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What is Zentangle?
Linda Farmer, Certified Zentangle Teacher

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All contents of this website are Copyright © 2010 - 2025 Linda Farmer, TanglePatterns.com, and artists where named. Copying content in any form other than for your own personal offline reference and inspiration is expressly prohibited. No content may be reproduced, pinned or republished without express written permission. This work is not allowed to be used in training AI systems. Commercial use of any content is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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RANDOM SELECTOR

Use this Random Tangle Selector with your TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE to help you select tangles. See Pages 7 and 9 of the Guide for instructions. You can also use this to select random Strings: simply pop in any number in the range of 1 to 250.

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Embossing metal with tangle patterns

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In this video, CZT® Suzanne McNeill demonstrates how easy it is to emboss metal with Zentangle® patterns.

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Creating colorful Zentangle-inspired mini canvases

Here’s a fun new video from Sakura’s Leslie Crumpler, also a CZT®, on creating bold, easy Zentangle-inspired mini canvases with colorful neon pens and markers. This could be a great summer project to share with kids. Young and old!

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Exploring the elegance of Zentangle in a larger format

Secret Garden by CZT Michele Beauchamp

CZT® Michele Beauchamp answers frequently asked questions about how she creates her beautiful Zentangle-inspired art.

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The importance of Strings

TanglePatterns.com STRINGS

… and another useful resource on TanglePatterns.com.

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New free eBook – Copyright for crafters and artists

INTERWEAVE'S "Know Your Rights" free copyright ebook

Most of you are familiar with Interweave through their many magazines and electronic publications. On Thursday (April 26th), Interweave released a free e-book “Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Artists and Crafters” in recognition of World Intellectual Property Day. Here is what they have to say about the e-Book, with a link to their free download.

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Advice for using Sakura Micron pens on other surfaces

Tangler Tips

Recently a reader emailed asking for advice about using Sakura micron pens on a painted surface so I contacted Sakura for their guidelines. Their response was very helpful to ensure the best outcome with our art processes.

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It’s Spiralicious! A Zentangle Spiral Guide

Michele Beauchamp's Zentangle Spiral Guide

Today I have an inspirational creative treat for you. I’m naming my Guest Contributor “Queen of the Spirals”, if you’ve seen any of her art you’ll agree with me. She’s Tasmania, Australia’s CZT Michele Beauchamp (aka Shelly Beauch), artist and creator of the beautiful cover on my TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE. Michele has put together an excellent tutorial on how to draw spiral strings for your Zentangles and Zentangle-inspired art …

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Maria Thomas creates a monogram decorated with Mooka

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Can’t get enough Mooka? Watch Zentangle® founder and world renowned lettering artist Maria Thomas as she creates a monogram decorated with her tangle.

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Joanne Fink tutorial on her Zentangle-inspired dangle designs

This post contains a video

More Zentangle-inspired fun from calligrapher and author of the very popular “Zenspirations”, Joanne Fink. In this video Joanne teaches another of her creative ways to embellish your art with dangle designs.

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Reader Question: Best pens for tangling with white on black for gourds

Let's discuss it!

Gourd artist Cheryl K. is seeking recommendations about the best pens to use for tangling with white ink on gourds painted black …

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How do you choose tangles?

Let's discuss it!

Yesterday on Tangle Refresher 18, new tangler Mir asked a question about selecting tangles and I thought it was a great question for discussion. Here’s my two cents … what about you, what advice would you give newbies on this subject?

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New TanglePatterns Badge

If you have a blog or a website and would like to add a TanglePatterns badge to it, I’ve just added one to the site. Here’s how to get yours …

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Tangling on Fabric

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CZT Suzanne McNeill tangles an apron and a quilt block and explains her experience with various pens and fabric weights.

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Zentangle Jewelry

Want to get your seasonal gift-making underway with thrift and style? Suzanne McNeill shows examples of Zentangle®-inspired jewelry, from bottle cap earrings to polymer clay bracelets and shows you how to make a simple tag necklace.

