is for Adele Bruno's weekly challenge "It's a String Thing". Everyone is to use Tangle Patterns string idea #27 and tangles that begin with 'Z'. I looked in my files and found quite a few 'Z' tangles. I didn't even use Zedbra!

Tangles: Zander, Zapateado, Zewn, Ziggy, Zoya

'Mono' string project

Some time ago Laura Harms, Diva of the Weekly Zentangle Challenge, coined the term monotangle for a zentangle work that uses only a single tangle. It's a great opportunity to challenge your brain and think of variations of a pattern.

Recently tanglepatterns.com posted string suggestion number 91. I thought it was rather interesting and tried it. And tried it again. And again... five times! I discovered that this is another take on the "mono" idea: use the same string several times and see all the different things you can do with it!

Sometimes I used the dots and border to begin; sometimes I filled the entire tile with the string. Can you figure out which is which?

Here are my (first) five tiles using tanglepatterns string #91:

Tangle: Hollibaugh

Tangles: Aquafleur, Bunzo, Crossview variation

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Drupe, Fohbraid, Tipple

Tangles in black: Finery, Knightsbridge, polka dots
Tangles in gray: Munchin, Paizel, Printemps, Tipple, Tripoli

Tangle: Aquafleur

A Little White Space

This week Laura the Diva has challenged us to leave a section of our tile blank, to not fill every space with tangles.

I had a tile with a square grid kind of string so I decided to try that first, and to use some square grid tangles that I like. Not much got left white!

Tangles: Beadlines, Black Pearlz, Camelia, Jalousie, Jemz, 
Knightsbridge, Knightspeak, Seljuk, Sindoo (and variation), Yew-Dee

I managed to leave more white space on the second tile.

Tangles: Camelia, Knightsbridge, Pearlz,
Tipple variations, Yew-Dee, Yincut

I find it interesting how, when you leave a whole section white, the white spaces in the tangles seem to have more presence.

'Splice' peppers

I recently encountered a tangle called Splice, which creates interesting round shapes.
Here's a demonstration from YouTube.


It kept reminding me of cross-sections of sweet, bell peppers.

So finally I gave in and pulled out a round tile and drew peppers.

Tangles: Gingham, Splice, Tipple

Valentangle

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Tangles: Aquafleur, Bunzo, Lacing (with eyelet-y borders), Tipple

Another angular Ensemble

Here is the last of three Ensembles I've done for swaps at events I'll be attending in the spring. They are a lot of fun to do, especially when the finished tiles are assembled and you see the whole thing for the first time.

WUD, and a ribbon variation

Tangles: Black Pearlz, Paradox, Sindoo, Tripoli, Wud,
Wud with ribbon variation

When I attended the third CZT teacher training seminar in May 2010, one of the other students, Joni Feddersen, shared a tangle that she decided to call Wud. It's commonly used in architectural drawings as a symbol for wood and I've used it many times. It's very simple, and makes a nice border. Here's how to draw Wud:

Recently I developed this lovely variation of Wud. I wanted something slightly darker and bolder so I added 'ribbons'. To do this, in between steps two and three above, add a ribbon. I like to add highlights, but you don't have to.

Then continue with the Aura lines and you get this variation of Wud:

Then add shading, just a little on each edge, perhaps more at the smallest of the arcs.

Here are two ATCs. The one on the left has Wud in it's original form in the green bands. The one on the right has Wud with the ribbons variation at the bottom, and the original Wud in various other places.

The Bug Ball

CZT Sam Taylor created this charming ZIA stop motion animation featuring tangled bugs. It's on the Sakura YouTube channel and shows the bugs dressing up in Gelly Roll Stardust and Gelly Roll Metallic for a fun bug fashion show. Enjoy!

Curvy ensemble

The organizers of Florida's Retreat to Paradise in April 2014 have planned an Ensemble swap.

Ensembles are one of Zentangle's products. There are two sets in a pack and each set consists of nine pre-strung white tiles. One has a  curvy string and one is angular. The string runs over all the tiles and the tiles compose a 3x3 tile piece of artwork. Just complete one tile and put it aside, pull out another and do it, etc.. Forget about whether the tangles match from tile to tile; the string holds it all together! Brilliant fun.

Here is my 'curvy' ensemble. I included one of my own tangles on each tile except two.