Zentangle

Breakfast at Valentine's

2012-02-14T09:42:00.001-05:00

Maria got up early this morning. When I got up, this was on our kitchen table:

We also traded limericks. Hers is much better (and more shareable :-).

From a small part of this planet, home to the first Valentine's Day Card, the Smiley Face, Zentangle and many other notable events . . .

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Click images for larger view.

Nature Tangles

2012-02-13T10:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Nick and I (Rick) were trying out a new handsaw for cutting firewood. Work progressed slowly because every time we cut a log, I would stop and admire grain patterns.

I knew what our next blog would be as soon as I saw(ed) this one:

When you look closer you see a delicate five petal flower image tangled in oak with resonant auras, just like a Zentangle enhancement*.

As you look even closer, you realize those rings that look like lines are actually dots of tiny little holes . . . imagine miniature drinking straws:

Our world is so exquisitely patterned . . . Such beauty and inspiration!

It is exciting to become aware of patterns we never noticed before. We see familiar objects with new vision. All of a sudden, our kitchen table is new, familiar buildings where we live are new, patterns on our clothes are new, the horizon is new . . . our world is new.

*See Zentangle Glossary for explanation of terms.

Click for larger view and lots of wonderful detail.

Sanibelle Challenge

2012-02-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

Weekly Challenge #57 over at Laura Harms' blog is to explore Tricia Faraone's tangle sanibelle. (See challenge for sanibelle directions.)

We love this tangle!

It is made up of only a few basic components . . . in this case just two.
It isn't immediately obvious how to draw it.
It is quite simple, even though its result appears complex
It is fun to shade
It can fill all types of spaces
It is beautiful
It is fun

And, I must add that Maria really enjoys this one because

It's "curvy"

One of our Zentangle themes is that there is no up or down to a Zentangle. When I took a picture of Maria's tile for this challenge, I noticed it exhibited different "flavors" in different orientations.

Enjoy!

As I was sizing this last image in PhotoShop, I pressed the "wrong" combination of keys and this appeared:

I loved the woodcut trailing bubbles through water "mistake." A good example of another Zentangle theme, "There are no mistakes in Zentangle."

This is why we deliberately don't include an eraser in our Zentangle Kit and why our custom pencils have a gold cap instead of an eraser:

Thank you, Tricia!

Enjoy sanibelle, everyone!

Click images for larger view.

Diva Love

2012-02-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Laura Harms, CZT, and her always appreciated, and now award-winning blog.

IamtheDivaCZT was just acknowledged as the "Most Fascinating Teaching Blog of 2011."

This acknowledgement underscores what we all know and appreciate about Laura and her blog. She has inspired, supported and challenged people to do new things and do things they didn't think they could do. She opened the virtual doors onto her world and hosts a wonderful community to explore Zentangle (and life) possibilities.

This award was sponsored by online-phd-degree. (And in a moment of delicious synchronicity, within minutes of learning that Laura won an award from "online-phd," we received an email telling us that MENSA is recommending Zentangle!)

Thank you to all who voted and . . .

Congratulations, Laura!

Click images for larger views.

Maria's Dream

2012-02-06T10:13:00.002-05:00

When Maria was a little girl, she frequently dreamed she discovered a new color . . . and the effects of that discovery on the world.

In our Zentangle method, we think of tangles (patterns that can be drawn with simple strokes in a predefined way) as basic colors like you might find in a tube of paint.

You can mix tangles and create new ones (we call those "tangleations"), just as you can mix two colors to get a third. And just like colors, you can apply tangles to many surfaces with many tools in many ways.

Sally Houghton, CZT, recently emailed:

Ever since the seminar in October 2011, I have been thinking about the day Maria told us about the dream she had over and over again as a child (about discovering a new color). I just loved that story and have retold it to the kids I teach often.

I also remember Rick saying, "Imagine cadent coming out of a tube like paint!" Well, that put an image in my head that has never left.

It's been a blessing to me when talking to the kids. The first time I retold it, a fourth grade boy had just said, "Well, why do we all have to do the same thing? Can't we do something original?"

So, I said, "Well, think about when you open a box of crayons or paints. You have all the same colors to use as everyone else does, right?" He agreed with that, so I continued, "Everyone uses the same colors, but they put them in different places on their paper and color in different shapes with them. When they are done with their picture, do you think it always comes out the same?"

He knew what I was saying, but I kept going, "Where you put your patterns and what shape you fill in with them makes a different image each time. And, just like crayons or paint, you may mix a couple different colors together to make a new color, or shade a bit with them, and those are other ways you make them your own original work."

Anyway, I've told that story and carried it around in my head for so long that when I got my sketchbook in the mail from the project being run by the Art House Co-op, I immediately turned to the center of the sketchbook to relieve the image from my mind. I told [my friend] about it on our ride to the CZT gathering in Longmeadow last Saturday and she asked me to send her a picture. She really liked it and said I should share it with you. So, here it is. I hope it does Maria's dream some justice.

Thank you so much for sending that, Sally. It's beautiful and conveys the idea elegantly!

Click image for larger view of dream.

Fractals - Paradox and More!

2012-01-31T12:07:00.002-05:00

A friend was recently introduced to Zentangle. After seeing some of our tangles for the first time, he wrote:

Your tangles remind me of the simple rules that drive fractals. Amazing complexity emerges from simple strokes.

Fractals can be thought of as non-integer dimensions. Like 3.5D. Zentangles can be a path to bringing higher dimensional reality into 3D form.

Our friend included a link to a YouTube by Duncan Brinsmead from which this frame was taken:

In his video, Duncan uses computer scripts that create the same pattern we call paradox.

Notice in the image above as the lines get shorter, the width of the step from line to the one next to it also shortens. This subtlety makes for a beautifully curving spiral. We named this pattern "paradox" because by drawing only straight lines in a certain sequence, you automatically get beautiful curves.

Duncan's YouTube, "Simplicity to Complexity" (below) is full of familiar tangles (like Carole Ohl's tink) and inspirations for new tangles. Many patterns in this video look like they would be fun to deconstruct and then reconstitute with pen and paper in a Zentangle way.

Duncan is a principal scientist with Autodesk and shares more beautiful computer generated patterns on his blog, Duncan's Corner. We look forward to setting aside some time to enjoy them all.

In exploring his blog, we learned a new word: Emergence. Duncan describes emergence as "a fascinating phenomenon where complexity can emerge through iteration of simple rules or processes." We think "emergence" is a good description of many Zentangle tangles and also the Zentangle process. Wikipedia's page on Emergence is an interesting read.

Enjoy!

Thanks to our friend for sharing this inspiring resource and thanks to Duncan for creating these videos.

Click image for larger view and YouTube image for beautiful patterns. For more info on paradox, type "paradox" in the search field in the upper right on this page.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

2012-01-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

Ever get one of those ideas that seems like a good idea at the time, but when you try it on, you're left with "What were we thinking?"

We had this great idea for a blog (we thought). We took lots of pictures. But, it just didn't work.

However, we really loved Maria's Zentangle that she created for the blog. That was a keeper and definitely worth sharing.

This tile uses lots of Nzeppel. See how to do it here and here.

Have a great weekend!

Click image for a larger view.

Two Cool!

2012-01-19T11:59:00.001-05:00

Just in case you haven't seen them already, here are two gems that we want you to know about.

1
Congratulations to Laura Harms, CZT, for her always inspiring, and now nominated as an award-winning blog, I am the Diva!

You will be able to cast your vote from January 21 to January 26 here. (Hint!)

and . . .

2
What do you do when you don't have all the materials and tools you need to create your Zentangle art?

That's what Dilip Patel needed to figure out to complete Laura Harms' (see above :-) Challenge #54 while camping in the mountains of western India.

We'll give you a hint. Here's his string that he "drew" in the dirt:

We encourage you to go see how he "tangled" it in this blog entry. It's beautiful.

Congratulations Laura and Dilip!

Click images for larger views.

A Once Again Reminder

2012-01-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

I constantly think about good proportions in almost everything:

color
clothes
food
decor
bodies
work and play
and especially, art.

A one-third to two-thirds proportion is a rough Fibonacci or Golden Ratio approximation.
I always knew about positioning parts of a drawing/painting using thirds, but recently learned how light and dark in those general proportions creates a most eye-pleasing design. (See this blog entry.)

So, one-third dark to two-thirds light . . .

or vice-versa one-third light to two-thirds dark, either way.

Naturally this is not an absolute! Much great art throughout all history does not follow this guideline. This is just an insight to occasionally ponder as you choose which tangle on your palette of patterns you will recreate with your pen.

And as always . . . Enjoy!

Click images for larger view.

Ink, Red, Dead

2012-01-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

That's Joanna Campbell Slan's title for her most recent novella.

In Ink, Red, Dead, heroine, sleuth and scrapbooker extraordinaire, Kiki Lowenstein, discovers Zentangle and has lots of fun with it.

We like to think that by creating Zentangle art (see cover), Kiki is better able to help her friend and maybe solve a murder!

This is such a fun milestone - to see Zentangle as part of a book's plot line! Joanna Slan does an excellent job of weaving an accurate portrayal of Zentangle into her book.

Thanks, Joanna!

Click here for Kindle version.

Medicine Cabinet . . .

2012-01-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

Or, what have you tangled lately?

A couple years ago,we found an old clock case at a yard sale that had glass shelves in it instead of a clock.

Maria said, "Let's get it."

"OK."

When we got home, Maria cleaned it up and applied gesso to the border to create a white background. She used a black Sakura® Pigma™ Graphic 1 to tangle on the gesso. After distressing it with some sandpaper and stain she topped it off with a couple coats of polyurethane.

A local glass store replaced the glass with a mirror and, Voilá, the medicine cabinet!

Materials:

1 antique clock case ($20 at yard sale)
Gesso
brush
Pigma™ Graphic 1 (black)
Stain
Polyurethane
Mirror

Tell us some interesting things that you have tangled!

Click images for closer views.

Positive or Negative?

2012-01-05T07:57:00.000-05:00

We had a phone meeting recently. At most meetings both of us usually take lots of notes and this time was no exception. Here's how Maria began hers:

Remember tripoli? That image above is one of tripoli's many possible iterations. Those soft three sided shapes play and interact with each other - forming and sharing groupings. A common interpretation is to see the triangles as "positive space" and the white outside the triangles as "negative space." (For a quick intro to "Positive and Negative Space" see this page.)

Then Maria did something she does often and effortlessly, she turned a negative, positive.

Extending that negative space between triangles turned it positive. Whenever paths wanted to cross, then in hollibaugh fashion, she drew one behind the other.

Here are Maria's complete and unaltered "notes" (I played with the first two images in Photoshop):

We had a great meeting. (It was with Arlene.)

Click images for larger views.

A Bit of Bubbly . . .

2012-01-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

. . . for your New Year's Celebration.

Maria Writes:

I never manage to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve, even when I was younger. It just never seemed to have the appeal . . . watching the ball fall.

When we go to parties, we are the first to leave. I love to go home. (Ironically, I love to go out, too!)

But home is the bees knees . . . great food . . . warm fires . . . great company (even when I am alone) . . . the best rest . . . and comfort and joy. Always comfort and joy.

