Adorable Aurivox

 "Aurivox" is a tangle inspired by The Little Prince. In one of the chapters, the little prince meets a fox, and they discuss what it means to establish ties with someone.

The tangle's name is a combination of the Latin words "aurum" to mean "gold" and "vox" to mean "voice". The name conjurs to my mind, images of a beautiful fox howling at the moon - its voice haunting yet beautiful at the same time.

You can draw Aurivox as a single tangle:

In this large A2-sized piece, I hid two Aurivox amongst the other tangles: 

This piece was also A2-sized and is titled, “Chapter 2: Emergence”.  

It explores the transition from order to spontaneity, from the internal to the external, from the known to the imagined. The tunnel which is intricately rendered in Zentangle patterns, represents a space of quiet introspection and structure. As the viewer moves toward the exit, they are greeted by a burst of lush greenery. This acts as a metaphor for creative release, organic growth, and the beauty that lies beyond.

Aurivox is, again, hidden amongst the other tangles.

You can also draw Aurivox as a ribbon tangle:

Playing around with the size of your Aurivox's features will change the expression of your fox. I think this tangle would be great for tiny tanglers (children), and people who like a bit of whimsy in their work.

If you use Aurivox in your works, tag me on Instagram ( @havepen_willdraw ). I'd love to see what you create!

Captivating Catalyz

"Catalyz" is a tangle that is structured and orderly, while also being a bit geometric.

The word "catalyst" refers to an event or person that causes great change. As is common with lots of Zentangle® patterns, I added a "z" at the end to make it more easily searchable, and to tie it back to its tangle roots. Here's how to draw it:

Do you have that one friend that has the amazing ability to explain complex ideas in really simple terms, while not making you feel stupid? That friend who allows you to understand yourself better through open conversations - about everything and nothing at all.

There is structure to these conversations, but these conversations also grow and take on a life of their own, too. Meandering thoughts that may or may not lead to conclusions. 

For me, Catalyz carries those associations.

In my Word of the Year tile, Catalyz was featured in a very minimalist manner on the top left corner.

"The older I get, the more I find that you can only live with those who free you, who love you with an affection that is as light to bear as it is strong to feel.

Today's life is too hard, too bitter, too anemic, for us to undergo new bondages, from whom we love [...]. This is how I am your friend, I love your happiness, your freedom, your adventure in one word, and I would like to be for you the companion we are sure of, always.”
- Albert Camus

The tangle can be used as a ribbon tangle, and embellished in a variety of ways. And I can't wait to see what jazzed up versions of it you come up with!

If you use Catalyz in your works, tag me on Instagram ( @havepen_willdraw ). I'd love to see what you create using it as your catalyst tangle!

Insightful Intwine

We're at the second quarter of 2024 already. How quickly time flies.

This year, my chosen Word of the Year was "Beginnings". I wanted 2024 to be a year of new art projects, new adventures, and new connections. I spent the first two months recharging and focusing my energies on how I wanted my future to look like. 

I think, when you have unfocused energies, you attract people into your life whose energies don't align with yours. So it is a good exercise to take some time to sit with yourself and ask what is it, really, that you want.

It is at this time, too, that I was reminded that healing is not a linear journey. You think that you have gotten over something, but then the wound reopens. I have learnt that, that is okay.

Feelings demand to be felt. A friend told me that, she imagines her feelings to be ships entering and leaving the harbour... And all you're tasked to do is to acknowledge the ships - be it small ones that are paddle boats, or huge ones that are mega cruise ships... You thank them for visiting your harbour, and then wave goodbye to them.

With that, I would love to share with you a new tangle, that celebrates the new connections I've made. This is "Intwine"-

Here are some tiles I made featuring Intwine:

This tile also features my other tangles, Feist and Mirai. Check them out by clicking the links, if you'd like.

Lastly, I leave you with this lovely quote:

"The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love - whether we call it friendship or family or romance - is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other's light. Gentlework. Steadfast work. Lifesaving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our own view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another."

If you use Intwine in your works, tag me on Instagram ( @havepen_willdraw ). I'd love to see what you create.

Mindfully Mirai

Isn't it scary how every single time we open our hearts to love, that there is a possibility of getting hurt. And yet, the lure is immense... 

We make plans - and yet life has a way of happening. "Mirai" means "future" in Japanese. With it, I think of my hopes for the future. I might not know how things would go, but I am hopeful for things working out in the best way possible.

Here's how to draw "Mirai":

And here are some tiles I made featuring the tangle:

"I think about how one day, they won't be here anymore. So I am trying my best in this lifetime and theirs, to love them as hard as I can."

This tile also features my other tangles, Intwine and Feist.

I hope the future brings you much joy and wonderful adventures!

If you use Mirai in your works, tag me on Instagram ( @havepen_willdraw ). I'd love to see what you create.

Floral Feist

Everything has its season — that's what I've been told. 

Sometimes, you might wish with all of your heart for something to happen, but you might not be ready for it, or there might be something even better waiting for you in the future. Have you experienced that in your life?

When I think of Feist, I think of softness, or a flower blooming - reaching out towards the sunlight. It represents slow growth - one that is done at your own pace and is sustainable in the long-term. It begins with a sparkle, and then it blossoms.

I hope you'll like using this sweet tangle in your own work, as much as I've enjoyed using it in mine, recently.

Here are the step-outs to my newest tangle, "Feist":

"Beautiful one, you hold my heart.
This heart that sometimes blindly seeks suffering -
But I don't fault my stupid heart,
Because I know that suffering sometimes
can feel religious if you do it right."

