“Just as the sun rose over the landscape, shards of yellow penetrated the deep blue water to reveal life beneath the sea. Tentacles of deep green seaweed danced to the music of the current. In the deepest depths of the water, life was awakened with the bright morning sun. Creatures of the sea revealed their secrets.” - Jo Flaherty Jo posted this as a challenge on the ZIA Tips, Tricks and Techniques Group on Facebook.

This Zentangle was done by Matthew Higbee. Matt is a 17-year-old high school student and a second-year art student. You’ve seen another tangle he did, here, previously, if you’ve been following this blog. I love that he decided to take off on his own, and used tangles that we haven’t been practicing yet. I think he made good choices, and the tangles have nice contrast between circular and angular.

Watchers. As she walked through the marketplace, she admired all of the woven and embroidered trims on the awnings. Then, she noticed the Borbs, looking down at her above the spice vendor. It was such and alien reminder. This was not her home, not her planet. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Aloha Avreal Borbz Enyshou Unyun

Watchers. They were part of the fabric of the planet. The watchers were everywhere she had been. In the buildings, they incorporated themselves into the corners and between the cornices. In the gardens, they often were at the heart of a blossom or hidden in the fold of a leaf. Even on the shorline, she found them nestled among the rocks. If one wasn’t diligent, one might even find them in the porridge or bread.

Passé data. They fell from the sky as she watched from the tower. It looked as thought they were tossing out a mass of data chips before they landed. She wasn’t sure what good that would do… Nothing had worked since the pulse happened many years ago. Nobody cared. They were sick of the connections. The chips were pretty, though. Perhaps they could use the metals for adornment.

Dementia is a terrible thing. It steals a person’s mind a little bit at a time… for a long time. This Zentangle was created by my Mother-in-Law for my birthday in 2010. I was tangling with her very often, teaching her various tangles and techniques. I thought it would be good for her. She had had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery. She was on a lot of medication.

Christmas market. She loved this time of year. Even the cold weather didn’t bother her. There were so many things to choose from: exotic fabrics and trims, fancy jewelry and decorations, beautiful baskets and ceramics. Even the colorful awnings and tents brought her joy! Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Bales Criss & Cross Dyon Huggins Mooka Quipple Sez Shard Striping Tidings

This is another in the series of Tan Treasure tiles. I decided to combine the treasure tile with the Distressed tile technique. For the theme, I chose a wreath. It’s the time of year when we start decorating for Christmas, so I thought it would be appropriate. In addition, Zailz was used because it is the focus tangle for this week for one of the Facebook Groups that I participate in.

From the Zentangle Primer: Lesson 3, page 55, Exercise #7. In this lesson, we are learning about strings. For the first exercise, we are supposed to combine two (or more) sections of our string together to form a new section that is better suited for the tangle we want to use. Here is what Amanda’s original string looked like, so you can compare it with her finished Zentangle above.

Giving thanks. I have so many things to be thankful for this year, it would make a very long post to list them all. So I am going to tell you that I am grateful for my wonderful husband, beautiful daughters, and fabulous grandchildren. I am thankful for my good health and good life. I also am very thankful that I discovered Eni Oken. She is a fabulous artist that shares herself, her talent and her knowledge with others.

Message. She was sure there was something important hidden there. Perhaps a clue to the treasure. She searched the bowl of flowers, the cobwebs in the corners, the lattice- and the lace… Somehow she totally missed it. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Afterglow Chartz Cubine Eke Gourdgeous Muchin Quandry Vermal

Yo ho ho… Not all treasure is jewels and gold! Sometimes, the treasure lies within each of us, waiting to be discovered. If you are tangling, and looking for your own, internal treasures, follow the link over to Eni Oken’s Tan Treasure Video lesson! Her video will take you through all the steps to create your personal treasure map. Zentangle drawn on an Official Tan Renaissance tile using a black, brown and sepia Micron pens.

Swirls. Am I looking down at a carpet? A muddy river? Foam at the edge of a wave on the beach? It’s an interesting, visual mystery! Sand Swirl is one of my favorite tangles to draw. It’s simple echoed lines allow your mind to enter the Zen zone quickly. Here, I used three different colors of ink to give the tile more depth and dimension. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen, warm grey and cool grey Copic Multiliner.

What’s up, Dewd? Zentangle has introduced a new tangle, Dewd, along with the debut of the new Project Packs! I decided to do it on a black tile, in keeping with the spirit of the introduction video, here. I used two different pink, metallic pens and two different silver pens so that I would have a tiny bit of variation between the inner shape and the outer auras.

Another’s view. The tiles above and below were created by my husband. If you remember, from yesterday’s post, I mentioned that I had asked all of my relatives to draw Zentangles for my birthday in 2010. Recently, I found them again and got to reminisce about that time and to see all the wonderful tiles everyone made. For this first tile, my sweetheart used a heart as the central string!