Tips for Tangling Caught

Here are a few Tips for Tangling Caught (Christine Reyes), a heart infused grid based pattern. 

The step out is just slightly different that Christine's and my latest class is responsible for the suggestion to add the diamond embellishments before adding the hearts.

This step helps to clarify where the diamonds are placed, which can be a tad confusing after the second grid lines are added.

Enjoy!

Tips for Tangling Pach

This week's IAST includes Judy Okawa's Pach.  (Click here for all of the delightful details.)

Step outs are provided by Judy on TanglePatterns (Link).

After some time exploring this engaging tangle, I have come up with a few more Tips for Tangling it that I hope you find helpful.

As I have noted below, Pach will flow along most shapes and string lines with ease.

While my initial scalloped line is somewhat uniform,

Pach can follow a wonky line just as effortlessly.


Have fun with this and come join in the "It's a String Thing" challenge.

Thank you, Judy Okawa, for your lovely tangle!

My Morning With Waybop

Feeling a bit drained from the busyness of life, I deliberately cleared my morning and spent a few glorious hours getting to know Maria Thomas' new tangle Waybop.

In addition to needing some quiet tangling time, there were three other factors in my resolve to concentrate on Waybop:

1.   IAST #184 (Link) featured Waybop.  The results that poured in from all over the world were chock full of inspiring and creative takes on the tangle - so many possibilities that I would have never thought of on my own.
2.  My beloved CZT Knuckleballers (Link) met this past week and spent time playing with Waybop and absorbing Dorian Eng's examples and notes.
3.  I am preparing a class tomorrow (at Sam Flax) on this tremendous tangle.

Here is a sampling of my morning's work ~

My Morning with Waybop by Adele Bruno, CZT

I gleaned many ideas from the IAST #184 tiles and encourage everyone to do the same.  We all learn from and inspire each other.

When you are able, consider taking an hour or two to concentrate on one tangle that intrigues you.
Use examples from other tanglers to find fresh inspiration and possibilities.

It can prove to be a wonderfully rejuvenating time.

Have a safe and blessed weekend!

Pauline's Tangles

On our most recent visit together, my precious granddaughter Pauline taught me four patterns that she created.   At age six, can you just imagine that sweet exchange?

Here are a few of our sketch pages ~

Below are step outs -  just in case you'd like to try her creations and especially if you have a grandchild to share them with...

Pauline's Tangles on Tickled To Tangle by Adele Bruno, CZT

ENJOY!

Frost Flower to Sooflowers - Tangling on a Plane

There is something I enjoy about tangling on an airplane, provided the flight is a smooth one.

It tends to make the time pass peacefully and there are few distractions.  

On our last trip, I first played with Karry Heun's fabulous Frost Flower.  

I began with a monotangle following Karry's step out and added a bit of sparkle ~

Next, I shaded ~

All those straight lines made me wonder what the pattern would look like created with curved lines.  

I began the next tile with elongated 'S' curves and drew another monotangle ~

And then shaded ~

The lines were so soothing to draw, I began another tile. 

This time, inspired by a design on a woman's blouse, I began with a single Sooflowers by Livia Chau and radiated lines from the center.  I finished it up with a bit of stipple and shading ~

What about a grouping of Sooflowers, I wondered?  

Unlike Frost Flower, I left white space where the flowers met neighboring ones and around their edges.  A little stippling and shading completed the tile.

I especially liked the way this one turned out.  Each element is interesting in its own way - the flowers, the radiating lines, the white spaces.

Yet another well thought out element of Zentangle® is just how little space is needed to tangle.

Tiles, a Micron, pencil, and the drop down tray from the seat in front of me - sweet and simple.

 

Enjoy!

Teenos - A New Tangle!

This is a Happy Birthday wish and a new tangle introduction all in one post.
What a glorious day!
First the tangle, then the explanation ~

Teenos is a wonderful filler.  It can adapt easily to any space and can be finished in a variety of ways.  (See the above right column.)

The inspiration for Teenos comes from our son John's favorite seashell, the Turritella.

The Turritella shell gets its name from the Latin word turritus, meaning turreted.  These tiny spiraled shells sprinkle the shoreline of Sanibel Island, one of our best-loved places to vacation. (Also inspiration for CZT Tricia Faraone's Sanibelle)

I have the sweetest memories of John as a little boy scouring the sand for these and presenting his prized collection for my approval.

