"Ancient Spirals" was created on paper I had eco-dyed some time ago. (Click on "eco-dyeing" in my subjects list on the right to see more about this technique.) It is also inspired by a compositional method I learned during a class from Lynn Mead through TangleU.
It began with a sheet of paper I'd eco-dyed a while ago. In pencil, I divided it into 2" squares, leaving a thin border. Using the eco-dyed marks as guides, I added some arcs to create partial circles.
I had noticed spirals in some places and decided to pursue that imagery. In pencil I indicated the spirals and some shells and leaves, then added a bit of color with Inktense and Graphitint water-soluable pencils.
I began adding details with fine-nib pens: a leaf, a few spirals. A whole quarter finished. What are those scallops at the bottom? Feathers? Leaves?
More Inktense. More Graphitint. More tangles. More leaves. More spirals. More details. Blue seems to be running diagonally.
Almost finished. Some of the eco-dye patterning is so beautiful I want to leave it without any additions. Colored pencil for final shading.
Like many, I find the nautilus spiral very appealing. It's that sacred geometry thing happening. I've used the image occasionally in my artwork. I wanted to include a nautilus in my non-journal/non-sketchbook. This is the first two-page spread I've done in it. I didn't have that intention when I began but the book opened so nicely in the middle of a signature of pages that it was a no-brainer.
The name of this tangle is a fun bit of word play. Printemps is French for spring - the season. Printemps the tangle looks like lots of little springs - as in a mattress or ballpoint pen.
Let's start with how to pronounce it. French, along with British English, is a little notorious for not saying all the letters you see. Also, the French 'R' is not like the English 'R'. Ecoutez bien (listen well):
The best place to find a step-out for Printemps - it's done by Maria Thomas - is on the Zentangle Mosaic app. If you're not part of that, it's pretty easy to figure out that this tangle is basically a lot of clustered spirals.
There are at least two ways to shade Printemps. You can shade around some of the individual spirals or you can shade at the edge of the section in which you've drawn Printemps.
VARIATIONS
Printemps has been around since Zentangle was born and a number of variations can already be seen. Some I've noted:
start with a small dot before spiraling out
try to keep the spirals pretty much all the same size
randomly vary the size of the spirals
Here are some more variations you may like to try:
Variation: Sparkle
When I attended CZT Seminar 3 way back when, Printemps was demonstrated along with the sparkle enhancement. For a long time I thought Printemps necessarily had these highlights! (Those little highlights are fun to add to other 'line' tangles, too.) With Printemps, try to line up the breaks on the same side of each spiral. See this 'sparkle' version demonstrated in a video here.
Variation: Large and small
Draw a few, scattered, rather large spirals and fill the rest of the space with small spirals.
Tangles: Black Pearlz, MySwing, Printemps, Zonked
Variation: I need some space
Separate the spirals and fill the background. Choose black, black with dots, caviar-style Tipple or anything that is different enough from the multiple lines of Printemps.
Suzanne McNeill's step-outs for this variation are here.
Variation: Retreating
Start with some very large spirals along one edge. Next to that row, do a row of slightly smaller spirals. And so on and so on until you end with some very tiny spirals. I suggest shading the edge with the tiny spirals as it seems to be retreating from you.
Tangles: Droplets, Printemps
Variation: Expanding
This variation reminds me of some lovely little shells I picked up somewhere.
Start with a very tight spiral and expand it as you go out.
This tile looks a bit questionable. ;) Tangles: Florz, KrliQs, Printemps, and Rounding
Variation: Off-center
Start with a tiny circle. As you spiral around, come back to the same edge of the tiny circle every time. My result is more an oval than a circle and I think they look like clam shells. This variation somewhat resembles Beth Snodderly's tangle Roxi, which you can find here. You could do it a little differently, being careful to maintain circles instead of ovals.
Tangles: Arukas, Firecracker, Printemps, Seljuk
Variation: Box Spirals
Several years ago I came up with this variation which I treated as a new tangle, but it really is a variation of Printemps. See that post here.
Variation: Weighted
Also shown in the tile above is a version of Printemps some have called "weighted". I start by drawing a very irregular spiral (easier if I hold the pen lightly), then add sections to make a neater spiral, and fill in the thicker parts. I like to leave highlights; it could also be solid black. Here's a quick how-to:
Have fun!
UPDATE, 25 September 2018: Here are two lovely examples of tiles done using some of these variations.
Tile by Rhonda Elliot Roy.
Tile by Heidi Halpern Kay in Florida, a new zentangle student of CZT Joanna Quincey's.
I've undertaken a huge clearance project of All My Stuff. It's rather refreshing, although difficult at times, but I'm on a roll. So far I've gone through my clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewellry. I've also gone through my papers, which were in files and binders in a few different places. I emptied two 3" binders and I kept less than 10% of what was in them. I dumped some files and merged others.
One of two large bags of papers to be recycled, and my papers/files now.
Now I'm on to my books. Unfortunately, in assembling all my books I discovered more papers. Oh no! But amongst the papers I discovered this photocopy of a cross-section of a triton shell. (The frilly edge of the shell is missing.) It looked like an interesting 'string' for zentangle drawing.
It was an easy job to trace the outlines of the shell through a white tile.
The photocopy kept catching my eye as it lay on my desk, and it always looked like a leaf, so I decided to try that idea. I had also recently seen a new tangle called Aloha (from CZT Suzanne Fluhr) a rather thick-lined leaf and wanted to try it. It became many leaves rather than one.
You're probably familiar with the tangle 'Nzeppel. Cockles 'n' Mussels begins with a random version of 'Nzeppel and moves on from there. First, a few photos.
CLAM SHELLS (photo from royalty free images at visualphotos.com)
Okay, here's the tangle Cockles 'n' Mussels!
In some cases you may want to subdivide a section to make more appropriate shapes. You may also want to trim a corner or an edge for the same purpose. See a few places under Mussels and Clams above. The lines on mussels and clams need to curve at the ends; they're almost more a series of diminishing ovals rather than just lines. Sometimes you'll have a very tiny section; think of it as sand and leave it alone. :-)
Here's a Zentangle tile with a few variations of Cockles 'n' Mussels, clams, and the random version of 'Nzeppel.
Lower left and right of center: Cockles 'n' Mussels. Top left: cockles.
Upper right: clams, lower right: mussels and clams. Through center: random 'Nzeppel.
Here's a tile using Cockles 'n' Mussels among other tangles.