Here's a bit of Zentangle technique I'd like to share with you. Something really simple that you may have already figured out, but I'll say it anyway. (Sometimes the most obvious is the one we just do not see.)

When you are tangling your favorite tangle and you want to add dimension (depth), character, contrast, or just some fun; instead of darkening the background, play with tiny orbs.

Starting around the perimeter of a space, draw the tiniest row of "orbs" (our word for circles) all around. Then the next row, just a smidge bigger orbs, then the next, you guessed it, a little bigger . . . and depending on the size of the space just keep going until you reach the center with the largest orb. Then shade around the edge . . . maybe the first two rows of small orbs and VOILA!

You have filled in a space with a tangle without even breaking a sweat. You can also go from large circles to small ones, too.

This is a great way to "tone" an area and increase your focus at the same time. Focus on keeping the orbs the size you want, increasing or decreasing them ever so subtly. It will result in a shell-like texture, especially with shading.

So give your Zentangle tile some "froth" and see what happens!

A Year of Health, Wealth, Happiness and Love to all our Zentangle friends.

Rick and Maria

Click images for more froth.

A Thought

2011-12-29T11:54:00.000-05:00

Rick writes:

In this morning's websurf, I landed on, Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing.

The act of writing helps you clarify your thoughts, remember things better, and reach your goals more surely. Here's a look at the science and psychology behind writing, and why the pen may be mightier than the keyboard.

Zentangle is all about putting pen to paper, so I wanted to read this. I encourage you to read it, too.

Today there are fewer and fewer reasons to put pen to paper. So when you do put pen to paper, it has a greater impact. Putting pen to paper creates an intimate closed loop as your eyes focus on your pen and its ink. This experience is primal and immediate.

In other systems that loop is broken. If your fingers are on a keyboard, mouse or tablet, your eyes are usually on a screen. If you're watching your fingers type (even on a typewriter), the result is also elsewhere. Even if you are using a stylus on a touch screen there is a technical gap between stylus and screen image. As your movements are translated through computer processors and software into pixels on your display, your stylus never really "touches" your creation.

My takeaway from this article (not surprisingly) is that the magic of writing longhand is in what happens because you put pen to paper, not just because you are writing.

This article reinforces how valuable the practice of Zentangle's method is. The benefits of putting pen to paper don't depend on how good you are, they depend on doing it. Zentangle's method provides the structure and freedom for you to enjoy this process without expectations or self-criticism. I think that's an important and easily overlooked reason for the benefits and enjoyment that Zentangle provides.

As you enjoy creating something in a Zentangle way, fresh and creative ideas have a way of popping up. Keep another sheet of paper handy to capture those idea jewels!

-----+-----

Oh yes, to answer our puzzle blog . . . "The envelope please!"

Click image for larger view.

Christmas Puzzle

2011-12-23T13:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a larger image of a Puzzle Christmas Card that we described in this newsletter.

Why is this a Christmas card?

We invite you to post your answers and comments below. (But if you've already seen this and know the answer . . . "Shhh!")

As we said in our newsletter,

. . . We are so grateful that you are part of our Zentangle community. Thank you for your purchases. Thank you for sharing your Zentangle enthusiasm and creations with us and with others. And for all of you whom we've had the pleasure to meet, thank you for your friendship.

We look forward to sharing a wonderful 2012 with you all!

Click image for clearer view of puzzle.

Joy

2011-12-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

It's nice to be reminded of the joy in simplicity.

Thanks to Jeannie Mahood, CZT, we received this elegant reminder.

Wishing you all the simple joys of this season.

Rick & Maria

Click image to see larger view of pointed-pen tangling of swarm and other tangles.

Move over Elf!

2011-12-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

Maria writes:

You may have heard about the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition that's all the rage with kids this holiday season. It is a book and a small elf toy that you put in a different place each night for kids to find in the morning. Sounds like fun. But those of you who don't have kids (or if you want to play with this idea year 'round) . . . here's something else you can do.

For many years my lot in life has been to tangle Zentangle art and tiles in really unorthodox places. I have tangled on floors, pillows, lamps, napkins, clothing, shoes, purses, porch pillars, windows, eggs, dishes, kitchen items, lamp shades, vases, seat cushions, bathroom walls, mat boards, bulletin boards, stationery, paintings, finger nails, tattoos (fake and real!), Christmas cards, Christmas ornaments, mobiles, tongue depressors, ties, pies, table tops, sidewalks, beach sand, clip boards, Easter eggs, body art, motorcycle helmets, name tags, a car(!), a podium, napkins, place cards, bowling pins, flags, murals, bug illustrations, teapots, my medicine cabinet, frames, illuminated letters, a footstool and bed posts. I have covered spots on clothing, hidden holes in plaster walls and repaired a dent in our car's fender. And the list goes on, I am sure. Is there any other art form so versatile?

So, intrepid Tanglers, here is my challenge to you . . . draw a Zentangle somewhere that challenges your sense of "Oh, my goodness, I couldn't possibly do that!"

I have to say when you do something that is against the rules . . . sometimes it just feels good to be just a little "naughty AND nice"!

If you can't think of something, the first and easiest one to try is:

Trace a Zentangle tile on your wall in pencil. It could be a white wall but that's not necessary. Trace it so that a little corner of it seems tucked into the door frame or wall moulding. Use your 01 Pigma™ micron to tangle and a HARD pencil to shade (so it won't smudge off so easily). Shade a bit around the tile itself on 2 sides (right and bottom, usually), so that it appears to be a real tile. Don't do this if you are apt to wash your walls (I don't). But I gotta say, I have some that have been there for many years and still to this day, they bring a smile to me each time I walk by . . .like "you go girl" type stuff.

Sometimes I'll draw a Zentangle tile somewhere in the house and wait to see how long it takes for someone to discover it! (My idea of a good time! LOL.) And, it doesn't cost anything, because most of us already have the supplies on the shelf.

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas . . . or whatever you and your family celebrate. And bring a simple smile to yourself and others . . . maybe everyday.

Click images for larger views.

Family Tree

2011-12-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

About a decade ago, Maria started a new tradition, our family (Christmas) tree:

Appropriately, this tree is decorated with pictures of our family and odd trinkets with treasured family memories.

A Zentangle tile is right at home on this tree. It reminds us of all the wonderful new friendships that Zentangle has brought to us. Words cannot describe how lucky we feel.

Thank you all for enjoying this wonderful unfolding Zentangle adventure with us!

Click images for larger views.

From Tile to Quilt

2011-12-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

Elaine Huffman, CZT, created this tile in response to Laura Harms' "Biggify" challenge:

Then Elaine proceeded to translate that pen/pencil/paper Zentangle image into a thread/cloth Zentangle inspired creation:

Elaine blogs the steps she took to make that translation with some great pictures from her quilt studio in this blog entry. This is Elaine's second blog entry and we've added her Sew Tangled blog to our "Links" section.

Speaking of "Links," over the past few weeks and months we've added many new links to Zentangle related blogs.

Enjoy surfing!

Click images for larger views.

One Stroke at a Time.

2011-12-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

Two quotes caught my eye recently:

Small things, done consistently, in strategic places, create major impact. What are [your] top 'small things' right now?

— David Allen:
Author and productivity consultant

Great acts are made up of small deeds.

— Lao Tzu: Philosopher

When I (Rick) read those quotes, it was natural for me to think of individual strokes in a Zentangle creation. Each stroke is a small thing. Each Zentangle creation is made up of small individual strokes.

Then I thought of our Zentangle slogan . . .

. . . and I realized that not only is anything possible, one stroke at a time, but that most things are ONLY possible, one stroke at a time . . . at least for me. My activities are more successful and certainly more mindful and enjoyable when I am able to do them one at a time.

However, there is a Zentangle paradox at work here, too: When you can't concentrate at all, creating something in a Zentangle way can help your concentration.

Some weeks after after Maria and I had given a Zentangle workshop at our local book store, a woman stopped us on the street. She said she regularly went to church with her two sons. She also said she never remembered the sermon, but continued to go for her sons' benefit.

One Sunday she was sitting in church and thought to herself, "I'm not going to remember anything so I might as well tangle!" So she took out a Zentangle tile, a pencil and a pen and tangled during the sermon.

"I remembered everything he said! . . . for the first time ever!"

So, however small a thing you may be doing (or thinking, or saying, or planning, or . . .), appreciate and savor it, "one stroke at a time."

And if the tumbling tumult of (seemingly) big things becomes too distracting, grab your Zentangle tiles and tools and treat yourself to a Zentangle moment.

Click image for larger view of small strokes.

Seeing Stars!

2011-12-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

We received this beautiful image . . .

. . . and this lovely note from Susan Breen Silvy, CZT:

Rick and Maria,

The holidays are here in full swing, eh? I've always integrated my artwork into my Christmas decorations. When we unpack our decorations every year there are the kids art projects -- and mom's. LOL This year I came up with a simple holiday project that I posted on my blog and the teachers forum and I've gotten a lot of response from it.

Since these are so simple I thought maybe you would want to share the how-to on your blog or in the newsletter.

The stars are just a fun way to work Zentangle into the holiday festivities. So if you are looking for ideas, please feel free to use this.

Susan

Thank you so much for sharing that!

Please take a look at Susan's blog post for her simple instructions on how to create amazing 3-dimensional stars from a single sheet of paper.

Click image to see bigger stars!

Biggify!

2011-12-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

Laura Harms' current (50th!) challenge is to "Bigify!"

Here Maria uses Zentangle's embellishment technique of "dewdrop" on mooka.

See other examples of this challenge at Laura Harms' (CZT) blog.

Click image for larger view of "dewdrop" on mooka (on a hemlock stump).

Welcoming Friends!

2011-12-04T09:49:00.000-05:00

We had friends over for supper last night. Maria tangled our front door glass as a special welcome.

She used a black Chalk Ink® Artista Pro marker, the one that only washes off with an ammonia based cleaner. (Her wrist is doing much better!)

Using mooka as a primary tangle, it didn't take long to do because mooka is a great tangle for covering large areas quickly.

This is old glass. Notice how it distorts the birdbath in the background. This glass also distorts the light coming in as you can see in this blog entry.

And speaking of "Welcoming Friends," we look forward to doing just that at our February Seminar (which is filling quickly).

Click image for closer view of tangled glass.

Registration Open for February 2012 CZT Seminar

2011-11-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

We just sent out a newsletter announcing the opening of registration for our Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) training seminar on February 21-24, 2012 at Hotel Providence in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

As we write in our newsletter,

This is such an exciting event for us and all who attend. It's a time to have fun, make lifelong friends, get deep into what Zentangle is all about . . . and learn how to earn gratitude and income by teaching the Zentangle method.

If you are interested in attending, please register soon because these seminars tend to fill quickly.

If you are wondering what this is all about, you can learn more on this page.

We are using an online registration system this time and you will find instructions in this newsletter.

See you in February!

Click image for larger view of Hotel Providence chandelier.
Photo: Daved Levitan

Sprain

2011-11-28T15:13:00.000-05:00

Maria writes:

Spraining your wrist kinda knocks the wind out you. I keep thinking I should be able to do (seemingly) simple things, but then I realize it was dumb to even try.

