Link to tangle pattern "Half Onions" and "

SkinnyStrayCat has posted instructions the patterns "Half Onions" and "Palmers".

Link to tangle pattern Dots

Suzanne McNeil has posted instructions to her latest pattern, "Dots"

Link to tangle pattern Betweed

If you haven't already seen it, the latest Zentangle newsletter is out, with instructions to a beautiful tangle, "Betweed".  There's even a link to a video that shows Maria drawing the tangle.  This is a not-to-be missed viedeo for zentangle enthusiasts!

Link to new patterns at Freehand Doodle Patterns

New member Wolfeyes62 has posted 9 new patterns, and SkinnyStrayCat has posted another.  Because of time constraints I'm going to just list the link to Freehand Doodle patterns--I'll try to come back and list them seperately when I'm able to work from home.

The pattern from SkinnyStrayCat is DraWave.

Wolfeyes62 has posted Shell-Wac, MI-Clouds-Wac, Stars'n'Stripes-Wac,Stand of trees-Wac, S-Hook Stringer-Wac, Iron Diamond-Wac, Bloody-Wac, Spider-Stringer-Wac, and Vampbite-Wac.

Such a bounty of goods!

Link to tangle pattern 'Portholes'

Suzanne McNeil has posted instructions to her pattern "Portholes".

Link to tangle pattern 'Lotsadots'

Not to be confused with my pattern 'Lotzadotz', lol!

Carole Ohl has posted the instructions to her beautiful pattern "Lotsadots".

My PC has been invaded.

I'm sorry to say that malicious spyware has invaded my PC and until I get it cleaned up, I won't be posting.  That will probably be sometime this weekend.  I hope.

Link to tangle pattern "U,N.Owen"

Simply Mackey's Girl has posted instructions to her pattern 'U.N.Owen' at Freehand Doodle patterns.

Link to tanglepattern "Gallér"

Ildi has posted the instructions to her pattern "Gallér".

Link to tangle M.E.Bah

You know, this was posted at Freehand Doodle Patterns on August 30, and I believe I forgot to post the link here.  I'm sorry about that.

Check out  PrplFrogPrincess' M.E. Bah.

Link to tangle patterns 'Twistee' and 'Frillee'

SkinnyStrayCat has posted instructions to two of her patterns, 'Twistee' and 'Frillee'.  Enjoy!

My tangle pattern: Galatea

This is an easy pattern.  But it does bite.  There's a lot of depth here--some columns seem closer than others.  But when you start adding highlites, the depth may reverse on you.  You'll exclaim "Oh, Poodle!" but it's an illusion.  You didn't get it wrong.  Stop.  Then continue.  If you do get off count, don't worry.  When you fold cloth, the patterns don't always line up.  Your Galatea will seem more real for not matching perfectly.

I am in a mood today.  So....is my example a Zentangle or not?  There's sort of an ongoing question among ZT'ers.  At what point does a zentangle cease to be a zentangle and become something else?  

I drew strings with a micron, and then drew Fescu. Then Galatea. Then Bubbles & Quatiny variations.  I had a vague idea of turning my Bubbles into Nipa.  Color suddenly seemed desirable for the bubbles, so I grabbed some tombows and ended up coloring the page.  Little thought here--I know how my colors work together.  You follow steps just like you would with a pattern. Blue, then pink, then shades of yellow, ending up with the lightest last.  Then a darker blue in corners to make things pop.

So then sparkle took my fancy, and I grabbed up the gellyroll white and metallic gold.  I started drawing the tangle Eke, and doing asterisks and stippling, then smearing it all.  I even did some Cubine in the upper right corner and smeared it.

During this process of dotting and spotting and smearing, there was a big bang in my head (some people call this an idea, but to me it's a lot more exciting than that, lol!) 

I liked the way the color and texture were building up, and they seemed more interesting than the linework.  The color and texture had to dominate.  So I continued with my white and gold, going over most of the micron lines, sometimes dotting, sometimes covering, until the line mostly became pattern.

So there was impulse here, and decision.  I mostly laid down color or pattern, and my finger smeared it into shading and texture.  Other than thinking that I would use certain patterns, follow certain steps for adding color, and deciding to turn most of the lines into pattern--I don't feel I thought that much (but maybe that was too much).  After I finished, I was totally relaxed and refreshed.  I had absolutely no idea what my husband had been watching on the TV, and was surprised to find I had taken about an hour to do this.

So what do you think?  Whether it is a zentangle or isn't doesn't really matter in the end.  It's the exploration of the question that proves of interest.

