Generally, now days, I use fewer tangles on a tile that I did when I began 10 years ago. But not always. Yesterday, I decided to create a complex string and use a lot of different tangles. I had been looking through tiles from years ago and I wanted to see if I could still tangle in that style. It took longer to choose the tangles than it did to draw them!
Blossoms. Some tangle patterns are a self-contained motif when completed. Many people call these blossom tangles. Here, I’ve used three different ones in a composition. I just wanted it to be simple, because I’m having a very busy day and don’t really have a lot of time for drawing. Zentangle drawn on pearl grey Stonehenge multi-use paper using grey and pink Staedler pens and grey Copic multiliner. Shading done with Copic marker and colored pencil.
Blues. This tile was inspired by delft blue china pieces. It didn‘t actually turn out the way I hoped, but it‘s interesting in it‘s own right. It was fun experimenting with all the different shades of blue, and the Sand Swirl in the center makes a distinctive contrast with the rest. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a variety of markers with blue ink. Coloring done with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Poloychromos colored pencils.
Red. I recently saw a Zentangle tile that someone in a Facebook group had drawn in red. That was the first time that I‘ve seen a completely red tile. I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try my own. Shading with regular pencil looks a little strange, so I decided to try a red colored pencil. I chose a color that was a bit darker, and I think it worked very well.
Browns. I wanted to experiment with different tonal values. Since Micron makes two different brown pens, I though combining those with black would be interesting. I shaded this tile with brown colored pencils. Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using brown, sepia and black Micron pens. Tangles: Centipede Flora Isochor Lacy Locar Purk Ripple Shattuck
Tentacles. What interesting creature is lurking behind the bushes in the garden? Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Tangles: Bubble Love Fescu Flora Lollywimple Plum Leaf
Joy. This Zentangle makes me happy every time I see it. I like the balance, and many of the tangles are on my list of favorites. Zentangle drawn on official Zentangle tile using a black Micron pen. Tangles: Beedz Bumper Cadent Emingle Fescu Flora Huggins Marasu Nzeppel Pinwheels Sh-Rock
Zentangle drawing done with Micron pen on Strathmore Vellum Bristol . Tangles: Bales Cadent Flora Onamato Striping