The best tangle patterns are simple, simple, simple. And elegant. And I love this one.
The grid-based Ving is by Amy Broady of Knoxville, Tennessee, and it’s her first on the site.
Doing a bit of scouting around, I learned “Knoxville is the home of the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee, whose sports teams, are called the ‘Volunteers’ or ‘Vols’. … One of the oldest man-made structures in Knoxville is a burial mound constructed during the early Mississippian period (c. 1000 A.D.). The mound is located on the University of Tennessee campus.” Knoxville has a pretty fascinating history, check it out on Wikipedia.
On her blog, Amy writes, “I am a professional visual art educator (elementary specialist) and a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT). I am also Mom to two great kids who are currently in Middle School.”
Introducing Ving she says, “It’s a little like Munchin, but is not so random. And it’s a little like Sanibelle by Tricia Faraone, CZT, though Sanibelle is gloriously organic, and this tangle is more geometric…yet despite its geometric base, it conjures up seashell and plant structures.”
Amy illustrates the step-by-steps instructions for drawing Ving here on her blog. Amy also shows several variations on the Ving theme, and “few little Ving-balls and Ving-tiles” she played with. For my example, I used the “straight up” version and added some shading. But all of Amy’s variations look like fun. Enjoy!
Check out the tag amyb for more of Amy’s patterns on TanglePatterns.com.
A word about rulers
Ving is one of many tangles based on a grid and of course in Zentangle everything is hand-drawn, as is this one.
The reason I’m making what might seem an obvious statement is that lately I’m noticing quite a few Zentangles – and even tangle instructions – around the net where a ruler (or some type of straight edge or mechanical device) has been used to draw the underlying grid. Or even (egad!) to draw straight lines making up the pattern within a Zentangle.
Zentangle is all about you and your pen
So put away the rulers and experience the Zen.
Linda, thank you so much for the mention of rulers and why it is not appropriate or necessary to use one. Being a left-brained, Type A, perfectionist in personality, I struggle with allowing myself to create art that isn’t “perfect.” The allowance of flow and ease that comes naturally through the art of Zentangle and the expectation that only my creativity, paper and pen are required has been so healing to my previously constrained and self-critized artist. SHE loves Zentangle and rejoices daily in the freedom of just allowing the lines to form on the page, simply, organically, and beautifully. Thank you!
Linda, I had my husband hide my ruler lolol. I was getting so pedantic about my grids and lines. It was very funny. You should have heard me sputtering last night doing Avreal without my oh so perfect diamonds lol. But it’s all good. Anyway thanks for the encouragement and the cool tangles. i look forward to the emails.
Rosie
Thanks, ladies. IMHO, I think ruled lines remove the personality that makes a drawing interesting and special.
I love simple, but elegant things, especially tangles. I’m not that good yet and so simple and elegant works for me.
Hi Linda, Great to see the comment on using rulers. For those who cannot draw lines without I would suggest that they make a small dot to start, then a small dot where they want to finish the line and drag the hand down with the pencil to finish the line and not just let the pencil do the work. I look forward to your posts, and admire your hard work putting it all together and the time it must take to give so many tanglers so much pleasure. Cheers and thank you Peggie Australia