Opus Tiles by Jacki Rose, CZT

I was nervous just like many of you to start my very first Opus Tile. I remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting outside at a hotel cafe overlooking the harbor. The very first pattern I did was an error, but you can't tell, can you?  I’ve received so many compliments on that pattern and to me it’s a huge screw up. This is one of our greatest fears of starting an Opus Tile. There are so many imperfections on this tile, but not noticeable. Let go of your fears, let go of the outcome, and go slow.

For this all day Opus Class I first decided on the patterns I was going to teach. Then I decided on how many sections we needed. I guided the class on drawing the strings/sections. We did not draw all sections at once like we do on a smaller tile. I started with a corner and then guided them through the pattern to fill in that section.  

I drew the string for all sections, first all starting from the bottom left corner of the tile. Not knowing how many sections I would draw. Then started to draw each section, not having a plan in mind, not knowing what tangle patterns I was going to draw. I totally relaxed into each one sitting outside at a picnic table on the Island of Nantucket. I did a little bit whenever I felt like it. When I look at these tiles framed on my wall I’m reminded of my peaceful & fun getaways. 

This one is from class I took from  CZT Cari Camarra at ConnTangle and later taught it to students using the grid template. But all you really need is a ruler to create the even squares.  It's a lot of fun to use only grid patterns on a tile. For this one, I only used 8 patterns and then duplicated them in the reverse direction for the last two rows.

I did this one on my own in preparation for a class to teach.  First I traced the heart in the middle, then drew the string around the heart. I chose patterns that I love to draw.

First I traced the butterfly, then drew the string behind the butterfly. Keeping the same patterns on both sides as if the patterns were continuing behind.

I chose to make all string sections curvy with patterns intertwining. I drew the string first of all sections, not knowing how many sections I would draw. Then started to draw each section, not having a plan, not knowing what tangle patterns I was going to draw. Did this while vacationing in Florida for a month and took about a month to complete. I left it out on the table and did a little bit whenever I felt like it.  

I worked from the center out. Traced a heart cutout, then gave it inside auras. Drew strings from the outside heart border to the edges.

Full day Opus Class where students choose the shape of a Heart or Circle to trace in the middle or any place on the tile they like.  

I tried to create a design that could be finished in a two hour class, but that did not happen. We got a lot done, but they still needed to be finished on their own.  We started from the center and worked our way out.  The border was the last to do in class. 

Everyone received cutouts of hearts and bijou (snail). Students could lay out the cutouts any way they wanted.

Intertwining wavy string and border. Brown pen used for accent. Only a few patterns and still were not able to finish in the 2 hour class. 

Just as if we were tangling on a 3.5" square tile, but instead drew the patterns much bigger. Two hour class. Gilded Matilda's.

The idea here was to create a loop type string. Five hour class with lunch and breaks. 

Notice the funky border and the mystery pattern was meant to connect the tangles. 

String was drawn and tangled first on all four corners. Brown pen used for accent. Three hour class.

Everyone received 5 butterfly cutouts to place on their tile any way they like and then trace them. After each butterfly was traced, I instructed students to give each one an aura to create the white border so that the butterflies would stand out. 

The pattern Umble was drawn as a string along the perimeter and Hollibaugh as a string in the middle. The mosaic of what we completed in three hours is really cool. 

This has not been shaded and was one I did for preparation for class. Prep for  March 2019 class.

The round like patterns were drawn first (phicops, mumsy, hemp, gneiss, cyme). Background patterns filled in the entire tile. No border. Three hour class. 

We drew the string starting from the center and worked our way out. Notice the triangle shapes in the middle creating an octagon. Then arcs surrounding the octagon. Then from the arcs, sections to the edges. Three hour class.  

All tangles here are  organic and vine type patterns. The brown pen was used for accent. This was a 3 hour class and did not finish.

In just 1.5 hours, we did Ahh with Dangles. Tangled each corner.

Heart cutouts were traced and tangled. Organic patterns drawn around the rest of the tile. TEA 3 hour class. Finished on own.

Three hour class through The Enrichment Academy (TEA). Started every section and finished on our own.

Three and a half hour class through The Enrichment Academy (TEA). Started every section and finished on our own. Jan 2021

The only class that I  brought in a ruler. We used it just for the border and traced a large square card stock paper to trace the middle square. The pattern Gneiss is in the middle as a string. TEA (The Enrichment Academy).

Everyone in class received a butterfly cutout to trace. The rest are all organic patterns moving along the perimeter of the tile and flowing towards the middle. We used the brown pen for accents. TEA 3/11/21  (3.5 hr class). Students finished on their own. 

This is the tile I created in preparation for Zendala Opus Jan 2022. I decided to leave out closing up the Zendala Edges for the class, but liked it so much I submitted it for the Zentangle Display Wall at The Villages, FL.

Weekend class with Molly & Martha (Maria's daughters) at Kripalu Retreat Center. Main focus was reticular & fragments.

Finished an Opus Tile I had used for preparing for a class.

Finished an Opus Tile I had used for preparing for a class.

I call this Fluxeed for now cuz I started with that pattern in the bottom left corner and continued to tangle off of that whatever I felt like. One pattern at a time. No thought of what I was going to do next. Just stayed in the present moment and followed my inner artist guidance.

I took this class as a student with Chrissy Immordino, CZT at The Enrichment Academy - 3 hour class. Garden Grow Theme. I am amazed that I drew this.

I turned something that I thought was awful to something I fell in love with. It originally was my prep/experimentation for the Opus Class using the pattern Cell where I experimented with different options. It then sat around for a while til one day I picked it up and instead of throwing t in the trash, I thought I would do something with it. It is now one of my favorite Opus Tiles out of the 50 I've drawn.

Took this class from Trish O'Leary, CZT

https://tanglinginthezen.com/classes