That same little boy turns twenty-nine today (sigh) and his prizes have changed just a bit over the years.  One of his latest is this belt buckle he earned by completing The Arkansas Traveller 100 Miler.

Yes, one hundred miles - a foot race through the mountain trails of Arkansas that he finished in just over 22 hours.  He is also an Ironman, triathlete, ultra-marathoner, and all around wonderful guy.
Do I sound like a proud mother?!

John is also very creative.  When he first began drawing, he penciled intricate shapes and aura-ed them using a variety of colors -  true ZIA ahead of his time.
He called his artwork Teenos.  I'm not sure how he arrived at the name, but it stuck and is still part of the family vocabulary.

In John's honor and to mark his birthday, I have dubbed this new tangle Teenos.

This post is actually a three-fold celebration - a new tangle, a birthday wish, and a congratulatory note.  John and his sweetest 'prize' of all, Melissa, will be married later this year.

Happiest of  birthdays to you John, from your loving Momther :)

To my readers:  Thank you for multiplying my joy.  I do hope that you find Teenos a versatile and fun tangle to use in your work.  I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

ENJOY!

Uncorked - A New Tangle!

This is an exciting day.  After sitting on the initial idea for this tangle for months, I now have it ready to publish.

First the tangle and then the story ~

Uncorked is drawn in a continuous line, much like Mooka.  The wonderful thing about it though, is that once tangled, the pattern has closed spaces (unlike Mooka) that can be shaded and embellished.


Once the pattern is learned, it becomes very easy to get into a relaxed rhythm when drawing it.
It can be layered in Hollibaugh fashion, or tangled side by side.  It is versatile in that it can be confined to a rounded shaped with the initial line, or it can break free and roam.

The inspiration?  The idea first came from a fabric design - a stark black and white pattern with varying sized circles filled with curved lines.  Instead of taking a picture of it, I studied it and later tried drawing a version I could morph into a tangle.

Weeks later, while visiting our daughter Nancy (of Fancy Nancy fame!), we sat on her living room floor and covered pages and pages with ideas until this one was 'born'.   After pouring a glass of wine, and tangling some more, the idea of 'uncorking' the tangle from the initial circle came to mind.

The tangle just flew off the pen and filled the paper with possibilities after that - so much fun!

I've searched for other tangles that might be similar and did not find any.  If I missed something, please let me know.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Uncorked as much as I do!

Nipa Revisited

On Thursdays, I like to choose one of the given tangles in the week's "It's a String Thing" (click here to view #45) and elaborate on the available step outs.

This week is a bit different because there is a wealth of information on all five of the tangle patterns already published.

However, I did get an email from Sue Agnew who explored last week's feature tangle ~ Nipa.
You may remember that in March, Sue also gave us her insight in to the tangle enhancer sparkle ( Click here to view her sparkly thoughts :)

Sue wrote~

I didn't get a tile done for the Tickled to Tangle challenge this past week ... but I did spend some time experimenting with Nipa. That's one that I haven't really "bonded" with ... hadn't quite figured out whether the parallel lines go through or around the spots ... so I found your "tips" extremely helpful. 

She went on to say that she is also participating in an Index Card a Day project and this is what she completed last Saturday~

Fun with Nipa by Sue Agnew

Now, that is fun - and as Sue said, what more can you ask for?!

Tips for Tangling AA's

This week's "It's a String Thing" (click here to view the details) includes Judy Murphy's pattern AA's.  It is the epitome of a simple tangle that yields elegant results.

It is especially intriguing to me because my name begins with the letter A.  In fact, before I married my initials were A.A.

Over the years I've written my name in a variety of ways - all thanks to the versatility of the lovely letter A. This same letter can be drawn up as round and soft, curly and feminine, straight lined and angular, as one continuous line or divided into two or three lines.  That is quite a portfolio for the first letter of the alphabet.

Judy Murphy's idea of turning A's into a tangle pattern was very clever.  (Click here for the direct link to her directions.) I played with it a bit recently and I post my notes here in hopes that it inspires you to try it.   -

Have fun playing with this tangle!

Tips for Tangling Mooka

There is a theory that to become a master at something 10,000 hours of practice are needed.

