How to draw NANA

Last one for the month of January 2020. {Where on earth did that month go??}

And it’s Super Bowl weekend in Miami, taking place about 80 miles south on I-95 from us. Hope our famed Sunshine State lives up to its name this weekend …

Today we have an interesting tangle from Japanese/Swedish CZT Eriko Ågren, and it’s her first on the site.

Eriko introduces herself and explains how Zentangle® has changed her life:

I’m a CZT#34 and I live in Sweden. I’m originally from Japan but moved to Sweden in 2007 to start a new life with my Swedish husband.

I got into Zentangle when I was into “bullet journaling”. I really loved decorating my journal by drawing geometric patterns in my journal and one day when I googled to find cool patterns I would draw in my journal, I found something called … Zentangle. (I believe it was in 2017) I bought a book of Zentangle by a Japanese CZT, Izumi Sato, and since then I’ve been more into Zentangle than bullet journaling 😉

Through tangling, I could build up my confidence, overcame a complex that I had since I was a child that I cannot draw like my sister does …

I also found that meeting new people through Zentangle is a wonderful thing!

I even changed my perspective of seeing what life is through tangling. I am more relaxed in most situations now. I could say it became easier to live 🙂 (“No mistakes”, “accept what it is”)

There are only four CZTs in Sweden and my dream is to spread the greatness of Zentangle in the whole country!

Eriko explains her inspiration for her Nana tangle:

This tangle was inspired by one of my favourite patterns by Marimekko, called Kivet.

I really love this “round but not round” pattern and wanted to create a tangle that’s just like that, i.e. a tangle that is round but not round.

And I came up with this tangle – first, draw a big orb and then add seven lines inside of the orb. Yes, it’s a heptagon in the orb. But it doesn’t have to be an exact heptagon but a bit irregular? (uneven?) heptagon, which makes the tangle more lively.

And fill in the gap between the lines and the circle.

You can arrange a tangle by adding another tangle inside of the heptagon.

“Nana” is a very simple one but it’s also an elegant tangle in a way, I think. And it’s not difficult to draw at all.

As simple as this looks, I actually found it a bit of a challenge for me … but a good challenge is always fun!

BTW, wondering about the name Nana? Check out the comments 🙂

Eriko illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Nana below and she demonstrates several ways to explore it. Her lovely tile example includes the Zentangle-original Flux, and she has shown ways to embellish Nana by adding elements within the orbs.

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. Thank you for respecting these rights. For more information, click on the image for a discussion entitled “Artists for Respect” by several prominent artists. “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ~ C.S. Lewis

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!

Check out the tag erikoa for more of Eriko’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.

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!
10. 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.

.oOo.
Enhance your Zentangle experience while supporting TanglePatterns:
CURRENT EDITION! TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2024 Edition
	The 13th Edition of the TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE is an instant-download 109-page interactive digital eBook/PDF containing approximately 2,000 tangles on the site from May 2010 through December 31, 2023. It's a great resource and a must-have digital tool for using the site. Visit the STORE > E-BOOKS page and help keep TanglePatterns.com going by getting your copy now!
	"Linda, Thank you! I was relying on too few and getting stuck after 3 years of daily working with Zentangle. This has inspired me to ‘begin again’ with renewed excitement." ~ Barbara R.
See the BOOK REVIEWS page for more details on its features and view a sample page. Note: this is a digital product you download immediately when you place your order, nothing will be physically mailed to you.
GIFT ORDERS FOR ANOTHER PERSON: To give the TANGLE GUIDE as a gift, visit this page to place your gift order.
If you're new to Zentangle® and tangling, my TanglePatterns.com BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ZENTANGLE is just what you need to get started. Also available en Français and en Español.
	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®. Visit the STORE tab on the top menu bar or click on the image. For more about the content and to read the rave reviews, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab.
NEW! Now available in KINDLE format for $9.99. Spanish Edition here. Japanese Edition here.
"Absolutely the best Zentangle Book yet! As an accomplished artist I used to think I did not need instruction on this art form. How wrong I was! My tangling improved by leaps and bounds after reading this book. If you think you have Zentangle down then you need this book more than ever!" ~ Kris H
.oOo.