Hi there!
For so many of us these days, burying ourselves in our mindful art practice(s) is a much needed break from all the utter lunacy and uncertainty going on around us. Zentangle® is all about gratitude — and for the Zentangle art form itself, we are most grateful for the peace and grace it gives us in spite of whatever might be going on around us.
And so … New York CZT Jody Genovese has another cool, mindful tangle for us to explore today. Balexo might look complicated but with focus and taking it one stroke at a time, it’s easy.
With her Balexo addition to our ever-growing resource, Jody now has over 30 fine tangles on the site.
She explains the origins of Balexo and its name,
This one came about while we were watching a TV show. One of the characters was in a room and this was the wall pattern. I had to freeze the TV so I could snap a picture.
It reminds me of bales, but I also see an X and O so combined them to make Balexo. I also asked AI to help me come up with a name using the word bale and it came up with Baleo and made up this elaborate definition for it. I thought that wasn’t too bad and added the X.
Jody shows beautiful ways to add graphite to Balexo to enhance its gem-like qualities. So I thought I’d play with a different way to highlight other aspects of its construction. Graphite, ink, ZIA color … lots of fun ahead!
Jody illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Balexo below and she includes a variety of beautiful monotangle tiles featuring her tangle, noting “The hardest part of this is getting the initial center piece drawn. I also did a Bijou to make that bigger. This pattern can be a filler, border or centerpiece.”
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 jodyg for more of Jody’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
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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.
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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.
- 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
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February 26, 2025 | 
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what a great pattern
Beautiful pattern! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Linda,
I concur with your sentiments – lets zentangle it away! Another great pattern Jody – thanks for sharing.
A beautiful design and a good transformation of the reference model, giving it a more organic and volumetric feel. This frees it from the rigidity and regularity that its flat, geometric version would require. Good work.