I am quite shy of that mark when it comes to tangling the official Zentangle® pattern Mooka - and so am not an expert!  But I do have a few tips that have grown out of my determination to learn the tangle as well as helping others do the same.

With my daughter Isabella's wonderful camera work, here is a little instructional video that I hope you find useful in your drawing of Maria Thomas' beautiful pattern ~

Enjoy!

Xav X-tras!

Once a month, I host an open studio at the Casselberry Art House where my classes are held.
Talk about a good time -a room full of talkative, talented tanglers!  It's a fabulous place to kick around ideas and this week, among other things, we played with my new pattern Xav  (click here to view the step out).

A few variations on the theme came about and here they are:

Xav tangle variations by Adele Bruno, CZT

If you play with the pattern and come with other variations, please do send them in.


Have a wonderful weekend!

XAV - A New Pattern

Xav is a grid based pattern and although most of its lines are straight, it yields a rounded look.

My inspiration came from a printed border on a piece of mail that we received.  It was a colorful and clean graphic design and it sparked an instant idea -

Tangle pattern Xav by Adele Bruno, CZT

The pattern begins with a curvy 'X' inside each square of the grid.
I've named it Xav for my sweet grandson, Xavier.  How could I not name it after the only boy I know with a name that begins with and 'X'?!
Besides that, I am one very proud grandmother.

Here is the first tile I completed with Xav -

Xav monotangle by Adele Bruno, CZT

 I kept the pattern straight and clean on this monotangle just to see what it would do.  On some sections of the tangle, I added only half of the detail lines and the shading is varied a bit.


The tangle however, can adapt very well to curvy lines or a grid that varies is size.
Just like everything else Zentangle® - it lends itself to endless possibilities!

Xav with Pauline's Pigtail and Iza by Adele Bruno, CZT

After a search through my resources,  I was not able to find a similar pattern but if I've overlooked something, please do write to let me know.


Enjoy!

Lucky Pattern Possibilities

"It's a String Thing"#31  features my tangle pattern Lucky. ( Click here to view the challenge.)  I have always enjoyed the wide world of possibilities the pattern lends itself to, and I am very anxious to see what other tanglers come up with this week.

I paged through my notes recently and drew up some basic variations for Lucky.  I post them here, hoping to inspire you to try some of these - or some of your own...

Lucky Pattern Possibilities by Adele Bruno, CZT

Happy tangling to you!

Frame a Friday

There is a quaint old hotel in Winter Park, Florida, that we love for -as the song says- "sentimental reasons." We enjoyed a relaxing stay there recently and it was the first time I took in the surroundings through my Zentangle® eyes.

Armed with some fresh material for inspiration, I set out to see what tangles or ZIA might come from my new arsenal.  Since I wrote about borders yesterday, I chose to begin with this photograph of a mirror frame...

I tried a few variations on this theme, using the whole design, then just bits of it until I finally worked up a simpler step out for a border based on just the right side of this frame -

Border Step Out by Adele Bruno, CZT

My design is inspired by the original.  It is definitely not a carbon copy, nor did I want it to be.   I used the frame for inspiration and worked on shapes that I found easier to repeat in a somewhat uniform manner.

So there it is - a frame for Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Valentine ZIA

This week, I used my new pattern LG (click here to see the step out) and tangled this Valentine ornament.   You can view the first in the series of red Valentine hearts here in my earlier post.

Valentine ZIA by Adele Bruno, CZT

LG worked very well as a  filler and it made this a very quick project to complete.  It would be easy to recreate this on card stock as a Valentine or a gift tag...spread the love!

Project particulars:
Purchased wooden 3 "heart ornament
Sakura Identi-pen
White Gelly Roll pen
Gray Fabrico marker

Rainy Day Tangles

This morning here in central Florida, it is unusually overcast.  Happily though, it 'put me in mind' (as my Grandmother would say) of two tangles we are using in the "It's a String Thing" challenge this week:  Raindotty and Rain.

It will be difficult to wait until Monday to post the beautiful tiles that are coming in.  Most of the tanglers have commented on how fun it is to draw Raindotty by CZT Jane Monk.

Curious, I decided to complete a monotangle with the pattern.  I used a Micron 08 and found it very relaxing to draw.  Each dot is mindful, cannot be hurried, and the feel of the Zentangle® paper is a very noticeable part of the experience.

