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Linda Farmer, Certified Zentangle Teacher

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How to draw AZTEKA

Zentangle pattern: Azteka. Image © Linda Farmer and TanglePatterns.com. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may use this image for your personal non-commercial reference only. The unauthorized pinning, reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.Canadian tangler Cyndi Knapp has over a dozen cool tangles on the site and Azteka is her latest contribution.

Cyndi explains where Azteka came from and some ways to vary it,

“Another mid-night pattern idea. And so as not to forget it by morning, I found myself air tangling in the dark to embed it in my mind.

The name Azteka was inspired by both the design of the pattern and the finished outcome of the tile.

It’s a very simple ribbon pattern combining S-curve and straight line strokes.

Although a handsome border or frame on its own, the variations and illustrations show how thickening line(s) alters the pattern, enclosing the pattern with aura(s) softens the geometric aspects and that when it’s stacked side-by-side it makes a good fill.”

Part of Azteka‘s composition is the triangle fret and according to Clarence P. Hornung in his Handbook of Designs and Devices, it “derives from Japanese heraldry” (Plate 182, figure 1637; Plate 183, Figure 1639).

The fret, or meander, is a plane, rectangular motif taken from early Greek ornament. It is also, in some instances, known as the key pattern … fret patterns are the angular or rectangular counterparts of the spiral. Page 215, “The Fret”.

For my example of Azteka I used the “stack side-by-side” option and varied the scale of the middle row just for fun. The Zentangle® tangle enhancer rounding and/or thickening the strokes adds yet another dimension to this lovely geometric tangle.

Cyndi illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Azteka below where she features it in a lovely Zendala together with the “fragment” of the Zentangle-originals Ambler/Emingle as well as demonstrating it as a border or ribbon-style tangle along the edge of the page.

How to draw the Zentangle pattern Azteka, tangle and deconstruction by Cyndi Knapp. Image copyright the artist and used with permission, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Image copyright the artist and used with permission, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Please feel free to refer to the steps images to recreate this tangle in your personal Zentangles and ZIAs, or to link back to this page. However the artist and TanglePatterns.com reserve all rights to these images and they must not be publicly pinned, altered, reproduced or republished. They are for your personal offline reference only. Thank you for respecting these rights. For more information, click on the image for a discussion entitled “Artists for Respect” by several prominent artists. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ~ C.S. Lewis

As you enjoy any of the tangles on the site, please leave a comment of thanks and encouragement to show the artists you appreciate them for sharing their creativity to inspire yours. Your comment helps motivate them to continue to share!

Check out the tag cyndik for more of Cyndi’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.

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.
  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.
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