Tangled up with Zentangles

Welcome to the first post! This one contains some good product info related to the practice of Zentangle and Z-inspired Art.  This blog will be about all kinds of musings, from the mundane to the magical, with much emphasis on art - my passion/advocation. It's good to know about all kinds of products -art, and otherwise- that are great, or to be avoided, and various art processes, because I have tried almost all! I have done lots of art stuff with the intention of "blogging it", but only now am I  finally getting around to the writing part of it. So I am starting with my latest inspiration - "tangling" - doing Zentangle. (From the official website I learned that it would be incorrect to say "zentangling"; the correct verb is "tangling")  Even before I was aware of Zentangle inspired art I had been do something like it in my art journals for a long time. Then I discovered the official Zentangle website:  http://www.zentangle.com, and the related Zentangle Patterns site: http://tanglepatterns.com and that's when I went tangle-crazy!  I couldn't stop! I didn't want to stop. And why should I? Unlike most people, I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with. So here are the first ones I did, following the exact guidelines from the offical site, over the course of only 3 days (I was even tangling in my sleep!):

My first official "Zentangle"

my 2nd one

the 3rd.

the 4th

 As I worked, I tried a lot of different pens and shading options. I was okay with the Sharpie pen (not marker) but I really do prefer the officially reconmmended Micron pen. . I have plenty of excellent bristol paper with vellum finish, like the official (i.e. expensive) tiles are made from, so I cut it to the correct official size of 3.5"x 3.5", but after all that tangling, I was worried my one-and-only, most-favoritest-of-all  Micron pen would soon run out of ink. Being disabled and car-less, thus having a difficult time getting to a store, I started looking all over the internet, (ebay, Zentagle store website, etc) for tangling supplies, I learned that the supplies can be spendy, but....

*** OKAY, YOU REALLY WANT TO READ THIS PART:  I found this awesome deal I am afraid to mention, because once the cat is out of the bag I am afraid the supplier will be forced to change their pricing. It is for the "Apprentice Pack" which is designed for the classroom --for beginning tanglers, and comes with a super helpful beginners DVD, and with a giant pack of the larger 4.5"x 4.5" Apprentice size tiles (which can easily be cut or torn smaller, or round or heart shaped, if so desired), plus pens (not the Micron, but still the good quality Sakura brand with dark black ink). Get this: it was --half-- yes, that's 1/2-- the standard price, as found on the official site and everwhere else I could find it. Of all places, (who'd a thunk it?) -- on Walmart.com!!! I have found excellent prices on the Sakura glaze, gelly, moonlight, and other pens there, so I was checking for the Microns there as well. In their search box I entered "zentangle" - thinking I might find the actual  Micron Zentangle pen pack, and guess what popped up? - the offficial Zentangle classroom pack: for only $63.00!  You would pay almost that much for the tiles alone on E-bay, or Michaels or anywhere else I looked - - so it is like getting the dvd, the shipping, the pencils, and pens for free PLUS, when you register your unique pack i.d.# on the official website you get access to additional exclusive website material!  Get 'em while you can. Who knows how long a deal like that can last, until the official people find out Walmart broke their pricing rules, and won't allow them to buy any more.
So, I have done much more tangling since I got my delivery, and I have plans to go to local classrooms as a volunteer to share it with others.
I have so much more to tell you, but that's enough for now. I am off to take my darling furr-kid out to do his "b'ness", then eat, shower, chiropracter, home to crash (as usual,) and then probably a couple more hours of art play..er...ahem, I mean work. Tee-hee.
 Later Gator! ---z--z-"<