his 'n' hers

I've said before that I liked the way Rick and Maria let us learn to draw Rixty ourselves.  Whilst they would like us to take a class, they also trust us, they trust our intuition.  This is great comfort for a self-taught tangler such as me, my nearest CZT is some seventy miles away, but I'm in no way locked out of this creative scene.  I had fun figuring out the steps and seeing my results.  I was also quietly pleased when they recently released their step-out to find it matched mine!  Although I've since started messing about with a different way to draw it.   

A Rixty lattice - with basic shading on a stubborn
but beautiful cream Tinted Bockingford Watercolour tile

When this week's Diva Challenge asked us to play with Rixty I was more that happy to spend further time with it.  I've started to notice how some / many / all tanglers have their own unique style.  I'm not sure if I've found mine yet, but hopefully I'm on my way - and perhaps it's easier for others to see it rather than me?  But I always notice and love the differences in the tangling styles between Rick and Maria.  At a vastly reduced level Rick is more angular, Maria more flowing.  It's these contrasts that compliment each other - no doubt in their relationship as much as their art.

A jaunty angle - a loopy Rixty
inexpertly coloured with Zig Clean Color brushpens

In my first tile I kept it plain and simple and straight and Rick-like.  Six strings of Rixty weaving over and under each other.  Good practice at the tangle, and visually effective too. There's an element of prison bars, or caging or fencing in this - but the bars are so ornate I'm not sure I would mind being contained - and I feel sure they would tinkle in the breeze.

For the second one I went in a more Maria direction.  Looping and branching and developing a more natural shape.  I bordered using Sue Jacob's Ditto - which is so simple to bring to three-dimensional life with the most basic shading.  I'm still a little tentative about drawing Rixty going behind itself but I think this would look even better with more layering.  But even these few tendrils and flowers have enough zest to be bursting free from their frame.  And my perpetual peripheral vision has been busy again - as I was browsing some Art Nouveau designs in the morning, and I think they had their say when I drew this later in the day!