Advice for New Tanglers

Don’t forget to breathe. I find when I am starting to feel frustrated and self critical I am tense. I take a moment and channel Molly who always reminds us to breathe. Also a wonderful mentor artist Sharla Hicks CZT gave us the saying- “ Don’t stop at ugly”. That has rescued me from giving up on a piece more than once.

I have been tangling and teaching for several years. Advice I give to my students 1. Take your time, there is no hurry, no time clock. 2. Be kind and gentle to yourself. 3. Leave your judgemental shoes outside the door. There is no reason or cause to judge your work. 4. Try not to compare yourself to what others are doing. Comparanoia has got to be the worst thing for any Tangler to experience. 5. If you don’t know what to do next, just wait and see what your art needs to feel finished. Ideas will come to mind soon. 6. Don’t worry about collecting patterns. Keep a few of your favourites nearby and practice using variations of them. 7. Use the best possible materials you can afford but don’t worry. Any nice paper, a pencil, and a fine pen will work. You can even draw a tangle in the sand with a stick. 8. If you have issues with your hands such as a tremour, shakiness or even arthritis, don’t hesitate to tangle. Your art will be beautiful no matter what. 9. Tangling “large” is very helpful to learn a new tangle and is my “go to” way to create art with arthritic hands. 10. If at all possible, find a CZT to take classes from. Certified Zentangle Teachers have been trained by the creators, Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts, and we know exactly how to help you learn. It is not about the art or becoming an amazing artist, learning hundreds of techniques or spending hours perfecting one tile. The Zentangle Method is about relaxing, refocusing, and enjoying all the benefits this amazing artform brings. Creating beautiful art becomes the end result without even thinking about it.

Continue to work with familiar tangles while you add new ones!

The Mosaic App is a wonderful tool for those new to Zentangle. Every tile you appreciate becomes a part of a mosaic you can review and study again and again for inspiration. When you are exploring a new tangle, you can search (#name of tangle) to find tiles featuring it. An added plus is that when you upload your own tiles, you are creating a history of your own work. It’s lovely to go back and see the progress you have made on your Zentangle journey.

The wonderful thing about this whole Zentangle process is it is limitless, both in where it can take you and however old or young you are when you start, it offers the same magic to all. I became a CZT at 75 and I’m still learning – how awesome is that?

It’s not the destination, but the journey that counts! Enjoy the Zen, one stroke at a time and go slow, there is no hurry. There are no mistakes, only possibilities! And never never ever compare yourself to anyone else! We are all unique with our own talents and abilities! And most of all, just have fun and enjoy the process!

I still only have a couple of go-to tangles, but I love collecting patterns and trying at least one new one each day or even week. Start with a comforting tangle and add a new one to it. Tangling is limitless!

Just have fun and enjoy the process! :)

Overthinking can be paralyzing. I like to remind myself and others to trust the process. Go with the flow. Let ink happen. See where it takes you. And be prepared to be delighted.

Just enjoy the process and be surprise with the end result !

I tell my students that if they don’t like their work, that just means they are not done with it yet. Put it aside and come back to it later. But that doesn’t mean that everything you do is going to be your favorites and that’s OK too.

Value the drawing process. There is no mistake. With the courage to take the step without fear.

Try to tame that inner critic. That line you hated at the start will blend in so well that you won’t be able to tell which line it was!

I bought a book 4 years ago because I liked the design on the cover. I kept it in a drawer because I never had time to open it. During this ‘Stay at Home’, I made the move to explore the book and completed the first design in a journal that my husband bought me 2 years ago. I LOVE this method of art! I am not an artist per se, and was pleasantly surprised when the design turned out beautifully. I know that I have a lot to learn but the journey is going to be so fulfilling. My best advice: open that book; you don’t have to be an artist to creat beautiful designs; and breathe.

I bought a book 4 years ago because I liked the design on the cover. I kept it in a drawer because I never had time to open it. During this ‘Stay at Home’, I made the move to explore the book and completed the first design in a journal that my husband bought me 2 years ago. I LOVE this method of art! I am not an artist per se, and was pleasantly surprised when the design turned out beautifully. I know that I have a lot to learn but the journey is going to be so fulfilling. My best advice: open that book; you don’t have to be an artist to creat beautiful designs; and breathe.

I use Zentangle as a way to find my balance in life. Whether going through an unbearable amount of sadness or just treading through everyday life, I find I can lose myself for a few moments and give my mind a break.

Slow down. Don’t tangle tipsy. Just sayin’.

I’m a new tangler thanks to shelter at home. My advice to other newbies is don’t be afraid to start something big. They won’t all be a masterpiece. That’s okay. Sometimes it’s just about developing muscle memory, the process and having fun or relaxing. I guarantee the next tangle will be much improved with practice. It never hurts to test out a challenging tangle on scratch paper before you commit it to your art. The whole concept of No Mistakes is real and will help you grow! Embrace it.

Hi there, I am 81 years old and in a 12 week lock down in London England.I live in flat on my own With many hours to spare. I have been looking at your amazing projects on u tube and enjoying Contents of your newsletters. Needless to say, I’m so excited and inspired,not just by the designs, But also with the calm and encouraging demonstrations. Reading the comments section, I have Decided to ’ have a go’. Even if the current situation makes getting materials difficult to buy. What wonderful people you are…..peace joy and safety to you all Jayne.

I am not a tangler so much as a quilter, so I am limited as to which designs I can use. When tangling on paper, you are free to change colors, pens, pick up and put down ink to paper as many times as you would like. Sewing is a different story in that you would have to stop, cut thread, trim the thread tail (from front and back side of the quilt), then start new, creating a new thread tail. So I am always thinking “how would I sew this” when looking at designs. However, I have successfully (I think) made my first Zenquiltangle as a practice piece for a quilt I have coming up. I Zenquiltangled a mermaid tail, a fish tail and some other sea life, and will add some faint water movement everywhere else. The block is 12" square so that’s a lot of space to fill up. I can’t wait to see the finished product – having sew much fun with using thread color in my designs! This is new to me and I’m loving my new toy!

One thing helped me, as I have some age in me, and a intermittent “tremor” in my hand, at first tangling and seeing this “wavy/shaking” line that I did not intend, there was a thought that came up, “this is bad, this is no good, I can not do it well”, I arrived at letting go of that self criticism, and observed that the unplanned wavy/shaking could be part of the design. GeeWhizzzOhcurrs that made all the difference to keep me going, it may have even helped the tremor lessen…Letting go is a deep source of satisfaction and release of my creativity.

Tangle each day and let yourself be surprise.

Clipping out the ’V’s was an absolutely BRILLIANT idea!

I love the comment in the third bullet in Kirbie Earley’s post ! Here’s an “add on” to that:

Offer “Mr. Critic” and “Miss Stakes” (from another tangler !) a cup of tea and quietly slip away and…..TANGLE !!

🤣🤣✏✏

There are several great books out there, many of which are geared toward new tanglers. I started with google searches and the book “One Zentangle a Day for 6 Weeks.” Three months later I took a beginner lesson. I had a head start which built my confidence to forge ahead.