Inner ocean.
Another one by the sea! This tile makes me think of viewing under the deep ocean on a microscopic basis. From single-celled creatures to tiny plants and even prismatic organic elements, they all seem to float towards a net that was cast from a vessel above.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Angel Fish Black-Eyed Peas Blooming Butter Chillon Locar Tidings Vitruvius Zander
Tidal pool.
I went to a huge aquarium over the weekend. It was so much fun to look at all the animals that came from the sea. From tiny snails all the way up to huge sea lions, they were each so interesting in their own way!
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Cockles 'N‘ Mussels Marasu Narwal
Knot work.
I love this beautiful tangle because it reminds me so much of decorative Asian knot work. This tangle can be done large, as it is here, or several smaller ones can be added “on top” of other tangles.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a Zig Memory Writer. Coloring done with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Poloychromos colored pencils.
Tangles: Mak-Rah-Mee
Field mice.
Even though the tangle is called Birds on a Wire, every time I draw it, I think of mice, not birds!
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Afterglow Birds on a Wire Fassett Floo Garlic Cloves Lettuce Farm Msst Quare Waves Wiking
Back Yard.
Is this a view of the back yard from an odd angle? I couldn‘t resist adding the legs to the Worms and hanging the Bulb Lanterns from a hanger. And that gave the tile an outdoor feel!
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Bulb Lantern Fescu Onamato Pods Unyun Worms
Old fashioned.
This tile has several tangles that I haven‘t drawn in some time. And the style is more like what I did years ago than what has evolved since then. Every so often, I think it‘s a good idea to reflect on the past.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Echoism Emingle Finery Florz Inapod Quandry Sedgling Static Stiritup
I figured out, right away, when I first started drawing Zentangles that I would need a method for keeping track of how to draw specific tangles.
After a bit of experimentation, I settled on testing the pattern in a small sketch book. I could draw it once or several times, just to see if I could do it, and if I would like working with a particular design.
Then, I created “step-out” cards which illustrated each step in the process.
Jetties is a wonderful tangle that can be used as a fill, a focal point, or scattered into the nooks and crannies of a tile. Here, I‘ve made them all different sizes and given the impression of them falling into a pile.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen. Coloring done with distress inks, distress markers and colored pencil.
Tangles: Jetties
Land of two suns.
Whenever I look at this tile, I see plants growing on an alien earth; a planet with two suns.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Bales Betweed Eke Evoke Pepper Warble XYP
Silliness.
Every once in a while, I think my brain falls into some kind of alternate reality of silliness. I wasn‘t sure how I was going to tie all the different random tangles into the string I chose. So I just started drawing with the Btl-Joos… and things kind of evolved from there. The end result was weird but fun!
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen.
Favorites.
While I have many tangles that I really like, Pais and Papyrus are two that I love to draw. Then send me into a meditative state right away and I really enjoy the way they look when they are finished. Instead of selecting tangles at random, I chose all of these specifically to experiment with differences and similarities.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Struggle.
Sometimes the random tangles that pop up on a given day struggle with each other for attention. And then, sometimes I struggle drawing them. Waybop landed on this tile, but it‘s struggling to fit in.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Cadent Dansk Fracas Sharalarelli Unyun Waybop
Organic.
Icanthis is a very organic tangle that can meander over a large area. It works well as a central focal element, but, when drawn smaller, can be used to fill in areas behind other tangles.
The tile coloring was created with Distress inks and more color was added with Distress markers.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using Olive Copic Multiliners. Coloring done with Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Poloychromos colored pencils.
For your heart‘s healing, Lily.
This week, one of the Zentangle Facebook Groups that I belong to asked the members to draw tiles using tangles created by Lily Moon. This request came because she posted about a very difficult time in her life on her blog . I had never used any of her tangles before, so I chose Amphora.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Flutter.
To me, the two sections with the Queen‘s Crown in them remind me of butterfly wings. I think of them every time I see it.
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Bales Chard Echoism Jonqal Pinwheels Queen‘s Crown Vega
Pockets.
This tangle reminds me of a pocket with a spiral lolipop in it. I wanted to experiment with the various brown pens in my collection, to see how much contrast there was between the various tones.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a brown Micron and brown and sepia Copic pens. Shading done with Polychromos colored pencils blended with Copic blending marker.
Tangles: Buttercup Cootie Flukes Fracas Marasu Nipa Puf Quipple Rain Xircus
Vertical.
I actual tangled this tile with all the designs going horizontally. When I was finished, and rotated the tile around, I realized that it worked from EVERY position. That‘s unusual, and it gave me a big thrill. I almost didn‘t shade it, just because it was cool! I finally settled on this position, but if you turn your head, you will be able to see what I mean!
Reef, created by Judy Lehman, is a simple but fun tangle. The tops of the shapes provide a nice distribution of dark areas across the tile and help to balance the large white areas. I chose to further embellish each shape, but the tangle is equally effective just plain.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Reef
It‘s complicated.
When I‘m stressed, taking time to tangle becomes even more important. It allows me to decompress and step away from the chaos. However, my tile often reflects what‘s going on around me. This tile is a case in point. I‘m not feeling good, and there is a lot of “stuff” going on that has me not following my “normal” routine.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Blue.
I decided to experiment with a blue pen for this tile. I also shaded part of it with a blue colored pencil… after I did the Cirquital with a regular pencil and realized it looked a bit odd.
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a blue, Micron pen.
Tangles: Barbd Cadent Cirquital Criss & Cross Dex Printemps Sedgling Sez Worms