Category Archives: Zentangle

Jun18

Creativity Notebook Prompt #1

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

While I have a new business blog that has my Zentangle work, I do want to use this one for exploring my creativity. I recently enrolled in a Udemy course that is taught by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic as well as Eat, Pray, Love. I adored Big Magic and recommend it for anyone who is creative or who seeks to be creative. It is fantastic.

Anyway… This is now my creativity notebook, and the following was our first prompt. This is a place other classmates can visit to read my thoughts as well.

Prompt #1.

I answered several questions.
The last thing I wondered- or had curiosity about- is nature. Specifically, types of birds that we saw on a walk recently: a killdeer and a cedar waxwing. I want to find out more and I want to photograph more wildlife.
The last time I had creative flow was working on an organic tile with henna drum and Sanibelle. I love plant/nature related Zentangle tiles.
What I love to do most at age 8 was to swing at the Catholic grade school on the very tall swings. I also loved to read and to ride my bike to a little pond at Saint Benedict’s seminary and spread out a blanket to read.

My superpowers are: facial recognition. (I am able to spot similar faces and faces that are aging just as easily as a forensic computer.)
Nature photography
Listening skills
Zentangle Teacher
Compassion
Kindness

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What I would do for a living if I wasn’t afraid: publish books, calendars, and notecards with my art and quotes or my own words.
What themes do I see?
Love for nature
Love of art and photography
Love of organic (plants and flowers) tangles.
What is exciting to me?
Working on art and photography outside
Drawing nature tangles
What do I want to start creating?
Focus on organic/nature oriented tangles
Collect and use quotations on tangles and on photography
Discover how to get an art or coloring book published
Notecards and Calendars

That’s it for now. To see my art and photography blog, please visit http://HeartsUntangled.com

Feb29

Tile Parade Part One

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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I have a quite few tiles to share with you. If you’ve dropped by, please leave a message to let me know. Comments are golden!

I’ve been going through my tangle book (more on that soon) and tangling some early patterns I learned before becoming a CZT. You’ll see a lot of similar tiles yet different all together. One of the many joys of Zentangle is that you can do the same tangles with no or only slight variations (“tanglations”) and never have the same work of art twice. That is never so evident as when I teach a class and the students’ tiles are placed into a mosaic!

Here are the start of the Tile Parade (click to enlarge):

First off, I participated in an ATC (Artist Trading Card) exchange with some people mostly located in The Netherlands. Here are some of my contributions…

I used Distress Ink to add color to the tiles before tangling on it.

Some of my “mac n cheese” tangles — old standby favorites.

The next entry will be my newfound love — ZenGems!

Kat

Dec17

Recent Newsletter

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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To receive this newsletter, sign up on our new Website HeartTanglesStudios@com
News from Heart Tangles Studios

A pleasant surprise….

We hope you have had a special Thanksgiving day with family and/or friends and remembered to be thankful for all the liberties we have here in the United States of America. And for the great food, of course!
I love to see your Zentangle art and recently Blaine Street from my very first class sent me this great pumpkin that he made. Enjoy!

Belaine Street’s Pumpkin #1

Blaine Street’s Pumpkin #2

A Friendly Reminder…

The holidays are upon us, so schedules get full for many people. Because of this, we will make accommodations so here are our changes:
Heart Tanglers will meet THIS MONDAY at the Tazewell Public Library on Dec 14 from 6-8pm. These meetings are free and always a fun time of sharing our artwork, ideas, questions and info as well as good camaraderie. Bring your supplies for tangling or you can purchase from Kat (me) or David if you are getting low on tiles, pens or other things.
Please note that these meetings are for those folks who have already attended a class or who have some experience with Zentangle.

Remember…we will not be meeting on December 26th

A brand new American! Bear and the judge.

