This is the I made the first sales in my brand new Ten Thousand Tangles Zazzle shop and I’m SO EXCITED! edition of Tangled Tuesday… welcome! Hope you enjoy this week’s tangling fun!
Tangling Goodies
I’ve been asked several times what kind of pen I use for tangling, so I thought this would be the perfect place to share my answer.
There are a ton of choices out there in a range of prices, but the ones I’ve used right from the beginning and absolutely love are Sakura Pigma Micron pens. For most of my work I use the 01 size, but the smaller 005 is handy for finer details, and the thicker nibs (I’ve used 03, 05, and 08) are terrific for filling in large areas. (Disclaimer: Using the thicker nibs to speed up the process is quite possibly not in the “true” Zentangle®1 spirit of things!) If you’re just starting out, my recommendation would be to give the Pigma Micron pens a try, but if they’re not in your budget please don’t let it stop you from getting going… because you can tangle with any pen on any piece of paper!
New Tangles
As I continue to make my way through Totally Tangled (by Sandy Steen Bartholomew), I added a bunch of new tangles to my repertoire this week: Punkin, Flaske, Nebel, Holey, Buoy, Boing, Awdry, Pods, Bambu, Kogin, Xpetal, Bleeding Hearts, and Btl Joos. There are definitely some fun ones in there, and I’m looking forward to incorporating them into future pieces!
Tangling-in-Progress
I rarely feel comfortable sharing photos of my WIP, so you’ll just have to imagine the “B” I’m currently working on (and continue reading for details as to WHY I’m working on a B)! Suffice to say that I’m more than halfway through and will probably wrap it up this evening… then share the finished piece in next week’s post.
I also started a rectangular piece (one of the goals I set last week), but ended up putting it on hold after making a mistake that I’m not entirely sure how to fix. Normally “there are no mistakes in Zentangle” – but a ZIA that I’m willing to scan and add to products has to live up to a very high standard, so I’m going to sit on this one for awhile until I decide if it’s salvageable for my shop. Eventually I’ll finish the piece and do my best to camouflage the mistake, and if I feel it’s not scan-worthy I’ll just hang on to it for my portfolio.
Finished Projects
This week I did a quick ZIA (well, as quick as my tangling ever is – which is to say, not very quick!) for the Photo A Day Prompt “Sunrise” – because there was absolutely no way getting up on a Saturday morning to take a picture of a REAL one was ever going to happen! It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a little tangling practice, so here’s my interpretation of a tangled sunrise.
Possibly inspired by my Tangling from A to Z project, and knowing that people tend to like to personalize things, I came up with the idea to do a series of tangled letters (and possibly some symbols – we’ll have to see). My thought is that once my tangled alphabet is complete I can use the finished pieces in monogrammed products in my Ten Thousand Tangles shop. Wouldn’t you love a mug, or a T-shirt, or some note cards (or, or, or…!) with your tangled initial on it? Or perhaps a series of wrapped canvas letters that spell “Love” or “Home” or “Welcome” or something along those lines? I know I would!
So I started, predictably, with the letter A, and this is my finished piece.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m partway through B, and will carry on throughout the alphabet until I’m done. It’s a rather ambitious project, but so much fun… and I’m looking forward to some good results from my hard work!
Coming Soon
This week’s tangling goals include:
- Continue adding products to Ten Thousand Tangles.
- Create pieces for new sponsors.
- Carry on with my Zenletter collection.
P.S.
Previous posts in this series are all tagged Tangled Tuesday.
For background on how I discovered and got involved in Zentangle, and links to further information and resources, check out my blog post For the love of tangling.
You can browse my entire tangle gallery at Ten Thousand Tangles.
And, if you’re interested in having a little piece of my art for yourself, please click on the GoFundMe button below for more information and also visit my Zazzle shop Ten Thousand Tangles. (Pssst… links to my international Ten Thousand Tangles shops are in the Alphabet Salad sidebar – just click on the appropriate flag and you’ll get to the place you need to be!)
