November 7, 2022

Dear Rick and Maria,

Today students learned two new organic tangles, mythograph and foundabout, and explored the concept of grafting tangles. Later in the day we took a closer look at border tangles and vining tangles and learned another new tangle called rambles.

Grafting is a technique gardeners use to join two plants of similar types. To graft, you cut the stem of the two plants and then join the top flower or leaf portion of one plant onto the bottom or root side of the other plant in such a way that a new union is formed. The plant then grows as a new combined version of the two original plants. We can use this same idea in a tangle or tangle component starting with the same stem proportion. These components can reference buds, berries, leaves, flowers, and beyond. We are referring to this approach as grafting tangles and the components as organic fragments. This opens a whole new world of what and how a fragment can be incorporated into the construction of a tangle. We encourage you to push the limits of this concept and explore the many possibilities of grafting tangles.

Mythograph is a wild and free organic tangle. Allow yourself to get lost in the flowing auras of this mystical plantlike tangle. It is a wonderful tangle to use the concept of the Zentangle method’s technique of “grafting” tangles.

Check out the beautiful tiles that zenAgain attendees have created under #ZA2022grafting. Join in on the mythograph mosaic by posting your tiles using #mythograph. We would love to see what you create.

Foundabout makes its debut appearance in the 2022 version of the Zentangle Zenthology.

Another tangle created as a result of Maria’s midnight meanderings. The tangle has roots with basic lines that weave back and forth. As more strokes are added the original weaving structure becomes organic and seemingly random and wild.

Foundabout is a great organic tangle but could also work well as vining tangle.

Check out the beautiful tiles the zenAgain attendees have created under #ZA2022grafting. Join in on the foundabout mosaic by posting your tiles using #foundabout. We would love to see what you create.

Rambles is named after Martha’s son Ramsey. Though only officially added to the Zenthology in 2022, the workings of rambles has been scattered about in Zentangle history.

Rambles loves a tanglenhancer to give this ribbon-like tangle a little extra punch. Rambles is a great example of a vining and curvy tangle.

Check out the beautiful tiles that zenAgain attendees have created under #ZA2022rambles. Join in on the rambles mosaic by posting your tiles using #rambles. We would love to see what you create.