Advice for New Tanglers

Build tangling into your daily routine. You’ll look forward to it and feel better for it.

My advice to new tanglers?

Share it!
Your enthusiasm in sharing Zentangle and the love for this artform will teach you more than you can imagine… it will build community and THAT’S what it’s all about: RELATIONSHIP. See that amazing Mosaic? It’s relationship. The people around the table busy tangling? Relationship. The Zentangle community from around the world? Relationship. Zentangle at its roots… Rick, Maria, Molly and Martha and all the staff and helpers? Relationship.

Focus on the process, not the outcome. Breathe, relax, and enjoy yourself! What’s the worst that can happen – if you’re not happy with it, no one else has to see it. Let go & get in the flow……

I would say to them: you are very lucky 🍀 by discovering Zentangle, don’t stop to practice and take profit of this amazing and supportive community under the passion of tangle.

One of the main purposes of the Zentangle method is to help learn mindfulness, presentness with the breath and the mind and body. Therefore, take your time with your tangles. Block out some time in your busy lives for just Zentangle, and nothing else, so you can tangle away at your own steady pace without a worry. I would also say, on that note, don’t focus on the end result. I sometimes still find myself trying to plan out the end result so it will “look nicer” when in actuality, the spontaneity and experimentation is what creates beauty. Sure, you can find a tangle combination that looks great and just do that. But you’ll become bored of it and it won’t spark the same joy.
And do it for yourself, not others! Stay away from social media if you can, especially starting. Be bold with your tiles and materials. They are meant to be used. Don’t save tiles for “better ones”. If you don’t rush and stay with each deliberate stroke, each one is the better one.
Best wishes!

Just starting myself my advice is to find a quite place every day to make one zentangle and consintrating amd enjoying the moment. In a few weeks you will really start seeing your work come alive!

Just starting myself my advice is to find a quite place every day to make one zentangle and consintrating amd enjoying the moment. In a few weeks you will really start seeing your work come alive!

You don’t have to already be an artist to become one. It all starts with the first pen stroke, and from then on you are an artist. Have fun and keep tangling!

Keep trying, don’t give up. Sometimes I do tangles that seam hard at first, like the first time I tried Parodox it just would not flow like I thought it should. It took me half a day of trying then it clicked. I love that tangle now. So don’t give up on a tangle you think it is beautiful keep trying. Melinda CZT 4.

If you are afraid to start because you don’t want to “waste” a precious tile…. practice tangles on plain paper to build confidence.

Just follow the 8 steps of zentangle. You can learn them from a CZT or from the Zentangle primer1. If you can do this without thinking how you want the result to be like, you will always surprise yourself with an unexpected beautiful result.

Don’t be afraid or intimidated by any tangle. Just take a few deep breathes, study the step outs if you are New & go! Whatever journey this tangle takes is the right way. Don’t worry about wobbly lines because that gives your piece character. Most important, just have fun! Every piece is a work of art! Never throw out something you don’t like, put it away & bring it out in a week or a few months to look at it with fresh eyes. You will have a completely different opinion about it & then be able to continue to finish it!

When you feel intimated by a new tangle or enhancement or feel stuck, close your eyes, take a deep breath and then reach for the bijou tile. Do a Monotangle. If you like the tangle write the name on a piece of paper and add it to a jar. Before you know it you’ll have a jar full of your favorite tangles to draw from. You don’t have to worry about forgetting a tangle you like or about worrying what tangle to use next.

I tell everyone there are no mistakes…..just opportunities for creativity.

Do not be concerned with wobbles or lines not straight or curves not perfect. This is character and style. Time and practice will make your marks more as you wanted. But, when my hand is go to have tremors, I embrace the mark. My individual mark.

Don’t compare your work to that of others. Limit your social media surfing time looking for examples (ex. 15 minutes). Instead, choose 1 new tangle, pick-up a tile, 4 dots, border, string… You know what to do. Remember that even the most experienced tanglers once where beginners. Remember what Zentangle is about: the process, never the result. The result will always be beautiful.

I always suggest to new students to play with what they learned in new ways. Fill their extra tiles with the tangles they have already used before looking for more. The relaxation, focus and stress reduction that I love with the Zentangle Method come much easier with the rhythm of being able to relax into something familiar.

You do not need 1000 patterns. Stick to the few you love and add to your repertoire as you see a pattern you that makes your heart sing.

Remind yourself … its just pen and paper. Its a great place to explore and experiment. Have no fear of a not so successful attempt as it will most likely lead you to a successful one.

Turn off al the planning in your head and do the next idea thst pops into your head. I start with randomly selecting a pattern, closing my eyes and putting my finger on a page of patterns. Then I do it again, unless the idea of an aura pops into my head. If that happens, I make myself do an aura. The temptation to “think about it” is an ever evil enemy. I have had more fun and growth in my drawing by submittimg to this practice of letting go, shutting down the planning in my head. Good luck!

First, welcome to the most amazing community ever new tangles!

My advice would be to find a CZT and take an introduction to Zentangle class. You can self teach yourself, but there is nothing like a class with a certified teacher. There you will feel the magical Zen and create a beautiful piece of art that just might surprise you.

My second piece of advice is, just go for it!! 💗

Don’t fret, keep going… There are no mistakes!!

Often, I find students get anxious about not able to make their tangle look perfect (or as close to mine).. I tell them to just keep going on…in the bigger scheme of things the tiny not so perfect lines make no big deal. The lines and tangles only get better with every new tile that one tangles on…

One important wisdom that I share with my students is not to be judgemental about their tiles but to just let go and be in the moment because the Z-method is more about the intent and process than the outcome!

Your finished tile is a happy by-product of the time you spend relaxing and ‘tangling’.

My advise: Practice and Play! I don’t know who authored the following, but I keep it posted at my desk and use it whenever I play with a new tangle: Stretch it, Squash it, Stack it, Align it, Invert it, Fill it, Curl it, Vine it, Stem it