Link to tangle patterns 'Tile Roof top', 'Drained' and 'Tore up'

Cookie's Crafts has posted the instructions to three awesome patterns.

Tile Roof Top

Drained

Tore Up

Had to share a sunset

I get asked a lot about the way I use color and textures.

I have the good fortune to live on a small lake.  It's man-made, more or less.  It was wetlands, and then farmland full of berry bushes.   Left on it's own, it was this huge puddle called Mud lake.  Nowadays, they use it for drain off and call it Fairview lake.  However,  it's about 2 blocks away from the Columbia River, and as a result, we get these spectacular sunsets.

That wasn't a digression.  When I was doing ATCs, I painted a lot of sunsets.  What better teacher can there be than the natural palette from earth, sky and water?

Sometimes I think I'm the most fortunate person in the world.

My tangle pattern: Japonica

I've had this pattern for months, and for some reason, just never got around to posting it.  It is a bit similar to my pattern Inersis (http://lifeimitatesdoodles.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-tangle-patterns-inersis.html) but it's created in a totally (and eaiser) fashion.  It reminds me of a stack of turbans!, but it's great for borders or strings or you can group it together to get a floral look.





Link to tangle pattern Cubine

Suzanne McNeil has posted instructions to the official tangle Cubine.

I've been told that some people are having trouble with the link.  It's http://blog.suzannemcneill.com/2010/08/17/sep-16.aspx

My tangle pattern: Vorago

When you look at Vorago, it should seem familiar, if you've played with my interlace patterns.  It's sort of the scaffolding of a basic design for building that kind of pattern.  As you can see from the variations and my example, you can build on it in many ways.  Leave it sparse--show off the bare bones--or slap on some eye-bending stripes or hatching.  Use a grid and match them up.  Draw one very large Vorago, and use it as a string.

You've got two ways to approach this. 

You can create a very elegant, and brilliant interlace intersection with precise lines.  I recommend a ruler and a solid flat surface.  Going for elegance helps you learn to master your lines and make them do what you want.

Or think in interesting ways.  I'm not saying this is better. It is both easier and harder.

Precision is an element of interest, in and of itself.  But if you forgo precision, you must replace it with other elements of interest.  Dramatic shading, that can both enhance and hide unintended curves or unmatched lines.  If you don't want to attempt pristine straight lines, plan on curves or wiggles.  If your lines don't match, fill in with rough hatching to indicate an uneven surface, or breakage.  Surprise yourself, and take note of what worked for you and what didn't.  Going for surprise helps you draw on creativity you might not use otherwise.

The main thing is to decide which way you want to go, and use the tools you need to achieve it.

Win-win, either way.

My tangle pattern: Notanmandala

So--this alien decides to invade Earth and study the design principle of Notan.  He zorphs his shape (that's what these aliens do--they zorph) into this funky meteorite shape. 

But once he lands, he catches a few 'sodes of the Twilight Zone, and realizes he'll be broken into itty-bitty pieces and examined on the lab table if he stays a meteorite. 

It's too soon, and his zorph power hasn't fully revved up, so he's gotta change into something pretty similar.  He brasers (that's reading using his natural brain laser capabilities) the Britannica encyclopedia and decides a Puffer fish is his best bet.  Only, he didn't read too closely and kinda missed that a cadillac sized Puffer fish rolling down the highway is kinda like..well...kinda like a really huge fish out of water.

Nasa, the CIA, the FBI and homeland security are all on his tail and in desperation he uses the last of his Zorph.  All he can manage is a mandala, and not a very shapely one at that. 

Unfortunately, the mandala shape has all sorts of mystical power, but zorphing isn't one of them.  Occasionally he tries, and ends up a square, and his petal 'extenders' (spaceship fins, really) turn into circles or squares.  But mostly he's a kinda squashy mandala.

So, this is Not-an-mandala, and yet it is.  This is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Link to tangle pattern 'Coaster'

Carole Ohl has posted instructions to yet another fantastic pattern.  You can find Coaster here.

The tangle patterns shown in Suzanne McNeil's Masterclass video

Several of the CZT's shared steps to their patterns in Suzanne McNeil's Masterclass videos.  Not all of them were named but I've reached out and asked for names so they can be added to my Tangle list.

The tangles shared and the artists:

Catkin - Mimi Lempart
Fuzzy Wuzzy - Patty Euler
L - Linda Cobb (thank you Linda for sending me the name)
BJean - Barbara Jean Rogers

These CZTs shared unnamed patterns, which I'll add to my list as I get names for them.

