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How to draw WALU

Zentangle pattern: Walu. Image © Carla Jooren 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.Hi there and welcome to the beginning of June’s inspiration of tangles!

We haven’t had a new tangle from Belgian CZT Ria Matheussen since late last year [ Primo(F)) ] but it’s worth the wait. I’m always delighted when I see Ria’s emails in my inbox as I know we’re in for a treat.

Today we explore her Walu tangle.

For a while this year Ria was dealing with some health issues but when she recovered she found time …

to make a little escape. We went to Germany to the region of the white Riesling Wine: the Mosel and we enjoyed the soft temperatures and eating every evening outside in the shade with a good glass of my favorite wine… and after our little vacation I wanted to start more tangling again and before I knew, I am hooked again.

Ria writes that Walu comes from “waves with lupines”.

I discovered this lovely pattern again in the quilting world and for me it seems like waves and lupines (I saw them for the first time this year in Germany)

The most direct family is Fleavy but it is definitely not the same. It is not simple to draw all those waving auras but once you have exercised enough it is not difficult anymore.

I started with a waving line with small open spaces. Next step is adding a few aura lines, I did add four, like on the example but it is not important, when you like only three, that is also okay.

In step three I draw a light waving line to make it easy to draw the leaves (Flux). It is nice not to create to big open spaces, and when I did, I made them black.

The quantity of the leaves is not so important: you can draw 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, whatever you like…

This is a typical ribbon/border but you can also draw the tangle in just strokes: straight, waving, in a square or in the round.

Every now and again my battle-scarred trick right thumb shows up and my auras end up with kinks instead of smooth curves. I’ve come to accept them as just me 🙂 Walu certainly does challenge your aura-drawing skills but when you focus on keeping the space between them as even as possible the results become better with practice. As Ria says, “once you have exercised enough it is not difficult anymore.”

Ria illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Walu below, “On my drawing, made only with black/white, you will discover also Mooka, Printemps, Tipple, Boulder Builder and Eze. I’ve tried to give it a little touch of Art Nouveau.

How to draw the Zentangle pattern Walu, tangle and deconstruction by Ria Matheussen. Image copyright the artist and used with permission, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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. (Small side note: if you look at the legalese in Pinterest, you are legally responsible for obtaining permission to post every photo that gets ‘Pinned’. Giving credit or sharing the source link doesn’t count.) Thank you for respecting these rights. “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” ~ Albus Dumbledore

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Check out the tag riam for more of Ria’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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29 comments to How to draw WALU

  • Joyce Blodgett

    Oh, Ria, I LOVE that “frame” effect you have in your drawing! That’s one of my favorite techniques in ZIA, but this particular frame is far prettier than anything I’ve seen so far!
    I do hope your health is much better, and it’s wonderful to see another of your delightful patterns.

    • Ria Matheussen

      Combining different tangles to form a frame can give sometimes pleasant and unexpected results. I’m glad you like the combination I have made here. Thank you very much for your kind comment dear Joyce. The Corona virus made me very tired for several weeks but now I’m completely recovered and back in the mood for drawing…

  • Deborah Davis

    thank you for taking the time to deconstruct this one and share it. It is very pretty and one I am sure I will use.

    • Ria Matheussen

      Thank you dear Deborah for your nice comment that made me glad.I have shown only one example but I think there are more possibilites to draw and to color this one. I hope you will enjoy while exploring (I had also exercised a lot to draw all those aura’s regulary)

  • Really like this one Ria, Thanks for sharing.

  • Linda Hoyt

    Wow, Rita, WALU is magnificent! Is a onetime quilter, am POSITIVE I willl learn & use your beautiful pattern again & again. I’m a bit disabled right now, but seeing your patter makes me wonder if I couldn’t maybe do a little tangling again. Oh, I hope so. I want to draw WALU!!

    • Ria Matheussen

      Dear Linda, as Rick and Maria said: Zentangle art is possible for everyone, one stroke at the time… This tangle needs a bit exercise but I’m sure when you are following the steps you will receive the same result as I became. I admit that I wasn’t satisfied when I had drawn Walu for the first time, but after repeating a few times, I saw appearing the result I wanted. I wish you succes and thank you for your kind comment.

  • Jody Genovese

    This is very lovely Ria. I love your sample that looks like a secret garden.

    • Ria Matheussen

      What a wonderful comment, many thanks dear Jody!

      • Linda Dochter, CZT

        Oh, Ria. I agree with Jody. This sample tile brings to my mind The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, one of my favorite children’s books.

        • Ria Matheussen

          I’don’t know this secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett but it is always nice to be reminded of one of your favorite children’s boods and I’m glad this tile did. Thank you very much for telling me this dear Linda.

        • Ria Matheussen

          Thank you very much dear Linda for telling me this. It is nice that this tile remembers you of your favorite children’s book!

  • Sarryanna

    Just looking at this tangle is calming. I’m sure that after some more practice it will be relaxing to do, too 🙂

    • Ria Matheussen

      I’m sure you ‘ll master this tangle and I wish you succes. Thank you very much dear Sarryanna for giving this nice comment.

  • Linda Dochter, CZT

    Ria – I’m looking even closer at Walu. Do those initial breaks in Steps 1 and 2 that are filled in Steps 3 and 4 represent an example of the Tucker technique? The end result in Step 6 resembles “to draw behind” but the process is deed quite different. I never was quite clear on that because I was only looking at the finished tangles. Thank you.

    • Linda Farmer, CZT

      The site has an example of the Tucker technique on the Zentangle Terminology page and if I’m not mistaken Maria also used the technique in her #WELLbeing Zentangle in Part 4 on the How to draw Well page at around the 5:30 mark. I think …

    • Ria Matheussen

      I really didn’t think about a special technique when I have made the steps. I just have drawn what seemed to me, the easiest way to become the final result. Maybe there are other ways to draw this tangle. Anyway, I’m not sure if you can say that this is the Tucker technique.

  • Ria Matheussen

    Thank you very much dear Linda for adding Walu on this great tanglelist.
    I wish everyone who will give Walu a try, pleasant moments while drawing.

  • Beatrice Aronas

    Beautiful and romantic tangle! Very decorative, too. Thank you for sharing , Ria!

    • Ria Matheussen

      I’m really glad you like this tangle. Thank you very much for giving this comment dear Beatrice. Have a sparkling weekend!

  • Crystal Bushinsky

    I’m glad I did not go to bed, just yet… Each night before I retire, I look for something I have not done yet. I just happened to be lucky to stumble on WALU. This is a very fun and flowy Tangle. Thank You for bringing it to us.

    • Ria Matheussen

      I’m grateful for your kind words and am glad you like Walu.I wish you nice moments while tangling in a relaxed way! (after some exercises you ‘ll get a nice result, I’m sure of that.)

  • Jane Bock

    This is simply beautiful.

  • Jan Brandt, CZT 12

    Ria, this a very lovely tangle!!! I don’t know HOW I missed it in June, but I’m so delighted to have discovered it this evening. It shall be my just-before-bed Zentangle meditation. Thank you!!

  • Ria, love this band tangle. And … your tile example / composition is super lovely! Well done!

  • Ria Matheussen

    Always glad with feedback, thank you very much for your kind words.

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