Title: Totally Tangled
Author: Sandy Steen Bartholomew
ISBN: 157421671-6
Story Length: 50 pages
Genre: Arts & Crafts

Back Cover of Totally Tangled

Can’t draw? Stressed out? Even if you are an artist and feel perfectly calm…Zentangle is for you! Learn to focus, relax your mind and boost your creative confidence. No kidding!

Three Quick Points About Totally Tangled

• Point 1: Not for n00bs. The book doesn’t go into details about the Zentangle steps and the book assumes prior knowledge of tangle (i.e. pattern) creation.
• Point 2: Disorganized. The format doesn’t have a logical flow and had me skipping around from page to page.
• Point 3: Strays into the realm of “zendoodles”. After researching Zentangles I learned that a number of the book’s examples are Zendoodles or Zentangle-inspired art rather than actual Zentangles. Continue reading »

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Totally Tangled by Sandy Steen Bartholomew

Initial thoughts: I’d never heard of Zentangles before, but the idea intrigued me. I looked it up online and found the originator’s website selling an instructional kit for around $50. Um, no. Not for something I wasn’t sure I’d be all that interested in doing.

I decided to check out Amazon and found a few books that were more reasonably priced and decided on Totally Tangled because of the positive reviews.

I’ve gone through it and I have mixed feelings. Zentangles seems like it could be a fun relaxing way to release some creative energy, but the book is much lighter on the instruction than I anticipated.

Review forthcoming. Review completed.

Book description:

Can’t draw? Stressed out? Even if you are an artist and feel perfectly calm…Zentangle is for you! Learn to focus, relax your mind and boost your creative confidence. No kidding!

Book Details: 50 pages; Design Originals; Pub. April 6, 2010