New Newsletter

Our October newsletter was just sent out.

We're announcing part of our 2011 Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) seminar schedule and introducing a new tangle Cirquital.

We also  must share a larger group photo from our fourth CZT seminar. It is our great good fortune to attract absolutely wonderful people!

We've added everyone's contact information to our CZT page here.

Enjoy October's newsletter and if you are interested in attending CZT training, please submit your application promptly. Classes tend to fill quickly.

Click image for larger view.

Happy Birthday David!

Maria created a Zentangle for her brother David's birthday. It had a large solid black area. Wanting to add to it, I borrowed her oblique calligraphy pen, some white ink and . . .

. . . Happy Birthday, David!

Materials used:

• Original Zentangle tile
• Sakura® Pigma™ Micron 01 and Pigma Graphic 1 black pens
• Pencil
• Oblique pointed pen
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White™ ink

Click image for larger view.

A Zentangle in Silk

"NP" sent us an email with a beautiful rendition of a Zentangle in silk.

She describes her process,

This was done using a water-based resist and heat-set silk paints on an 11 x 11 scarf.  The scarf was ironed onto freezer paper to make it easier to work on.

What a natural medium for Zentangle inspired creations! Thank you for sending that.

Click image for larger view.

Playing A Round

Here's an idea (challenge) illustrated by a page from Maria's Field Notes. Use familiar tangles within a spiral string. It's also fun to shade.

Funny story - a couple days after Maria did this page, I showed her an email we received titled "Everything old is new again."

Click image for larger view.

Cirque du Noir

Toni Henneman, CZT, donated a Zentangle-inspired creation to Cirque du Noir, a Worcester, Massachusetts organization that brings artists together to raise money for area foodbanks.

We thought you would enjoy seeing her fantastic piece.

Congratulations, Toni!

Click image for larger view.

Our Neighborhood

Our blog neighborhood just expanded a bit more with its addition of a new blog, Enthsiastic Artist by Margaret Bremner, CZT in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Take a peek and you'll enjoy some beautiful Zentangle inspired art.

For example, this one (speaking of neighborhoods), "On the Street Where You Live."

Thanks, Margaret!

Click image for larger view.

Pink Shoes

"V" from Florida writes,

Hi Maria and Rick:

These pink sneakers have been in my closet for at least three years. The stars must have been in alignment one evening while working on Zentangles when the thought occurred to do them on these sneakers. One thing, or one tangle, led to the other and before I knew it they were headed to the IAMPETH conference.

A big thank you for the inspiration I received from your newsletters and other contributors. Zentangle is a beautiful art form.

Thanks for sending those pix, V!

A bit of trivia . . . IAMPETH stands for International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting and it was to this group that we taught our first public Zentangle class in the summer of 2004 in Providence, RI.

Click images for larger view.

More Eye Candy

Zentangle encourages and enables creativity to blossom in many places in different ways. Here are more pictures of Zentangle inspired creations that people brought to share at our recent Certified Zentangle Training seminar.

Enjoy this inspiration . . .

Click images for larger view.

Group Zentangle

One of our treats at CZT* training is a group Zentangle creation. Using a large sheet of our Zentangle paper, we draw a string that creates as many sections as there are students. Throughout our seminar each aspiring CZT picks a section and adds a tangle.  We then mat and frame this beautiful creation, complete with Maria's lettering and handpainted border. Through a fun process, one new CZT gets to take this group Zentangle creation home.

* Certified Zentangle Teacher

Click image for larger view.

Welcome Times Two

Welcome #1
We're happy to welcome Margaret Bremner, CZT, and her new blog, Enthusiastic Artist to our links section. Margaret, from Saskatchewan, Canada, is an accomplished illustrator who creates beautiful Zentangle inspired art and teaches Zentangle workshops. Here's a sample.

In her first blog entry, Margaret describes an all-day Zentangle workshop she had scheduled to teach with Laura Harms, CZT who is also from Saskatchewan and writes the I am the Diva blog linked here as well. Here's one of Laura's Zentangle creations we've shared before.

However, Laura did not attend the all-day Zentangle workshop with Margaret because early that morning someone else had other plans.

Welcome #2
We are thrilled to welcome and announce the arrival of Little Ozzie to the Harms family and to his larger Zentangle family. Congratulations Laura and welcome to this amazing world, Ozzie!

Click images for larger views.

Quilt Squares

Jane Monk (blog) travelled from Tasmania to join our recent Certified Zentangle Teacher seminar. She brought some samples of her Zentangle inspired long-arm quilted squares to share.

They're beautiful and we want you to be able enjoy them, too.

Thanks, Jane!

Click images for larger view.

Now THAT's a Name Tag!

After everyone tangles the back of their name tags, we varnish them.

We left this photo large size so you could appreciate everyone's marvelous Zentangle creations as they were drying outside.

Much more later!

Click image for larger view. Depending on your browser, you can click it again for an even larger view.

CZT #4 Day #1

In other words, first day of our fourth Certified Zentangle Teacher training!

The weather's been awesome and we're having a fantastic time. Here's just a hint of some of what people brought to share.

Gotta run . . . class starts soon!

Click image for larger view.

Class Time!

Over 70 people were at our CZT welcoming party at our home last night. We met wonderful new friends from Australia, Singapore, Italy, France, Canada and all over the U.S., including Alaska.

We were having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures until the very end. Here's a quick snap of people touring through part of our studio.

