Although Valentine’s Day has passed for another year, hearts are always loved and heart tangles especially.
Thus we have another lovely new one for you today!
Hart-Ellie is a ribbon-style tangle from Ohio CZT Lee Kay and it’s her second tangle on the site. Recently Lee shared her Leef-ish tangle with us.
She writes,
So this little ribbon has been bumping to get out since last month!
I was thinking, searching and trying to find a flow of heart shapes to share and just wasn’t finding what I was looking for.
While looking around I found E’rutats by Elaine Hudson. And there was my answer – the wavy ribbon. From there (as Heidi Halpern Kay would say) it fell out of my pen.
I named it Hart-Ellie after Elinor (nee Hart) Gleason who is very close to my heart; she is my Mom.
A few tips for this tangle in box #6:
Start mid-way through one of the wide areas and make the first “bump.” Let the line flow across the narrow area and end at the opposite border. It gives the heart shapes a pleasantly wonky flow.
And like ‘Nzeppel, draw the lines along the borders, it really matters to how the heart forms look inside the borders.
Lee illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Hart-Ellie below and for her example, “I use Hart-Ellie here to nest some of my favorite original tangles (flux, pokeleaf, and tipple) and added a bit of fescu-ish curls for flourish.”

Image copyright the artist and used with permission, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These images are for your personal offline reference only. Please feel free to refer to the images to recreate this tangle in your personal Zentangles and ZIAs. However the artist and TanglePatterns.com reserve all rights to the images and they must not be publicly pinned, altered, reproduced or republished. Thank you for respecting these rights. For more information, click on the image for the article “Copyrights and your blog.” “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” ~ Albus Dumbledore
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 leek for more of Lee’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
What is a ribbon-style tangle?
Ribbon is the term I’ve used to describe tangles that can flow like a ribbon through your tile or around it like a border.
To describe tangles as “border” tangles seems to dictate their use as a frame, whereas “ribbon” indicates their flexibility.
This also avoid confusion with the term “border” which we use in the Zentangle Method™ as one of the first steps in creating a Zentangle®.
This type of tangle is sometimes described as “vining”, as it can wander like a vine around the tile.
Most all ribbon-style tangles can also serve as background or fill tangles by placing them side-by-side in columns or in rows, depending on your “no up or down” perspective.
Likewise, most grid-based tangles can serve as ribbon-style tangles by using reticula in a single row/column.
Related Links
- 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.
- What is a Zentangle? — if you are new to the Zentangle Method, start here for the fundamentals.
- Zentangle terminology — a glossary of terms used in this art form.
- 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.
- 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.
- What Makes a Zentangle tangle? 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. Patterns that are drawings of a recognizable naturalistic or actual object, figure, or scene, are not tangles, and tangles never start with pencil planning.
- A pattern is not always 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
- 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.
- Never miss a tangle! FREE eMAIL NEWSLETTER - visit the Here's how to SUBSCRIBE button (top of left sidebar on any page) and sign up to get notices delivered free to your inbox.
- 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.
Share your Tangle on TanglePatterns
Have you created a tangle you'd like to share with the community? I'd love to see it.
You do not need to be a CZT to submit a pattern. Many of the tangles on TanglePatterns began as ideas shared by readers just like you.
Before sending your pattern, please take a few minutes to review What Makes a Zentangle® Tangle? and How to Submit Your Pattern Deconstruction to TanglePatterns. These pages on the SUBMIT YOUR PATTERN menu explain what qualifies as a tangle and how to prepare your pattern.
Not every pattern will be selected for publication, but I sincerely appreciate everyone who takes the time to share their creativity and contribute to TanglePatterns.
When you're ready, simply send your pattern by email following the instructions on the submission page.
I look forward to seeing what you've created.
.oOo.
|
.oOo. |
|
Enhance your Zentangle experience while supporting TanglePatterns: |
|
BRAND NEW! TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2026 Edition |
|
![]() |
The 15th Edition of the TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE is an instant-download 123-page interactive digital eBook/PDF containing over 2,300 tangles on the site from May 2010 through December 31, 2025. 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 downloaded immediately when ordering, nothing will be physically mailed to you. | |
| 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®. For more about the content and to read the rave reviews, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab. |
| 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. |
|








I love that this is a repeat pattern; true Zentangle! It’s really cute.
A nice organic ribbon or fill too. And as you said Linda, hearts are always in style, not just for valentines.
Love it, Lee…you make us proud! 🙂
This was a lot of fun to draw. So flowy and relaxing. Great tangle. Thank you for sharing this.