BOOK REVIEW: Tangle All Around the World by Alice Hendon

Tangle All Around the World is Book 6 in Alice Hendon’s Artangleology Series.  The previous books have been activity books and planners, but this time around she has collected 453 tangle patterns created by a total of 50 different tangle artists. 

About a year ago, Alice asked the members of her Facebook group Tangle All Around to submit tangle patterns to be collected in a book and the response was tremendous.    

I’ll tell you outright that eighty-five of the tangle patterns are mine.  I received no compensation other than bragging rights, but I have an obvious reason for liking the book. That said, I’ll do my best to just describe it not promote it, so you can decide if would be of value to you.

The list of all the patterns is pretty lengthy so I’ve posted it at the very bottom of this review for those who just have to know what they are.

What is tangling?

Many of you are familiar with Zentangle® and Tangling, but since many are not, let me explain a little bit.

Both are art forms that place a great deal of importance on relaxation rather than just the artistic results.  You can whip out a 15-minute drawing that is pleasant to draw and pleasant to see, or spend more time and create a pattern-based masterpiece.

Each tangle pattern is given a name, for reference sake.  Often these are patterns you may know under different names, from quilting or ancient arts – patterns have been part of art since mankind began to draw.   No one is claiming that they created the patterns.  What they create is a breakdown of the pattern into 4 – 6 steps, making it easy for others to draw the pattern.

Here is an example from the book.

The term ‘Tangle Pattern’ is used both to describe the pattern itself and the step-by-step drawing. I prefer to call the step-by-step drawing a step-out.

You can also use patterns to enhance other types of art.  For example, these steampunk-themed animals that I drew.  The patterns in the hat, monocle and coat add elegance and interest to the fox, and the penguin rocks a bomber jacket over his patterned cold-weather gear.

Specs

• Series: Artangleology (Book 6)
• Paperback: 225 pages
• Binding: Glued
• Publisher: Independently published (August 18, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1083016539
• ISBN-13: 978-1083016539
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces

Video

Tangle All Around The World – Look and Feel

This book is so big and has so many illustrations that Alice was pushing the size limit for Kindle Direct. She had hoped for color, but had to go with black and white. This is a reference book of patterns, not one meant for you to draw in.  There are five blank pages at the back for notes, but pages 6 through 211 are all pattern step-outs and illustrations showing how the patterns might be used.

There were 50 contributors from all around the world, but Alice re-drew all the step-outs to create a cohesive style throughout the book.

The book gives a brief explanation and the basics of tangling and then starts right in with the patterns.  They are organized by type – *Dedications, Traditional, Organic, Gem Setting, Grid, Steampunk, and Fantasy.  The contributor of each pattern is given credit by name and country.

There is an index of tangle patterns and list of contributors at the back.

Most, but not all of the patterns, have an illustration such as the one for Class-EE that I shared above.  A few have full page illustrations such as my fox, or this lovely Zebra that Alice drew.

Although, Alice drew all the step-outs, many of the illustrations come from the contributors.

Some of the tangle patterns are new and some are not.  Many have been published in other books or online.  However, Tangle All Around the World may be the largest collections of patterns ever published in one book.  It is certainly one of the largest.

The range of patterns is wide, going from the traditional abstract pattern established in Zentangle and going through more realistic, stylized patterns such as this one.

Examples

To draw these examples, I flipped to book pages at random and chose a pattern.  Except for the animals.  I like drawing animals so I chose those patterns on purpose.

Tangle Patterns Used: Toucan, Badget, Tierso, Spin2, Pineapple Pile Up, Podz, Unicorn, Red Bud, Hina Lane, Long Leaf, Meer Leaf, Nailed Heart, SO, Ruutz, Boodad, Bara Bara, and Cee-a-Mosa.

Tangle Patterns Used:  I Ain’t Lyin’, Optical, Palmette, Bumpkin2, Wave Runner, Patchett, Patchop, Plicated, Leaf Tree, R-Chez, Whirligig, Rosie, Cutie, and Muppety.

Tangle Patterns Used: Use-Ful, Penguin, Hummingbird, Spidey, Belle Fiorè, and Vlecht.

Tangle All Around The World – Overall

Tangle All Around the World by Alice Hendon is a huge collection of tangle patterns from over 50 contributors. There are 453 patterns with a breakdown step-out, making it easy for you to draw each one.  If you want a collection of patterns to stimulate your creative juices, for easy drawing, or to use as embellishment for more realistic works, this a great book for the purpose.