So I decided to tangle left-handed for a while and "feel the burn," as in a "difficult exercise!"

I slowed down and appreciated and understood the intimidation some people have when they first start tangling. Their comments are often, "No way can I EVER do this!"

And now here I'm saying, "No way can I draw with my non-dominant hand!" But, after all is tangled and done, I realize as long as my shaking is consistent throughout my tangling, it all looks pretty darn cool!

Click image for larger view.

'Tis (almost) the season . . .

2011-11-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's always a good season, as that song goes, "to be jolly." And this is also a good season to tell you about some new goodies that we've been holding back on until our new website went online.

We (along with Snowman and assorted penguins) are happy to introduce a compilation CD of Native American style flute music, called Sounds.

This CD includes all the songs on our instructional DVD in our Zentangle Kit plus enough more songs to make it about an hour long.

Rick used to make Native American style flutes. This CD is Rick playing flutes that he made. Sounds is a great accompaniment for creating Zentangle art and it's a great gift.

In case you missed it in our recent newsletter, we have also introduced black Zentangle square tiles and ATC sized Zentangle tiles (3.5 x 2.5 inches) in both white and black. To tangle on our black tiles we offer white Sakura Gelly Roll® pens and white charcoal pencils.

Here are a couple samples that Maria tangled last night:

In this example above, see how Maria uses her white Gelly Roll® on top of black ink on this white ATC size Zentangle tile. It's a fun exploration that these new tools make possible.

And in this example above of white ink on a black tile, she just had a blast.

There will be more later.

Enjoy!

Click images for larger views.

Tangled Shirt

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Barbara sent this email to her Zentangle teacher, CZT Jeannie Mahood:

Look what I did!! This is for an MG fund raising auction to be held in Athens, GA. It was fun and has more than 25 different variations of patterns! I'm very proud of myself as you can tell!

Six artists were given white cotton shirts to re-create for the auction. It's this weekend and I hope it is a good fundraiser!

Barbara

Jeannie suggested she send it to us. We're glad she did.

Here's a closer view:

Nice work, Barbara!

Click images for larger views.

Fife

2011-11-17T18:01:00.002-05:00

Molly came up with a new tangle that we call fife. We give instructions for it in this newsletter.

Here are some of Molly's Zentangle tiles which show what you can do with fife.

I think Indy helped Molly with this next one:

Thanks, Molly (and Indy) for that wonderful collection!

There's much more to read in this newsletter, so please take a look if you haven't already.

Click images for larger views.

New Website

2011-11-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today we have switched over to a new website. Although it has a similar look as our previous site, its underlying structure has been completely rewired.

Imagine someone totally replacing the plumbing and wiring in a house. It may not look different, but behind its walls and underneath its floors everything is changed. And just like that house, the address didn't change . . . it's still zentangle.com.

We have a new and increased appreciation for well designed and smoothly functioning websites. We are grateful to Artifextech and their web development team. This new site works because they are really good at what they do. They are also fine people who have been to our home and studio and appreciate what Zentangle is all about.

As you can see, we've kept the same layout and colors, but we've reorganized the structure, added features and laid a foundation for growth and development.

Some key changes include:

Creation of a membership feature
Individual pages for each Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) that each CZT can edit
Integration of a secure store within our own website
Automatic reply with tracking number when we ship your order
Change home page images to display on iPads (We replaced Flash with Java.)
Online registration for CZT training and other events (We will turn this on in about a week from now.)
Reword text in light of trademark protection best practices
Lots of additional information (that keeps growing)

We've been testing things for a couple months now with our CZTs and we've cleaned up quite a few glitches. We expect that you will find some more things that will need fixing or could be improved. Please feel free to comment about them here on this blog or email us. If you email us, we ask your understanding in possibly not getting a reply. We do read and appreciate everything, but the volume of mail is such that, much as we'd like to, we don't always get to answer every email.

Thank you for playing with us on this wonderful Zentangle adventure. Enjoy our new website and please let us know if there's anything that needs fixing.

Sometimes it can take a while to propagate the new address pointers throughout the world wide web. So if you don't see the new site right away, keep checking.

.

Comfort Tangles

2011-11-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

Maria writes,

I think there exists in every tangler's repertoire, one, or maybe two or three, "comfort tangles" . . . a Zentangle version of mac & cheese, chicken soup or chocolate chip cookies . . . that, just the very image of them brings on a sense of well-being. Drawing the same tangle over and over, is not only a great exercise, but it also inspires us to maybe tweak it a bit each time so that it morphs into a more personal expression.

These comfort tangles are great for those, "I don't want to think about ANYTHING!" moments.

I recommend always keeping one or two comfort tangles in your mind's cupboard, ready to serve at a moment's notice whenever you need them.

What are your comfort tangles?

Click image for larger view and to appreciate the play of early morning fall sun on this tile.

Thanks, Synchronicities, Hoodies and Schedules

2011-11-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your support, messages and understanding while we attended to the passing of my mom. Services were yesterday and it was a beautiful blue sky day here. She would have loved it.

Synchronicities and Hoodies
Molly came by this morning to visit with Indy. Molly and Maria had randomly dressed exactly the same way with jeans, a grey vest and our long-sleeve light-weight Zentangle "hoodie." Indy, however, either didn't get the memo or chose to ignore it!

We'll be adding these hoodies to our store soon after our new website comes online. We made these for staff to wear at our recent CZT seminar and everyone wanted one, so were going make some. They're high quality bias-cut jersey with red and white printing.

Website
Speaking of new websites, we've been working on our new website and although events delayed our schedule a bit, we're looking to go live next week. It wouldn't be a surprise if we discover some things that need fixing. So we ask in advance for your patience and also for your comments as you surf through it.

Again, thank you so much.

Rick

Click images for larger views.

In Memoriam

2011-11-06T12:05:00.000-05:00

Alberta Roberts

1917 – 2011

Gratitude

2011-11-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

Maria and I haven't been blogging much these last couple weeks because we're spending time with my mom who's not well.

We did have time to read the amazing comments on Laura Harms' blog celebrating her 200,000th hit. In celebration, Laura is giving away some wonderful gifts to a random few who will be selected from those who answer, "How has Zentangle enhanced YOUR life?" If you haven't had a chance yet to visit (or post) there, please do. You will read an amazing collection of stories and comments.

We have a new website ready to roll. It was scheduled to go "live" on Monday, but it may be delayed by a couple days due to our changed schedule.

When we contemplate our Zentangle journey and all the friends we have made and will make, there are no words to express what we feel, but gratitude fits best.

Thank you all so very much.

An Artist's Cushion

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-04:00

Maria decided that this tapestry pillow she made twenty-something years ago needed a Zentangle makeover.

Using a black Sakura IDenti®-pen and a grey Fabrico® dual tip marker, she tangled away . . .

Here's a close-up:

One of our favorite Zentangle themes is that "Everyone is an artist." When you are an artist you can do things differently and people will admiringly explain it to themselves with, "Oh, that's OK, she's an artist!"

For example, if you look at that second picture above, you will notice that our couch cushion is patched. It's a wonderful couch and a comfortable couch. It's also an old couch. When a cushion was stained, we didn't want to get a new couch so Maria "fixed" it with a piece of tapestry.

Everyone who visits thinks it's a great idea and quite okay because, after all, we're artists and artists do that sort of thing.

And with Zentangle's method, you also have a justification (if you need it) for all sorts of creative inventiveness, like patching your couch cushion or bringing life to a tired old pillow, because after all, you are an artist!

Click images for larger views.

Take a chance!

2011-10-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

Our friend and passionate tangler, Margaret Bremner, CZT, is celebrating her blog's one year anniversary with a wonderful act of generosity. (See this blog entry for details.)

Credit: Margaret Bremner

In the midst of so much daily Zentangle info, we want to bring this opportunity to your attention and to give a hearty "Happy Anniversary!" shout out to Margaret.

Margaret has been so generous with her time and talents through her words and her precious Zentangle creations in her blog posts. She carefully acknowledges the names of all tangles and describes in detail her step-by-steps. She takes the time to share really wonderful tidbits and snippets of interesting things she has come across (that may not, at first glance have anything to do with Zentangle), and she sets a tone of artist and teacher in a relaxed and intimate manner.

Here's to Margaret!

Click here to take a chance at some beautiful Zentangle creations.

Crockery

2011-10-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

We know it's best to store your Pigma Micron® pens horizontally. Still, we kept putting them vertically in cups on our kitchen table.

Then, Maria broke a crockery jar cover and voila, the perfect horizontal pen holder:

There are no mistakes (in Zentangle)!

Click image for larger view.

Punzel and . . .

2011-10-24T08:58:00.001-04:00

. . . Newsletter

We sent out a newsletter last night with a new tangle, punzel. (You can access the newsletter with step-by-step instructions here.)

Here are some of the images from that newsletter at higher resolution for you to enjoy:

We also noticed that Laura Harms, CZT, is using punzel for her next challenge. We look forward to seeing your punzel contribution there!

Thanks again for enjoying this wonderful adventure with us. If you have any questions or comments about this issue of our newsletter, you can post them here.

Click images for larger views.

CZT Seminar #7

2011-10-18T08:53:00.002-04:00

Certified Zentangle Teachers

Class of October 2011

Here's one amazing group of talented and passionate individuals! It is such an honor and thrill to be associated with these people with such diverse backgrounds and stories and who are excited to share Zentangle.

Everyone had a wonderful time making new friends. We heard inspiring stories of people's Zentangle experiences, plans and projects. Countries represented at this seminar are Australia, Canada, India, Japan, South Africa and the United States.

In the days and blogs to come we will share in pictures and words some of our adventures. But the pictures and words can only hint at the powerful personal experience we all shared.

We are beyond grateful to all who chose to spend time with us, to all who helped this event to run smoothly, and to our family.

MUCH much more to come and to share.

We will also link to others who are blogging about their experience. Here's a sample from Linda Farmer of TanglePatterns.

Click image for larger view.
Our thanks to Daved Levitan for taking this picture.

Strength, Courage, Hope

2011-10-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

Maria writes:

This is "I Am the Diva's" Challenge No. 42 . . . "Strength, Courage, Hope."

To me, this was a difficult one to illustrate without using language . . . which is how I like to do it . . . Zentangle-style.

I decided to focus on STRENGTH. I used a variation of the Zentangle tangle chainging.

This chain-like image represents strength . . . of family, friends and community. We depend on each other, whoever that may be.

I like the simplicity of the single chain and the gossamer background representing the fragility of the world we live in.

Love these challenges.

Maria

Rick adds:

After Maria gave me these tiles to photograph, my morning web surfing took me to YouTube simulations of our galaxy moving through space and the intertwining spiral paths traced by the planets' movement. I noticed a beautiful symmetry between those patterns and what Maria created.

Click images for larger views.

Thankful Blessings

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

We just received this and thought you might enjoy it as much as we did.

"J"'s accompanying note read:

In Honour of the Day and of course thankful for all the wonderful Tangles that have come my way, here is my Thanksgiving card that I am emailing out to friends and family this year.

I had taken a picture of a collection of squashes and gourds at my local Safeway, printed it out first on ordinary copy paper so I could plot my Tangles, then once I was happy, printed it again but this time on matte photo paper and spent a few happy nights busily filling it in.

