A Zentangle Cartouche …

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Tangles by the Sea

Every few months, Zentangle comes out with a “Project Pack” that introduces new ways to use the Zentangle Art Method. This month, Project Pack 05 came out, and features “Zentangle Cartouches”! Cartouche – def. Merriam-Webster … an ornate or ornamental frame. The idea is to use a treasured keepsake, photo, etc. and draw a frame/cartouche around the item. Some examples shared were mounted coins, antique jewelry, and even a piece of a beloved broken teacup!

I love this technique. It forced me to look at old photos I had stashed quite some time ago, then it gave me the opportunity to use these photographs in a way that I can display and share them. I initially started by using the paper stock that came in the Project Pack, but now I’ve got a journal that I’m going to mount photos in and draw cartouches around them …. kind of a “tangled scrapbook” idea. This will keep all the pictures in one place. (Note – instead of using the original photographs, I scanned them into my computer and then printed them out on photo paper. I have siblings who might want these photos one day so I didn’t want to destroy the original copies.) Now I need to look for small keepsakes, like my Mom’s track & field medals, and create a beautiful cartouche using those …. endless possibilities.

This will definitely be an upcoming class. I’m eager to share this beautiful technique with others!

My Mom and Dad – teenage sweeties!