Coincidentally, Laura Harms, CZT and Margaret Bremner, CZT are doing a full day Zentangle workshop today in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada.

Enjoy following their results through Laura's blog on which she has this great image.

We're off to class now! Lot's more later.

Click images for larger view.
 

Fun Challenge

Find a Zentangle that you did some time ago. Look at it and then put it aside. Then recreate it.

Maria found this Zentangle she had done almost six years ago. It's one that she always liked.

She pondered it, set it aside and then recreated it as she focused on what attracted her to it.

Have fun!

Click images for larger view.

Which One?

Our daughter, Molly, who is also a CZT, gave a small Zentangle class this weekend. Attending were two mothers and their daughters and one other adult. The daughters were ten and twelve years old.

This photo of their three sets of tiles emphasizes one of Zentangle's benefits, that it can be enjoyably done together by a wide range of ages and skills. This can be wonderful asset when different ages are learning together (for instance, in homeschooling) or when it's time to shut off the electronics and create something beautiful together as a family.

So, which Zentangles were created by the daughters and which were created by their moms?

We can't tell either! Isn't that great?

Click image for larger view.

Giving Back

Whether large or small, here are two great examples of Zentangle art doing its part.

From a recent article in Ohio's News-Herald

Lisa Ruschman shows one of the Zentangle design rain barrels she and the Mentor Wednesday Tanglers decorated to help bring attention to the benefits of run-off conservation. The barrel, on display at Pettiti Garden Center in Bainbridge Township, will be auctioned along with others by the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District.

Lisa Ruschman is a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT). You can read this article and see this beautiful picture here.


We also received this email from Sue in Illinois,

Hi Rick and Maria,

While I'm still new to Zentangles, I find I am getting hooked. I thought you might find this project of mine interesting. You may pass the information and photos on through your blog or wherever.

I belong to a group of decorative painters - Windy Brushes of Northern Illinois. We love to paint together but we want to give back too. We found an organization that needs our skills and help. This organization takes in children in emergency situations be it abuse, abandonment, or whatever. The children arrive with nothing. They are provided with clothing and basic necessities. We are providing them with boxes for each child to store their special treasures in (a plastic bracelet, a letter, crayons, etc). They are simple photos boxes that can be purchased at many craft stores. Some members paint them, some decoupage them, I decided to use Zentangles on mine. I was assigned a girl age 11-13 so I felt that Zentangles would be a big hit. I'm still pretty new at Zentangles so I hope to do more boxes with bigger and better images.

What beautiful, beautiful creations!

:-)

Click images for larger view.

Pumpkin Time

A dear friend send us this note . . .

Hi Rick & Maria,
Just wanted to say hi and see how you guys were doing.

Maria once mentioned something about creating Zentangles on anything, even white pumpkins! So my son and I picked some up and made one.

Yes that is "Betweed" - what an awesome YouTube video! And I also loved the part where the very vocal Blue Jay starts raising a ruckus in the yard somewhere!

. . . and this image.

Awesome pumpkin and awesome picture. Thank yous to you and your son for that.

We were wondering when someone would mention that Blue Jay!


Click image for larger view.

Shoe-In

Here's a shoe-in* for you. Take some shoes, grab your pen and tangle away!

With Zentangle you now have a reason (and permission) to draw on your clothes! Make something old new again. Make something you just bought really yours.

Materials Maria used:

• Kork-Ease® sandals
• Sakura® Pigma pens (assorted sizes)

* Shoe-in
Originating in the 1930s and spelled "shoo-in," it refers to a sure winner in a rigged horse race.

Click images for larger view.

And More Betweed

We received some beautiful betweed to share with you.

Donna Hornsby, CZT in Texas wrote,

Hi Rick and Maria,

I just had to share...

Back in August I saw this new little tangle starting to creep in here and there into Maria's work. I deconstructed what I saw and took a few stabs at it. Angie Vangalis told me it was introduced at the Master Class as "Betweed."

Today, I was playing around and attached is some of the fun I am having with this delightful new tangle. Thank you!

And then we received this delightful email and image,

Hello Rick and Maria,

The new tangle from your newsletter made me really happy. And so I would like to thank you for it.

Groetjes,

Mariët.

You're most welcome and thank you both!

Click images for larger view.

Thank You!

This weekend, we were looking through some of our early Zentangles from 2004.

We were also enjoying some chocolate when we noticed this paper inside.

These two seemingly unrelated events reminded us how grateful we are for this whole adventure.

We are grateful for stories we hear about how people use Zentangle to cultivate confidence (and courage) to put pen to paper and create art (and have fun doing it) often for the first time.

We are grateful for how this Zentangle community inspires us to discover new tangles, write new blogs and cultivate new ideas.

Suggestion
If you have been creating Zentangles for a while, take a moment to bring out some of your early ones. Chances are, you will appreciate even more the value and impact of your Zentangle journey.)

We grateful for the folks at Sweetriot Chocolate whom we met at this year's GEL conference in NYC. We were instantly hooked on their chocolate.

And, we're grateful for you.

Thank you!

Click images for larger view.

Zentangle Noir

Life is a play of contrast and perspective and so is Zentangle. Ever notice how dark makes bright, brighter? - and bright makes dark, darker?
Enjoy how that interplay of contrast energizes these dynamic Zentangles.

No need to fear dark. You can handle it (with an occasional assist from a Sakura® Graphic 1).

Besides, Halloween is just around the corner. Give it a go!

Click images for larger view.