Tradition. We all enjoy learning new things, pushing boundaries and growing in our art. But we shouldn’t forget where we came from in the process. To keep with the original tradition of Zentangle, I have used the die and legend that came with my new Zentangle Kit to select the tangles that I used for this tile. I chose them one at a time, filling in a section before rolling for the next.

Cargo. The hold was full. There were so many interesting, unique things she was bringing back from all the planetary markets. Her favorite, though was the star-egg. They told her when it hatched, a new universe would be born! It would be such an exciting thing to see. She was planning on putting on an exhibition and charging people to view it. Some times, the craziest combination of tangles comes out of the tangle jar.

I love creating Zentangles that offer optical illusions. This tile, for example is actually just Cadent with a square in the middle of it. But after the echo lines are drawn around the inside of each, you can’t tell where one begins and the other ends! And those simple white squares are magically lifted right up towards you in the design. Shading just further enhances the effect. This concept came from a video recently added to the Zentangle Mosaic app.

Bones. Their culture was built on the bones of their ancestors. The believed these relics spoke to them, leading them towards the future without forgetting their past. This is another tile celebrating and exploring fragments. This is B2 from the Zentangle Primer. I ended up not putting the second set of lines inside each shape and just let the color define the areas. I chose to stop because it looked so much like a grid of bones.

Folds. They were all folded to catch the rays of the overhead light. The sole purpose was to attract the customers, drawing them in with bright colors and patterns. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Arukas Black Box Drack Kuke Rain

I’m still working my way through the various fragments in the Zentangle Primer. For this exercise, I chose K14. This is another very geometric fragment, and it is like Emingle, except triangular. I actually drew it twice in each triangle, once in blue-black and then again in blue. By shading it with blue pencil it was possible to create another star-like pattern. I find these very relaxing to do.

Embellishment. This Zentangle came from watching a video published by Sakura of America in which Molly begins with the tangle Zenith and then embelished it. The end result was this fabulous diagonal design that looked like the hem of a beautiful skirt! I pretty much followed the video exactly until the end of the tangling part. There, I added the Ruflz tangle to the upper, left side because I felt it needed something more.

Morning. The sun shone through the open window, casting small shadows from the Creeper vines. The decorative designs on the windowsill captured her attention. They reminded her of the suns of home. You may notice that there is a new addition to the sidebar on the right. In the “Explore” section, a random Zentangle will appear. You can click on it and go to the post about it. The choice of Zentangle is totally random and changes every time a page is loaded.

Emerald Isle. There is so much about Ireland that has influenced culture all over the world. Literature, music and dance come to mind. In the United States about 33 million Americans claim some Irish ancestry. These ancestors came to the U.S. as immigrants, and brought with them their heritage. In speech, dress, religion, foods and traditions they influenced the American way of life permanently. Just as any other cultural group that is different from the main, the suffered prejudice.

WhollyHollibaugh. Recently, Zentangle released a new video, #18, in the Kitchen Table series that illustrated the principle of seeing behind parts of a design through a window, or cutout in a tangle. Hollibaugh was used to illustrate this, so I decided to create this tile for my collection showing the concept. They call the tangle enhancement “Wholly Hollibaugh.” Zentangle drawn on Stonehenge Kraft using black and brown Pigma Micron pens and Sakura white gel pen.

Incubation. She found a group of eggs in various stages of growth in the Royal Nursery. She had no idea this was their method of reproduction until now. She wondered if each egg started with such elaborate patterns or if they were decorated after they were laid. Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Caviar Meer Patena Printemps Purk Shattuck

Last Friday I received a package in the mail from Zentangle Headquarters. In it was some paperwork for CZT30 and an unexpected surprise! But first… I’ve had a Zentangle kit for years. Mine is one of the original, hand made ones. As you can see in the image above, it is covered in deep turquoise Lakota paper with the Zentangle symbol stamped on the cover. The entire outside is covered with this paper.

Textiles. She looked at varied shapes and textures hanging all around her in the stall. Of all the places on merchants row, this was the one that brought her the most inspiration. It was a never-ending kaleidoscope of color and patterns that constantly changed with the light. Looking for new inspiration for strings for your tiles? Grab a magazine and open it to a random page. Look at the picture on it.

Crystalline. The crystal structure at the center of the lab was stable, yet it would grow over time to take up more of the space. What would happen when it filled all of it? It was needed to keep the environment stable on the planet. Would the foliage survive? If the plants grew larger, could they control the crystals? Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen.

Today’s tile is a doodle or a ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art). I could have used tangles to decorate the flower petals, but I really liked the simplicity of just an aura and some dots. If you would like to learn how to make decorative flowers, or have a better understanding of shading, or take your tangling to another level, I wholeheartedly recommend joining Eni Oken’s Art Club. This tile is a result of following the instruction in her latest 3D Lotus Flower Video!