Book Review: 500 Tangled Artworks

"500 Tangled Artworks: A Showcase of Inspired Illustrated Designs" by Bec Krahula

  The book is not meant for people new to Zentangle as it does not show how to create each tangle. In the introductory chapter, the book briefly touches upon what Zentangle is and also tells readers how to start tangling. It is in no way a how-to tangle book but more of a showcase of what other artists have done with Zentangle. The book itself is of a good print, and I like the feel of the paper used for the book. However, the pictures within the book leave much more to be wanted. For example, some tiles were badly lit and the white of the paper looked grey in the photos (page 34,, for example). Or even worse, some seem to have been taken in a dark room and lit by the light of a table lamp resulting in greenish and pinkish hues (page 43, for example). Some might complain that the pictures within the book are too small, and I have to agree that details do get lost due to the fact that some pictures were printed too small.

• Chapter One shows actual Zentangle tiles.

• Chapter Two shows Zentangles done on larger paper.

• Chapter Three shows Zentangle-Inspired Artworks (ZIAs). You'll start to see colours in the art works from hereon.

• Chapter Four shows mixed-media ZIAs. Much more colours involved in the art works contained in this chapter.

• Chapter Five shows fiber and textile ZIAs.

• Chapter Six shows ZIAs in sculptures.

  Finally, the book ends with a directory of all the artists showcased within the book, and also where within the book they're featured. It's nice that every picture is numbered and that they have the artist's name under each picture for easy reference.

  All in all, 500 Tangled Artworks delivers what it says it would- it shows you 500 artworks with zentangles, and it does make for a nice coffeetable book, but this is definitely not a how-to book and there are much better zentangle books in the market.