Tangling Tuesday: Tools and Organization

I like having things handy.  The easier things are to find and use the more likely I will use them.



I re-purposed a basket that was being used but not efficiently.  This basket has good memories.  When I look at it I remember our time living in Sebastipol, Ca. I bought it at the consignment shop there.  It's perfect to keep my pens and papers handy for tangling.   Papers and other items fit in the larger basket. behind the pens.



These are all cut to size 3.5 by 3.5 inches.  Sometimes I have Art Trading Card size c2.5 x 3.5 inches. The colored paper is some basic cardatock I got at Micheals.  The white paper is Strathmore 300 Series.  It's 100 lb paper with a vellum surface.

I have black and sepia sakura pigma pens in a few sizes.  I can find these at Michaels but online I like to get them at Jet Pens.  So far the size I use the most is .25.  I got a brush one for filling but wish I had the .5mm instead.  I have a few colored pens and would like more. Zentangle.com also sells pens in sets for tangling.  



I love using altoid tins to store things.  This one holds some blending sticks that blend pencil shading, pencil sharpener, and an eraser.  I just might add an empty tin to collect pencil shavings.



This tin holds tangling patterns.  These are only the ones I've made so far there are many more. So when I am working on a zentangle I can get inspiration.  Sometimes I get kind of stuck and don't have a direction I can see.   I pull these out to inspire me.



I also have a journal where I doodle around.




So now go get your doodle on!

Tangling, Moebius and Valentines Day!

So what do tangling, moebius and Valentines Day have in common?

First I started at  I am the Diva's blog to check out her weekly tangling challenges. I'm new to her blog and just came across Weekly Challenge #55. which uses moebius as the central theme.  Then  I followed a few of the links and found this blog post here at Xplore&Xpress That showed me how to make the hearts below and more about the moebius.  So I spent about an hour on Wednesday night making and cutting moebius strips then Thursday took the time to make my Valentine something geek worthy.  This is my practice run.

You really must  try this at home. All you need is some paper, pens, scissors,  something to make things stick (I used double sided tape)  and a bit of curiosity to explore how the heck it works!  I'd tell you all how to do it here but I don't need to because all you need to know is in the 3rd link above.

Then you can make one for the geek in you life.  Or you could do it together.

Just keep tangling! 

Tangling Tuesday

Over the holidays I took a long break from knitting, spinning and more. One, I was sick, Bah!  Two, I was having fun with my family. Three, I got distracted with Pinterest where I came across more online information about Zentangles.  I first heard about Zentagles through my local fiber guild.  I wasn't able to go to the meeting where everyone learned about it. I tried to find out more online but my internet and google fu was lacking at the time. I was going to get a starter kit and share  it with a friend but we got busy and didn't pursue it. I even looked on amazon and swear nothing came up when I typed in zentangle.

So while I was recuperating and pinned things on Pinterest I zentangled.  Some of my favorites patterns are: betweed, mooka, cubine, tuscon, and paradox.  I watched these video here from the creators of Zentagles.

On Flickr you can find a lovely gallery of Zentangles.  I have Zentangle inspirational and patterns collected on my Pinterest Board.

An official Zentangle is on a nice piece of drawing paper.  Cut to 3.5 inches square and drawn with a fine ink pen.  Sakuara .25mm pigma pens are recommended and I love them too. Since falling in love with tangling I got myself some pens, a nice journal to explore patterns and some lovely white paper to cut to size.

Here's some of the first tangling I did before I understood the standard process or size.



My tangling journal where I explore new patterns:

Some how I came across the basic steps. This is how I understand it.

• Draw four points in the corners of the card with a pencil.  Then connect those points. Don't fret about the lines they don't have to be straight wibbly-wobbly is good! If you want the design to go to the edges of the card you don't have to do this.

• Also with your pencil draw what's called a string inside the box you made. Not sure on the rules on this.  I see ones that are done all curvy and some that are several lines all straight too.

• Then with your fine ink pen fill in section with patterns that please you.  Most of all have fun and don't fret about it. Your string is a guidde but not meant to restrict you.  You can tangle outside of the lines.

• Then last you can add some shading or not.  It can really make it all pop.

Here are a few of my official tangle squares:

You can see the string lines I created and how I used them and didn't use them.



This was done using a diamond grid and combining lines and the paradox tangle.



This one I followed the string a bit more.

What I most like about Zentangles are the "rules" that help you get started but not so much a "rule" that it blocks your creativity.   Last I leave you with a link to a free pdf download.  You will need to join the website to get it but I'd say it's worth it. Just go here



Tangle! You know you want to. It's like doodling in highschool but better and you don't have to do it to stay awake during a boring lecture.  You an do it because it's fun!

Edited to spell Tuesday correctly and remove my draft notes :P