I am particularly fond of how the Puf tangle still shows the original colour of the squash underneath it, even though the surface is literally all tangled up!

So credit and praise to Ms Carole Ohl [CZT] for her Puf tangle on which my variation is based!

Happy ‘TangSGiving!’

Thank you for sending that, "J"! At first we thought you had tangled the squash directly. Cool idea using the photographed squash as your string.

Click image for larger view.

New Threads

2011-10-04T11:03:00.000-04:00

Lee Vause, CZT, and quilter from Langwarrin (Victoria) in Australia sent us this image:

Lee writes:

I have attached a photo of just one of my simple samples that I am using for my classes. It is in the main all thread with just a little bit of grey Fabrico pen to create the pop effect as Maria suggested when you both looked at my coffee table sample book at the end of the CZT #6 session. I first introduced my class to Zentangle via pen and paper and then led them into Zentangle with thread. Overall the results and feedback were very positive and a higher level of confidence was evident so I was satisfied with my approach.

Congratulations and thank you for sending that, Lee.

Click image for larger view.

Duotangle Challenge

2011-09-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms brings us a "DuoTangle" Challenge this (forty-first!) week. Her challenge is to use only jonqal and opus tangles.

Here's Maria's . . .

Thanks, Laura!

Click image for larger view.

Zentangle Display Boards, Part 2

2011-09-28T09:40:00.000-04:00

Maria followed her own instructions from yesterday's blog entry and created this:

She spray painted an old discolored and chipped frame she picked up at a yard sale for a couple dollars. She used flux to tangle its inner border. Here's a close-up.

And here's a look at its back.

A is a small finish nail that holds the foam core in the frame. B is some of the double sided carpet tape showing. C are straight pins holding down the folded over fabric.

Someone asked in yesterday's blog how Maria did her hinges on those A-frames. Here's a closer look at an A-frame laid flat.

Each side of that gap is stitched to leave enough fabric between the foam core boards so when it's folded it looks like this.

Of course, if you can work at this size (these A-frames are about 20 x 30 inches) you can work a bit larger. Here's a quick phone camera snap of Maria at our kitchen table creating a "slightly" bigger version for our upcoming Certified Zentangle Teacher seminar.

Check out the floor. That was our inspiration for florz.

Click images for larger views.

Zentangle Display Boards

2011-09-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

Maria writes:
Here's a fun project!

In preparing for our upcoming Certified Zentangle Teacher Seminar, I created some very cool display boards. We use these for students to display their Zentangle creations for all to enjoy.

Rick comments:
Here is an example of some of the A-frames table top displays that Maria made for seminar. They are half inch foam core covered in muslin. Each pair is fabric hinged at the top. The tie keeps them from flattening out spontaneously. Maria created a Zentangle border on each outer panel. But if you want it plain, you just undo that tie and flip them around so the tangled frame is inside and the plain fabric is outside.

Here's a face on view of the one above done in mooka.

Here's another one . . .

. . . and a close up shot.

For black, Maria used a Sakura® IDentiPen dual tip black marker. For shading, she used a Fabrico® dual tip light gray marker.

Maria continues:
Then I thought, WOW, we could all use a couple of these in our home, office or classroom to display a great collection or one very special Zentangle.

Step 1
Go shopping for a big frame (or a really neat small one!). I have a lot of luck at yard sales or antique shops. You do not need a glass or backing, just a frame, and it could be in so-so shape, as long as it is not falling apart. You might even find one in your attic or cellar with an old print in it that has seen its day. It can be scratched or dinged . . . you are going to transform it into a work of art!

Try for something at least 6 inches or larger. I prefer the 18 x 24 size, you can put a bunch of tiles on that!

I love the real ornate Victorian frames, (who'd have guessed that one?), with the 4 or 5 inch wide frames . . . mmmmm.

Step 2
Spray paint! Choose black, grey or even gold! depending on your decor.

If the frame is already in good shape, you can disregard this step.

Brush off the dust and go outside and give it a couple of coats.

You might decide to do a couple of these at once . . . just as easy to do two!

Step 3
You will need either 1/2" or 2 sheets of 3/16" thick Foam Board, cut to 1/4 " smaller than the opening of the frame. For example, an 8 x 10" frame needs 7 3/4 x 9 3/4" foam.

You can get this at art supply or frame shops. They may even have scraps or be willing to cut it for you.

Step 4
You will need some light colored (I suggest white or ecru) fabric. You can use canvas, linen. or even an old pillow case or sheet that has seen better days. In some place (many actually) I'll use patterned fabric like ones in our office (pix below).

Cut your piece of fabric to have a 2" border larger than your frame opening. (example: frame opening 8 x 10, cut fabric 12 x 14"). Iron fabric to get rid of all creases.

You can use either strong double face tape, adhesive transfer tape, carpet tape or common pins to secure the fabric to the foam board.

See diagram to cut excess fabric from the corners to alleviate some of the bulk when folding over the fabric.

Step 5
1. Put tape on all 4 sides about 1 inch from the edge.

2. Fold one side of fabric onto the tape on the back of the foam.

3. Fold opposite side, stretching the fabric taut as you can, eliminating any folds or creases.

4. Repeat on remaining sides.

5. You can pull fabric away from tape and readjust if necessary to stretch as needed.

6. Neaten up the corners with common pins or stitch them to secure.

Step 6
On the front of your board, draw a light pencil border about 1 inch from the edges. It can be 1/2 inch to 1 inch depending on the size of the frame.

You can use a ruler to mark equal distances from the edges, and remember the pencil lines will disappear.....under the tangles.

You can use a Micron 01, 02, 05, 08 or Graphic 1, depending on the weave of your fabric (the coarser the weave, the fatter the pen)

Test a few tangles on a scrap before doing the board.

Step 7
Now have fun filling in the border lines with tangles.

I sometimes use just one tangle all around, then add an "aura" or "perfs" all around that tangle.

When using more than one tangle, try doing a bit of that tangle then skip 2 inches and do it all around the border. Then choose another tangle and do it right next to the first, then repeat that one all around until you have pretty much completed it, then you can fill in open spots with aura, or perfs or blackening in the background. See some of my examples for guidance, but I know you'll come up with more ideas than I did!

I also used a "Fabrico" dual tip fabric marker to shade the edges and add character.

Step 8
Put the covered foam board into the frame, and secure with a few small nails.

Put a wire hanger on the back if there isn't already one there. I use "Blue Tack" (actually I like the white stuff better) on the bottom corners of the frame to secure it on the wall so it doesn't tilt.

Secure your favourite Zentangles to the beautiful new display board with common pins, making SURE you do not put holes in the tiles!!! Slip the pins in at an angle so they just rest on the pins.

Rick adds:
Here are a couple pix from around our office. This one is painted to match the wall, but the fabric sings.

This one houses some mounted Zentomology™ specimens!

Have fun!

Click images for larger view.

Pinwheel

2011-09-23T14:54:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms' Challenge #40 is Pinwheels for Peace.

Maria "cheated" just a tiny bit!

She found a site for directions to make a pinwheel

Then she created two copies of our 102 tangles . . .

. . . on translucent vellum and hotpress glued them together, back to back.

After a quick walk down to our local hardware store, and a some drill and scissors time, voila!

Click images for larger view.

Oh yes, if you make copies of artwork, make sure it's something you created or that you have permission to reproduce.

.

Tiny Tutorial

2011-09-21T11:08:00.001-04:00

Maria and I were talking about what to do for a blog yesterday. She started writing some notes for a tiny tutorial.

When you concentrate on every stroke of your pen, not worrying about what your tile will look like, and not hurrying through a tile because you have something else on your mind, you can focus on the different types of lines your pen can make. As you pay attention to these different lines, you may realize you have more "control" than you thought.

. . . let's explore what we can discover through control of our pens. I'm talking about good control, not obsessive control

Did you know that Rick and I spent countless hours trying out different pens on all types of wonderful papers? We unanimously agreed on the Sakura® Pigma® Micron 01 pen and Fabriano's Tiepolo paper. We love the subtle things you can do with this combination of pen and paper.

As an exercise, experiment with different pressures:

#1 - just tickle the tile
#2 - average pressure
#3 - pressing firmly (but not so heavy as to damage your pen)

Getting the look you want often involves slooooooowing down. Try making your strokes very slowly and see if it makes a difference in your deliberate lines . . .

Check out what bubbles look like the next time you are doing dishes or washing your hands . . . how beautiful!

Using this same deliberate approach . . .

. . . as compared with:

In this exercise with purk (one of my favorite tangles) by making your lines a bit lighter and your orbs a bit darker and slightly larger than what fits between your lines, it gives an illusion that this tangle is almost alive and moving. These orbs are busting out, creating perspective, contrast, depth and interest.

This tiny tutorial is not meant to get you to do something in some sort of so-called "correct" manner. It is also not meant to imply that there is a preferred outcome for your Zentangle creations. Our intention is to expand your range of choices and options. Sometimes, in looking for another pen or another color or another tangle, we overlook unexplored options that we already have. In this tiny tutorial, we're exploring the options of speed (of stroke) and pressure (of stroke) . . . an opportunity for a new focus, seeing things with new eyes.

Next time you open your Zentangle Kit and begin to tangle, you may discover more tools and options than you thought were in your kit (or in yourself)!

Click images for larger view.

Love

2011-09-16T11:34:00.000-04:00

Inspired by her memories from ten years ago, Laura Harms' Weekly Challenge #39 is Love is All You Need.

Maria writes:

There is always that glimmer of LOVE when you are looking for it . . . be it family or friend, community or country.

Click image for more love.

Bees, Neighbors, Zentangle and Martha Stewart

2011-09-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

On her way to work, our next door neighbor, Judi B., called Martha Stewart's radio show. Martha keeps bees and they were talking about protecting beehives in hurricanes. Our neighbor told Martha about how we had tied down our hives before Hurricane Irene.

That segued into a description of our honey with its label of Zentangle tangles around a bee that Maria painted and her lettering of "Honey from Ricky's Girls."

While they chatted on air, Martha went to zentangle.com, poked around and had some nice comments.

If you are just joining us, you may not know the inspiration that the bees contribute to Zentangle.

Our beeline tangle is based on the pattern you see when looking through a honeycomb.

Instructions for beeline are in this newsletter.

Bees regularly swarm. Beekeepers like to catch swarms and start a new hive. Here's a picture of Nick (Molly's husband) when he and I were fortunate to capture one. We brushed it from a tree into a picnic cooler and here you see them flowing into their new home. There were probably 30,000 to 40,000 bees in this swarm.

Around that time we came up with a new tangle and we named it swarm as it often creates a hexagonal form. You can learn that tangle in this newsletter.

Bees, neighbors and Zentangle . . . Sweet!

Click images for larger views.

Paradox Challenge

2011-09-09T08:10:00.005-04:00

Laura Harms' Challenge #38 is all about paradox or as she playfully calls it, "Better than a Pair of Ducks."

I had to come out to play for this challenge! After all, this tangle is also called Rick's paradox. When I came up with this tangle, as far as I can remember, I hadn't seen it elsewhere. Since then we've learned that it is a quilting technique from at least as early as the 1950s.