I coudn’t resist this photo!
He Did It!…

After a 15 year journey, my husband David (“Bear”) finally became a naturalized US CITIZEN! The Oath Ceremony was December 3 in Abingdon, VA. The photo above was taken as he received his certificate from the judge. THAT is what a new citizen looks like! He and 10 others were beaming after making America their official home. Bear is thrilled that he is going to be able to vote in the presidential election!
Wytheville Museum has contacted me and asked that I start teaching classes there Saturday, January 16 2016, 2-5 PM. I am willing to teach anywhere, including private or individual classes. I will also teach another Basics: Zentangle 101 at the Appalachian Art Center in January.
Please feel free to pass this email to those whom you think might want info on classes. Ask them to write to me at Heart.Tangles@gmail.com for more information or to be added to this newsletter mailing list.
And now, I’ll close with some recent tiles of my own….. I’ve created three new tangles which I will teach at the Monday meeting if anyone is interested.

Keep on Tangling!

Kat

Certified Zentangle Teacher

Heart Tangles Studios,VA

The flowery tangle is my own called Chic

This tile has one tangle of my own.

There are two of my own tangles in it.

This has some of my own tangles in it.

Our mailing address is:

*Heart.Tangles@gmail.com*

Oct14

The Mind is Astounding

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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This is a different kind of post… As a retired psychotherapist, I know the advantage of drawing and allowing the subconscious to express itself. The same can and does happen with Zentangle-type art if it is not planned out or forced in any way. I often pull out a tile if I’m feeling strong emotion (including anxiety) and lose myself into this wonderful meditative activity.
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Yesterday was my son’s 24th birthday… The infant son who only lived thirty days and never got to come home from the hospital. I was amazed how my body reacted to the date in spite of not feeling great sorrow. My body remembered what my mind tried to forget.
I sat down with my trusty pen and pulled out a tile. This was the result. I didn’t realize it was heart-shaped with an empty section until I was through. I have two other biological children who are reflected as sections of the heart. There are even more remarkable revelations that I’ll not share here, but how amazing was this tile?! I felt so much better when I was finished… The feelings were expressed without words.

Sep2

I have Busy Hands!

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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Well, the Celebration of the Arts took place on Saturday, and I’ve been busy ever since! Tamara and I had a great time sharing her space – she was so kind and gracious. We had taken our two tables and a box of things for the tables to her office on Friday night. We didn’t hear Bear’s alarm go off (did it?) Saturday so instead of being there by 7:30 to open at 8:00, we awoke at 8:30! Groan. When I messaged Tamara to tell her, she asked if we wanted her to set up for us! Yes, please! What a sweetie.

Bear and I sold about six of my many stones (mostly turtles), and that was all for day. But our good friends who happen to be neighbors came to our booth (brightest spot in our day!), and the woman of the couple picked out a picture… And bought it! Yay!

When I got home, I got a call with a big order from someone in Florida who had seen my work online. He ordered five items for Christmas gifts! A good friend from junior high contacted me and also put in a Christmas order. I am enormously blessed! And busy! Just the way I like it.

Without further ado, here are recent works for your approval. Seriously, do leave a comment and/or a “like” to let me know that you came by. Click on the picks to make them larger. Also, if you like something let me know, as it is all for sale.

this is a tote bag that is approximately 13.5×13.5×3″z it is original one_of-a-kind art. Can be washed by hand, sparingly.

This is another tote bag that is approximately 13.5×13.5×3″z it is original one_of-a-kind art. Can be washed by hand, sparingly.

This is an original Italian paper tile, using archival ink. It is 3.5 square and comes with a frame or small easel.

another tile, same as above.

Another tile made with a thick Italian mould paper.

A notecard, blank inside, suitable for framing. approx 4×5″

Another notecard, this time an elephank.

I hope your days have been peaceful and creative.

Kat

Aug4

What I’ve been tangling…

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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Here are photos… Click to enlarge:

Tripoli X4

this looks like bugs under the rug or something like that! ive only done two black tiles prior to this one. They take some getting used to!

Another rolled back tile. this shows the structure!

And when I wasn’t tangling, I was out in my motorized chair catching special moments in nature.

Looking for apples

Beautiful cat who wasnt afraid of Bella, my dog!

Make a wish!

Apples everywhere…except our yard.

Sunflowers , from seeds dropped by the birds. I’ll save the seeds for winter when the birds can’t find seed as easily

Take Care, and stay creative,

Kat

Jul31

A Gift

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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I gave away a tile today to someone who knew nothing about Zentangle. She was thrilled and loved learning about this art method. This is the one she got (Remember to click on photos to enlarge them):

She loved it!