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Suzanne McNeill demonstrates her process of creating a tangle pattern

In this video CZT® Suzanne McNeill demonstrates her process of creating a new Barbed Wire tangle pattern.

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Travel in style with your Zentangle® tiles

Zentangle® tile cases

Just in time for summer travels, here’s a great tip for keeping your Zentangle tiles clean and handy when you’re on the go.

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Tips from Sakura on using their Micron pens

Sakura Micron Pens

In recent correspondence with Sakura about issues I experienced with a Sakura Pigma Micron Pen Set, I received some very useful information about using our classic Zentangle® pens. Thought it was worth sharing with you all, so here it is …

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Tangling on Silk

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This 4 minute video shows CZT Suzanne McNeill creating colorful hand dyed silk scarves incorporating tangle patterns.

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait on Semi-Transparency

semi-transparency bubble

More skills for your drawing repertoire! Guest Contributor Sandra Strait goes above and beyond with this highly detailed drawing techniques tutorial on how to make an object appear semi-transparent. She illustrates two versions, one using color and one in black and white.

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Guest Contributor: Genevieve Crabe on Stippling to Create Shading

stippling

Guest Contributor CZT Geneviève Crabe illustrates that by using the technique of stippling you can achieve shading with pen and ink as well as with a traditional pencil.

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait on Shading for Translucence

translucence

Guest Contributor Sandra Strait offers another excellent drawing techniques tutorial. Here she shows how to make an object appear translucent using pen and ink.

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Exploring TanglePatterns

Let's discuss it!

TanglePatterns.com has been growing with many new subscribers and I wanted to thank you for joining us and offer you all a very special welcome. There are lots of good things you might have missed so I thought I’d bring a few to your attention.

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Tangle fun with rubber stamps

In her book Zentangle 3, CZT Suzanne McNeill suggests using simple rubber stamps as a design outline then using tangles to develop the image into Zentangle-inspired art. In this video, Suzanne demonstrates this fun and easy technique.

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Ideas for storing your Zentangle tiles

Zentangle Tile Storage Pockets

If you’ve been wondering how to preserve and store your collection of completed Zentangle® tiles, reader Angela Gamble from Hagerstown, Indiana, has found a solution that works for her and may just be the answer for you too.

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Copyright issues you should know

Let's discuss it!

With so many new people joining the ranks of the Zentangle Zealots, the inevitable enthusiasm is beginning to raise questions about the fair use of tangle patterns in art for sale, as well as create some outright copyright infringement issues. It’s time to address this important topic so we’re all on the same page.

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait’s Shade, Shape, Blend Color & Add Texture

Shape, shade

Guest Contributor Sandra Strait offers our Gentle Readers another great how-to tutorial. This one is a technique using squirkles to shade, shape, blend color and add texture to your drawings.

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait on How to Draw a Ribbon

Sandra Strait's Zentangle featuring Ribbons

Sue Palmer of Westerly RI, recently emailed asking for guidance on drawing a ribbon. I asked Sandra Strait if she had time to respond to Sue’s request and she replied with this great tutorial illustrating not one but two techniques.

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Tangle your name

My name (Linda) drawn in a Zentangle, using Tangle Patterns whose names start with the letters of my name

Recently CZT® Laura Harms started a fun weekly Zentangle® challenge and it’s open to everyone to participate. Here’s my own challenge for you: tangle your name and here’s how (it’s not what you think! Check it out …)

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait on Choosing a Journal for Penwork – Part 2

This is the second of a two-part series where Sandra generously shares her wealth of experience on how to go about choosing a journal for penwork such as Zentangle. In Part 2 of this series, “Journals I’ve Known and Loved”, Sandra reviews 7 different brands of journals in detail.

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Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait on Choosing a Journal for Penwork – Part 1

By Guest Contributor: Sandra Strait. This is the first of a two-part series where Sandra generously shares her wealth of experience about what to consider when choosing a journal for penwork such as Zentangle. In Part 2 of this series, Sandra reviews several journals and their attributes.

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