We named this tangle "paradox" because by only using straight lines, you automatically create spiraling curves.

After I admired the many Zentangle paradox creations posted on Laura's blog, I considered different strings for my tile. Then I noticed the background design on her site . . .

. . . and chose that for my string or more precisely my paradox structure, since I created it in pen. I had already explored creating a two sided paradox. This would be a great opportunity to play with that form.

This was interestingly different because it uses mostly curved lines. The lines in the two-sided shape had to remain curved. However, in the four-sided shape I eased into straight lines after about four cycles.

I also broke one of my own "rules" and used a mechanical aid for my original circles. Everything after that was free hand. In this partially completed view you can see some of those initial lines.

I left a couple shapes undone to add interest and to show what shapes were used. I used a Sakura® Pigma® Micron 005 black pen throughout.

This experiment resulted in a beautiful tesselation. Notice how that single calla lily shape repeats itself and fits with itself to cover the surface.

Thanks for this challenge, Laura. I wonder if there is a "Pair of Ducks" swimming around this pair o' . . .

:-)

Click images for larger view.

Good Morning!

2011-09-06T09:08:00.000-04:00

Wishing you a great day.

Click image for larger view.

Bales of Fun

2011-09-03T09:58:00.000-04:00

As is usually the case, Laura Harms, CZT, has challenged and rewarded us with yet another way to approach our daily Zentangle tile. The concept of one "all-over grid" was exciting and offered an opportunity for many inter-cross-tangelation possibilities.

I decided to use only bales as a tangle and see what happened.

Bliss!

- Maria

Click image for larger view.

Through a New Lens

2011-09-01T11:37:00.000-04:00

We love reading what other people write about Zentangle, particularly when someone encounters it for the first time.

Thanks to Catherine Rogers, CZT, in Shirley, Massachusetts, we just learned about Judith Ferrera's Zentangle inspired creations and got to read about her experience with the Zentangle process. We are happy to share them with you and trust you will enjoy them as much as we did.

Judith has an exhibition opening this month (tomorrow!) which she describes in this blog entry,

This exhibition is dedicated to Catherine Rogers. In May 2009, she conducted a Zentangles workshop in Fitchburg. That day, we learned an exercise in mindful drawing using ink and pencil to create repetitious patterns inside small areas. It was an afternoon that had a profound effect on my art making.

Her gallery show is in Gardner, Massachusetts, September 2 - 29, details are at the above link.

Here are a few excerpts from Judith's July 2010 blog (with emphasis added):

I cannot sit still long enough to doodle. I would rather pace. Zentangles were exactly what I needed to learn, because it is an exercise in mindful drawing. [ . . . ]

[ . . . ] It seemed like the perfect combination of freedom and discipline.

I am hooked on Zentangles in ways that I could have never imagined. Yes, I have brought out my kit while waiting for an appointment. Little children are curious. A little girl said to her mother, "I want to do what she's doing." Yes, I have taught others how to do them. But I also bring out the kit at home when I am really frazzled and losing my balance. Zentangles calm me down. It's good for my blood pressure.

Zentangles have improved my "looking," which is the skill artists need to work on constantly. Now, when I drive along, I notice architectural details such as shingles, railings and fences that escaped me before. I never appreciated how much gorgeous, poetic repetition there is to see in one city block, especially in the older sections. The craftsmen left their work for a whole new audience: Zentangle fanatics!

I used to think that drawing was a little too tied to reality. Not that there is anything wrong with that. However, I enjoyed it when I could riff on a mood and improvise, rather than record what was in front of me. Having serious fun is one of my art making standards and creating Zentangles earns high points.

[ . . . ]

You can read more of Judith's comments and see one of her creations at this blog entry.

Maria and I look forward to driving up to Gardner to see Judith's exhibit.

.

Reverie

2011-08-29T12:35:00.002-04:00

Irene has visited and departed. A loud and messy guest, we were happy to see her go. Although she was gentler with us than others she visited, we still have a fair amount of cleaning up and catching up.

Interestingly Irene also brought a sort of reverie which often accompanies a period of focused attention.

Maria expressed that storm induced reverie on this Zentangle tile . . .

. . . and Raphaël Enthoven, captured a bit of reverie in words in this piece which was translated from the French by Betsy Wing and published in the NY Times.

"Reverie" is one of our favorite words for it comes closest to describing that state of relaxed focus which often occurs while creating Zentangle art.

Karen Woodbine, CZT, [blog] forwarded this link to us and we are grateful that she did.

This article is a feast. Set aside some time to savor it without interruption.

A quote:

. . . reverie celebrates the rediscovery of understanding and imagination, sets free the secret of disinterest which, because it lets you see beauty without your consent and see nature without ego, invests the world with intense interest.

Previously, we would use six words to describe what we do in our Zentangle work. Now, we use three.

"We teach reverie."

Click image for larger view.

More Paradox

2011-08-26T09:59:00.000-04:00

Margaret Bremner, CZT, has shared notes of many of her paradox explorations in the form of "tips and then some." If you enjoy creating with this tangle we invite you to read her blog entry.

Reading through her blog, I thought about using paradox for a two sided shape. I chose a vesica piscis which is formed by the overlap of two equal circles when the edge of one is on the center of the other.

Here's one result:

Thank you, Margaret, for that inspiration.

Maria and I just took a couple wonderful days off to relax and draw and write. That's why there weren't any blogs these past few days.

It looks like we may take a few more days off as we receive another guest, Irene. Her logo is eerily similar to the tangle above.

Please be patient if our responses and shipping are slower than normal during the next few days.

Our thoughts and best wishes to everyone, particularly to anyone whom Irene might visit.

Click images for larger view.

"A". . .

2011-08-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

. . . is for A new friend we made this weekend.

Materials list:

Zentangle® Tile
Sakura® Pigma Micron 01 Black pen
Sakura® Pigma Micron 01 Brown pen
Pencil
Raised gold leaf
Gratitude

Click image for larger view of how grateful we are.

Challenge No. 35

2011-08-19T10:03:00.000-04:00

Maria writes:

So nice to have these challenges . . . a reason to try something you hadn't thought of or do something you haven't done in a long while. I wanted to keep this one simple, but my middle-of-the-night sleeplessness wouldn't let me. My first three appeared too complex, too contrived, too "drawn."

Then I did this one . . . a mix of new and old tangles.

And it really is true what many of our emails say . . . I slept great after creating that Zentangle tile in the middle of the night!

Click image for larger view.

More assunta

2011-08-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

We received this email from "ML" this morning.

Hi Maria and Rick,

What a lovely new tangle I found in the newsletter.

I have been experimenting Assunta, and I like to show you what I did with it. It’s very inspiring to work with this tangle.

Thanks for sharing.

Love, "ML"

Those are some fun and creative tangleations* of assunta, ML. Thank you so much for sending that inspiring email for all of us to enjoy.

It is such a thrill for us to see the many unanticipated and beautiful directions you all explore with these tangles.

*Tangleation: Tangle variation, most often in combination with another tangle.

Click image for larger view.

Maria replies . . .

2011-08-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

Maria replies to yesterday's blog . . .

Although I may not have inherited all of my aunt's noble traits, she was an artist, untrained but passionate, and her focus was on lettering.

I had never heard the word calligraphy as a child, but I loved her "fancy writing." I remember studying this piece for long bits of time when I was 4 or 5 years old and marveling at its beauty. It now hangs in my studio.

My aunt was not, by today's standards, a very good calligrapher . . . but her work pushed me to be the artist I am. So here's to my Aunt Alice (Sister Maria Fidelis) who died in her late 90's many years ago.

What was her most profound message to me? That you do not have to be a great artist to be great. And that you do not have to be a great artist to inspire others to want to create art . . . to inspire in someone the idea that they can create art.

Who will come across one of your Zentangle tiles and become inspired to do great things?

Thank you so much for all your comments on yesterday's blog. (I had a wonderful day!)

Click images for a larger view.

Assunta

2011-08-15T06:30:00.002-04:00

This blog, with its larger images and a place for comments, is a companion to this newsletter.

Here is a more detailed image of that beautifully carved bench that inspired assunta.

It's so beautiful and to think it was created 800-900 years ago, give or take a century. I wonder if this craftsperson used a 1/2 S-curve template to create the overall pattern . . . trace . . . rotate, trace . . . flip, trace . . . rinse and repeat . . .

Happy Birthday, Maria!

Click image for larger views.
Click newsletter link to open this present and celebrate with us.

So Much Fun!

2011-08-12T20:04:00.000-04:00

We keep our dictionary on an old book stand. We use it often.

Recently, we moved it into a new room and it was in want of a fresh look.

Maria got some gesso, a couple Sakura® Pigma Graphic 1's and . . .

. . . had so much fun!

(All topped off with a few coats of polyurethane.)

Click images for larger views of fun.

Draw

2011-08-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

Every now and then something simple and familiar makes itself known in a new and fresh way. I look at it in amazement and wonder why I never saw it that way, or in this case, why I never appreciated it in this way.

Particularly when it's a simple insight that probably many others have seen, when the "aha" hits, it's both humbling and exhilarating.

This morning I was reading Charles Hugh Smith's An Unconventional Guide to Investing in Troubled Times in which Charles quotes legendary trader Ed Seykota, "Whatever you put your mind to, whatever you expect, be it positive or negative, you tend to draw into your life."

This is not a particularly new thought. But what struck me was Ed's use of "draw."

Zentangle's slogan is "Anything is possible, one stroke at a time." And not to get all "pop psychology" on you, but you "draw" each stroke one at a time and Ed's use of "draw" as attract offered a wonderful (and obvious) parallel to that.

I looked up "draw" on The Free Dictionary. Here are a few of their slightly edited definitions for "draw."

Cause to come by attracting; attract
Move after or toward one by applying continuous force; draw the chair closer to the table
Move in a given direction or to a given position, as by leading: The teacher drew the children into the room to see the decorations.
Move or pull so as to cover or uncover something: draw the curtains.
Cause to flow forth: a pump drawing water
Take in (air, for example); inhale.
Take or pull out: drew out a wallet.
Extract or take for one's own use: draw strength from one's friends.
Take in from a given group, type, or region: draw clients from all levels of society.
Bring about deliberately; provoke: draw enemy fire; draw a penalty on an opponent.
Evoke a response; elicit: a performance that drew cheers
Earn; gain: deposits that draw interest
Use (a check, for example) when paying.
Receive on a regular basis or at a specified time: draw a pension.
Take or receive by chance: draw lots.
To take (cards) from a dealer or central stack.
Pull back the string of (a bow).
Stretch taut.
Flatten, stretch, or mold (metal) by hammering or die stamping.
Shape or elongate (a wire, for example) by pulling through dies.
Inscribe (a line or lines) with a pencil or other marking implement.
Make a likeness of on a surface, using mostly lines; depict with lines: drew a map of the area; drawing landscapes and still lifes.
Formulate or devise from evidence or data at hand: draw a comparison.
Compose or write out in legal format: draw a deed.
Use or call upon part of a fund or supply: drawing on an account; drew from the experience of fellow workers.

Wow!

