O - Tackle it Tuesday

Cheryl's Tackle It Tuesday is back this week with the letter O. The challenge asks us to do a tile using tangles whose names start with O. Here I use Organza, OoF, Onamato and Opus.

On Zentangle terminology

There is very little that is complicated about the Zentangle method. It's to be practiced just one step at a time. It lends itself to slowing down and following a process, as well as intuitive expression using simply pen, pencil and paper.

The finished product, on a 3.5" x 3.5" piece of white paper is called a "tile." The paper itself (before any drawing has been done on it) is also called a tile.

The patterns used in a Zentangle drawing are called "tangles." Not every pattern is a tangle. Tangles are non-representational. They don't require preplanning, guidelines or erased lines. Linda from TanglePatterns.com has an excellent description of what makes a tangle, and quotes from the Zentangle founders' book, The Book of Zentangle.

Much more info about Zentangle on zentangle.com.

(Can you tell I'm excited to go to the Certified Zentangle Teacher training seminar on Sunday? Counting the days!)

Oh! These O tangles in my tile

I admit, I've had this tile waiting in the wings for a couple weeks. Now that I look it, I am critical. I look like I've rushed again.

Can I be with that part of me that is critical? What does "being with that" even mean? It feels like "not enough." Like "rushed and hasty." Like I "missed the boat."

Zentangle is different from doodling for many reasons, but the one that is the most important to me is the self-inquiry that the method lends itself to.