Totally Tangled: Zentangle and Beyond

I've been knitting and sewing for as long as I can remember, and lately the word "Zentangles" has popped up in a few different places so I decided to check and see what it was about. I chose this book honestly just for the cover - I loved it. I am not into art or drawing at all, so when I got the book I was kind of lost and wasn't really sure what to do with it. Then when I got to the back of the book, there were a few examples of Zentangles and the author had written "combine skills you already have with Zentangle". Next to that was an example of a drawing with buttons, ruffles and stitches, and right there and then a little lightbulb went off and I knew this was something I'd like to do. The way I see tangling in my mind is that I'm drawing fabric.The book is not written just for sewing and things at all, though. That was just a tiny part of the book that made it all click for me. There were other examples of hobbies and interests that may be what inspires you.Zentangle is supposed to be very meditative and relaxing, and I have to agree with that. At first I was really stressed out when I tried it, but as I got more used to following the patterns, I really do notice that I'm relaxed when I'm drawing. Most of the patterns kind of follow each other's lines and doing that is very calming. Once you've picked out a pattern to do, you really don't have to think anymore and can just relax.As far as the instructions in the book, it's pretty easy to follow. There are Zentangle patterns and how to draw them all though the book, mixed in with examples of drawings. The beginning of the book tells all about Zentangle and lists the supplies you'll need. The beauty of it is that she tells you really all you need is paper, pencils and black marking pens. There are other things you can do with Zentangle like add color and do some blending, but that doesn't happen until you are ready to get fancier with your work. This author has a really nice website, a few other books and some videos on You Tube. I am glad that I chose this book to get me started on Zentange and have already purchased two more of her books. I like being able to follow the same person when I'm doing a craft and I think Sandy Steen Bartholomew is a great choice.

I've had my eye on this book for several months. I have a daughter whose very artistic and I thought she'd love the technique. It's been on my wish list so I got us a treat. Wow! This is pretty spiffy. I like to gather things for wintertime that will be fun pasttimes for the long winter and this book really fits the bill. The book is smaller than I anticpated, but it's adequate to get started with this unique artform. The art itself I found to be a little tricky and a bit overwhelming at first, but once I got the hang of it, it's very fun. Anyone can create interesting artwork following the examples in this book.I do other types of artwork and this will incorporate with anything. Whether you do altered art, make handmade cards or just like to doodle - this is a great starting point for tangling. I also think it changes your brain. After checking out the book and do some drawings, you start to notice patterns everywhere that you can use in your art. I think this is also a good tool for kids who don't have much confidence in their artwork - this will inspire them, and imagination is boundless with this technique.Totally Tangled is a clever book packed with great examples and ideas for further exploration. I think you can take this as far as you'd like. It's like doodling but with patterns and shading to make really cool drawings.

After much discussion and thought I am editing my review. I am not deleting anything but adding what I have found out especially with the help of all those who commented on this post **indicates an edit/comment-I thought this book would be a learners guide to the art of 'tangling'. The description seemed to imply that. I expected more instructions and detailed steps**You need to know a bit about tangling to get full value from this book. I don't think you need another book but just watching a quick you tube video will get you upto speed. Please see the comments to my original post for loads of links.**-Instead this book is more of a compilation of work which is admittedly very beautiful. How to get there is still a mystery to me.**I now look at the book as a source of ideas and inspirations but I can now see how they were created. **-The book is not very logically laid out so I would not recommend it for total beginners at all who are looking for a step by step approach. For example the author spends time talking about tools needed and then just jumps into showing you images of tangles with no guidance on how to start at all. I found that frustrating and I struggled to make head or tail of what was going on.**I maintain that if you are a total beginner and have no clue what on earth a tangle is, its better to look at a basic website first before attempting the tangles in this book. One website has a template of squares you can download free which greatly helps you start [...]This totally changed my perspective and now the book looks quite logical**However if you want to add to your collection of ideas or get inspiration, this book might be good. But you need to know the basics first.I'm rating this as a 2 star from my point of view, as a total novice.-I cannot say how helpful this book would be to a more experienced person as the patterns are truly gorgeous and inspiring. In fact I am considering keeping this book just for the prettiness factor of the designs and getting a beginners guide to learn the basics.**I did keep the book and now refer to it a lot. I didn't need a beginners guide after all . Lots of people gave me great links on the web (see comments)which took all the mystery out of the process.-But I do think the product description needs to be more explicit and less misleading.**I do think amazon should say something like 'take your tangling further' or 'be inspired to make art with simple tangles'****THANKS to everyone who commented on my post and helped me on my way to 'tangling' and really loving this book! If you are a total newbie do look at the comments- there are some great video links and websites to help you start.**