Tangle Refresher 119 – Featuring suggestions for Beginners on some tangles to get started …

The new year always brings many new people to Zentangle® and then come the emails asking “which tangles should I start with?”. Which ones are good for Beginners?

While it’s true there’s a mind-boggling array of great tangles on the site, as Rick and Maria say “Anything is possible … one stroke at a time.™” This applies to drawing tangles and the mindful practice of deliberate stroke-making.

My personal advice to beginners is to start with what are sometimes referred to as “the official tangles” — the official tangles are the Zentangle-originals (from Zentangle HQ) that are listed and linked on the top menu bar under ZENTANGLES > LINDA’S LIST OF OFFICIAL TANGLES.

You could create Zentangles for the next year with just a few of the Zentangle-originals with instructions available from that list and never get bored playing with them and variations you come up with yourself.

And from that list, here are few that are perfect to get everyone tangling:

1. Crescent Moon – with this tangle we learn the technique of the aura and it’s the classic starter tangle
2. Hollibaugh – with this tangle we learn the technique of drawing behind
3. Bales – a basic grid tangle that is almost infinitely variable and it’s a core official tangle
4. Printemps – a fun tangle that’s full of swirls
5. Cadent – a little more challenging than the first four, but another classic tangle that’s infinitely variable as you’ll see in CZT Margaret Bremner’s excellent tutorial
6. Ahh – so simple and can add a bit of lightness and movement to a tile

To my CZT colleagues: you are welcome to chip in with your favorite tangles for beginners in the comments!

Another little tip … for best results try to use up to 3 or 4 tangles at most in a tile, more than that and your Zentangle will probably look very busy. Monotangles are also very popular, this is where you use one tangle (with or without variations) for a Zentangle. For explanations of these unfamiliar terms, see the ZENTANGLES > ZENTANGLE TERMINOLOGY page.

My TanglePatterns BEGINNER’S GUIDE to Zentangle also contains a longer list of tangles that are good for beginners but these few are a great start.

Just jump in and draw! Zentangle tiles are designed to be small and manageable so you’re not overwhelmed. And as you do more and more of them you’ll be delighted to see your art improve with each one.

Want proof? These are my own examples of Printemps. The one on the left is the one I first posted for Printemps when I started TanglePatterns almost six years ago as a complete novice at drawing. The example on the right is one I drew to replace my original after a couple of years of drawing of any kind. Practice improves your fine motor skills and thus your pen control.

Keep all of your tiles! Sign and date the back. In a few weeks you can look back at your first tiles and see just how far you’ve come.

And once you get going, remember to have a go at more of the Zentangle-originals on LINDA’S LIST.

I leave you with a quote from the article “Brené Brown on the Physics of Vulnerability and What Resilient People Have in Common” on brainpickings.org,

Creativity embeds knowledge so that it can become practice. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands. We are born makers, and creativity is the ultimate act of integration — it is how we fold our experiences into our being… The Asaro tribe of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea has a beautiful saying: ‘Knowledge is only a rumor until it lives in the muscle.’

* * *

The Tangle Refresher series, aka Buried Treasure, comes to you every two weeks and it spotlights hidden tangle gems from the past. It can remind you of tangles you might not have used for a while or introduce you to some you haven’t come across yet.

Here are five more tangle pattern gems and a Tangle Refresher from a year (or two) ago for your tangling pleasure. Remember to check out the “More Good Stuff” links below too. Zenful tangling!

BTW as you visit these tangles it would be great if you’d take a moment to leave a comment of thanks and encouragement for the tangler who’s shared with us, and please share the tangles with your followers on all your favorite social media. Thanks!

Buried Treasure from a year ago

	Knightsbridge
	Roxi
	Onion Drops
	Znzu
	Beanious
	Tangle Refresher 91

More good stuff …

• Personal accounts of how Zentangle has dramatically changed lives – click on the “STORIES” tab on the pink alphabetic menu bar
• The Zen of Zentangle – CZT Carole Ohl’s beautiful description of the experience of Zentangle, “More than a Metaphor”
• New to Zentangle®? The Official Zentangle Kit has everything you need to get started, including a great DVD tutorial by Zentangle co-founder Maria Thomas.
• Everything you need to know about creating Zentangle-Inspired Art or Products
• Free Interweave eBook – Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for crafters and artists
• Tangle Pattern Refreshers – the entire Buried Treasure series.
• Find more tutorials on TanglePatterns by visiting the TUTORIALS tab on the pink alphabetic menu bar
• Find a CZT near you – the link to the list of Certified Zentangle Teachers is located in the left sidebar of the site under the heading SOURCE WEBSITES.
• Interested in becoming a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT®)? Here’s more information.
• Linda’s List of Zentangle-original tangles — THE tangles to learn first if you’re new to Zentangle.

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