Tile-A-Day: Connections

I've been playing with connecting my tangles in smoother transitions, not simply with the border of the string.  I've read some suggestions on how to do this, this post at Open Seed Arts being very helpful.

I'm learning:

• to work from the outsides in, trying to leave at least one blank space between tangles until closer to the end;
• to leave the edges of tangles incomplete until the end;
• to study the tangles on either side of an empty spot to see how they can connect;
• to look at where tangles end appropriately against the string and see how to bridge to the next one;
• to start with rounded or tangles meant to overlap first (like pokeroot, flux, or mooka) and then work "under" or "behind" them;
• specific ideas:  grid tangles (cadent, w2, huggins, bales, etc) flow nicely together, as do some triangle ones (munchin, tripoli, kathy's dilemma, swarm,  cadent variation, etc.); hollibaugh makes a great bridge; crescent moon and hollibaugh can also be tangled with additional patterns to flow into the next section

Here I started with the ribbon (not an offiicial name), which led into hollibaugh, then crescent moon, with a few bales in between.  From the other side of ribbon, I did cadent.  And cadent morphed into munchin for just a bit in the upper right corner.   Finally, fescu came off the ribbon in the lower left.  It's definitely a start. 

Tile-A-Day: Peace

Tangle Names

I will endeavor to include the names of the tangles, or patterns, I use in the labels of each post.  While no pattern can be copyrighted--and so the names aren't "official"--they are commonly used among tanglers to make it easier to talk about tangles.   Instead of descriptions such as origami-like triangles, floating triangles, twirling triangle, or connect-the-triangles, we can use ING, tripoli, paradox, or munchin.  I find it easier both to discuss the patterns with others and to conceptualize my own work.  I rely on Tangle Patterns by Linda Farmer CZT for most of my names and then Pinterest or some of my books if I can't find them on the former.  The site is especially wonderful because it provides "step-outs," or instructions, for many of the tangles and also publishes a handy annual reference guide to put in your toolkit.

There is a bit of an obsession with "inventing" and then naming a tangle, which seems odd to me because so many of the patterns have been in use all over the world for millennia.  Also, some of the published patterns don't seem to utilize the guidelines of Zentangle, which suggests easily repeatable patterns based on a few strokes combined from I, S, C, and O.  So I don't plan to get too much into a muddle about names, "official," or the like.  But I will use the names I find for easy reference.

Challenge #265: Stripes

I only recently heard about a weekly ritual in the Zentangle community:  I Am The Diva's weekly Zentangle Challenge.  She gives a prompt and CZTs and tanglers from all over the world link to their tiles.

So I tried it this week--challenge #265--the topic is stripes, which seemed pretty straightforward.  I look forward to see what all the amazing folks come up with.

Tile-A-Day: Frames

Now I just need to practice my lettering so I can put quotes on the inside.  A friend recommended either Joanne Sharpe's Art of Whimsical Lettering or David Harris's The Calligrapher's Bible as a resource.

Tile-A-Day: Shading

For a long time, I did not shade my tangles, mainly because, as an art historian, I worried about realism and the consistency of the light source. But during CZT training, I came to see shading as just another aspect of the pattern itself, without trying for realism or a consistent light source; shading gives depth and dimensionality to my patterns.   Now, I do consider where lines overlap and what shapes could be rounded when deciding on where to put the graphite.  Look at the difference below.

Some shading tips:  hold your pencil almost parallel to the paper, in the palm of your hand, not as you would for writing.  Place the point of your pencil where you want the shade to be the darkest.  When you rub the graphite with your tortillon (or finger or tissue), place the tip at the darkest point and make little circles to draw the graphite out.  Be sure to leave some white areas, for contrast.  

To improve my practice, I'll be looking at Chris Latourneau's Made in the Shade:  A Zentangle Workbook.

I shaded where the strips of punzel "overlap," along the centers of flux to create rounding,
and where the bands of zander cross the bundles.

Tile-A-Day: Go Large!

When I feel like I'm in some kind of a tangle rut or I want to try something different, I remember the suggestion to draw patterns extra-large for a new effect.  I imagine I could make them even larger.

Tile-A-Day