There are many more examples and definitions of "draw" on that page but I didn't include them all. I had to "draw the line" somewhere.

This all just goes to underscore our personal ideas, that life really is an artform, and that everyone is an artist.

Everyone draws.

.

Pull

2011-08-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

Maria came across a wooden drawer pull yesterday.

Out came her black Sakura® Pigma Micron 01 and she tangled some mooka. She added pencil shading, white chalk highlighting and a couple coats of spray polyurethane.

Now, we're looking at all the knobs in our home with a new perspective.

And if we don't use it as a drawer pull, it still makes a great miniature lawn ornament!

Click images for larger views.

So . . .

2011-08-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

So many possibilities . . .

So few words necessary.

Click images for larger views.

Possibilities

2011-08-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

Maria was playing around with more "bordering" yesterday. She was just about to put a picture in this Zentangle tile. I suggested we post it as it is. It's so bright and open to endless possible images.

This is a lighthearted reminder that we each get to pick what goes into that space to focus on.

We're focusing on what we want more of . . . the wonderful people that Zentangle attracts, the wonderful feedback we receive, and how grateful we are to have met so many of you.

Thank you.

Rick and Maria

Click image for larger view of possibilities.

A Good Opportunity

2011-08-04T07:20:00.000-04:00

Some people think that if it's got an area with black lines in a pattern it's "a Zentangle."

But filling an area with patterns is not new. That concept is at least as old as illuminated letters on manuscripts from well before the 14th century.

The Zentangle method is more than that. If you have taken a class with a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) or have enjoyed our Zentangle Kit, you can appreciate this comparison.

Think of "Zentangle" as an adjective to describe our teaching method and to describe art created and inspired by that method.

With Zentangle's process, we make no claim to any pattern or design. That is part of our shared human and natural heritage. Our Zentangle contribution is a method that enables almost anyone - particularly people who think they "aren't artists" - to create beautiful images and feel good at the same time.

As one person said, "This isn't art for the masses, it's art by the masses."

Maybe that is one reason behind the occasional strong reaction from a professional artist to Zentangle creations.

An imperfect but useful analogy is Shin'ichi Suzuki's method for learning music.

As we understand it, Mr. Suzuki believed that almost any child, even those who "aren't musical" can enjoy playing beautiful music. Mr. Suzuki never claimed a particular instrument or style of music as his invention even though he initially focused on classical violin.

So, what inspired this post?

We recently learned that clients of our Certified Zentangle Teachers are receiving an email which begins,

Hello,

We have to let you know that you were informed wrongly about the background of the art form you work with. So-called "zentangle" is not "zentangle". This art form was originally created way back in 1989 by artist Nadia Russ (www.nadiaruss.com), who January 4, 2003 created a word NeoPopRealism and announced this new style of visual arts internationally.

Right after that, some two people, who even not artists, came with new name to the same idea and concept. They simplified it because actually they couldn't draw, but wanted to sell Nadia Russ' idea. You know the rest with selling kits, etc from "zentangle" website and other sources.

Recently, NeoPopRealism creator Nadia Russ found out about new "inventors" of her style of the drawing and it was shocking news. Please read what people from all over the world say about this matter at: http://zentanglestolenconcept.blogspot.com
[ . . . ]

We don't know who's sending these emails because they're unsigned. But someone did send them and someone created a blog. It is our responsibility to our CZTs, to their clients and to our customers to provide information to allow each person to evaluate this situation and come to his or her own conclusions.

We had not heard of Nadia Russ or seen her work until mid June of this year when someone sent similar emails to our CZTs.

If your friends or customers receive an email on behalf of Nadia Russ, just refer them to this blog entry. If they still have it, please ask them to forward the email to us in case we need it later.

We've reproduced the email in full below. Coincidentally, it also mentions that she "recently published" a book. We haven't seen it, but we trust that our publisher's staff will follow up on it as they see fit.

Nadia Russ is an accomplished artist and she sounds like a very nice person. We would probably get along quite well if we met in person. Here are her "NeoPopRealist Commandments" from her website on May 12, 2008: [credit: web.archive.org]

Be beautiful;
Be creative & productive; never stop studying & learning;
Be peace-loving, positive-minded;
Do not accept communist philosophy;
Be free-minded,do the best you can to move the world to peace and harmony;
Be family oriented, self-disciplined;
Be free spirited. Follow your dreams, if they are not destructive, but constructive;
Believe in GOD. God is one;
Be supportive to those who needs you, be generous;
Create your life as a great adventurous story.

Full text of email forwarded to us by a CZT:

Rick & Maria,

Egads, the hospital I teach at was sent this crazy email. I assume other CZT's got it but wanted to share it with you in case. I'm not planning on responding.

[name], CZT

=============

**[Team NeoPopRealism Journal] has submitted the following message from the Contact Us: [name of hospital]**

Hello,

We have to let you know that you were informed wrongly about the background of the art form you work with. So-called "zentangle" is not "zentangle". This art form was originally created way back in 1989 by artist Nadia Russ (www.nadiaruss.com), who January 4, 2003 created a word NeoPopRealism and announced this new style of visual arts internationally.

Right after that, some two people, who even not artists, came with new name to the same idea and concept. They simplified it because actually they couldn't draw, but wanted to sell Nadia Russ' idea. You know the rest with selling kits, etc from "zentangle" website and other sources.

Recently, NeoPopRealism creator Nadia Russ found out about new "inventors" of her style of the drawing and it was shocking news.

Please read what people from all over the world say about this matter at:
http://zentanglestolenconcept.blogspot.com

This is absolutely beautiful artistic style - drawing with ink pen using line and repetitive patterns while your mind is in state of meditation. And no one should limit yourself to 3,5"x3,5"paper and Sakura pen. It will look great on every piece of paper and using any ink pen. No limitations or restrictions should be to anyone who loves to draw and meditate!

Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas state in they website that "Zentangle method and art form is copyrighted. It is absurdity, and there is no such registration inhttp://www.copyright.gov/records/website of the US Copyright Office. It can be checked in a minute just searching a word "zentangle".

Many unfounded information and absurdity can be found in "zentangle" website, including their obsession with the copyright issue. They feature in their websites patterns that Nadia Russ uses since 1989. But "zentangle" website say it was created recently...

What Roberts and Thomas created is a word and trademark "zentangle" to re-name NeoPopRealism and sell it in their goods and teaching services.

If you have questions, concern or just thoughts please contact us atneopoprealism1@yahoo.com(http://neopoprealismjournal.wetpaint.com). If you need any information about art style, its detailed history or would like to collaborate to develop your new projects and give some more information to your art lovers about art form they love, Nadia Russ will be happy to hear from you. Her contact information can be found inwww.nadiaruss.com, or email hernadiaruss@yahoo.com.

Also to bring the truth into confused minds would be great if you mentioned in your website and other sources about who is the original creator of this fascinating art form - ink drawing without eraser, using line and repetitive patterns by adding this note:

Originally, the concept of ink drawing without eraser, using line and repetitive patterns, was created in 1989 by artist NADIA RUSS, and in 2003 announced internationally as the NeoPopRealism style of visual arts.

Best regards,
NeoPopRealism Journal & Wonderpedia http://neopoprealismjournal.wetpaint.com

PS There is a book was recently published "How to Draw NeoPopRealism Ink Images: Basics" by NeoPopRealism PRESS. Everyone who loves to draw the repetitive patterns will love this book as it will bring them on another, artistic level of self expression through ink pen, line and repetitive patterns. Also it is the great, step-by-step teaching material for students and for teachers. Available at https://www.createspace.com/3655822

If you still want more, you can read:
http://zentangle-is-prototype.yolasite.com/

. . . and with the Internet's "Wayback" machine you can read this definition of NeoPopRealism on her website in March 31, 2004:

NeoPopRealism MANIFESTO

'New Style, New Word'

NeoPopRealism is New Style I developed and now present to the public. NeoPopRealism combines brightness and simplicity of Pop Art with deep philosophical Realism. NeoPopRealism interested in whimsical contemporary world with its technological and cultural achievements, reflects psychological and social diversity.

Lets look in past. 1900, the year when Plank came with his Quantum Theory; 1907, the year when Picasso presented to the world his cubism. In 1910 came futurism... New times bring new ideas.

New millennium brought NeoPopRealism. This style carry bright color's energy and has graphic nature. Philosophical and whimsical same time. Subject - mostly Faces.
How to paint in this new maner? I'll give more details and few lessons in near future. Welcome back.
Nadia Russ

You're still reading?

Wow!

Thank you for your patience.

We are grateful for this opportunity to share what our Zentangle method and what Zentangle creations are all about.

We look forward to your comments and questions.

Best regards,

Rick and Maria

.

Line 'em Up!

2011-08-03T09:57:00.000-04:00

Maria writes:

Some of you have mentioned your difficulty in creating strings. Whenever I am confronted with that, I resort to something real simple . . . stripes! . . . lines, ribbons, pipes, moldings, borders.

In one of my past lives, I was part owner of a frame shop. I did not do the actual "cut the frame" part, but I often did the custom mat jobs . . . with either "French lines," marbled paper borders or calligraphy.

Now, this has morphed into creating patterned borders around art or photos in a Zentangle way whether with pen and ink or with brush and color.

There is a basic simplicity of tangling within the string of a stripe and then shading on the outer edges to tie it all together.

This is also a fun exercise/challenge to do with tangles that you wouldn't immediately think of as "border" tangles.

Simple.

Rather impressive.

Very cool!

P.S.

I am especially attracted to the unevenness of these stripes and borders because it's obviously hand-made . . . not machine made. So, no worries if your strings aren't perfectly straight or parallel!

Click images for larger views.

Meeting Notes

2011-08-01T09:11:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful conference call over the weekend.

We both took notes.

Here are Maria's. I've added my comments (shading) to her notes so you could appreciate the depth of what we discussed.

It was an enjoyable and productive conversation.

P.S.
We published a new newsletter (and tangle) last night. Read it here.

Click image for more details of what we talked about. :-)

Challenge #32

2011-07-29T09:28:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms, CZT, aka iamthediva's Challenge #32 is up. Carole Ohl, also a CZT, guest hosted this challenge.

Maria said this was a "challenging" challenge for her as it involved learning four new tangles.

Although it's not officially part of this challenge, Maria enjoyed the tangle baton so much that she also mono-tangled this tile:

Thanks for that challenge, Carole! (Carole's blog)

Click images for larger views.

Great Article

2011-07-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

Margaret Bremner, CZT, wrote a great article titled, "The Art of Zentangle Drawing." We are thrilled to share it with you.

This is an excellent distilled "one pager" to share with friends who might be wondering what's this Zentangle phenomenon is all about.

As we jokingly said when we asked Margaret about blogging her article, "Well gee whiz, Margaret . . . we had all these great plans for writing a book and you just wrote everything in one page!"

It really is that good. Enjoy.

Margaret lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. She regularly shares delicious gems of insight and artistic inspiration on her blog.

Click for a (much) larger view.

Got an itch?

2011-07-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

LZ sent us this email and image:

Has anyone tried the Zentangle method on kids Scratch-Art® products? Fun!

This one is made on the transparent kind that is meant to hang in a window. I like the little bits left over that make it look sort of like a woodcut print.

