I’ve been tangling pretty much daily, and would like to share a great way to display your tiles. It’s an empty frame, with string (or wire) in rows, that you can peg your tiles to. It’s a great way to display your artwork, and it’s so easy to switch them out when you’d like to see different tiles.
Before I discovered the frame, I had also picked up a tiny black frame, and also a metal sheet which I painted black. Everything came from my local craft store (Michaels).
I find myself tangling everywhere – waiting for the kids at appointments, at coffee shops, you name it. Anywhere I used to reach for my smartphone, I now reach for my tangle kit!
It includes black Sakura Pigma Microns, usually in 01, 03, 05, the Zentangle pencil, a pencil sharpener, (my glasses…) and an envelope I made for storing tiles to keep them clean. All of the items go into a mesh zipper case. I super-duper love my tangle travel kit! This is what mine looks like..
The only problem I’ve had was tangling when a desk isn’t available. I recently bought some foam board to make some large boards for demonstrations, and had a little left over. This made me wonder if I could make a mini-lapboard for tangling. I cut a foam board scrap to be one inch larger than the tiles (i.e. 4.5″), then added two self-adhesive photo corners, and voila! A mini-tangling surface!
I tried it out today, while waiting for my car to be serviced, and it worked fine. It’s super cute too!
Often, at the end of tangling, I look at my tile and think.. Errm, well, that was therapeutic and I feel really good, but my tile is a bit.. uneven, or too bold, or not shaded right, or … I don’t throw it away, instead, I set it aside. It’s common to look back at tiles which I have completed and didn’t like, only to find that this time around, there are things about it that I like. Like this tile..
So many things in life knock us sideways, and it really helps if we have some tools that we can use to help us get back on track. This happened to me on Friday last week, when I was overwhelmed by a family event. I just didn’t know how to work through the emotions. Tears were shed, but I was still unsettled. So, I turned to my ZM practice, and worked – one stroke at a time, while sitting in a coffee shop with a latte. The only thing planned on this tile was the word Gratitude. ZM just works!
I’ve become a Zentangle Method™ fanatic! I love learning how to draw beautiful patterns, and the step-by-step instructions are so easy to follow. Not only do you end up with beautiful artwork, but the process of creating that artwork using the Zentangle Method can help you recenter. The result is actually very similar to Mindfulness meditation.. except you do it with a pen!
This method is so portable and easy to do anywhere, anytime – instead of pulling out your smartphone, you’ll find yourself reaching for a tile and pen. I tell you, waiting around has never been so easy.
justTangle 