I noticed AFTER I gave it to her that I had forgotten to shade it! It was one of my earlier ones. Ah well, she doesn’t know better. Sigh…

This is the Tangle I made for my son yesterday. It’s on a notecard 4.25 x 5.5″.

I hope he likes it!

Hope your day is full of beauty and creativity!

Kat

Jul30

Bits and Bobs (Photo heavy)

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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I’ve been busy drawing daily and I realize I haven’t shared them here. I’ve got to remember to post more often!

So here we go… Click on the photo to enlarge.

i used a new string and a new tangle

my attempt at a theme… the sea.

i love the “shattered glass” effect of this one.

it is called “stacked” when the string is in large stripes.

This ZIA has 24 different tangles. It is for sale

Which do you like best? What does each one remind you of – what do you see?

I also wanted to let you know, in case you hadn’t noticed, that I’ve added two more pages at the top. One describes Zentangle® and the other tells some benefits of drawing using the Zentangle Method. Let me know if you have found a benefit not listed, please.

Comments make my day!

Kat

Jul27

I did it! (Long post)

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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Well, yesterday (Saturday) I held my first public workshop and it was SO much fun! I had 11 students and each one was so attentive and did excellent tiles (one had her own style but that’s okay!). I introduce Bear as “my lovely assistant” and it was the first of many laughs.

They had to fill out a survey for the Art Center afterwards and they raved about the workshop and, well, ME! They thought I was a great teacher! I told them it was my first one but it didn’t seem to matter (full disclosure and all). The only complaint was that it seemed too short -at two hours! Amazing! We decided that the next class needs to be three hours.

What *I* learned: I love teaching and I’m good at it and don’t have to be so nervous! I feel this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing with my life right now. I believe in Zentangle with all my heart and know I’m changing lives by giving them a viable stress reliever that they can use for the rest of their lives. One man was in his 80’s (I’m guessing) and he did brilliantly despite having a shaky hand. I’m so thankful to Rick and Maria for having discovered and founded this method of drawing/stress management/anxiety treatment, etc. deeply grateful.

Everyone wanted more workshops so I’m going to offer them. Wish they were already scheduled!

Another thing I did was to book the local library for the second Monday of the week from 6-8pm for a free Heart Tangles Of Tazewell meeting! Just a get together for exchanging ideas, showing off tiles and ZIAs and forming a Zentangle® community. When I announced it at the workshop, the Director suggested that we have one there on the first Saturday of the month, so those who can’t attend one can attend the other. Cool, huh?

Here are photos from my wonderful afternoon. The mosaic was of everyone’s tiles all together. I didn’t need to tell anyone to photograph it- the cellphones magically appeared instantly!

Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge.

so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

The students would come to the table behind where I lectured (talked) and gather round while I drew each tangle. Then they would go back and recreate it. I would circle in my chair in the middle of the U to look at their work and respond to raised hands. This is my Beautiful! class hard at work. It was dead silent!

Basic Zentangle® 101 Mosaic

This is the mosaic— so good! In my class were two teachers, a lawyer and a physical therapist- the rest I didn’t know. Two came from as far as an hour and a half’s drive! Two others came almost as far from a different direction. Only a couple came from our own town.

july 25, 2015. I’m so proud of them all!

My beautiful first workshop attendees!

a student’s work close up

A girl about 14 did this one and we’ve been messaging today- she is totally addicted!
I’m ready to do this again ASAP!

Kat

Jul21

More Art and a Fawn, too!

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Kat, aka "Arty_Kat"

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i have more art to share with you. I’ve been busy preparing for my Basic Zentangle 101 class on Saturday. Glad I have a few more days to prepare. So far as I know, it will be a small group which I find more intimate and better for the student. They get more attention and that’s nice.

It’s been raining here at least once a day for a couple of weeks, as well as being in the mid- to upper 80s, which makes for a very humid (miserable) day. I like it best when I get to go outdoors and go for a drive in my chair with Bella. I always find some wildlife to photograph and Bella can use the exercise.

Yesterday, I came upon-almost literally!- a very young fawn just sitting in the grass inches from the road. I could have touched her, she was completely u afraid of me even when I spoke to her. She startled, however, when Bella barked! So did I! All I had with me was my phone- last time I go out without my “real” camera!