Linda Halvorsen
Tricia Faraone
Howard Weitsen
Marion Weitsen
Jeannine Bellarosa

Haven't seen the videos yet? 
Part A
Part B

My tangle pattern: Zwitterion

I'm using one of the basic design building blocks for this tangle, hence all the variations. Because the variations are endless.

Now go forth and variate!

Spotlight on the tangle 'Floo'

Revbyrd left a comment on one of my patterns asking for a simple example of the tangle pattern 'Floo'.  She explained that she and a friend both had far different ideas of what 'Floo' is.

My suspicion is that both she and her friend are both correct in their vision.  Floo is one of the simplest, yet most flexible of tangles.  It's one of the 20 patterns that you get in the Zentangle kit, and as far as I know, no one has posted the steps online. 

At its most basic Floo is a series of curved lines ending in a dot, then surrounded by an 'aura'.  Intersections and open space are often darkened, either solid or with lines.  That doesn't sound fancy, but it is capable of becoming one of the most intricate and elegant of tangles.  In case, you haven't realized, I really, really like Floo!

I'm incapable of doing anything 'simple', but hopefully this example will help.  As you can see, there is a lot of room for variation.  A couple more of my zens that use Floo extensively are Mordred  and Rubber Ducky.

Link to pattern 'Hekzee'

Carole Ohl has posted instructions to her pattern Hekzee.

Link to tangle pattern 'Stonework'

Suzanne McNeil has posted instruction to 'Stonework' at her blog, as well as a link to videos from the recent MasterClass. 

Wah!  I want to go watch the videos and I'm not suer when I'll get the chance.  Wahtever happened to instant gratification, lol?

My tangle pattern: Loxodrome

Link to tangles: Wacho and Nappy.

I think I forgot to link to Cookie Craft's 'Nappy', which was posted a couple of days ago, and SkinnyStrayCat has posted 'Wacho' today.

Yahoo!

My tangle pattern: Jargoon

Certainly not an original idea, but I chose to draw it up for two reasons. It shows the power of repetition, and it's a good exercise for drawing circles (lol!).

Note in step two how I add the circles. They're harder to control, both in shape and size, so do them first. Those little diamond/cross things can easily be squeezed in, after.

My tangle pattern: Qadroon

Gadroon: Embossed decoration or fluting on silverware.

I was playing around with one of the classic patterns (see cutout) and came up with this twist. ...and it twists 'round and 'round!

Just for grins, I also wanted to discuss the reason I use so many different layouts for my patterns.  There are pros and cons, and I know the constant change can be offputting for some people.  The pros for a 'style' start with precision.  It is also easier for me to draw the steps, and for people to follow them, because we 'learn' what is repeated often enough.  Some people just don't like chaos, and order is very important to them.

But there's more than one reason that I switch around.  Partly, I'm a 'grass is greener' sort of person, and I'm always convinced that there's a better way to layout a pattern, so it will be more beautiful, and easier to follow. That's my impulse reason.

Partly, I grab what is closest--if I've printed out a bunch of one layout, I'll use it when I happen to find a sheet. That's my lowbrow reason.

But lastly, more and more, I'm looking for ways to avoid artificial obstacles when I create.  While it's true that you 'learn' a style, making it easier to me to draw and you to follow, I think it also limits creativity.  I know that I find myself trying to 'fit' a pattern to a layout.  Gadroon's a good example.  I tried drawing the steps in one of my usual layouts, but couldn't really get the 'twisty' feel.  It needs length to really show that.  So I just grabbed one my squared notebooks, and drew the steps.  That's my highbrow reason.

And to get really philosophical... I've been following an exercise program, and my coach keeps telling us that if there is a choice between easier and harder, harder is always the way to go for more growth of muscle mass.  I think possibly it is the same way with creativity.  As long as it isn't so difficult that you are overwhelmed, making you work harder might build up your creative muscles. 

Okay.  'Nuff with the psychobabble.  Go try out the tangle and have fun!

Link to tangle pattern Hopscotch

Suzanne McNeil has posted instructions to her pattern 'Hopscotch', as well as some pictures from the zentangle Master Class that took place earlier this month.

My tangle pattern: Galanty

I almost called this one 'Shadow', but then I found this word 'Galanty', which is a kind of Shadow play. What better name, because you should play around with these shadows. Any shape works. Try the shadows on top,on the bottom. Elongate them. Add a little space between shape and shadow. Then decide where the light is coming from, and place the highlight to show it. And remember to have fun! If no such shadowing exists in nature--why you've just created a whole new shadow play!

I