Welcome to new (and continuing) tanglers in Nokomis and Sarasota, Florida!

January is off to a great start with Zentangle, with a few Introduction to Zentangle classes as well as a Renaissance tile class! I am always amazed at the variety of styles that each tile has, even though we are each doing the same tangles! I also enjoy how we can all be inspired by each other. New ideas and tanglations come out all the time!

It's such a joy to share the Zentangle process with others, *and* to make new friends at the same time!


Here's our class on January 19:

Back to front: Dale, Lynn, Tawmmie, Rita, Joyce

More friends met together on  January 13:

Leslie, Joy, Jan, and Carrie.

~ And here is our group for the Renaissance tile class! I love sharing the Renaissance techniques because of the depth that's achieved from using shading as well as highlighting. 

 . . . and last but NOT least, we had a small (but wonderful) class at Sarasota Art & Frame! We had three new tanglers. Only two gave permission to have their photos put up on the blog, so I was happy to add them!

                   

Take a look at the wonderful differences and individual styles of these three!

. . . . . . A  big "THANK YOU" to all who have joined me in classes!

. . . . . And Zentangle in Nokomis/Sarasota has started!

Our first Introduction to Zentangle class took place at the Royal Coachman RV Resort today. Four new tanglers participated, and I think they're hooked!

Susie, Joyce, Linda, and Debbie with their first tiles.

Here are the tiles that were completed:

I can't wait to see more tangling from these women!
What a fun group!

Renaissance Tile class!

I have become more and more excited about the possibilities of the Zentangle Renaissance tiles over the past year. These tiles were developed to showcase shading as well as highlighting techniques based on the chiaroscuro method in Renaissance art. While preparing to teach this class, I looked up definitions and examples of the chiaroscuro method. 
Wikipedia defines it as, "in art, it is the use of strong contrast between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Dictionary.com mentions that the basis of the word is equivalent to chiaro (bright) plus oscuro (dark).

This contrast of light and shade results in a dramatic effect. The technique was initially pioneered by Leonardo da Vinci, and it was further developed by atrists such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt. Rembrandt. 

Here are a few examples of chiaroscuro used in Rembrandt's paintings. I love the moody glow of the light against the dark!


A beautiful example of this technique by Maria Thomas, who developed Zentangle with Rick Roberts, is linked here to their blog: 
http://zentangle.blogspot.com/2015/06/art-method-sales-and-j.html

You can also find great examples of Zentangle Renaissance tiles in the FaceBook group: Square One: Purely Renaissance Zentangle

 And now . . . . . . drumroll, please! Here are Renaissance tiles done in class yesterday!

Everyone did a spectacular job!

Marti Morgan sent this image of her first (!) tiles from class last year along with her new Renaissance tiles from class yesterday.

Kathy Webb sent this wonderful 'collage' of her supplies in addition to a peek at her tiles!

Here is my most recent Renaissance tile.

If you enjoyed this post, have any questions or ideas, I would love to hear your comments! Thanks for stopping by!

So . . . What Can You Do With Your Tiles and Tangles?

                                                           ~~~Drum roll, please ~~~

Before I touch on my title subject, here's some 'show and tell' from two of my students who very recently took an Introduction to Zentangle class! I'm so happy when students become excited about Zentangle!

Steve Reeser did this beautiful tile a week after taking the Intro to Zentangle class.  He's a real tangler!

Karen Schaack collected shells and tangled on them. I **love** these!

I was asked during my last Intro To Zentangle class: "What can you do with your completed tiles?" It's a good question, and somewhat difficult to answer because there are so many possibilities!

One idea that I gave was to do a RAZ: a Random Act of Zentangle. Simply write a note on the back of your tile something like, "Smile! You have received a Zentangle tile! It is yours to keep, or give away! Enjoy!". Then, leave your tile in a public place such as on on the sugar/cream table at a coffee shop or sticking out (prominently!) on a shelf in a bookstore, etc. What a wonderful surprise for someone to find. You might just make someone's day a lot brighter!

A RAZ left in the waiting room of a doctor's office.

You can also attach your tile to card stock, write a message inside, and give it to someone. There's nothing like creating truly handmade work of art to share with someone!  A card such as this would have so much more personal meaning to it, as compared to a mass produced card!

 

You can use completed tiles in an art journal, as part of the illustration. You can simply attach your tile to the journal page, or incorporate it in more depth as part of a collage.

     This is an example of a Zendala

 ('mandala' + 'Zentangle' = 'Zendala') 

that was made from a snowflake template! 

  . . . and, of course, you can definitely frame those favorites of your, and display them for everyone to enjoy!

A true Zentangle advocate!

~~Thanks so much for visiting! I would love to hear your ideas or comments!

Zentangle Classes in Nokomis, Florida!

     Yesterday, 7 new tanglers showed up to take a Beginner Zentangle class here in Nokomis, Florida! Everyone did a great job, and learned 8 new tangles, as well as a bit of the history and philosophy of Zentangle.
 

I'm so excited about starting this new adventure here in Florida. I've been grateful for the interest shown, and the enthusiasm of people in this area to learn Zentangle. It's true that Zentangle attracts some of the most friendly people: ones who want to learn a new skill, try something unique, and share new friendships!

After the 2 1/2 hour class, we put all of the tiles into a mosaic:

We're now looking at possible additional classes such as Renaissance Tiles, Organic Tangles, or Snowflake Zendalas! I'm looking forward to sharing more "Tangling Adventures" with everyone!

          If you're interested in learning Zentangle, (or just want to say, "Hi!") feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

New class, new business, new ZIA, oh,my!

     Since I returned from Providence, RI for the CZT training, I've started my 'official' Zentangle business, registering with the state, filling out forms, etc. I've also scheduled a class on introduction to Zentangle, which I'm very excited about! It will be held at the High Plains Environmental Center on Saturday, Nov 22 from 1:00 - 3:00. I know that as the time draws nearer I'll be nervous, but for now I'm just excited to share Zentangle with people who haven't done it yet.
    For the past month or so, I've been tangling on the original Zentangle tiles, which are 3.5" x 3.5".  This has been inspired by the Facebook group, "Square One: Purely Zentangle". It's been great to get back to the basic traditional tile, using only the black Micron pen. As someone commented, "having the boundaries makes us push the creativity a bit more".
    That being said, I felt the need to go back to my larger paper and do a ZIA (Zentangle-inspired-art) piece. I've worked on this for the past 3 days, and am pretty happy with the result. I love the process of transitioning one tangle into another, and balancing the composition. (At least, it's a good brain challenge!)