How to draw ZYZL

Greetings y’all!

Here’s one for all us notan tangle enthusiasts, the mesmerizing ZyZl is a deconstruction from Canadian tangler Cyndi Knapp.

Cyndi’s most recent tangles — of dozens of excellent ones on the site — are Quixotry and Ribero.

Before we get to the background, let’s enjoy some of Cyndi’s Zentangle® art featuring ZyZl. In this ZIA tile she used Tombow’s Splash Technique; String 004; Afterglo and Footlites:

In this detailed Zendala Cyndi includes Chard, Facets and Keeko along with ZyZl:

In this little Bijou tile, Cyndi uses a couple of ZyZl variations together with a ribbon frame of Barquillos.

And in her second-to-last wonderful tile example, Cyndi shares a monotangle ZIA “with an attempt at a Hematite gem”.

Cyndi notes, “When I finished this ZIA, it reminded me of a hand built pit fired pot I made years ago. Perhaps, subconsciously, objects and images from the past play a part in current creativity?”

She introduces ZyZl:

ZyZl (Zie-Zul) is one of the more uncomplicated notan patterns that’s easy to draw and fill without going cross eyed. It’s most effective in a grid as a focal point or background but also lends itself well to a ribbon or border. Since the open diamonds are fairly large, this pattern works up quickly and is embellishable in a notan manner.

No story or inspiration – the pattern, illustrations and name came to me in one of those far too often sleepless nights.

There are different ways to draw the backbone of this pattern — as shown in the Steps, zigzag lines or individually. The main goal in grid form is to line up the crossing points in Step 3 as best as possible to get sharp diamond tips. However, ZyZl is one of those patterns that’s fairly easy to tweak afterwards if you want to. But as Ria Matheson put it in her Medi Zentangle…”Not perfect is also good”.

When I first saw ZyZl I immediately wondered if it was similar to tangles like Flog and On Target, to name a couple. I was surprised this wasn’t already on the site, we have similar tangles with ovals (Eye-wa), O’s (Ozzie), orbs (Strircles), and V’s (Wigwam), but not exactly like this with squares/rectangles. They’re each striking, drama tangles. The challenge with all of them is keeping the alternating fills straight and working methodically, mindfully, and sometimes with a larger Sakura Micron nib size, is a very calming process. And even then I still use the “dot trick” to make sure my fills end up where they’re meant to.

Cyndi illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing ZyZl below and her Zentangle includes the Zentangle-original Mrth. “First time trying this pattern — so much fun it became a Duotangle!”

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

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 cyndik for more of Cyndi’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.

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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:

1. 1. How to submit your pattern deconstruction to TanglePatterns, and
   2. Why hasn't my pattern been published?

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."

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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.
   • 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?
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.
9. 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!
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11. 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!

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