Hi everyone, welcome to another fresh week of tangle creativity to focus our meditative minds.
Japanese CZT Hiroko Matsuo is back with another of her lovely tangles, this one she calls Arium.
Arium is Hiroko’s fifth tangle on the site, all lovely. Her Hanary tangle was featured on the ZIA cover of the new TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2021 Edition as one of CZT Michele Beauchamp’s favorites from 2020.
Hiroko writes that during these stay-at-home times of the pandemic she’s been inspired by taking some online classes and exploring some different ideas:
I have been tangling several tiles representing the undersea world. My new tangle, Arium, is a tangle that I came up with when I was drawing an undersea world tile.

It looks like some kind of seaweed. I named it Arium after the word “aquarium” and the anagram of “Miru”, a kind of Japanese seaweed that I found similar to my new tangle when wondering what to name it and googling all different kinds of seaweed. I added “a” to it actually. (BTW, according to the dictionary, the suffix “-arium” means a “place” as in aquarium, planetarium, and herbarium.)
Arium is a very forgiving tangle and you can draw it in your own way, in any size, any shape. So I believe anyone can enjoy drawing it.
Arium is excellent practice at drawing S-curves as it’s composed entirely of them. I found it helps to turn the tile for the second side Every time you draw it you come up with a different composition of fun shapes peeking out from behind one another. Hiroko’s have some real personality to them.
Hiroko illustrates the step-by-step instructions for drawing Arium below where she showcases it in fun ZIA on a gray tile with an array of Zentangle®-originals: Rixty, Fescu, Mooka, Flux, Fengle, Molygon, Marasu, Pepper and some floating fragments of Tipple.

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. Click the image for an article explaining what copyright means in plain English. “Always let your conscience be your guide.” ~ Jiminy Cricket
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Check out the tag hirokom for more of Hiroko’s tangles on TanglePatterns.com.
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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.
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- 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.
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Hiroko & Linda; these 2 tangle examples are so beautiful! The underwater theme is brilliant! Thank you for the lovely inspiration. Now I need to learn how to watercolor
What perfect timing for me – I started playing with watercolours during the holidays and the ocean is my tangle inspiration 🙂 Arium is perfect for all my needs, plus it’s very relaxing to draw S shapes and turn my tile over and over again. Thank you Hiroko and Linda!
Hallo zusammem. Arium ist ein wunderbar einfaches und Spaßmachendes Gewirr. Vielen Dank
Hello everyone. Arium is a wonderfully simple and fun tangle. Many Thanks
Such a fun and easy tangle. Thanks for sharing.
So lovely. The watercolour scene is wonderful. Thanks for sharing!