2026 Journal Project
We are happy to announce that the Journal Project will continue into 2026 after two successful years! You can continue in your current journal or start a new one for the new year. Throughout the year, we will give you prompts and ideas to provoke thoughts, reflection, and, of course, tangling.
January: A Trip to Tripoli
The first journal prompt of the year features none other than the 2026 Tangle of the Year - tripoli! In this video, tangle along with Julie as she takes a deep dive into just a few of the endless opportunities that tripoli offers.
When you are done tangling, take a few moments to think about this upcoming year and the endless opportunities that it offers. What do you want to explore and learn this year, both on and off the tile?
#TripToTripoli #MyZentangleJournal
February: From the heART
February is marked by a sweet little holiday, Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s celebrated with a cozy dinner for two or shared through small, thoughtful gestures with friends and family, this time of year invites us to pause and notice what lives in our hearts.
This month, in our journals, we’re turning our attention inward and reflecting on our love story with the Zentangle Method. The where, the when, and the why. Was it the simple, repetitive lines that first caught your eye? Or, perhaps the sense of calm that quietly unfolded, one stroke at a time? As you reflect, notice how that love has grown or shifted over time. What has your Zentangle practice revealed about you, both on the tile and beyond it?
As you fill your page with your thoughts and tangles, maybe use a few heart strings or your favorite tangle.
You can share your journal pages on the Zentangle Mosaic App or other social media sites with the hashtag #MyZentangleJournal
But, wait! There's more...
Tangle along with Julie as she draws inspiration from the heart while working on TranslucenZ tiles. Share your tiles with the hashtag #FromtheheART
March: Arukas All around
During the month of March, the Zentangle Time Machine is traveling back to the introduction of Zentangle Black Tiles. Tangling on black tiles invites us to step outside our comfort zone and explore the practice from a different perspective, experimenting with new techniques and perhaps even a few fun new tools.
This month, our journal prompt is all about trying something new. New paper, new pens, new techniques and maybe even introducing a new media to your journal. With the 8 steps of the Zentangle to support you, step outside of your comfort zone.
Grab your journal and aruakas all around with Indy as she and Molly guide you through a fun tutorial. What other tangles or media can you aruakas around and what stories do they tell?
Share your journal on the Zentangle Mosaic with the hashtag #MyZentangleJournal and #ArukasAllAround.
April: 102 Tangles
During the month of April, our Zentangle Time Machine takes us back through the years of tangles. Today, we travel all the way back to 2009, when Maria created a large piece of artwork titled 102 Tangles, released as a print in 2010. At the time, it included all of the tangles that existed.
We have often been asked for a complete list of the 102 tangles in the print. However, with the passage of time, this list let's just say was lost to time. As part of this journey back in time, we revisited the original 102 Tangles and worked to identify each one.
It became a meaningful exercise, recognizing familiar patterns, rediscovering others, and noticing how some have evolved over time, sometimes becoming something entirely new. We were also reminded that, much like words on a page, each stroke can hold meaning and memory. Our tangles reflect our experiences in ways that are often personal and unique.
102 Tangle Challenge: We invite you to explore Maria's 102 Tangles Print and challenge you to identify as many as you can on your own. Make it a team effort and reach out to a tangle buddy and do it together. Have fun with this! We will share the complete list of tangle names in a blog on May 5, 2026.
April Journal Prompt: Don't worry, we are not prompting you to tangle all 102 tangles, though we are not stopping you either! Instead, we invite you to pause and really look at this piece of art. Notice which ones stand out to you. Are there some that you love and others that you are not so drawn to? On a blank page in your journal, create a string and use some of these tangles that are speaking to you build a composition. You may find it helpful to use techniques explored in Zentangle Project Pack No. 29 to connect patterns through shared strokes and transitions. How many tangles did you use?
Share you journal on the Zentangle Mosaic App with the hashtags #MyZentangleJournal and #102Tangles
May Journal Prompt: Bijou Be Well
In the 2026 Bijou Be Well Series wrap-up video, Molly and Julie talked about how tangles can help us untangle our minds, anxieties, and worries.
This month, we invite you to look back at the 21 tangles we explored together and choose one that stands out to you. Perhaps it is your favorite tangle, or maybe it is one you struggled with at first but now see in a new light. Maybe there was a tangle that felt especially relaxing, or perhaps the story shared that day resonated deeply with you.
Once you have chosen your tangle, open your journal and use it as a monotangle. You can draw it once or repeat it many times across the page.
As you tangle, take a moment to reflect on this past month. What did you learn? How did you feel throughout the journey? What would you like to explore more deeply? Record your thoughts, reflections, and discoveries in your journal as part of your creative practice.
Share your journal on the Zentangle Mosaic App with the hashtags #MyZentangleJournal and #BBWUNtangled
June Journal Prompt: Embedded Letters
Maria writes: "For me, it has always been an easy thing to "fancy up" a letter. It was part of my being, my soul, to play with letters as others played with toys. My head would always turn at the sight of an especially beautiful R or M, never mind the curvy S's or D's. I noticed other's penmanship and signatures, marveled at the very sight of a beautiful pen. It was no big surprise that I just had to bring letters into the Zentangle world."
First released in 2018, Embedded Letters is a process created by Maria to playfully adorn any letter or character with tangles and tendrils. This simple, step-by-step process was easy to learn and hard to stop once you got going!
After this technique was introduced at a CZT Training, an attendee stood admiring the mosaic and shared how proud of herself she was. She had always wanted to create beautiful letters like this, but never thought that she could. It was reminiscent of something that Rick and Maria often say - after you discover that you can create beautiful art with the Zentangle Method, what else can you do that you once thought you could not?
In your journal this month, create an embedded letter (watch this tutorial!) and write down a few things that you "knew" you could not do but have tried anyway and succeeded! Or, perhaps, something you have not yet tried by will. Revisit this page at the end of the year to either add to or cross things off of your list.
Looking for more? Check out past journal projects!