How to draw RIXTY

Unique, fun and incredibly versatile, Rixty is the latest new Zentangle®-original tangle introduced to the tangling world by the founders of Zentangle®.

Maria created Rixty in honor of a very special occasion for Rick last month and the CZTs have been playing with it and teaching it for the last few weeks. Now it’s everyone’s turn!

“As we all patiently (well, maybe some of us) await the promise of spring and all the wonders it brings, we want to share with all of you the gift I gave him for his 60th birthday that we recently celebrated. … Creating this new tangle was more difficult than usual. As most of you know, Rick sort of gravitates towards straight line tangles and I, on the other hand, am a bit on the curvy side . . . But I put all my preferences aside and presented him with rixty. Our daughter Martha came up with the name rixty. Pretty cool, I think.“

Rick writes,

“This tangle is initially taught with a triangle base. However, rixty is one of those tangles which is a system (like tripoli or bales) that can be done with many different forms . . . once you understand the step-out. … Our objective in creating any tangle is to use just a few elemental strokes in an easily repeatable pattern.“

Maria illustrates the steps for drawing the basic Rixty here, and offers a bunch of ways to play with the new tangle: Whirling, Diverging, Spoking (my example above), Line Dancing (on right), Helixin, Trixty, Tethered, Renegade, Mooking, Cremini, and Chainging Rixties. Whew … tons of fun! Some of these variations you’ll need to learn from your local CZT, so “Contact a CZT in your area to explore more of rixty’s potential.”

.oOo.

UPDATE September 2018 – In this Kitchen Table Tangles video, Rick and Maria demonstrate how to tangle Rixty.

.oOo.

UPDATE December 14, 2018 – Project Pack #04. As part of the Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2018 Edition series, in this Day 12 video starting at 14:21 Martha and Molly demonstrate how to tangle Rixty.

Day 12‘s video includes Tipple, Zinger, Vega, Verdigogh, and Rixty.

.oOo.

UPDATE April 17, 2020 – Project Pack #09. As part of the Spring has Sprung project pack, Maria joins her daughter Molly for the second preparation video. In this video, Maria demonstrates how to tangle Pokeleaf at 4:15, Pokeroot at 7:53, Rixty at 10:04, two versions of Flux at 14:30, Sampson at 19:19, Springkle at 22:36, and Verdigogh at 25:51.

.oOo.

UPDATE December 10, 2022 – Project Pack #19. As part of the Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2022 Edition project pack, Molly tangles Rixty beginning at 16:48 in this video:

.oOo.

UPDATE May 18, 2024 – As part of Zentangle’s 21-Day project honoring Mental Health Awareness Month this year, on Day 9 Maria tangles Rixty in this video.

.oOo.

Check out the tag zentangle for more Zentangle®-original tangles on TanglePatterns.com.

For a complete list of Zentangle’s Project Packs click the PROJECT PACKS link in the pink alphabetic tangle menu bar.

Related Links

1. Looking for tangles by Artist or Type? For details visit the ABOUT > HOW TO FIND TANGLES BY ARTIST OR TYPE page on the top menu bar of any page on the site.
2. What is a Zentangle? — if you are new to the Zentangle Method, start here for the fundamentals.
3. Zentangle terminology — a glossary of terms used in this art form.
4. How to use the site — an excellent free video tutorial showing how to use the site as well as pointing out lots of useful features you might have missed.
5. Linda's List of Zentangle-Original Patterns — here is the complete list of original tangles (aka "official tangles") created and introduced by founders Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, including those not published online. If you are new to the Zentangle Method I highly recommend learning a few of the published Zentangle classics first.
6. "A Zentangle has no up or down and is not a picture of something, so you have no worries about whether you can draw a hand, or a duck. You always succeed in creating a Zentangle." Thus patterns that are drawings of a recognizable naturalistic or actual object, figure, or scene, are not tangles. A pattern is not always a tangle — here's what makes a tangle. TIP: tangles never start with pencil planning.
   • Un motif n’est pas toujours un tangle — Qu’est-ce qu’un tangle ?
   • Un diseño no es siempre un tangle — ¿Qué es un tangle?
7. How to submit your pattern deconstruction to TanglePatterns
8. For lots of great FREE tutorials on TanglePatterns, click on the TUTORIALS link in the pink alphabetic menu bar below the tangle images at the top of any page.
9. Strings! Have we got STRINGS! Click on the STRINGS link in the pink alphabetic menu bar below the tangle images at the top of any page for 250 different (free) Zentangle-starters. More than enough for any lifetime!
10. Never miss a tangle! FREE eMAIL NEWSLETTER - visit the SUBSCRIBE page on the top menu bar of any page on the site and sign up to get notices delivered free to your inbox.
11. If you have questions about the TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab on the top menu bar of any page on the site for COMPLETE details!

.oOo.
Enhance your Zentangle experience while supporting TanglePatterns:
CURRENT EDITION! TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2024 Edition
	The 13th Edition of the TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE is an instant-download 109-page interactive digital eBook/PDF containing approximately 2,000 tangles on the site from May 2010 through December 31, 2023. It's a great resource and a must-have digital tool for using the site. Visit the STORE > E-BOOKS page and help keep TanglePatterns.com going by getting your copy now!
	"Linda, Thank you! I was relying on too few and getting stuck after 3 years of daily working with Zentangle. This has inspired me to ‘begin again’ with renewed excitement." ~ Barbara R.
See the BOOK REVIEWS page for more details on its features and view a sample page. Note: this is a digital product you download immediately when you place your order, nothing will be physically mailed to you.
GIFT ORDERS FOR ANOTHER PERSON: To give the TANGLE GUIDE as a gift, visit this page to place your gift order.
If you're new to Zentangle® and tangling, my TanglePatterns.com BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ZENTANGLE is just what you need to get started. Also available en Français and en Español.
	This is the only Zentangle book you'll ever need: the fabulous Zentangle PRIMER Vol 1. It's your CZT-in-a-book by the founders of Zentangle®. Visit the STORE tab on the top menu bar or click on the image. For more about the content and to read the rave reviews, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab.
NEW! Now available in KINDLE format for $9.99. Spanish Edition here. Japanese Edition here.
"Absolutely the best Zentangle Book yet! As an accomplished artist I used to think I did not need instruction on this art form. How wrong I was! My tangling improved by leaps and bounds after reading this book. If you think you have Zentangle down then you need this book more than ever!" ~ Kris H
.oOo.