This is what my tile looked like before shading....

And after shading...

I chose to shade in the spaces between the tangles.  That made the circles appear a bit stark, so I added some shading to the pattern and I liked it a bit more.

Next, I thought to complete a monotangle on a Renaissance tile.  I worked with a white Gelly Roll Pen, and brown and black 01 Microns.  The dots didn't stand out as much as I would have liked - the piece needed some more contrast.  Rain to the rescue!  It springs from Raindotty and adds the needed weight.  I finished it off with a few more dots and here it is:  

If it's a bit rainy in your part of the world - try your hand at these patters.  They will surely make your day brighter.

Check out the rest of this week's tangles as well as the challenge by clicking here.  Have a wonderful weekend and send in your photos :)

Please feel free to leave a comment in the space below.
If you would like to hear from me, please use the email box located to the right.
Thank you so much!

Ahh's and Afterglo

That title even sounds inviting doesn't it?!

In light of the "It's a String Thing" challenge this week, I am posting notes from my pattern notebook on the two tangles that we are using - Ahh and Afterglo.

Ahh is an official Zentangle® pattern from Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.   It illustrates beautifully what shading can do for a tangle:

Afterglo by Carole Ohl is misleading at first glance - at least it was to me.  I initially thought that the lines emanating from the center were drawn first and the zigzagged auras added last. 

You can see from this step out, that by adding the 'rays' after the zigzags, Carole creates a really unique effect:

These are my personal notes about the tangle patterns.  You can reference the patterns here on Linda Farmer's Tangle Patterns website for more information.

Have fun and do try your hand at "It's a String Thing" #20.  You will find all of the details in Thursday's post below.


Please feel free to leave a comment in the space provided below.
If you prefer to hear from me directly, please use the email box located to the right.
Thank you!

"It's a String Thing" #18

It is Tuesday, your good news day!

'Tis the Christmas season and in the midst of these happy (and busy) days this "String Thing" is purposefully simple.

I begin with a confession - I worked a bit backwards this week. I first chose a tangle pattern, and then a string.  As it turns out, I am using my own string this week because it suits the tangle that I have in mind for Christmastime - Verdigogh. 

Verdigogh is one of those wonderful official Zentangle® patterns that at first blush appears complicated, but after just a bit of practice, unfolds easily and elegantly. 

You can find Maria Thomas' step out and variations for Verdigogh here on the Zentangle blog.

We begin with String 062 by yours truly via Linda Farmer:

While Veritgogh is the only tangle pattern assigned to this challenge, feel free to embellish the negative spaces as you wish. 

To Recap - use:
String 063 - by me, Adele Bruno
Verdigogh - an original Zentangle pattern

 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 will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle enthusiasts all over the world.
PLEASE NOTE:  I will add a link to your blog or web site with you tile photo if you wish.

I look forward to your emails.

Moving Right Along

This week's "It's a String Thing" challenge uses the official tangle Mooka as well as two goodies from Margaret Bremner, CZT.  (Click here for all of the details.) 

We are using Margaret's tangle patterns called Moving Day.  It is very fun to draw - rhythmic and relaxing.  You don't have to concentrate on how many lines you are drawing, or if the lines match up from square to square.  It's the best of a free form feel in a square grid - genius!

Here are my notes about Margaret's tangle pattern Moving Day.

I hope this helps you get started on the challenge!

"It's a String Thing" #17

It's Tuesday, your good news day!

After last week's beautiful interpretations of Heartstrings, I can hardly wait to see what this week brings...

We begin with String 020 by CZT Margaret Bremner as posted by Linda Farmer on her wonderful TanglePatterns.com.

In honor of Margaret, the Enthusiastic Artist, (click here to view her fabulous blog) we will use two tangles that begin with the letter 'M'. 

The first is a creation by Margaret herself - Moving Day.  The second is Mooka, an official Zentangle® pattern.

There is a wealth of information on the web for Mooka, including this video where Maria Thomas, along with Rick Roberts, shows how to draw the tangle:

You can also find both tangles here on Tangle Patterns.

To Recap - use:

String 020 and
Moving Day by CZT Margaret Bremner
Mooka - an official Zentangle pattern

I can already see the creative wheels turning!


 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 will encourage and inspire fellow Zentangle enthusiasts all over the world.

I look forward to your emails.