"It's a String Thing" #49

Tenth Anniversary String with Bunzo, Rain, and N'Zeppel

This week was the tenth anniversary of Zentangle.  That's pretty cool.  To celebrate, Adele designed a string in the shape of the number ten.  She asked us to choose our favorite patterns to tangle with.  That means this week's challenge results will be fun to see because there will be so many different patterns.

When I look at a string sometimes I immediately know what I want to do with it and sometimes it takes a while.  This was one of the immediate times.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted the number 10 to be negative space.

I started looking through my pattern book.  I wasn't planning to use favorites, just what I thought fit well.  As it turns out, I did use three of my favorites because they were the ones that fit.  This is the first time I've used Rain with the aura only on one side. 

It's also the first time I've added sparkle afterward by adding white instead of just leaving white as I tangled in the first place.  I really like how the sparkle turned out and am grateful to have that option.  Too often I get done with a piece and then decide I should have put sparkle here or there.  This way, I still can.

I'm very much a fan of free-form N'Zeppel.  I almost never use it in a straight grid anymore.  I love the way it seems to go under the 1 space.  Isn't it cool the difference shading makes?

Diva Challenge #168

Variations of Rain with Msst, before shading

Variations of Rain with Msst, after shading

I'm still finding my way with shading.  I wanted to see the two together, before and after.  I still like both of them equally I think.  But there is definitely more depth to the shaded one.

I really like my tangles when they are stark black and white contrast, without the grey.  Since I don't feel like I know what I'm doing with shading I am always worried to add it; I don't want to ruin something I like.  But if I don't try, I won't learn.  I guess mistakes are necessary to grow.

I hate mistakes.