Joy of Zentangle: Drawing Your Way to Increased Creativity, Focus, and Well-Being (Design Originals) Instructions for 101 Tangle Patterns from CZTs Suzanne McNeill, Sandy Steen Bartholomew, & More Paperback – November 1, 2012

Zen tangles are the best things you can draw when you’re bored. Only need pencil and paper and boom, brain fun. Very helpful patterns from some people who do this professionally. Really cool. I wanted to try shading one and you can see the difference it makes on the left vs right.

High quality book, just as described. I’ve given them as gifts and people love it, lots of fun to do.

This is a very enjoyable book, and a very well written intro to zentangles. Let me take a minute to explain the concept of zentangles for those who don't know (I'll explain the 'but' in the title in a bit).Think of zentangles as a zen or meditative way of doodling. You take a square card, put some marks in the corners- or really any random location- and using a pencil, connect those dots in a loose, 'unthinking' manner. The whole point is that you CANNOT make a mistake, because whatever you wind up with, you work with; there is no erasing. From there, you switch to a pen and use patterns to fill in the spaces, or if those spaces inspire you with images, go from there. I have to say that so far, I'm having a lot of fun with it and will probably purchase more books. There are books for various patterns and levels of experience.I purchased the book based on (almost literally) glowing reviews by people who had really gotten into them. I was trying to jumpstart my artistic side, and the whole concept of sparking creativity by drawing on a small card reminded me of a writing exercise I was taught, where you try to tell an entire story in one brief sentence. The small space, limited colors and short amount of time force you to stretch those creative muscles. I can see this being helpful to many people; artists, writers, or even people looking for a new way to meditate. The authors know their stuff and are all certified zentangle teachers (czt), which brings me to the 'but' in the title.On the page called "zentangle resources", there is information about respecting the zentangle copyright (which is a good thing), and becoming a czt. I wish wholeheartedly they had put this at the end of the book. The tone was not unpleasant, but it cast the rest of the book, and indeed the whole 'zentangle movement' in a negative light. Between that and the near dazzling reviews, it started to come across as kind of cult-ish. The endorsements scattered liberally throughout the book pretty much all stressed the importance of taking a class and the excitement of being a teacher. Then, the insistence on pigma micron pens and the notion that you COULD do zentangles on 'regular' paper, but it's sooo much nicer to do them on 'official' zentangle cards, well, that bugged the heck out of me. At approximately 50 cents a card, and considering the cost of the pens, this was no longer a very inexpensive hobby.Don't get me wrong- I applaud the creators, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, for coming up with the idea, which really seems to work for many people. I don't know, maybe I'm too much of a 'granola' kind of girl, but the whole notion of such exclusivity and conformation seems to belie the very concept of zen.All that aside, I can honestly say that I do really enjoy doing zentangles, and will purchase other books in the future. I WILL NOT, however, be puchasing any 'official' (my choice of words) zentangle products. I've found that paper coasters (approx. 16 cents each) make wonderful subtitutes for zentangle tiles. Being rigid makes it really easy to punch a hole in the corner and attach a ring type binder for an instant book, and you can use both sides! Also, any gel type pen works great on them.So, while I DO recommend this book, I also encourage you to keep the zen in zentangle and use what you've got on hand or can get cheaply. I also really, really encourage the authors and other certified zentangle teachers out there to not push product so overtly. For some strange reason, it reminds me of the Tupperware and Home Interior parties my mom used to go to; yikes!

A clearly written inspiring way to exercise your creativity in a form you may not think would apply to your areas of creativity -- but it does!

This was my first book to start learning Zentangle. It's perfect, patterns are not at all complicated and you can still create a nice finished tangle. Instructions were great. I started out practicing in my drawing sketchbook. That worked well because I'm not use to drawing with such fine point. So really great way to start learning.

Book was delivered timely and in pristine condition. Great book for Zentangle ideas. H

In perfect condition.

I tried a few Zentangle squares and quickly realized I needed some ideas and techniques. This book is a great starting point--and even all you need for quite a while. The book illustrates a number of patterns but also gives the principles of Zentangles --where you start with a border on (usually) a square tile of thick paper and then move on to a "string" (a scribble that divides up your space) and then how to fill with patterns.These designs are addictive and very fun for relaxation. You end up focusing on your drawing and shading and forgetting all the annoying things for a half an hour or so--very medicinal.This book is useful and will get you started well.