DRAW MY TANGLES
Learn to draw my tangles (a.k.a. tangles by Zen Linea). Check my versions and see the step by step deconstructions. What is a tangle, you might ask – read on and learn.
There is a specific vocabulary that we use when we speak “Zentangle”. And yes, I also consider Zentangle a language. 🙂 Zentangle is a method but speaking Zentangle means so much more to me. It’s getting to know the method, but also understanding each other without speaking. Being connected with the invisible strings that bind the community is speaking Zentangle. Taking a class with a teacher whose language you don’t know, but still being able to follow and enjoy, that is what understanding Zentangle means.
But when I talk about the vocabulary, it’s best to check Zentangle’s glossary. Tangle is a pattern deconstructed in a way that allows others to recreate it easily. Tangles are deconstructed in up to 6 steps so really complex patterns (such as Celtic knots) are not considered to be tangles.
Zentangle Inc. came up with more than 150 tangles but there are countless tangles deconstructed by CZTs and other tanglers. Some of them are obviously very similar but I liked an argument by another CZT, saying that it’s better to come up with a new tangle than to describe it as such-and-such tangleation of this or that tangle.
So, finally take a look at tangles by Zen Linea:
YORK
I was fortunate to attend Brenda Shaver’s Spring Fling retreat in Elora. We visited Toronto and I noticed a wonderful ornament in an old bank building, and I decided to deconstruct it. If you repeat this fragment in a reticulum and keep mirroring it, you will get a beautiful meta-pattern, that you can see in the photo below.
Toronto was called York back in the day, so I chose that name to represent this fragment.
IXI
This ribbon tangle was inspired by a grid tangle Trezandis from a fellow CZT, Patricia Aragon. It has some similar features, but enough differences that I thought it might make a separate tangle. Looking quite complex, but with an accessible de-construction, it might inspire you to create something new.
I will soon post a video of the drawing process on my YouTube channel.
GILBERT
I discovered this tangle while I was browsing through images of church windows for my regular monthly class. It is inspired by a pattern from a window on Gilbert Temple, Arizona. I loved the blend of curvy and geometric shapes, so I decided to prepare a de-construction and share it with you. I hope that you’ll like it as much as I do.
You can see the video of me drawing it on my YouTube channel.
SVASHTA
The first time I drew this tangle was to fill in ribbon-shaped space below a Christmas tree, and the second time it transformed into a Christmas tree itself. It’s a chameleon of a tangle, and an easy one to draw!
Svashta is a Croatian word for “everything”, although the spelling is a bit different. I thought that it suits the tangle that can take almost any shape. 🙂
STARUKAS
This is actually just a new version of our old friend Arukas, which is a tangle by Zentangle Inc. It starts off with a star-shape, instead of a circle. Because of its core structure, many people even find it easier to draw than the original Arukas. You can check out my Instagram video to see how easily I draw it.
The name of tHis Arukas version is self explanatory, I believe. 😀
POKESCU
I have a strong passion for botanical and floral shapes, so I was happy to come up with a deconstruction of such a tangle. It emerged from an exploration of Poke Leaf, but I thought that it was different enough to qualify for being a tangle of its own.
Pokescu is a combination of Fescu stems and a top part with a shape similar to Poke Leaf. I would like to thank my colleague Aida for suggesting the name.
CHOO
An intricate looking, braided design, is actually quite easy to draw in just several steps. As many times, looks can be deceiving. Start with seed shapes, connect them, draw some lines around them, embellish and voila! Finished! A family member of some other tangles, such as Heartrope by Bunny Wright, Kringel by Sandy Steen Bartholomew and Divi by Jem Miller.
The name is short of Pikachu, which is what I sometimes call my daughter. 🙂
OSAM
Osam is a really simple tangle that looks like a number eight or maybe an infinity symbol. It also looks like one of the spokes of Zentangle’s Ratoon tangle. It is constructed of intertwined S and reverse S shapes and their aura lines. What can make it look really interesting is the way it’s shaded and highlighted so that it appears to have more volume.
Osam is a Croatian word for the number eight.
LIST
List is a tangle that looks like a cousin of Hanny Nura’s Icantoo, the main difference being the lack of inner central stem. It also has something of an appearance of Annie Taylor’s Gigi tangle, especially when it’s drawn a certain way. Easy and nice to draw, shade and highlight. Looks lovely when placed next to a twin brother (or maybe a sister).
List is a Croatian word for a leaf.
KOS
Another really simple tangle, Kos was inspired by a motif from the Alhambra fortress in Granada (Andalusia, Spain). It is a floral motif but it personally reminds me of a bird. Shades and highlights play a crucial role again, but you can also play with leaving the inner part empty or maybe filled with orbs, or using the shape to fill it with other tangles.
Kos is a Croatian word for the blackbird.
KHALA
Khala is my first tangle and the most complex one. It starts with a central orb with an even number of small orbs around it. We add lines that expend from those orbs in a way that they form points. It you start with 6 small orbs, you will have three points. To draw a four-point Khala, start with 8 small orbs etc.
Khala is the name of our wonderful fur baby, a German Spitz dog.
March, 2021
Written by Anica Gabrovec CZT
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