1 The Zentangle® Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas and is copyrighted. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Twitter: juliejordanscot
May 27, 2014
Oh, wow! I love your sunrise Zentangle! It is amazing with its energy and the way I can see the sunrise when I allow myself space to see it, otherwise it might look like just another abstraction. (Yes, I realize, part of the point is the meditative quality of zentangling.) Mmmmmmm. I feel better just being here! I’m so glad I saw your post on the Ultimate Blog Challenge page!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you so much, Julie! Glad you stopped by, and glad my post was helpful. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
Congratulations on your sales!
Lana recently posted… Marvelous Mexico Part II
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you, Lana! It’s a good start! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
Twitter: shilpaagarg
May 27, 2014
Wow! The Sunrise is simply beautiful and so is the letter A. I liked the idea of Zentangled alphabets on Mugs, T-shirts. Personalized alphabet key chains would be great too. Congratulations for the first sale at your shop too! Here’s to many many more! Cheers 🙂 ♥
Shilpa Garg recently posted… An Affair to Remember!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you so much, Shilpa! Really, the possibilities are endless… I just have to get drawing!
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
Your A is spectacular! From my first visit to your site, I have thought about doing the alphabet – especially because I want to practice for being able to do a tangled alpha each day to head my 2015 A to Z posts. Such fun!
Sammy D recently posted… Lions, Tigers and Tangles – Oh My!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you! And what a great idea for next year’s A to Z! Love it.
Twitter: hfert_solutions
May 27, 2014
Congrats on your first sale! Also, your artwork is amazing! 🙂
Hillary recently posted… When Medical Care Lets You Down
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you so much, Hillary! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
Twitter: writercat
May 27, 2014
Love your zentangles and that sunset one is great! Wow! Just looked at all your stuff in your Zazzle shop. Amazing! All the best with your tangles! They are beautiful and mesmerizing. I find myself gazing at them for ages with their intricacy. Interesting about using the different pen thicknesses, too.
Cathy Graham recently posted… Take me away! 100 words on a Saturday
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you so much, Cathy! I have a lot of fun with it. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
I too love pens with .01 point! Thanks for sharing the link.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
You’re welcome!
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
Twitter: Wordwrights, Ink
May 27, 2014
Love that ‘A’! Love all of the tangles!
Diane recently posted… Slithery Dee
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 27, 2014
Thank you, Diane!
Laurel Regan recently posted… 100 Words x 2: Stop and Think
You may have convinced me that I could give this a try! I’ve always wanted to do something kind of “artsy” but I am that person that doesn’t do well at all at Pictionary ! I find your blog to be absolutely fascinating! I found it because Sammy D at Bemuzin’ mentioned it, and I am so glad she did! Thanks!
jetgirlcos visiting via Forty, c’est Fantastique
jetgirl recently posted… Ow.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
Glad you stopped by, and hope you do give tangling a try… it’s a wonderful artform! Hope to see you again. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
I love the sunrise Zetangle. It definitely says weekend deck enjoying the sunrise.
Congratulations on your first sale.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
Thank you, Kathy!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
I really like both thesunrise and the “A”. Congratulations on making sales in your new shop!!
Life Breath Present recently posted… 13 Months and Running
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
Thank you so much!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
Twitter: CorinneBlogs
May 28, 2014
Yay, Laurel. So happy for you.
Thanks for the information on the pens!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
Thank you, Corinne, and you’re welcome!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
Twitter: CorinneBlogs
May 28, 2014
Yay, Laurel. So happy for you.
Thanks for the information on the pens! Trying to see if I can get them here.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
I hope you can – they’re great!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
your work is beautiful. I am new to zentangles and have just started learning the different patterns 🙂
Rajlakshmi recently posted… WTF Wednesdays – Fashion of Bagel Head
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
Thank you so much! It’s a lot of fun – hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
This is so cool! Will give zen tangling a go .
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
I hope you enjoy it!
Twitter: 1951
May 28, 2014
How exciting–your first sale is a big milestone!
Carol Cassara recently posted… Quacks like a duck? Yeah, it’s crazy.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
May 28, 2014
I was pleased it happened so quickly!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Maya Angelou, April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014
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