Overhead. We spend so much time looking down. I wonder how much we miss by not looking up once in a while? What is the ceiling like in the Cathedral or Museum? How about that old building on the corner? What does it look like above the trees at night? Or the clouds in the sky before or after a storm? Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Pigma Micron pen and a cool grey Copic Multiliner.

Amanda sent me this picture of a Zenbutton that she created recently. It’s a wonderful collection of fragments done in vibrant purple! I love the combination of fragments that she used here. They create a lot of design movement and variation. Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle tile using a pink and purple, Micron pens. Shading done with colored pencil. Tangles: Fragment F2 Fragment G22 Fragment H15 Fragment V2

If you recall, a while back I posted a couple of Bijou tiles with Muchin shaded in different ways. I thought that it would be fun to post the same thing, but this time, showing the shading and highlighting on a black tile! Zentangle drawn on a black, Official Zentangle Bijou tile using a white, Sakura Gelly Roll pen. Highlighting done with white chalk pencil. Shading done with Copic markers and black colored pencil.

Waltz. 1.. 2.. 3… 1.. 2.. 3… And a twirl around here and there. When I look at this tile, that ballroom dance, learned so long ago comes to mind. I like the counterpoint of the graceful Mooka dancing around the edges of the triangular, jeweled Tripoli. I loved creating this tile. It’s simple design allowed me to practice precise, balanced line placement. I find that very Zen.

It’s hot. I mean really, really hot. Yesterday on the way home, it was 118˚. On Monday, it was 119˚! The official temperature (in the shade at the airport!) was a few degrees cooler. But I don’t live in the shade at the airport. I try to stay home, but once in a while, I just have to go out. Those higher temperatures were reported by my car’s thermometer.

All dressed up. This little bijou is a remake of one I did at the CZT seminar. I decided to dress it up a bit by mounting it on a tan tile and adding a few frames. Huggins has become one of my favorite, meditative tangles! Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle Bijou tile using a black and brown, Pigma Micron pens and white, Sakura Gelly Roll. Shading done with graphite pencil and Copic markers.

Tangleation. Sometimes you just need a small change to create an interesting difference. A Tangleation is a noticeable variation of an existing pattern. Here, the original tangle was Bales. In this version, it appears as if one rice shape is piercing the other where they cross. Sometimes you just need to tangle a small thing and then move on with your day. This is a Bijou tile, and there is just one tangle on it.

No mistakes. That’s right… There are no mistakes in Zentangle. Unexpected things DO happen, but they aren’t mistakes. They are opportunities to explore another direction. You don’t give up. You don’t throw away the work you’ve already done. Following a different fork in the road can take you to new vistas and allows you to discover new techniques. Some of the best tiles I’ve made come from unexpected twists and turns during the process.

This is another tile that I, unfortunately, left at Seminar. But I have to say that I actually like this version better! I normally put finished tiles in my scrapbook on a black background. But here, I decided to change it up a bit because I made the edge of the 3Z black. With it on a taupe background, I think it stands out better. Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle 3Z tile using a black, sepia and brown, Pigma Micron pens and white Sakura Gelly Roll pen.

Monday, July 16, 2018 I taught the first and second Introduction to Zentangle classes at <a href="https://www.healingartstudio.org/” target==”_blank">Good Gifts Healing Art Studio. We had eight eager students in the first session. You can see their tiles above, before we did any shading on them. The second session was smaller and more personalized, with two wonderful, attentive students. Below, I’ve added my tile to the mosaic to make it more impactful.

I accidentally left 3 tiles behind at the CZT Seminar. While I’m sad about that… I decided to recreate them! This one is done on a Zendala tile, but it’s not perfectly symmetrical. Working in the round isn’t something that I do very often. But I was very surprised at how relaxing this was. I think not having to make everything match from side to side takes the stress out of this type of design.

River of berries. Adding a bit of graphite, using a simple pencil and a tortillon, transforms tangles on a tile into a small piece of art and fills it with life. Don’t fear the pencil! Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Tangles: Fife Flukes Poke Root

This beautiful Spundala was created by CZT Amanda Higbee! I am blown away that she used Pea-nuckle in the round. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone do that before! It certainly never occurred to me to try it! Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a purple and pink, Sakura Pigma Micron pens. Shading done with watercolor pencils. Tangles: Crescent Moon Emingle Keeko Pea-Nuckle

Difference. These two little Bijou tiles both have the same tangle, Munchin. The first tile, in the upper left, was done by scattering dots on the tile and then drawing the tangle in the traditional way. I added shading at the convergence of the lines for each small triangle. For the second tile, I started in the center of the tile with one triangle. Then, I added each new triangle, growing off of the existing ones.

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles) In the wine (in the wine) Make me happy (make me happy) Make me feel fine (make me feel fine) Leon Pober Sorry, I just couldn’t resist! Zentangle drawn on an Official Zentangle Tile using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil. Highlights created with white colored pencil and white acrylic paint pen. Tangles: Tipple