Zentangle Madness! Do you Tangle?

Art trends are so interesting and along with the Adult Coloring Book Craze This Doodle idea has also become ridiculously popular but what do they all mean. It sort of sounds like a new language and it kinda is. 

What is Zentangle?

Zentangle is an official trademarked name for specific “Tangles” that the creators and official CZT’s (Certified Zentangle Teachers) have created. You will see the name of the CZT or Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas the couple who are the creators of this new art trend. I really am attracted to these very detailed and organized designs but the whole idea behind Zentangle is the “ZEN” part of it.. to be able to relax and create something quickly and inexpensively that turns into a piece of art.

What I don’t like about it is all the RULES that seem to follow this trendy hobby. You are almost mandated that you really aren’t doing REAL Zentangle until you take a class from a CZT. You have to use a micron pen from Sakura, and you MUST purchase the official Zentangle tiles. The Zentangle “Kit” is $49 and contains 34 3.5 x 3.5 tiles, 2 Sakura pens, 2 pencils and a sharpener, a DVD, and a card with several tiny patterns on it. You can buy just the official Zentangle tiles but those are .52 each plus shipping. That is pretty pricy since all you really need is a writing utensil and any blank piece of paper. Suggesting all these rules to be an official Zentangle rubs me the wrong way. There are several private groups on Facebook and many of them are delightful with lots of ideas and encouraging members to do their own thing and create, but others demand you only use official tangles on the 3.5 x 3.5 cards to be able to post there and no questions are to be asked or answered about the art. There is also a do not erase rule, an only black, and white rule and you can only use official Zentangle patterns.

Zentangle terminology is also very important to the strict CZT’s so you don’t call it doodling if you are using Zentangle Patterns, that’s Tangling.  If you are using anything other than the official tiles and black pen and shading with a pencil then what you are creating is called Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) Rules are not where I find MY Zen. My suggestion is to hit Youtube for FREE and learn from the wonderful and talented CZT’s and non-CZT’s that are sharing how to do tangles.

Favorite YouTube Zentangle Resources

Ellen Wolten’s videos are really great and easy to follow.
Here is Heartrope which I was having a hard time figuring out.

And there are a few on the Official Zentangle YouTube Channel here.
Maria teaches Betweed which is one of my very favorite tangle patterns.

Maria is an excellent instructor on these videos but there are only these 3 “OFFICIAL” ones.
Zentangle Mooka Video

AuraKnot Zentangle Video

The TanglePatterns.com page is a must-visit as it has over 500 tangles with links to the “Step-Outs” for each Zentangle. A Step Out includes the step-by-step method to create a complex-looking pattern. It’s comprehensive and very organized. Make sure you have an hour or two to browse. Linda Farmer, CZT has spent many hours linking up all this information.

Non-Official “Official” Zentangle Supplies

If you want to check out a few of the Zentangle tiles you can get this little starter pack sold by Sakura that has 5 tiles, 5 Microns, a Pencil.  I’ve seen this at Hobby Lobby for $19.99 so if you use your 40% off coupon that’s about the same price. CLICK HERE TO BUY

The Apprentice-sized Zentangle tiles which measure 4.5 x 4.5 on the Official site are $50 for 140 tiles on Amazon is less. Be warned though that these aren’t the exact same paper as the official 3.5 x 3.5 tiles AND they have writing on the back so if you like to tangle on both sides then you aren’t going to be able to. CLICK HERE TO BUY

You can also buy the Apprentice Kit for CZT’s to teach a class on Amazon for about half the price of the official website. Zentangle.com has it for $108.90 + shipping. Amazon has the same exact kit which includes: 1 instructional DVD, 26 Pigma pens, 26 pencils and 140 Zentangle tiles on Amazon. CLICK HERE TO BUY

Tools I have purchased and loved to be ZEN with my Zentangle Art 

Micron Pens from Sakura. I do LOVE these pens and have been using them since the 80’s when archival scrapbooking was first a “Thing”. They are relatively inexpensive with this 3 pack of Micron Pigma pens from Sakura.  CLICK HERE TO BUY

For Paper it’s perfectly fine to use any paper you have on hand. If you want to get a similar feel to the official paper then chose a watercolor paper. If you want to tangle on the 3.5 x 3.5 cards simply cut them yourself for a much more economical way to tangle on tiles. Personally, I decided to tangle in a mixed media journaling type of art paper book. They even come in tan or grey paper or even black paper where you use white or gel pens to tangle with (again this is a no-no to official Zentanglers but it’s really gorgeous! Check out my latest Zentangle Pinterest Board.

Your ways to color your Zentangles and Doodles is pretty much unlimited. The difference in price and quality will show up with whether or not the markers smear easily and how bright and vibrant the colors all. Again the Sakura Gelly Roll pens have been favorites for years and years.. not just since doodling and Zentangles arrived on the scene.

Gelly Roll Pens I Love

Sakura 6-Piece Gelly Roll Assorted Colors Stardust Meteor Pen Set This Gelly roll stardust meteor set is gorgeous! Colors included are: silver, marine, copper, pink, green and blue.
CLICK HERE TO BUY

Sakura 10-Piece Gelly Roll  Moonlight Gel Ink Pen Set – Fluorescent Moonlight colors are not fade-resistant, but no smears, feathers, or bleed-through on most papers. Best effects on black paper and can be used on white paper. I haven’t played with these very much since I tend to use white paper but they are on my next thing to try list.  CLICK HERE TO BUY

Sakura 10-Piece Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Ink Pen Set – LOVE love these pens It’s really hard for me to decide if I like the glitter pens (aka Stardust) or these metallic ones best. Metallic colors include silver, copper, blue, red, green, purple, pink, emerald, and 2 golds. 

