Hi there my tangling friends, happy Monday to ya!
We begin our week as we do with a super easy and versatile tangle, Tufted Leaves is by Texas CZT Suzanne McNeill.
Tufted Leaves is from Suzanne’s Zen Mandalas – Sacred Circles Inspired by Zentangle booklet which “explores the ancient teachings of the mandala through the process of Zentangle®”.
As I wrote in the site’s book review when this issue was released:
Suzanne McNeill did a superb job of creating a mini-course in all you could want to know about mandalas. Her illustrations along with those of CZTs Margaret Bremner and Carole Ohl are beautiful and inspiring. I learned so much about mandalas and their symbolism and meanings from this book and I’m totally inspired to create some of my own.
Tufted Leaves is formed on a diamond grid and it’s been a while since I’ve seen a submission based on this type of grid, so it makes for a very nice change of pace. You can curve the grid lines as Suzanne does in her steps or opt for the straight ones I used for my example.
There’s all kinds of fun creative explorations to be had with Tufted Leaves starting with mirroring or rotating the basic element as well as various ways to alternate inking or using ZIA color or even adding shading. Here’s one simple way to go:
Some years ago Suzanne sold her Design Originals company to Fox Chapel Publishing who now hold the copyright for her publications. Fox Chapel Publishing and Suzanne have both graciously given me permission to post her copyright-protected images on TanglePatterns for your personal offline reference. Reposting/republishing these images is not permitted.
Suzanne illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Tufted Leaves below.
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. Republishing images isn’t allowed. Thanks!
Check out the tag suzannem for more of Suzanne’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
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Free Download: How to draw four basic grids (reticula) for your Zentangles
Like some help drawing grids? (In the Zentangle PRIMER Vol 1, Zentangle HQ is now referring to grids as reticula and give 30 examples.)
Here is a free TanglePatterns PDF download showing how to ink a basic Freehand Squared Grid, Freehand Diamond-Shaped Grid with a Triangle variation, and a Freehand Ogee-Shaped Grid.
You can always locate this tutorial again by visiting the TUTORIALS tab on the pink alphabetic tangle menu bar.
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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." 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!
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- 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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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®. For more about the content and to read the rave reviews, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab. |
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June 8, 2026 | 
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