Greetings my tangling friends, welcome to a brand new month and another week of fun and inspirational tangles.
We begin the week with Swiss CZT Rahel Müller’s Sorks, a tangle sharing DNA with the Zentangle®-original Nipa. The two are very similar but a wee bit different in construction and Rahel also has an inspiring story to share.
She explains she was experimenting in her sketchbook and Sorks “just happened”.
Rahel introduces herself and shares her touching story about how Zentangle has changed her life.
I was born and raised in Switzerland and I have been battling mental illness for years, more specifically depression. When I was in a psychiatric hospital again at the beginning of 2020, Zentangle found me. I was immediately hooked and drew my first patterns on the paper I had to hand and with the pens I had with me. It was healing.
When I was back home, I ordered tiles and the Microns from Zentangle and my enthusiasm grew. Whenever my mental health problems got worse, I tangled. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
Two years later I decided to attend the CZT seminar and so I became a CZT in November 2022. I was so proud to be part of this community and it was only then that I really started to understand and apply the Zentangle Method™. I really started tangling at the beginning of 2023. I deepened my practice and was able to learn a lot from other CZTs.
Since the summer of 2023, I have not taken any more medication and I am doing extremely well. I have incorporated the Zentangle Method into my everyday life and can no longer imagine being without it. To summarize, the Zentangle Method has given me my life back. I would like to share this with you all and hope you enjoy my pattern.
It’s not readily apparent because the steps image is a little blurry so I will point out in Step 3 below Rahel adds rounding to “attach” the orbs to the strokes from Step 1. This makes a subtle but effective difference in the overall effect.
Rahel illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Sorks below where she includes three lovely ZIA tiles. The first two are two monotangle ZIAs, the top one on a Phi tile and the third one is a duotangle including CZT Damy Teng’s Eddyper.
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. Click the image for an article explaining what copyright means in plain English. “Always let your conscience be your guide.” ~ Jiminy Cricket
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 rahelm for more of Rahel’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
Stories: How Zentangle Changes Lives
For more inspiring stories like Rahel’s be sure to check out the STORIES tab on the pink alphabetic tangle menu bar.
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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:
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
- 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.
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April 1, 2024 | 
More like this: 
When I first opened the link I thought immediately of Nipa, but I like your clever deconstruction of this and will definitely give it a try. Your sample tiles are very beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your story of transformaton.
Your pattern is lovely — it looks easy and versatile to tangle.
Congratulations Rahel and keep up the good work!
Nice variation on Nipa!!!
A lovely, simple tangle. I really like the addition of Rounding to anchor the orbs. All the best to you Rahel!
Certainly a sister tangle to Nipa, but a very fun variation. Thanks Rahel for sharing it and your story too.
Thank you, Rahel, for sharing your story and this new pattern. It’s very pretty!
Your story is so inspiring and your development is encouraging to suffers of depression thanks for sharing how you are working through life difficulties. I like this pattern very much.
Rahel, Your tangle is certainly interesting and I plan on trying it out. But, your story about the good Zentangle has been for you, was very exciting. I know that it calms me and helps in various ways.
Welcome to the Zentangle world!
This one has really good “creepy” potential, which I love. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your amazing story and your awesome design with us! The “rounding effect” lends so much depth, dimension, and drama! I’m so glad you found Zentangle. I too,find it very therapeutic.
@everyone who has left a comment here about the tangle Sorks or my story:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the loving community, support, well wishes and so much more. I am so grateful to be a part of you.