Sakura Souffle 10-piece Gelly Roll Gel Ink Pen Set –Souffle dries lighter and pastel than when you first draw it on. The Souffle looks fabulous on darker papers or on top of darker inks or paint.  The set consists of-Yellow, Orange, Green, Pink, Purple, Light green, Light orange, Blue, Gray and White. Joanne Fink is a big fan of Sakura. Find her on Youtube for demos of all of the products. CLICK HERE TO BUY

If you already know you are going to want everything then you can splurge on this jumbo pack of Sakura Jelly Roll pens that have all the glitters, metallics, golds, silvers and moonlights as part of the pack. The problem with these packs are a large number of gold and silvers. I use those only for accents but this pack has a TON so you might be better off with just getting exactly what you want in the smaller packs. I DO really like that storage case though… looking to see if I can find one that is similar. CLICK HERE TO BUY

Koi Coloring Brush Markers – This is a 12 color set on Amazon.. not bad per marker price. These work just like watercolors so you can get really pretty and blended effects in your coloring and Zenspirations and Zentangle Inspired designs. CLICK HERE TO BUY

Koi Watercolors – I just bought this set so I haven’t gotten to play with it yet but I loved that it comes with a medium water brush. Just that brush costs $8 so I thought this was a great value and I can’t wait to play.

Sakura 24-Piece Koi Assorted Water Colors Field Sketch Set with Brush –  This Koi kit is a Portable field sketch kit for use on the go or at home and it includes a brush, sponge, built-in palette, 24 mini watercolor cakes, plastic case with a  refillable koi water brush to transport and store water.

Maybe it’s just because I grew up coloring my folders with these pens but I’m still a big fan of Flair pens. On Amazon check all the different packs for the best price that day, this seems to vary WIDELY. CLICK HERE TO BUY

Zentangle Paper

Where should you Tangle your Zen? The only place to get the official 3.5 x 3.5 Zentangle Cards is on the Zentangle.com website at .52 per card + shipping. ( I did just order some so I could say I truthfully if they are any better or worse than cutting your own at a fraction of the price)

I prefer working in an Art Journal so I can see my progress and refer to step-outs I’ve done of some of my favorite Tangles. This one is my favorite and I save it for when I really want to get my Zen on, I love the Strathmore Visual Journal. It is Spiral Bound 5.5 x 8 and it’s a Mixed Media Vellum paper. With this smaller size, I can tuck it into my bag, take along a couple of pens and be able to Doodle anywhere. 

My Favorite Zentangle Books (So Far)

I checked out every Zentangle book my library had available and also purchased a couple.

I really like Sandy Bartholomew’s books the best. They might not be the best first Zentangle book to buy but they are very entertaining and PACKED with images, techniques and tips. They are smaller than you might expect but every page is used to the fullest. The two I’ve purchased are

TOTALLY TANGLED Zentangle & Beyond – This book isn’t for the newest beginner. First I would visit lots of the Zentangle Video instructions I listed above for free, buy some pens and paper and play for a while. but Sandy’s books take you to a new place with LOADS of ideas to take your tangles off of those tiny cards and onto things like her bathroom floor and cute dolls. She’s a mixed media artist so for her the mixing of tangles and art and fun drawings is much more in line with my idea of ART and ZEN.

YOGA for your BRAIN also by Sandy Steen Bartholomew teaches even more tangles around 60 in this book with a handy reference guide in the back. She also does a wonderful job of teaching shading to the untrained artist. She even has a section on Rock Zen Doodling   CLICK HERE TO BUY

High on the list would be the “One Zentangle a Day: A 6 Week Course in Creative Drawing” by Beckah Krahula CLICK HERE TO BUY. Beckah gives you lots of background about Zentangle and art in general and then has step-outs for 2-4 tangles a day and then practice ideas after you learn the tangles of the day.

JOY OF ZENTANGLE – as a newbie to Zentangling I really enjoyed this book. There are a ton of tangles to learn with great step-outs for them. This book was the one that started to irritate me with all of the rules and talk about copyrights of the tangles etc. but I enjoyed the instruction and just ignored the ads that declared you HAD to buy the kit and take a class to REALLY Zentangle.. Ridiculous!

You can purchase several official small Zentangle kits on Amazon

ATC Zentangle Pack – ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards so this set has 1 Black Micron 01, 03, 05; 1 Black Graphite Pencil, 1 Tortillion and 5 3.5″ x 2.5″ White Tiles
The Rennaisance Zentangle Pack
The Mandala Zentangle Pack  ($19.99 on Zentangle.com) Sometimes called Zendala’s this is Zentangle done on a circular tile.
The Black Zentangle Set – This set contains: 2 each Gelly roll white; 1 each Pigma Micron 08 black; 1 each white pencil; 1 each tortillion; 5  black Zentangle 3.5″ tiles 

Official Definition of Zentangle – 

The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.

Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well-being. The Zentangle Method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests, and ages.

We believe that life is an art form and that our Zentangle Method is an elegant metaphor for deliberate artistry in life. Source Zentangle.com

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