Pattern Play: a Zentangle Creativity Boost

I've had quite a few Zentangle books and this one by far has the most inspirational patterns and they do a good job with the instructions. I don't think any book will teach you, you learn as you go but for me the instructions on some have been really strong because I tend to be dyslexic on certain curves, I try to do it right handed when I'm really left handed but acquired right through force so there seems to be a few curves that I do the wrong way because my brain wants to go as a left handed person despite using my right hand. Anyhow, I just got their "Made in the Shade" and am not impressed at all. I was hoping these authors put out a more decent follow up to this one. Overall I recommend this book over others because those I've had are extremely basic to drive you nuts. I've made some beautiful Zentangles just from doodling a few from this book! If you're creative, it's a book you will definitely want in your library.As other reviewers have suggested, there are quite a few blank pages for those who want to try their hand at it in the book itself. I think I counted about 24 but it does not take away from the amount of patterns they have put in this book and with very good instructions. I'm not bothered by the blank pages in the least. I don't use them but there might be those who would use them.As the book suggests "a creativity booster", but nonetheless, did I say they do have some great ideas for pattern play?!!

Not my usual practice, this time I ordered PATTERN PLAY before I read the reviews. Several people mentioned there were way too many blank pages, so I began to wonder if I would have to return it. I just hoped it would be worth the cost. After it arrived, I spent a lot of time reading the text and checking out the great patterns. Yes, there are blank pages, but I think the authors have laid them out nicely, and placed them in-between designs and tips. If you are relatively new to ZT like I am (have only been at it since the first of the year), I think you will find this book to be a resource you will go back to again and again. Even when the time comes that I think I've learned it all, this is the book that will keep me inspired. With the inclusion of the blank pages, which make this into a personal workbook, I have room to design my own patterns based on what I've been learning from the authors (yes, no need to keep copying the experts!). I'm looking forward to having some fun, thanks to Cris and Sonya. Thank you!

The stated purpose of this book is to help you develop your skills in Zen Tangling. This book is visually very nice and of a high quality. The zen tangles are beautiful, and of a highly decorative nature with organic shapes, as opposed to static and geometric designs. I personally love the organic and delicate designs when I ZenTangle. It is a teaching book and provides a lot of blank pages and empty spaces meant for you to fill in as you practice your skills. For myself I won't draw in my books, but if I was so inclined I might make copies of the pages and follow the lesson instructions, except I am terrible about "following instructions" in this manner. The book is meant to be a creativity booster, and in that sense I believe it succeeds because the designs are so very beautiful and enticing. It is well written and could be a fantastic starter book because there are many adaptations of each of the designs which are featured in the lessons.

This is a useful and beautiful book, a worthy addition to any Zentangle® library. Unlike other books, which focus on the acquisition of new tangles, Pattern Play explores what is possible with a handful of tangles and their "tangleations" (variations). Be prepared: this is about Zentangle®, so the authors emphasize the Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas method of creating these patterns. This is, in fact, the most thorough introduction to Zentangle® I have yet encountered, other than taking a class with a Certified Zentangle® Instructor (something I really recommend if you are interested in this as a meditation practice).I really appreciated the Pattern Play approach; other tanglers, who are more interested in acquiring new patterns, may be disappointed. You will not find an extensive collection of tangles here; instead, you will play around with what you can do with patterns you already know. Experienced tanglers will not need this encouragement to experiment. As a beginner, though, I find it exhilarating.This book does not contain colorwork. That was a letdown for me, at first, but I quickly realized I had plenty to enjoy without it. ALSO, I am also puzzled by the nicely bordered blank "Idea Starter" pages, which are silly given that the text insists there are "no mistakes" in tangling, anyway, and that among the Zentangle® "necessities" is high-quality paper. In fact, when you take the introductory class, you dive into using official Zentangle® tiles right away, as a way to value what you're doing and to really grok the method. My advice is that you use nice paper or even tiles as you play around with the patterns in this book, especially for the subtle art of shading.Don't get me wrong. For me, at least, Pattern Play is still worth every penny, but if you are basing your purchase on the number of pages it contains, be aware that 42 of those pages are actually more-or-less blank. And again, if you are exploring tangleations on your own already, this book might be irrelevant. I, however, am having a BLAST with the authors' gentle, inspiring approach.

If you are tangling, you need this book. Simplifies the tangles then helps you creatively vary, expand and create new tangleations. It's amazing!