Neat idea! Thanks LZ.

Click image for larger view.

Depth

2011-07-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

We are always thrilled by moments where students teach the teacher.

We received this email a while back from someone who will be attending our October CZT training seminar this fall.

Hi Rick and Maria,

I've been tangling since my sister, Peg Farmer, [a CZT] showed me her latest obsession a little over a year ago. My background is in weaving and sculpture, so I have been amazed at how relaxing and satisfying this 2-D artform is. As you can see, my tangles and ZIA's still allow me to satisfy the 3-D artist in me.

I am so looking forward to meeting you both in Providence in October. I can't wait to learn how to share this beautiful, artistic experience with all those people out there that say they can't even draw a straight line. Aren't they in for a big surprise!

Sincerely
Lesley Scott-Gillilan

We were particularly amazed by Lesley's circular Zentangle creation above, which she calls, "Floatfest Mandala." We are always teaching the Zentangle principle of "drawing behind" but we never applied it to flux. Once we saw Leslie do it, it was self-evident.

Thank you so much for that, Lesley. See you in October!

.

Faeries Landing

2011-07-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

Here's Maria's contribution to Challenge #31 on Laura Harms' blog. This week's guest challenger is Carol Bailey Floyd, CZT [blog].

We were honored to have Carol attend our first Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) seminar. She is an inspirational part of a vibrant group of Ohio tanglers. Thank you Carol for creating this challenge!

This Zentangle tile was inspired by Molly's creation that we posted yesterday. This is a tangleation of mooka tipped with welcoming decorative resonances that seem particulary attractive to faeries.

Click image for larger view.

Back to "Work"

2011-07-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

Molly, Nick, Indy and Mazzy just went home. We've been basking in having them stay with us these past few days.

Thank you for your patience and understanding with our being slightly off-line this past week. Now we'll get back to "work" answering our emails, returning calls and such.

We put "work" in quotes because that word too often refers to activities done reluctantly. Words cannot describe how much we love exploring and sharing all that Zentangle's method and artwork offers; and then seeing what is reflected in others' Zentangle inspired creations. On top of that, we get to meet wonderful people and develop wonderful friendships.

Here's a black Zentangle tile that Molly created yesterday:

These new black tiles, along with their white pens and pencils are currently only available from our CZTs. We'll offer our new tiles online as soon as our website upgrade is complete.

Alrighty then . . . back to "work"!

Click image for larger view.

It's a Girl!

2011-07-17T16:43:00.000-04:00

Mazzy Martha Hollibaugh

Early this morning.

Mazzy, Molly, Indy and Nick are doing great.

Zentangle tile begun during labor and completed later today.

Click image for larger view.
Be patient for further details (and answers to emails!).

Initially

2011-07-14T08:41:00.000-04:00

In Challenge #30 (!), Laura Harms, CZT, invited Christina Vandervlist, CZT, to guest challenge. Christina challenges us to use our initials as string.

Take a look at many other great initially inspired Zentangle tiles at Laura's blog.

Thanks, Laura. Thanks, Christina. (Christina's blog)

Click image for larger view.

Hot Conversation

2011-07-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

She:

Hi, I'm a glass fuser, and think this could be the MOST EXCITING WAY to stimulate my creativity and translate what I draw to warm glass kiln art.....Wow, I am so ready to start...and being housebound w/a foot injury has morphed into a plus! Thank you, Janis Piper

We:

Hi Janis,

Just saw your comment on your order. We look forward to seeing pictures!

Thanks again for your order.

Best, Rick (and Maria)

She:

Hi Maria and Rick, this has taken me 4+ months to acheive, but here it is....a tangle made with 100% fused glass. It is small, 7" x 10", on white Bullseye c.o.e. 90 glass. The tangle is drawn with cobalt blue powdered frit (glass, consistancy of confectioners sugar) with clear and irid. fine and medium on first layer, then shading and deeper tangerine color on second layer, then more fine and medium clear frit...finished by cold working with lap grinder on all edges. Whew! This was fused 2 times at 1490 degrees, has marvelous depth.

Look for more, as I love the simplicity and movement of so many of the tangle patterns, and can't wait to go on to the next venture!

Thank you for making this a possibility, Janis Piper

We:

Hi Janis,

Very cool! May we put this in our blog?

Best, Rick (and Maria)

She:

Wow...! Sure, why not? I don't have a website, but I do have a Facebook artists page: Kilnwerks Fused Glass by Janis Piper and an email in case anyone has questions on "how to do" it.

Many thanks, Janis

Janis' beautiful Zentangle Inspired glass creation uses betweed as its primary tangle. You can read instructions on how to create betweed here and watch a YouTube demonstration here.

Thank you sending that, Janis!

Click image for larger view.

Hot Tangles

2011-07-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

CZT, Suzanne Wilka writes,

Hi Rick and Maria,

Maria - nice to speak ever so briefly with you on the phone this morning. Since I mentioned the woodburned tiles - thought I'd send along photos of a few of them. These were completed for an exchange for an online Woodburning group. It was a fun way to introduce them to Zentangle. These tiles are 4" x 4" basswood. Fun to do and I'll be doing more - and maybe teaching it just need to round up enough woodburning units for class!

The new items are a hit - plenty of my students are requesting them - hence the second order.

Thanks again
Suzanne Wilka

Thank you so much for sharing those with us, Suzanne!

Click images for larger views.

Check 'em out!

2011-07-08T08:53:00.000-04:00

We've added many new links to our "Links" section on the right. We encourage you to explore some new area's of our Zentangle® neighborhood.

In the meantime, here are a couple recent Zentangle tiles that Maria did . . . a little tripoli, a little exploration . . .

Enjoy!

Click images for larger view.
Click links for larger enjoyment.

Denim Tangles

2011-07-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

Eight years ago, Maria and I went to visit my aunt in Maine. We went to the beach. It was cool and Maria was wearing jeans. She tangled them as we sat on a bench overlooking the surf.

Maria put those same jeans on today and even though the tangles have faded a bit, they still look great!

Materials used:

Sakura® Black Pigma Micron 01
Denim
Ocean air

Click images for larger views.

Nice Weekend!

2011-07-05T09:39:00.000-04:00

Back from a warm weekend of fireworks and and a bit of family fun downtime.

We do have a Zentangle fireworks "photo" to share. It uses another tripoli tangleation. Check out how its negative space becomes positive space at the edges.

Click image for larger view.

Four For #28

2011-07-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms', CZT, challenge #28 is to create Zentangles using our new tangle tripoli.

We created two of these yesterday in a waiting room. As expected, we had no idea how long we waited because we were pleasantly occupied and focused on tangling.

There are many directions you can take as you explore this tangle's variations.

After our previous blog about "perfection" and "not good enough," we've been receiving delightful confirming messages. For instance, here's a quote from this morning's paper, and a (slightly edited) "fortune" from a recent supper.

Click images for larger views.

Ramblings

2011-06-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

Maria and I had a business question once and we called a friend for advice. Our friend is a member of SCORE, an organization of retired business executives who provide free business mentoring. He referred us to another SCORE member who, well, let's just say that he's had an illustrious career and you've all heard of or used one or more of his creations. This gentleman was kind enough to come to our home for lunch and spend a few hours with us.

We don't remember if we ever got our question answered because we don't remember what our question was! But what we do remember is getting a shift in perspective. After talking with him, we began to frame our choices within a larger perspective. For instance, we still remember his questions, "What do you want to be doing in ten years . . . in twenty years?" Those are important questions that are easily lost in moment to moment urgencies.

But the advice we remember most of all, and one that we refer to time and again, was from his story of visiting an office of the space agency of the then Soviet Union. He described a cyrillic quote above the entrance to the space agency that translated, "Don't let better tyrannize good enough." (At least that's how we remember his story.)

This morning at breakfast I was reading a blog and its author, quoting Voltaire, wrote "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

"Maria," I said, "That's where his quote must have come from!"

We got talking about how a concept of perfection blocks so many people from enjoying something because of fears they couldn't do it perfectly. And what if you did create a perfect something? What a devious curse that would be for everything that followed!

Maria joked, "If you didn't try to create art because you thought it wouldn't be perfect, well, get in line!"

Then I looked up Voltaire's original quote. He actually said, Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien. "Better is the enemy of good." How many of us don't do something because we think someone else does it better, or we "should" do it better?

When we teach a Zentangle class, we always remind people to focus on what they are doing and not to compare it with others. We encourage each person to appreciate and enjoy putting pen to paper and to focus on each individual stroke without worrying about how the final result will appear.

With Zentangle, there's no need to allow "better" (or even worse, "perfection") to hold you back from the "good" of enjoying putting pen to paper . . . one stroke at a time.

We are ever so grateful that we have never seen a perfect Zentangle!

.

Dex & Verdigogh - #27

2011-06-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms' weekly challenge (#27) is to create a Zentangle using two specific tangles: dex and vertigogh.

This is a great exercise because it may be asking you to do tangles that you might not normally do, and because it uses two tangles that you might not think to combine.

Here are Maria's two contributions:

Note on dex's inspiration
Our original inspiration for dex was this building in lower Manhattan.

You also see it frequently in parquet flooring. We took this picture yesterday during our walk around the Hotel Providence.

Please be sure to take some time to enjoy and appreciate the many wonderful contributions to this challenge.

Click images for larger views.

Visit to Hotel Providence

2011-06-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

We visited Hotel Providence this morning to go over some details for our October CZT training there.

During breakfast there (it was awesome!) we created this Zentangle a la tango. We will be showing you this new tangle in our next newsletter in a few days, so be sure you're signed up to receive it!

After our meeting we took a walk around the hotel. What a wonderful feast of tangle inspirations!

Of course this hotel is full of patterns. Here are two outside images . . .

. . . and here's the hotel carpet!

We're looking forward to wonderful times there!

Click images for larger views.

More From Hong Kong

2011-06-20T08:48:00.000-04:00

In our most recent newsletter, we showed a picture of Fina Man, CZT, and her first Zentangle class in Hong Kong. Recently, Fina sent us some more pictures and stories that we're thrilled to share with you.

Fina writes:

The first ever Zentangle workshop was held in Hong Kong in May 2011. There were two 2-hours sessions with more than 50 people who participated for this workshop.

Keith, my colleague and our first Zentangle artist in Hong Kong and in Asia, had helped me to design this "Tangling to Un-Tangle Program" from which the Zentangle forms the core of this program.

We want the participants to have an in-depth understanding of Zentangle, therefore, the story of Zentangle, Maria and Rick, the relevant theories, benefits, tangling were included as main framework for this workshop. It was an amazing event considering the limited 4 hours session overall, but everybody have enjoyed this wholesome experience.

Two years ago. Maria had asked me to come up with a Chinese name for Zentangle. As a result, Keith and I come up the name of "禪結". This is from the direct translation whereby 禪 means Zen, and 結 means knot. We create knots on our minds and in our lives. It is our own selves who created our tangles, so we are able to understand them and we can untangle them.

By the way, the Chinese character of 結 means knitting of fortune and good luck. Yes, every piece of Zentangle is a symbol of luck and fortune as Zentangle is actually the road to understanding our knots and ourselves within.

