How to draw MARASU

By Linda Farmer, CZT ~ December 12th, 2016

Today’s Marasu tangle is a Zentangle®-original from the group of “102 Tangles” from oh-so-long-ago when CZT certification training first began.

As of today we’re up to 158 “official tangles” and counting …

The name of this tangle MaRaSu comes from the names of Maria’s sisters Madeline, Rachel and Sue, if my deductions are spot on. Here’s a peek at Maria’s beautiful hint:

In recent years Rick and Maria and Zentangle HQ have published a “12 Days of Christmas” series and now it’s back for the third time.

Maria created a fabulously gorgeous illuminated letter “O” on a tile for the series. Each day the tile is featured in a different “frame” with that day’s tangle and the Zentangle blog post includes a sweet tale to go with. When you visit each “day”, be sure to click on the images to view the larger version. And take a moment or two to enjoy Maria’s beautiful illuminated letter and her calligraphy up close and almost-personal.

The tangle to be used on the Fourth Day was Marasu and the steps for tangling Marasu were included here.

Update 10/25/2017: CZT Margaret Bremner adds directions for tangling a “Double Marasu“.

For those interested in participating, here is the link to the beginning of Zentangle’s now traditional “12 Days of Zentangle Christmas” series which contains this year’s “rules”.

Thus far for 2016 the 12 Days’ tangles have included the following. Links to the original Zentangle blog post are first, second link to the how-to-draw instructions.

“On the x day of 3Zs, Bijou tangled me … ”

A tile full of tripoli! – Tripoli steps here
A fetching diva dancing – Diva Dance steps here
Some winsome bits of shattuck – Shattuck steps here
Some marasu encircling – Marasu steps on this page
Gold, glowing tipples – Tipple steps here
Swirling molygon-ings – Molygon steps here
Dark and naughty knightsbridge – Knightsbridge steps here
Perky pokeleafs peeking – Pokeleaf steps here

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UPDATE December 10, 2018 – Project Pack #04. As part of the Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2018 Edition series, in this Day 8 video starting at 10:43 CZT Julie Willand of Zentangle HQ demonstrates how to tangle Marasu.

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UPDATE April 19, 2020 – Project Pack #09. As part of the Spring has Sprung project pack, Julie Willand tangles Marasu on a Zendala tile and fills it with a fragment and with ‘Nzeppel.

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Check out the tag zentangle for all of the Zentangle®-original tangles with online instructions.

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Zentangle Project Pack Summaries on TanglePatterns

For your convenience here are the links to all of my Zentangle Project Pack summaries to date:

November 2017: Introducing Sakura’s White Gelly Roll Pens
December 2017: The Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2017 Edition - A Stroll Down Memory Lane
June 2018: A Zentangle Ensemble
December 2018: The Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2018 Edition – Making a Zentangle Spinner
April 2019: Zentangle Cartouches
August 2019: No Mistakes
December 2019: The Twelve Days of Zentangle, 2019 Edition – Light and Shade
March 2020: Dancing in the Moonlight
April 2020: Spring has Sprung
July 2020: The Legend of Zentangle
September 2020: Fee-PHI-Fo-Fun!

NOTE: You can also find the Project Pack Summaries by looking in the left sidebar under TANGLES BY TYPE for the tag projectpack.

Related Links

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.
A pattern is not always a tangle — here's what makes a tangle.
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?
How to submit your pattern deconstruction to TanglePatterns
Zentangle terminology — a glossary of terms used in this art form
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
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!
What is a Zentangle? — if you are new to the Zentangle Method, start here for the fundamentals

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Enhance your Zentangle experience while supporting TanglePatterns:
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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.
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	Another great jump-starter for new tanglers is the original Official Zentangle Kit. The Kit includes all the supplies you'll need to get started properly: Sakura Micron Pens, Zentangle Tiles, pencil, sharpener, tortillion, a booklet and an instructional DVD by co-founder Maria Thomas. Click on the image for more information about the Kit and its contents.
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