This was a tile tinted using gorgeous hand-make watercolours from Wild Dot SG ( @wildd.sg ). Their paints are made from pigments sourced in Singapore! Who knew soil could be so colourful. ✨

Check out some of my other tangles via this link.

And if you use Feist in your works, tag me on Instagram ( @havepen_willdraw ). I'd love to see what you create.

A Very Merry Unbirthday

I wanted to gift this tangle to my best friend, Debbie. I really like the tangle, and I thought it’d act like a physical representation of our friendship.

But the issue with every new tangle that we deconstruct is… What will we name it?

“Debbie” means “bee”. So my initial thought was to name it “abeille” which means bee in French. But I’m quite sure people wouldn’t pronounce it the French way… I tested it on my husband and he did pronounce it phonetically.

Then I thought about the root word for “Debbie”.. which is “D’vora”. I thought that was cute so I asked Debbie what she thought.

She asked if the tangle was her un-birthday, post-birthday present. I said, no. That it was a just-because gift. She laughed and said, “Un birthday. There you have a tangle name.”.

So this is Debbie’s Unbirthday. hahaha

Here’s another version of the same tangle. Double Unbirthday:

I’ve used it in my art recently. Here it is as a duotangle in my sketchbook:

Hidden amongst these gems:

And here it is featured in a Tangled Facets tile. The blue fascinator is from the printable that comes with our Tangled Facets course. If you have not watched the free preview of the course, do pop over to our Thinkific to do so: https://7f5r.thinkific.com/courses/tangledfacets

 I hope you enjoy using Unbirthday in your art as much as I do, and that the little story that came with it made you smile.

If you would like us to feature your work on social media, tag us on Instagram @7forests5rivers or use the hashtag #unbirthdaytangle

Until next time, keep tangling!

Stephanie Jennifer, CZT21
Singapore

Step-Outs to Lola

  "Lola" stands for "Lots of Love, Always". It's also a nickname for "Charlotte". So yes, it was a tangle that I named after my daughter, Charlotte. :)

  I know there are pencil guides in the step-outs, but you can definitely draw Lola without the guides... It's just that it's easier to have Lola fit into a shape with the pencil guides.

  When I create more tiles with this tangle and post them to my blog, they will be found here.

  If you use this tangle to create something, tag me in your post. It makes me so happy to see other people's creations. You can find me on Instagram @havepen_willdraw. Happy tangling!

Step-outs to Diva Dance Simplified

    I teach the Zentangle method to a lot of children, and earlier during June this year, I tried teaching Diva Dance- Rock and Roll in my classes. Most kids got it, some didn't; and I don't really like it when students don't "get" certain patterns that I teach as I think of it in the sense that there has to be a better/easier way for me to teach the pattern. ... And I found a way! I'm so excited to teach you how to draw my version of Diva Dance- Rock and Roll. I'm sure it'd be a great substitute if you're teaching it as a first tangle to someone who has never tried Zentangle art before, or to children and other non-children (or children at hearts. haha) who struggle with the original tangle.

  The difficulty that the children I taught had with the pattern was deciding where and when they should add the "bumps". Some added too few and then it didn't look like the example that I had demonstrated for them. This made them frustrated. Others were so focused on the bumps that their aura didn't keep close to the bumps and they ended drawing something that resembled Printemps. I hope this video will also help.

  And here's a page in my sketchbook where I drew it as a border. I'm going to be drawing a Zendala next to it, leaving a white border between the two parts.

Step-Outs to Velonia

  "Velonia" is Greek for "stitch". There's a basic way to draw the pattern, and once you get that, you can just add little humps to each of the stripes to get a more three-dimensional effect. And then to do away with the lines that go through the pattern, you just add Striping to it.

  There's a way to make this tangle easier to draw. I'll update this post with an explanatory video soon. And tiles too! I'll add example tiles to this post when I get around to using it.

Cubine with Velonia hovering over it.

A tile to celebrate National Pi Day.

Want to see another tangle done by me? Here's Jonee.

Step-Outs to Jonee

  Here's another tangle I created. It was on the edge of a basket, but I tweaked it so that it'd follow the ideals of Zentangle- that all tangles should be simple. I named it to sound similar to my mother's name...

  There are two ways to draw this tangle: a curvy way and a linear way. The curved one reminds me of chinese firecrackers, and the linear one reminds me of fish scales. Shading makes a whole world of difference for this tangle. I'll be playing around with the tangle more and will post tiles featuring it soon after.

Wanna' see another tangle done by me? Here's Versus.

Jonee within Jonee

They look like dragon scales here.

Step-Outs to Versus

  A while ago, I updated the little symbol that I would use to initial my tiles. I was playing around with a cursive "s". I fell in love with the nice swoop that the letter would provide, and I thought... why not repeat the shape? The "s" had a little loop at its top that I felt was not necessary in a tangle. I changed the loop to a sharp point. And that's how "Versus" was found.

  You can stack it, or have it apart... You can use it along a string as a divider... You can repeat it for it to be a filler pattern (although, it does look a little busy that way, to me... I might need to fiddle around with the tangle a bit more to feel more familiar with it).

  My favourite one is the last box- having two rows stacked on top of one another and shading the edges of the top and bottom. I'll be playing around with this pattern soon and will update this post with tiles after that.   View my other tangle: Singapore Sling

Update: I used the tangle for some tiles for Travelling Tangles swaps. (What is "Travelling Tangles"? Click here to find out.)

Black Zendala with shimmery acrylic paint over it.

And here's an ATC.