A Fine Line

Maria writes:

Anyone who plays a musical instrument knows you can get a variety of sounds from just one note. Learning subtle potentials of an instrument makes playing and listening more interesting.

And so . . . the pen. You can scream out a line, dance a rhythm or tickle the edge of the paper! This Zentangle is done with one 01 Sakura® Pigma™ pen. Notice the subtle nuances this pen can create - from bold lines to lacey auras. This adds interest and fun for both artist and viewer.

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Back to Basics

As Fall falls upon us once again, we are reminded of back to school, back to basics, refamiliarizing ourselves and our families with routine (and comforting) ceremonies.

This is also true for Zentangle. Every once in a while, it's good to revisit our roots . . . remind ourselves of the beauty, simplicity and comfort of an original Zentangle. So if you're not already doing this, we encourage you to touch base with the core of Zentangle from time to time. One way to do this is recreate a simple Zentangle (maybe a variation of your first one) and remember the thrill of creating this tiny work of art for the first time.

Notice how your ease and confidence has changed. Are you becoming more comfortable with teasing out slight variations to your tangles?

Relax and reacquaint yourself with Zentangle's ceremony of simple patterns, with no worries about outcomes, or overusing a favorite tangle, or trying new tools on new media. It's just you and your relaxed focus on that black ink flowing onto that beautiful paper. Since you are not trying to "draw" anything in particular you can allow yourself to be surprised and delighted with unexpected outcomes, one exquisite stroke at a time.

So, go find a blank Zentangle tile . . .

. . . gather your pencil and pen, settle in a comfortable spot, and . . .

Appreciate

Breathe

Relax

Now take your time and enjoy your favorite tangles. Shade, sign and - most importantly - hold your tile at arm's length, turn it this way and that and appreciate once more.

Master Class Bee

Another Master Class attendee, Sandy Bartholomew, CZT, has completed her two Zentangle Master Class projects. Here's one of them.

Be sure to visit Sandy's blog entry to see her other beautiful creation and read what she has to say.

We had such a wonderful time at Master Class. Just as with all things Zentangle, it's marvelous to see how each individual's uniqueness manifests within Zentangle's "elegance of limits."

Thank you, Sandy!

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Homage to a Gentle Rain

Our morning sky is bright with eastern sun, loud with northern thunder and soft with gentle rain. Sounds of giants bowling strikes arrive long after their flashes - a royalty free soundtrack to this morning's Zentangle.

This Zentangle was inspired by this morning's weather and Maria's museum visit.

Note that she did not fill every section that her string created.

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Master Class Video

We thought you might enjoy taking a video peek inside our recent Master Class in Newport, RI. These were taken by Suzanne McNeill, CZT. 

Here's part of what she wrote:

Wow!  I just finished a wonderful week in Newport, Rhode Island with the innovators of Zentangle, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.  I didn't want to let another day go by without letting other tanglers know that the ' Zentangle Master Class' was full of excitement.  Rick and Maria created fantastic projects, shared some wonderful techniques, chose a totally awesome setting, planned fascinating  tours to mansions and museums, and most of all  provided the opportunity to get together with fellow tanglers and be truly inspired. 
      If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Zentangle class , or better yet to attend a CZT class  (certified Zentangle teacher) with Rick and Maria, do go.  Your life and relationships will be influenced in a positive manner for the rest of your life.

To see these full screen you can click the "four arrows" in the lower right. To get out of full screen view, just press your "escape" [Esc] key.





To find a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) in your area, see this page.

Museum Walk

Maria met her sister for lunch at the Worcester Art Museum yesterday. After her sister left, Maria walked around the museum looking for new tangles.

She took pictures with her phone of portraits . . .

. . . and details of patterns from hundreds of years ago . . .

. . . as well as more contemporary patterns.

Here are some pages from her sketch book.

This next image was inspired by a collection of blown glass paperweights.

We'll refine these patterns and deconstruct them into simple repetitive strokes that characterise Zentangle's approach. This gives you an idea of how tangles are developed.

And if you're wondering why those pages have a black corner, read this. (It's a great story!)

Click images for larger view.

Paradox in Thread

Betty B emailed us:

I took your class at the International Calligraphy Conference in Boston (Odyssey). I had to work on Rick's paradox tangle because I just knew it would make a great pattern for my embroidery on paper - and it did! Thanks for putting all of your work out there to be used and enjoyed by the masses. It's a special gift. Betty

Thank you for sending that, Betty. It's a great way to show that the lines in Rick's paradox really are all straight!

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