06/12/2026
The origins…
The origins of the Zentangle Method are deeply rooted in Maria's life long love for letters and lettering. It was a large gilded letter that she was working on in her studio that magical day that started everything.
This month, we are looking back at some of the ways letters have made its way into our hearts and onto our tiles.
✨July 2004: Rick and Maria teach the first public Zentangle class at an meeting, the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting.
✨August 2010: Rick and Maria hosted a gathering of passionate tanglers in Newport, Rhode Island. Over the course of a few days, attendees created tangled Illuminated Letters, honoring the origins of the Zentangle Method.
✨May 2016: The tangle ellish is released. This curvy and "betweedy" tangle is layered and interwoven around the cursive letter "L."
✨December 2018: Maria formally shares a concept she had been working on called Embedded Letters.
✨August 2021: Zentangle Project Pack No. 15 focused on alphaborders. This project pack drew inspiration from the art of lettering and alphabets and how their forms can influence patterns.
✨March 2024: Inspired by the illuminated letters created at the 2010 event, Zentangle Project Pack No. 23 guides us through creating our own. This project pack was part of Zentangle's 20th Anniversary celebration.
Learn more in our latest newsletter!
