Tangle meditation with Holly @ Ha! Designs

Holly Atwater, CZT (15), sent out a meditation challenge from her blog to complete on a Bijou tile (2" x 2") and to share back.  This was a wonderful way to start this vacation day. . .at 4:30 A.M.! Thanks, Holly!  Well done!  Looking forward to the next one.

Here's my tile:

Tripoli Meditation Tile
2/16/2015
Holly Atwater

TANGLE ALL DAY!

January 31 was an awesome day. . .I LOVE teaching Zentangle®!

I'm going to let the photos tell the day. . .I taught 2 classes Saturday (1/31/15).  Another "Into to Zentangle" class was first, from 10 A.M. - 12:15 P.M.  Six students, two of them very new to the method.

All but one student stayed for the second class - "Next Step 103"(2 - 4:30 P.M.) - and two others joined them for a total of 7.  My good friend, artist Bette Brody (her Etsy site is here), spent the day with us, too.  She was my photographer/helper, and was also able to do a tile or two with us.  I can get used to having an assistant!  She's the BEST!

Main tiles from first class: "Intro to Zentangle."

Rare opportunity to have two students that are REAL NEWBIES to Zentangle.  The top three tiles were Gladden's, a dear friend and local artist.  The bottom three were Molly's  -  one of the two 12 yr. old girls in the class.
Anything is possible, one stroke at a time™ !

Grace and Molly (both 12 yrs. old) were great additions to the class.  Grace is quite accomplished as a Tangler already.
This was Molly's first experience with Zentangle.  Both girls stuck with it ALL DAY and did very nice work.

The right two photos above show the newest and best of my new teaching tools - a document camera with a TV as a projector.
So much better than standing at an easel for 6 hours!

Grace (12 yrs.) has a beautiful hand at Zentangle.  She's been doing it for some time.  Her work and focus were amazing!
There is no limit!

Here is pictured another new tool that was put into use for the first time in a class. It is a large pen holder for Micron pens (also has an adaptor for Sharpies) for arthritic hands or for those that just like a larger pen.  Easy to hold.  There were two tanglers in this class using the holders that hubby, Steve, turned from beautiful acrylics and exotic woods.  I use them, too!  It helps me to hold the pen with a lighter touch and with no cramping. Steve has made several for me.  The lids aren't tight enough to leave the pen in the holder for days without them drying out but taking them out after each session and recapping with the original cap on the pen is quick and easy and solves that issue.

Tanglers always look so "serious."  They ARE having fun but in a very focused, deliberate way!  I do all the talking and they do beautiful tangles!  Most of the ladies spent the day, going through both classes.  Jeanne Booth and Barby Reilly, CZT, joined us for the second class,  "Next Step 103".  Jeanne and I met through our other art outlet - beads!  Jeanne is a talented lampwork bead maker.  Jeanne has also been tangling on her own, doing beautiful work.  She attended one of my first double classes in Nov. '14.   I met Barby in Providence, RI, in June, '14, while taking the 4 day intensive courses to become Certified Zentangle Teachers.  She is teaching in the Gaithersburg area.  Who you don't see pictured in these photos is my good friend, Bette Brody, who is behind the camera!

The first tile in the second class was all about the grid.  WOW!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we did several projects involving hearts.  The top was learning to draw ruflz.  This was probably the most difficult tangle we tackled in the "Next Step" class.  I think the students' very different styles and adaptations reflect one motto of Zentangle - There are NO mistakes!  All are lovely!


The second little striped heart idea I saw on FaceBook in a journal piece by Chris Titus, CZT.   I saw it last week and quickly added it to the mix to help illustrate "sparkle" and "shading."  So sweet!  I just found out that Chris and Jenny Perruzzi, CZT, are the creators of  the FaceBook group, Square One: Purely Zentangle!  I recommend this page to my students along with Zentangle.com and TanglePatterns.com.  The Big Three!











All of today's tanglers got blank cards with heart cutouts to tangle inside or to put a tile in. Makes a pretty valentine!

Teaching Mooka from the very basic tangle and then morphing it to a  ZIA  (Zentangle Inspired Art) based on an adaptation of Mooka presented by Helen Williams on her blog, a little lime.  Her work is sublime and she has published several e-books and videos that share her very special, delicate and beautiful techniques!

Our ZIA  tile using  tangles learned in this face paced, more advanced class.  I am always amazed at the different interpretations of the same tangles.  Aren't they lovely!

While Bette was photographing the last ZIA tile (posted above), we tangled one last tile -- showcasing "Luv-a."   No photos of that tile from the class but here are my tiles from the day with the "Luv-a" tile included (bottom right).  It is great to have actual tiles of my own from the class instead of huge newsprint sheets that go in the trash!

Top three were used to teach the first class - Intro to Zentangle
All the rest were used to teach the second class - "Next Step 103"

Using my new Ipevo IPEVO VZ-1 HD VGA/USB Dual-Mode Document Camera and a TV from home has SET ME FREE!  So happy with this addition to my teaching tools!

Classes all done!  Last shot by hubby with Melissa's phone.  My dear friend Melissa Meman (artist, jewelry designer, blogger) and Bette Brody, the best friend and assistant EVER!  Ready for the cold outside.    Bette (multi talented multi-media artist, book maker, painter, etc., etc.).  I am so blessed to be able to share my life and Zentangle with such a great crew!

What's next?  Hope I can take time from packing to plan another "Next Step" class before we make a move to Louisiana!  Working on Black Tiles!!!