Here are some more pictures from Fina's class.

That's Fina sitting on the floor with her arm on the table, third from the left in the front row.

Fina attended our very first CZT seminar and came back to attend our first Zentangle Master Class. Fina is a wonderful person who has become a good friend.

Congratulations, Fina, and thank you for sharing those pictures with us. Also, our gratitude to you and Kieth for translating 禪結.

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3-4-Friday

2011-06-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

Maria's been playing around and exploring. Here are three tiles for Friday.

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Nice Article

2011-06-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

Geneviève Crabe, CZT from St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, sent us this article about her series of Zentangle classes.

Read more at her blog entry here.

Congratulations, Geneviève!

.

Two to Tango (#26)

2011-06-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

Inspired by this twenty-sixth(!) challenge from Laura Harms, CZT, to use a spiral string, Maria created this,

and then together we created this,

Maria often tangles these weekly challenges while we sit at our kitchen table together. This morning, after filling in a large area with a Graphic 1 black pen, she passed her second tile to me and asked if I'd like to finish it. I proceeded to finish it with a white Gelly Roll pen and a white charcoal pencil.

Then a conversation started about what to call this. "Tangle Tango?" Maria asked. (It does take two!) And it is a sort of dance of two (or more) tanglers.

We're thinking this will be a fun Zentangle exercise to explore with two or more tanglers.

What do you think?

Click images for larger views.

That's so sweet!

2011-06-13T11:03:00.000-04:00

Diane Lachance, CZT recently emailed us:

Dear Rick and Maria,

One of my students, Sue, is also a cake and cookie decorator. To make the last class of a six week Zentangle Studio a special occasion, I asked Sue if she would be willing to make up a dozen cookies designed with zentangle patterns. She jumped at the opportunity and the results were fabulous. See attached photo or blog post.

It was a fun night, and so many students had a great time in this studio that we have extended the studio for three more weeks!

Diane Lachance, CZT

Thanks, Diane.

Yum!

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Direction

2011-06-09T09:20:00.000-04:00

In response to Weekly Challenge #25 - Zendala Magic from Laura Harms, CZT, Maria responded:

This is actually one of my first Zendalas (first of many). As I began to tangle Geneviève's string, all I could see was the potential for a compass rose design. I have already done quite a few of those, and I like their functionality.

Here's a compass rose we designed for Molly and Nick's wedding:

Molly and Nick stood on this 6-foot diameter canvas compass rose during their ceremony. Around it's edge Maria lettered, "One ship sails east - another, west. By the self-same winds that blow. But it isn't the gales, it's the set of the sails, that determines the way that we go."

We tangled it with versions of Shattuck, Static and Cadent using large Sakura Pigma pens.

If anyone asks Nick and Molly where they were married, they can point to this and say, "Right here!"

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Learning Center for the Deaf

2011-06-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Maria and I were invited to tour the Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts.

We have a long relationship with this school and were overdue for a visit. We learned about this school from our next door neighbor who works there. At our first two Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) seminars we had two deaf students in each seminar. The Learning Center also provided two ASL translators for both seminars. All are now CZTs!

Zentangle proved to be a great fit because it requires little or no spoken instructions to understand. Those of you who have our Zentangle Kit know this because our instructional DVD has no spoken instructions. You do not have to be able to understand English, and you do not have to be able to hear, to "get it."

We visited Jen Blasko's training center. We first met Jen when she came as an ASL translator. At first skeptical on this whole "Zentangle thing," she became a CZT and uses Zentangle as one of the Learning Centers valuable tools. Here we are with Jen in her office with a Zentangle newsletter on her SmartBoard. To the right is Judy B., our neighbor, and Judy V., the head of the Learning Center.

Jen showed us some of the Zentangles that students had created.

We also visited May-Lin Eu's classroom. May-lin is a teacher at the Learning Center. She is deaf and a CZT.

Here's one of her Zentangles:

We had brought along one of our new (as yet unannounced) products, a set of nine Zentangle Puzzle Coasters. Here are some of May-lin's class putting them together.

We are grateful to Judy B. for connecting us with this amazing school. We were fortunate to experience the enthusiasm and passion and excitement in everyone we met there - whether students, teachers, or staff.

Thank you all at the Learning Center for a day we will never forget.

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Newsletter June 5, 2011 - Before & After

2011-06-06T08:25:00.000-04:00

In our June 5, 2011 Newsletter, we showed a partially completed Zentangle that Maria was working on.

Here's "before."

Here's "after."

A nice visual resonance with our recent harvest of garlic scapes!

There are some great stories in this newsletter. If you haven't read them yet, we encourage you to take a look.

Enjoy!

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Louie Awards

2011-06-03T12:49:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we received an email, "Maria, congratulations on your Louie Awards!"

Huh? Louie Awards? That was the first that we even knew that Maria's designs were up for consideration.

Every year the New York Stationery Show awards Louie Awards for best new designs. This year, there were 960 entries from 159 companies worldwide. Maria's designs for Crane & Co. won best of class in the Valentines Day category for cards over $3.50, and best of class in the Sympathy category for cards over $3.50. Her Sympathy card also came in third place for best design in the entire show.

Louie Awards are the stationery industry's Academy Awards. It's a pretty big deal. We weren't going to mention this, but today we received samples and congrats from Crane. Since the feather on her Sympathy card is done with a tangelation of Zentangle's tipple along with aura, I convinced Maria to share these with you.

What's really neat is that Maria's designs were entered for Louie consideration only once before. That was in 1996 when she won best of show with her invitations. And this year, when we've decided to reduce our stationery work to focus on Zentangle, her designs won three more Louie's!

Congratulations, babe!

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Stripes - Challenge #24

2011-06-02T11:58:00.000-04:00

Challenges from Laura Harms, CZT, continue to inspire. This week's challenge is about stripes.

Here are Maria's contributions and comments.

Simplicity in stripes . . . and then more stripes . . . and more fun!

I was experimenting with my favorite walnut ink (from Paper and Ink Arts) and I just couldn't stop! Life is good.

M.

P.S.
My sister Sue chose #3. She loved all your comments!

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Etch a Tangle?

2011-06-01T07:53:00.000-04:00

We received this last night. Anyone who has used an Etch-A-Scetch® can appreciate what went into this.

CG writes:

Hi Rick & Maria,

This year for Mother's Day, my son surprised me with an Etch-A-Sketch. Two of them actually - one the classic red and the other a very girly pink. That had been one of my very favourite toys from my own childhood, providing MANY hours of joy. Years later, I enjoyed drawing with my children's Etch-A-Sketch, and eventually actually wore it out :(

I was tickled to receive this blast from my past, and couldn't wait to try joining an old favourite with a relatively new one, and wanted to share my first Etch-A-Tangle with you :)

Wow! Thank you for sending that, CG. Did you rotate your Etch-A-Sketch as you did that?

That tangle which CG "etched" is paradox and you can see instructions and some samples here, here and here.

We can hear it now, "Mom . . . Where's my Etch-A-Sketch?!"

Click image for larger view.

More CZT Seminar Pix

2011-05-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming with some more images from our recent May seminar.

We each started by creating a Zentangle. Here's our class mosaic:

Folks brought lots of cool Zentangle Inspired Art in many media for everyone to enjoy.

Here are a few samples in cloth, metal and wood.

Much more later.

Click images for larger views.

Marasu

2011-05-30T08:48:00.000-04:00

Maria writes:

It is my sister Sue's birthday. I created 3 tiles with mirasu. This coiled tangle was inspired by those little "weavings" my older sisters would teach me to do with an old spool and nails when I was very young.

Marasu comes from my sisters' names, Madeleine, Rachel and Sue. I'm going to have her pick one of them.

Which one will she choose?

Click images for larger view.

Creating a habit of creativity

2011-05-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

We are receiving many wonderful emailed comments in response to our recent blog request.

We know we're supposed to be saving these for our book, but we felt this next one touched on such an important idea, that we couldn't wait to share it with you.

CF wrote:

I picked up an old copy of Ornament Magazine this week (2008, Vol 31 No. 4). There was a quote in one article that really struck me as being appropriate for anyone who tangles. The article was titled "Cari Borja: The Creative Habit" and this is the quote:

"When I was doing my Ph.D. research in Jamaica, an artist and teacher said to me, 'All these students, I don't know why they're thinking about becoming an artist because none of them have the habit of being creative.'"

Zentangle makes being creative so simple and so accessible to anyone who has the bug. So often we think of being creative as creating large pieces of art, but Zentangle art, creating small pieces finished in a short time, lets us practice being creative in spite of life's all-too-busy schedules. Zentangle was recommended to me as a way to get the creative juices flowing but I find it satisfying as an end in itself and a way to be creative as a habit. I'm totally hooked.

"A way to be creative as a habit." That is such an important concept. Creating a habit of creativity is a major part of Zentangle's magic. Thank you, CF, for putting those words to it!

And thank you to all who have sent and are continuing to send in your stories!

Speaking of creativity, Maria often talks about how she experiences her flow of creativity has increased since she began creating Zentangles. Here's one from yesterday with her comments.

Our long busy day ended, bringing with it a warmish-coolish comforting breeze that begged to be appreciated, for soon it will be gone . . . replaced with New England's summer heat. I sat on our porch with just pen and paper (and pencil) to enjoy a delightful mix of tangle and spring air. After completing this tile (about 35 or so minutes) I began to "put the icing on" . . . my favorite part. I shaded it but still it wanted more. So I "rounded" the corners on some of its tangles and with that added bit of contrasting focused black, it was done!

(Rick adds: See those gray bands playing with those parallel pen lines? That's done with a very dull pencil.)

Click image for larger view.

Can you please give us a hand?

2011-05-25T09:11:00.000-04:00

"So, Rick and Maria, where's your book about Zentangle?"

We are working on it. Actually, we've been working on it for . . . well . . . let's just say, we've been working on it for a while. But now, with important help from wonderful people, we are on a regular schedule and we are making great progress.

And, we want you to be part of it.

Tell us about you and Zentangle.
What does it mean to you?
What did you discover about yourself?
How did it affect you. . . your life . . . your art?
How did it affect others?
Whether it seems quirky or profound, simple or grand, what's your Zentangle story?

We know our perspective, but we don't know yours. We want you to be part of this book because without you, we wouldn't be writing it.

Tell your story in the comments below or email it to us.

And thank you for being part of this adventure!

Fine Print
If you submit your story it means you agree that we are free to use it or not use it and we might edit it. Please include your initials and tell us in which country you live.

About that hand
That hand is one of a pair of bookends that we bought from Sandy Bartholomew, CZT, when we visited her delightful store, Wingdoodle, in Warner, NH (USA). Maria tangled it with a Sakura Pigma Micron Brown 01.

Click image for larger view.

String Theory #23

2011-05-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

Laura Harms, CZT has a new challenge call String Theory.

Here's Maria's contribution with her comments:

I did this Zentangle late last night by candlelight. I wanted some continuity, so I striped each section, then tangled the stripes as they presented themselves. It's rather dark, but I was in a great mood! Go figure . . .

I enjoyed going back to the square format, which I had wandered from lately.

Congrats to Laura Harms for crashing the 100,000 mark on her blog!

Click image for larger view.