Today is Victoria Day in Canada and the first long weekend of summer, though it might not feel like it just yet.
Victoria Day is “a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign’s official birthday is recognized. It is sometimes informally considered as marking the beginning of the summer season in Canada.” Enjoy however you can this year!
Appropriate that Canadian CZT Cherryl Moote shares her Take Heart tangle with us today. It’s her fourth tangle on the site and the 56th “heart” tangle.
Cherryl writes,
Last year in April I received news that the son of a tangling friend was in medical distress. As it happened I was dining alone in a restaurant that evening (remember those days!) and I was thinking about her. I took out my little sketchbook and began drawing and this tangle emerged. I wanted to represent how all of us were reaching out to her through the atmosphere to wrap her in our love.
As I worked with the basic tangle over the next few days it took on a life of its own and as I drew it I started to intuitively chant the mantra that goes along with the pattern. “This is your heart. You have a hole in your heart. Feel a friend reach out to send love. And another, and another…until you are completely held in their love.”
This is the story of Take Heart, a special heart string created for Kelly Barone, April 2019.
Take Heart is an easy tangle that can be used in several different ways, I’ve used it as a ribbon-style tangle for my example and I thought it was interesting how the heart shapes almost disappeared. Although Cherryl’s Step 2 shows the orb drawn at the center of the heart shape, I used her second and third example tiles where the orb is connected at the top of the heart as the guide for my example. Each way produces a slightly different, but always pretty result.
Cherryl illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Take Heart below where she features it in tiles demonstrating a variety of Zentangle®-original tangle fills and variations. Cherryl’s first tile includes an interesting Hollibaugh-style of layering the elements behind one another, as well as varying their size.
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 thanks helps motivate them to continue to share! And please share a link to your favorite tangles on social media. Thanks!
Check out the tag cherrylm for more of Cherryl’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
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.
- "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?
- 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 SUBSCRIBE page on the top menu bar of any page on the site and sign up to get notices delivered free to your inbox.
.oOo.
Share your tangle on TanglePatterns
Everyone is invited to share patterns on TanglePatterns.com, you do NOT need to be a CZT. In order for patterns to be considered for publication they must be submitted to me by email. In other words you have to let me know about them.
For a submission to qualify as a tangle it must be a genuine pattern (“a repeated decorative design”) and not “a thing to draw”.
From The Book of Zentangle:
“Keep it Non-representational. Zentangle artwork is intended to be non-representational. Zentangle’s elemental strokes are also non-representational.
We don’t teach complex elements such as hearts, stars or flowers. Tangles are also non-representational.”
Remember that tangles never start with pencil planning.
"A tangle has no pre-planning with pencil guidelines, grids or dots, no erased lines."
If you need a refresher on what makes a tangle, read the A PATTERN IS NOT ALWAYS A TANGLE page on the ZENTANGLES menu bar at the top of any page.
For details on how to submit your pattern for consideration visit the SUBMIT YOUR PATTERN page on the top menu bar of any page on the site. On that menu you will find these two pages:
The first page includes instructions on how to prepare and send your JPGs. (Please save me time and do not send PDFs). It also includes a link to this PDF submission form.
When your examples include additional tangles from the site, please list them in your email. (This saves me time and my memory some wear and tear.)
If your pattern is posted on your blog, attach your steps and tile JPGs to your email and be sure your email includes the direct URL so I can link to it.
And remember, to quote Zentangle's co-founders Rick and Maria: tangles should be "magical, simple and easy to create", non-objective patterns of repetitive strokes that are easy to teach and offer a high degree of success to tanglers of all ages.
"Keep the tangles as little like 'drawing something' as possible."
.oOo.
.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. |
This comes at a perfect time for me. My brother is in medical distress with not a good diagnosis. When I read the name of the tangle in the email I was immediately comforted. The universe knew this was needed today. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for choosing my tangle. Love your border example and the way the bow tie shape emerges. That is cool!
Love this hearttangle at first sight, you can do a things with it, thank you very much for sharing!
I really like this tangle. Thank you for the story/reason for the creation of this tangle. I know I will be trying it out soon.
Thank you, again, and best wishes for healing to your friend’s son.
Dear Cherryl, This is a lovely tangle in every sense of the word. It’s wonderful that you could send your friend a representation of your support that she can cherish.
Great story and great tangle too. Thanks Cherryl for the share.
What a gorgeous tangle, and a beautiful story that inspired the tangle! The step out is great to follow and your tiles illustrating Take Heart are stunning and are giving me lots of ideas!
Many thanks from another Canadian!
What a great tangle and an amazing back story. I love this tangle and can’t wait to draw it!!
This is beautiful, and fluid in how they flow around the pearl/hole.