How to draw TRIKS

Good day, everyone. It’s a whole new world! 🙂

After last night’s stunning election results, I’m feeling something I haven’t felt in quite a while — a renewed sense of hope for the future. And hope is such a fitting sentiment for Zentangle, whose philosophy encourages us to embrace possibilities rather than become overwhelmed by uncertainty. With that happy thought, let’s enjoy a little creative time together!

Today we have a charming, lacy tangle from CZT Norma Bybee and Triks is her first on the site.

In Zentangle, tangles don’t begin with pencil planning. [Nor do we use erasers or rulers.] So at first I was conflicted about adding Triks to TanglePatterns, but Norma’s personal story is so inspiring and I quickly realized that pencil planning is not necessary at all to tangle Triks. It looks great with an inked grid but it can also be accomplished with a simple dot grid too, achieving results similar to Norma’s sample tile below without the need for pencil guidelines.

Norma shares her personal health challenges and her inspiration for Triks and its name:

I was introduced to Zentangle® rather casually at a meeting of a church women’s group in about 2014. I was intrigued and used the few materials given to try to draw the patterns. I found a couple of books, one of which was Suzanne McNeill’s first one. With no contact with anyone in the community and a lot on my plate at the time, I set it aside – until Covid. On the internet I found materials and teachers. With so many teaching online during that time I was able to learn and understand more about this art form, and mostly for my own edification, I signed up for CZT training 42 in November 2024, opting to do the online version.

Last September (2025) I suffered a stroke which left me with balance issues primarily, but in the beginning I had difficulties focusing. Needing something to do besides sit I tried to pick up some knitting that I had started and found that I was unable to understand the pattern instructions. Zentangle was a life line. I could spend a few minutes or an hour drawing with no difficulty and I believe it helped immensely in the brain healing that has occurred. A year later I walk without assistance, care for myself in my home, and I can understand knitting and quilting patterns. Nonetheless, I tangle either in a sketch book or on a tile every day and it brings me joy and peace.

Triks is inspired by a skirt that I have. It is simple to draw, but has many possibilities for enhancements depending on what aspect you want to emphasize, such as the one shown in my example. 

The tip I have is to begin in the center of each side and point the “C-shapes” into the corners to get a consistent line. Shading could vary, again depending on the emphasis. I chose to shade the inside shapes more heavily to bring out the “flower” and then a little on the curves.

For my Triks example I used a “diamond dot” grid as seen here, and embellished it simply with some inside strokes – but oh, the possibilities available for all sorts of decorative exploration! The quatrefoil shapes created offer even more decorative potential. Tangling Triks with a standard grid also adds different possibilities for inking and shading as well as adding ZIA color.

Norma illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Triks below and demonstrates it in a sweet monotangle tile.

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 this intellectual property and its 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. Any republication or reposting of these images is expressly prohibited. Thank you for respecting this intellectual property and its rights.

Check out the tag normab for more of Norma’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 don't 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 at the top of the page explain what qualifies as a tangle and how to prepare your submission.

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

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. 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?
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.
10. Never miss a tangle! FREE eMAIL NEWSLETTER - visit the Here's how to SUBSCRIBE button (top of left sidebar on any page) and sign up to get notices delivered free to your inbox.
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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