Tuesday, February 9, 2016

ECHOISM, and then some

Tangles: Echoism with Crescent Moon
Echoism is a very simple tangle, 
and as such is wide open to variations.

FILL THE SPACES
The classic method is to add an Aura and fill the non-loop areas with black. But you could fill them with something else. The spaces are usually square-ish, so a segment of a square grid tangle is a natural choice. Two of my favorites are Cubine and Dex, but there are plenty of others.

FILL THE LOOPS
Oh my, so many possibilities! Here are a few:

Echoism with additions to the loops, filled spaces, and some filled loops.

ALTER THE LOOPS
One simple way to vary the look of Echoism is to change the look of the loops. To begin with, they can be drawn compact and rounded, or stretched and skinny.

Try overlapping the loops. You may already have done this out of necessity when your lines were "too" close together!
The loops don't have to be all the same size.
Make the loops pointed instead of rounded.
Instead of a single loop, make a double loop. Add an Aura. Fill the background. Or the loops. Or both.

Make the loops a different shape. Here are triangles and diamonds...

...and hearts!
Echoism with heart loops. Other tangles: Black Pearlz, Emingle, and Tipple.
You can see triangle-shaped loops at the bottom,
and with wobbly lines around the loops on the left.
You can also make pinched loops. I find it's tricky to keep track of which direction I'm going and which way to loop and when to pinch. I should just slow down. You might make a "mistake", like I did in the second example below. But "mistakes" are opportunities and can usually be turned into something more interesting than your original idea.

Here's my best advice, and it has nothing to do with Echoism. (and it's what I did above):  If you make a glaring 'mistake' somewhere, do it again deliberately two or three more times. Then it looks like a cool, original, creative thing you planned, and did on purpose. Just don't tell anyone. ;) 
Tangles: Echoism stretched, and with pinched loops.
Other tangles: Shing and Tipple.
ADD TO THE LOOPS
No need to leave the loops plain. Here are some ideas.
Echoism with additions to the loops.
Other tangles: Beadlines, Black Pearlz, Tipple (Caviar version)

USE AURAS
I've used an Aura in some of the examples here, but you can totally go to town with the Auras, too.
Once you've done an Aura, add something outside it. Here are two ideas, Perfs, and something akin to Sanibelle. And Auras don't need to be thin; try wide Auras.

ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN!
One variation I thought of, and then forgot, is to do Echoism twice, alternating sides. You can see this idea on Donald Wilka's (CZT) blog here.
Tangles: Echoism with Auras, Black Pearlz and Knightsbridge

21 comments:

  1. Wonderful tutorial as always! I love what you bring to your art pieces...amazing!

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  2. Superb tutorial Margaret, I love how you can vary a pattern in your "and then some" series.

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  3. Oh my, what a simple and interesting tangle! I love the variations you showed and I will definitely try some soon!
    Thank you for sharing!

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  4. Oh my ....your "and then some" explorations are so awesome and inspirational! 💕💕💕

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  5. Soooo many lovely alternatives! I adore your "and then some" series! So creative and inspiring.

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  6. Great tutorial, great ideas, Margaret. Thanks. I've also used one long Echoism in class as a foil to show all of the enhancements on one tile. Students have responded positively to making their "reference tile."

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    1. Good idea! I found the result quite appealing when I did a different 'thing' on each loop when I was drawing the samples. :)

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  7. Thanks for another "and then some" tutorial! As always, lots of fantastic ideas!

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  8. What a great "variation" tutorial ! Thank you SO much, sometimes my imagination fails me when I look at a pattern and "can't see the forest for the trees", as it were. Heaps of fun and tangling coming up today ! Thanks Margaret. X

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  9. Thanks Margareth for this fantastic tutorial!

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  10. Thank you for sharing your explorations of echoism. Amazing what you think of.

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  11. I may have to say this, I love you! This is one of the most inspiring things I have seen in a long time. I can't wait to dig into your site. :) <3

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  12. This is amazing - the options are endless.

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  13. Great variations as always ! Love them.

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  14. Beautiful and inspiring!! Thank you so much for helping me find new opportunities to explore.

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  15. Phenomenally inspiring and innovative! You rock, MB! Thank you for all of your "And then some" tutorials.

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  16. Thank you, Margaret, for this tutorial and exploration. Your work always provides inspiration and this post offers so much. Have a brilliant day! Cheryl

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  17. Thank you for this. It really opened my mind and eyes up to see more possibilities - not just for this tangle but several others I have been working with.

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  18. Beautiful ideas, Margaret! I now have a complete collection of all of your ... and Then Somes -- all in the same book! I just love looking through them for inspiration!

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