TANGLES BY THE SEA

The May class at Icarus Creative Arts Studio featured Zendala tiles, floral patterns and a little bird! Each tangler had the choice of Zendala colors – five selected Renaissance (tan) tiles and one opted for gray.

Most of the patterns used for this tile were created by Debbie New, CZT of Singapore. Her patterns always have a light and whimsical feeling. Used were Moonberries, Ditxi, and Lunar Flux. Also included was Five Petals by Alice Hendon, and embellishments with orbs and “dotted lines”. An “open-ended flux type shape” was used for the little bird, added among the flowers.

After shading with graphite, a jelly roll pen was added to the orbs and border, using just one pop of color this time, and adding white chalk pencils and white jelly rolls to finish the tiles. The final result was six beautiful Zendalas drawn on a relaxing Sunday afternoon!

Next up is Sunday, June 14th at Icarus, 1-3:00pm and will feature an “ocean themed” tile. Space is limited so make your reservation now if you’d like to join in.

“Springtime” was the theme of this month’s class at Icarus Creative Arts Studio. Using a white Apprentice tile and white butterfly cut-outs from “Tangled Yogi”, we created a beautiful spring garden with a visiting butterfly.

Patterns used were “Saily” by Rie Moritz, CZT; “Patdejour” by Dani Mabanta, CZT; “Henna Drum” by Jane MacKugler, CZT; “Elifeah” by Karen Rutter, CZT; and Zentangle patterns – Striping and Printemps. When the patterns were done being drawn on the tiles, we added some watercolor pencil. Using water brushes, the watercolors came alive and the gardens blossomed!

The next class will be held May 17th at Icarus, 1pm-3pm. Classes fill early so plan ahead. You can reach me at tanglesbythesea@gmail.com to make your reservation.

With March celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, I felt a little bit of green tangling was in order. Using a white Apprentice tile, green micron 05 pen, black micron 05 pen, a little bit of white and gold jelly rolls, we used two patterns to fill the tile.

Both patterns were new to me. Kalli from Mahe Zehra, CZT and Balawat from Neil Burlen, CZT. Kalli was put into the four corners and Balawat was the focal center pattern. Graphite and various shades of green pastel chalk pencils were used for shading. A couple people went off on their own paths and they turned out really nice as well.

The next class at Icarus will be April 19th, from 1-3pm. Reserve your place now as classes have been filling up.

Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, I still used the “heart” theme for this month’s class at the Icarus Art Studio. Using white Zendalas, we used black ink, red ink, white chalk pencils, gold glitter pens, and graphite pencils to highlight the patterns.

Since I last shared my pattern “Josephine” with the Icarus group a year ago, it has now been accepted and a part of the Tangle Patterns website. This is very exciting as there are hundreds of patterns on the website and now mine is one of them!

A new pattern introduced was “4Rosie” by Melissa Sansson. This became the focal point of the tile, filled in with some standard Zentangle patterns – Knightsbridge, Tipple, Striping, Flux, Fescu, and multiple orbs. A few people also included Damsel Leaf by Annette Rumpler to their tiles.

The Zendalas turned out lovely. Everyone put their own spin on them. One tangler was attending her first class, doubted she could do it, and turned out a beautiful tile that we would all be proud of doing. She left very happy!

The calendar for classes at Icarus has been finalized through June!
Dates are March 15th, April 19th, May 17th and June 14th.
Sign ups are always open. Space is limited.

Classes resumed at Icarus Art Studio after taking December off. I introduced the “black magic” technique taught at ZenAgain 2025 by Nina Dreher Goeddertz, CZT of Germany. I changed it up just a bit – we used white Zendalas instead of black tiles. The patterns used were kept to a minimum so the focus would be our “magic”. These were Ginili by Randi Wynn-Parry, Cruffle by Sandy Hunter, Mooka/Flux/Tipple/Printemps by Zentangle.

Our tools included the white Zendalas, black micron 05, Identipens and two Koi watercolor markers. We added shading with a graphite pencil, and some opted to use silver gel pens. At the end of class, we assembled our tiles in the mosaic – and admired how beautiful every single one was! Great job everyone!

The next class is scheduled for February 22nd. Classes fill quickly so sign up early to save your spot. Email me at tanglesbythesea@gmail.com.

Zentangle classes have been confirmed for the first three months of 2026 – January 11th, February 22nd and March 15th. All classes are held at Icarus Creative Arts Studio on the grounds of the Bernardo Winery. Classes are held from 1pm-3pm, starting on time at 1:00 to allow enough time to finish the work in class.

Classes fill quickly so plan ahead. Reservations are open now. Contact me at tanglesbythesea@gmail.com to save your place.

Looking forward to another Zen-filled New Year in 2026!

(Picture does not represent class subject)

November’s class at Icarus Creative Arts Studio featured tangled bookmarks. The class theme could have been “holiday-related”. However, I decided to make use of all the patterns taught the past year and create something that could possibly be used for gift giving. I suggested going back over their tiles from the year and “downsize” them into a bookmark. Lots of ideas for patterns!

I provided 2″x6″ pre-colored strips, plastic sleeves, glitter pens, and tassels to embellish the final projects. We had enough time to finish two markers, and everyone received extras in their class packets to make more at home. Everyone loved the class, and found it useful for the upcoming holiday season! Yeah – a successful class without a turkey or tree!

This class brought the year to an end. I will be back with a new schedule for January, February and March in the coming weeks.

I want to thank everyone who continues coming to my classes each and every month – some of you for over five years! It’s a great friendship circle that I think we all look forward to. I’m also thankful to Theresa and Robert, owners of Icarus Creative Arts, for allowing me the use of their studio all these years. I couldn’t have a more inspirational environment for my Zentangle followers!

I recently received notification that my tangle “Josephine” was added to the official Tangle Patterns website! This is exciting as tangle patterns.com is one of the premiere sites to find and learn new patterns. I created this pattern earlier this year in honor of my precious Aussie Shepherd, Josephine. All the hearts in pattern symbolize the love this LBD (little black dog) brings to our lives.

The pattern is the third stripe down on the following tile. While it’s too early for Valentine’s Day, I added a bit of autumn gold to match Jo’s coloring. The step-outs can be found on www.tanglepatterns.com.

Six of us had a great time with a little Halloween tangling. Using pre-tinted 5xPhive tiles and black micron pens, several tangle patterns were turned into ‘scary beings’:

Pumpkins-oblong orb with multiple auras; Flux/Zentangle-ghosts; Tagh/Zentangle-mummies; Right Eye/Penny Raile; Gelijoy/Nadine Roller, Kunstler/Margaret Bremner, and added bats, a haunted house and a twisted tree.

White chalk pencils, white Gelly Roll pens and clear glitter pens finished off the tiles. Some elected to add a hint of color using chalk pencils. Think they all turned out awesome.

Next Class: Sunday, November 16th, 1-3:00pm, Icarus Creative Arts Studio

No class in December

New classes return in January 2026!