Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Let's Connect


These past few days the news has been filled with reminders of how some people on a certain Hill are having a tough time connecting. (Don't worry, this isn't political, just an example of some human nature.) Maybe they should all just chill about 20 minutes for a Zentangle break. I got to thinking about connections and visualizing one side putting their stuff on the table, and the other side putting their stuff on the other side of the table. Really, the process of Zentangle shows us that there is always a way it can come together, if we just step back and see, instead of hovering, hanging on to what we think is “right.”  All this observation led me to this little tile…

One of the things I love most about Zentangle is that there is something for everyone… like an art smorgasbord, where one can pick and choose elements, styles, rhythms…. It’s endless! If you tend to like a little order in your life, Zentangle provides it. If you need to get out of a box, Zentangle can help you do that. Some days we like to stay in the lines, other days we just have to bust out of them. The string in Zentangle allows both of these things at once. Here are a few tips (and also some visual steps) for satisfying both sides, and at the same time, connecting one tangle with another:

  1. Make your string with at least three sections.
  2. Fill one section of the tile in a tangle of your choice, staying within the lines of the string boundary.
  3. Fill a second section that is furthest away from the first one with a different tangle, again staying within the boundary of the string.
  4. Look at the two filled areas. Turn your tile in different directions, hold it at arm's length. (This give you a fresh perspective every time!) Find lines that have “stopped” at the string, and see if you can continue the lines, using them as “bridges” to your second tangle (see the Third tile below). The tangle, Hollibaugh is a great bridge-maker!  Or use one existing tangle as the starting point for the new tangle. You can also have elements from your first tangles that can drift across the string into your new tangle.
  5. Once you’ve made your bridges, use them as a new string and fill them with more of your favorite tangles, or fill them with the same tangles that extend from a previous section.
Tonight I will raise a little glass of something to connection and all the places we can find it.

34 comments:

  1. Cool! thanks for the great tutorial, Carole!

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  2. Love the way you explained this!!! Thanks.

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  3. I love the connections.
    Zentangles are bridging the gap over the seas.

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  4. This would make a great video tutorial.

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  5. This is a great demonstration of how to bring the separate elements of zentangle together as a whole. Nicely done!

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  6. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I've been wanting/needing this lesson. The illustrations really help. Ok, I owe you an ice cream! :)

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  7. thanks for this tute! very helpful. =)

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  8. tute. I love that! good job Carole. m

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  9. Hi Carole... I'm often guilty of looking at a string as a collection of separate compartments, and I've admired how your tangles flow into one another. Thank you so much for sharing your insights.

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  10. Carole, thanks so much for the instruction. It's very helpful to break down the process. Cari

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  11. Bless you for this posting. For those of us who cannot make it far away for even a class, this fits the bill. I so wish it were possible for online classes.
    Thank you so very much.
    Lynda D.

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  12. Once in a while, an online explanation works, but for the most part, there is nothing like learning in real life! Glad this one was helpful:)

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  13. Hi Carole,

    This is great. Looks like a level 2 class to me :-)

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  14. Hi Carole,
    Thank you for this,
    It is very inspiring !

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  15. Thank you so much! Your zentangles are always so beautiful, but I never could figure out how you do it. This is a wonderful lesson, so clearly presented. Thanks!

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  16. Thank you so much! Can't wait to try it. So good of you to share it with us.

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  17. Best for beginners. Your zentangles are always so beautiful, but I never could figure out how you do it. Your writing style is eloquent, revitalizing,and fairly interesting.

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  18. Thanks for this great explanation :) I've been wanting to try "flowing" the tangles together for a while, and this makes if very clear.

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  19. Well, This is a great demonstration of how to bring the separate elements of zentangle together as a whole. Such a great finished work.

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  20. Your zentangles are as always so beautiful, but I never could figure out how you do it. This is a wonderful lesson, so clearly presented.

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  21. THANKS CAROLE! This was wonderfully presented, as usual. I love your work and love to see the explainations now and then~ you make it all seem so easy...I need lots more practice, every day!!! :)

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  22. Thanks, This was so helpful and I'm off to try the process.

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  23. Thanks, This was so helpful and I'm off to try the process.

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  24. Thank you, Carole! You have a gift for teaching Zentangle. I'm so grateful for the opportunities this crazy thing called the "Internet" that allows me to connect with talented people like you. More ice cream coming your way!!
    Thanks, again.
    Chris Titus
    CZT 7

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  25. I love this idea of bridging across from one tangle to another and then using those spaces. You've demonstrated it beautifully, can't wait to try it myself.

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  26. Oh yea! "click" that's my light bulb coming on ;) Thank you Carol for this wonderful explanation! I was looking at some of the wonderful tangles out there and wished I could make mine flow like theirs. Mine are ok, but they didn't seem to have that continuity that some others have. Now I know why! Grabbing my pens!

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  27. I was watching election returns when I got the email about this tutorial. I would call your zentangle "Bridges". It's wonderful, and I love the tutorial that explains how it is done. I will be trying this tonight with only one eye on the TV.

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  28. I wish the worl would build bridges like this. It would be a better place.

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