All of the Zentangle(R) tangles originated as an observed pattern, either in nature or made by humans. And there's a caveat: Not all patterns can become tangles. I know, I've tried. Here are the guidelines:
- The tangle must use only the elemental strokes: a dot, straight line, arc, S-curve or orb (circle)
- Usually only three or fewer elemental strokes are needed to draw the tangle
- The elemental strokes must be drawn in a structured way so that someone else can reproduce it as shown in a short series of steps called step-outs
- And, usually the step-outs for a tangle have five or fewer steps
Think of one of the most basic Zentangle tangles, Crescent Moon. It's essentially an arc with a straight line underneath that's filled in and embellished with more arcs (auras). What could be simpler?
At my Zentangle teacher training, Rick and Maria challenged us to observe some design in our environment and make a tangle out of it. Then several students were invited to present their tangles to the entire group. As you might expect, some tangles were very simple and some were very complex. One I remember had more than 12 steps! But the bigger issue with that one was that the final tangle was very representational. So it didn't make the grade on those two counts.
But keep looking and observing and see what YOU find!
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