Valentines Day Tangle

Tangles, I find, are very similar to quilting motifs, the difference being that quilting motifs are not filled in the way tangles are. I "borrowed" this quilting motif & turned it into a tangle. Since it contained hearts I thought it's be perfect for Valentines Day.

Snow is today's tangle

Its snowing like this at my house now. Snowflakes as big as quarters now. It snowed like this 32 years ago, the day my son was born. Guess what today is? His birthday. Talk about deja Vu.

New idea for Using Zentangles

I found this online & thought it was cool. http://creatingthehive.com/blog-post/71679/zentangle-for-a-zaturday. I'd never thought about doing zentangles this way till i saw it.

Etsy

Items from my Etsy shop.

New Items on Etsy

Just put up 3 new items on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/wilowind, none are tangle related, however, that may come later. Have a look.

Update on Embroidered Zentangle

I successfully digitized the zentangle, however, it was going to take over 3 hours to stitch it out. On top of that, the thread kept bunching up under the machines throat plate & making a thread nest. I stopped the machine & pulled out the project. So much for experiments. Back up & try something else. I think the long stitch time was because the stitching would be so dense, but I think I'll shelve the project all together. I tried.

New Tangle

This is the tangle of the day. I scanned it into the computer, digitized it & have plans to embroider it on the big Bernina. Its amazing what one can do with tangles.
BTW, my new computer had now cost me a new printer as well as newer software. the old one would not function completely with the new system. After 2 hours setting it up, the new printer works fine.
I'm also waiting on the latest snow storm, scheduled to hit later this morning. I have to get to the store for a few things before it gets here. Once it starts, I won't get out unless its an emergency. After all it "is" January & snow storms are prevalent this time of year. Stay tuned . . .

New Zentangle quilt

I've begun a quilt from a zentangle I drew. The original post is on my other blog at http://stichesandstrokes.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-project-begun.html. Have a look. I'll post progress reports on this.

New Tangle Art

This is the newest tangle art. I call it tangle art because its bigger than an average zentangle, which is only 3 1/2 inches square. This one is 8" about. Again, it was done with a Sharpie ultra fine point pen on an 8" square sketchbook page. Since zentangles are not supposed to have any erased spots, I decided I'd skip the pencil underlay & go directly with a pen, that way it couldn't be erased.
The yahoo group is doing well & catching on. I've been doing zentangles, working on the group & quilting. If it ever quits snowing & the roads clear up enough to get out, I'll get to the copy shop to have some of these enlarged enough to make quilts from them. Stay tuned for more.

Today' Tangles

Here are the day's tangles, actually they've been done over a few weeks.These are the materials I most use to "tangle, a small sketchbook, a micron pen & a mechanical pencil. Most begin with pencil & are finished in pen. This one is in color.

This is a simple closeup of a b&w tangle.

Another tangle, began in pencil, finished in sharpie fine point marker.

These are done in both black & white & have color added.
BTW, there has been a very good response to the new yahoo group. I'm pleased.

Today's Zentangle

This is the zentangle of the day. I began the project before Christmas, but just finished it. The house is cardstock cut from a Cricut cartridge, twice, the zentangle was done in Sharpie Ultra Fine point pen. Once finished the piece is simply taped together.

This picture shows that the project is really a 3-D house.

This photo shows some of the detail. A few of the patterns come from Tanglepatterns.com, a website that teaches about the zentangle.
Since this blog is called "the daily zentangle" it implies that one will be done & displayed each day. I hope to do so, but I may take a day off now & then, so don't hold me to it. Most of my daily zentangles are drawn in a small sketchbook, used for only zentangles. That way I can keep them all together. I begin with a mechanical pencil, then go over the image with a pen, either a Micron 01 fine point or a sharpie, depending on the amount of detail I need. Some contain color, most are black & white. I've done a few with colored pens but they don't have the impact of the black & white images. Stay tuned, there will be more . . . tomorrow.

Info From Other Sources

When ever I post information from sources other than my own, I usually try to give credit to the source from where it came. Occasionally I forget to do this, so my apologies to those whom I forget to mention. let me know who you are & I will immediately correct the error & give proper credit. Also as most of you who read my blogs know I'm not the greatest typist in the world & do make spelling errors from time to time. I try to correct as many as I can, so, please over look the spelling errors on my posts, here, other blogs & on the group. I'm only human & doing the best I can.

New Yahoo Group formed

I have just started a Yahoo group for this blog so those of you who wish to can communicate, share info about the Zentangle and such, techniques, other places to learn about this fascinating art form. The group is also a place to write about the study I'm doing on personality & zentangles. The address for the group is http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/thedailytangle. Feel free to join & take part in the group.

Zentangle Study Idea

Somewhere in my study of zentangles was mentioned the use of the zentangle for psychological purposes. This peaked my interest and I decided to study this area further. I tried to start a Yahoo group to make response easy, but my computer keeps giving me errors, so the group didn't happen. I think the study of using a zentangle as a psychological tool is fascinating. What sorts of personalities draw particular tangles? What does the particular tangle a person draws say about them? Can one draw a zentangle to express a feeling, current, or something more deep down? Can zentangles be used similar to the way ink blots are used, to interpret personality traits? That is what I'd like to study. Since the Yahoo group thing didn't work out, if you'd be interested in taking part in this study somehow, let me know. Just leave a comment with an email address to contact you. Any contact info will be confidential. I think this will be a fascinating look into human psychology. There is no pay, all participants are voluntary,& this study is purely informal & will not be used for any medical research purposes- at all. Leave a comment if you'd like to participate.

What is a Zentangle?

Zentangles are miniature pieces of black and white art that are not only exquisitely beautiful, they are fun and relaxing to create.

The process of creating a Zentangle® is a form of “artistic meditation”, as you become completely engrossed in making each pattern, focusing on “one stroke at a time”®. The creativity options and pattern combinations are boundless. And anyone can do it!

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc.This info is from Linda Farmer
http://tanglepatterns.com/zentangles website.


Examples will follow later.

Welcome to the Tangle

Since this is the first day of a new year, I thought it may be appropriate to begin a new blog. The tangle includes the art of the Zentangle (more about that later) and the tangles that life presents. Perhaps you've visited my sister blog "stitchesandstrokes/blogspot.com ", maybe not. If so, you will have some idea of what this author is about. If not, I invite you to check it out. The photo shown at the top of the page is a Zentangle, this one is a round, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Remember all those times when you were bored, had a pen & paper & just doodled to pass time. You blocked out everything else around & just drew whatever came to mind. That is Zentangle. You just doodle, it puts you in a "zen" mood since you block out the world around you for a time. Over time, this blog will have links & such that will further your understanding of just what a Zentangle is.
As I also mentioned, this blog is about all the tangles that life hands us & how we attempt to get out of them. So expect stories, snippets, and such about what's going on in my life at any moment. Remember, those writings are only opinions & everyone has one, so let me state that it is not my intention to upset the reader in any way. Please keep in mind its only an opinion, nothing more.
With the later in mind, welcome to the tangle & stay tuned to see what happens. . .