Tools

• Tangle All Around the World by Alice Hendon
• Hahnemühle Report & Art sketchbook A5
• Hahnemühle Cold-Pressed Watercolour Postcards 
• Zebra Zensations Technical Pen
• Royal Talens Ecoline Watercolor Brush Pens
• Signo Uniball White gel pen   

Related Posts

• REVIEW: Alice Hendon’s Tangle Starts Planner, Into the Future
• REVIEW: Alice Hendon’s Artangleology Book Series
• Tangle Art: Getting Started With Alice Hendon
• GUEST ARTIST: “The Zen of Artangleology” by Alice Hendon
• REVIEW: Hahnemühle Report & Art Book
• REVIEW: Hahnemühle Postcards
• REVIEW: Ecoline Watercolor Brush Pens

Tangle All Around The World – Tangle Patterns

3 Loops Around, 4 Point Star, 4 Rosie, 4 Spool, 4 Stroke, 4 Stroke Insects, 4Shelly, 5 Petals, 6 Star, A Meer Leaf, A-Plus, Aim, Air, Airways, All Boxed Up, Amaranth, Amigo Two, Anemone, Anooka, Ari, Aries, Arrowhead, Art From the Heart, Auratals, Avian, Baby, Baby Bear, Background #2, Background #3, Badget, Balla Balla, Banded, Bar Harbour, Bare Stix, Barz, Basquals, Baubles, Beaded Pipez, Bel Fiorè, Bell 3 Plant, Bella, Beruz, Bewitched, Biddie, Birch, Black Tie, Bladed, Bloom, Blooming Appealing, Blox, Boilerplate, Bolt Petal, Bow Petal, Box Fleur, Box Kite, Boxi, Braccialetto, Bradnut, Bri-Star, Buckle, Budz, Bulbz2, Bullnose, Bumpkinz, Camob, Carson, Cee-a-Mosa, Chalice, Charm, CherryLoop, Chunky Monkey, Chute, Citrus Flower, Class-EE, Clob, Compass, Conk, Cora, Coral, Coral (Steampunk), Coriz, Corn Rows, Corragate, Corset, Crete, Cross Bar, Curly Q, Curlz, Curlz2, Cutie, Daisy Chain, DalaZ, Dayz Eaze, Dayz-E Fleur Garden, Deci-DeLa, DEM, Desert Rain Frog, Diagnonal2, Divi, Divi2, Dollop, DomaFleur, Donut Fleur, Doodad, Dream Dancer, Drip Drop, Dropz, Dropz2, Drum, Dublin, Dutch Diamonds, Echo Fleur, Echo Two, Echolocation, Efilys, Egg Wrapper, Ela Leaf, Elephant Foot Tree, Eternity Heart, Exed, Extreme, Eyesi, Fab, Fagro, Fat Baobab, Fat Bird 1, Fatkrow, Festi, Fiddlin’, Field of Dreams, Fingerbobs, Fire, Fire Wheel, Firebox, Fishi, Flash, Flec, Fleurelle, Fling, Flo-Wheel, Floatz, Flora Flower, Florabud, Floral, Floral2, FloriGami, Flow Fleur, Flowering Artyjoke, Fluid, Flutterbye, Fluxquad, Fly Wheel, Foil, Fragmented flower, Fringe, Frog, Frog Fruit, Furdlee, Future, G’Raffe, Gate, Geer #1, Geer #2, Geer #3, Geer #4, Geer #5, Gellin’, Gettin’ Buggy, Gingajava, Golden, Googly Bird, Got Stars, Gum Drop, Hached, Half-Cap, HarleeQwin, Heart Loops, Heart2heart, Hedgehog/Echidna, Heli, Helical, Hina Lane, Hinge #1, Hive, Hole in the Hedge, Holey ABC’s, Holey Alphabet, Hollibaubles, I Ain’t Lyin’, I Am, I-Wear, Icing, Imperfection, Indy, Ingenblok, Instacon, Jaysix, Jester, Jump Rings, K’Mono, KeyChain, Kitl, Kiwi, Klok #2, Knoblesse, Konnect, KORT, Kurlee-kurl, Lacy, Leaf Tree, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Lifter, Line Dance, Linkz, Linneus, LOL, Lollipop Plant, Long Leaf, Loop Screen, Love Lillies, Lovy-Dovy, Lucious Sprout, MAC, Mac & Cheese, Mama Bear, Manan, Marimekko, Masks, Matahari, Mathapod, Meandros, Medallion, Meeces, Mertail, Midnight Venture, Miff, Mix It Up, Mooka Flop, Mookafill, Mosaic, Mt. Hope, Muppety, ‘N the Round, Nailed Heart, Napoleon Claw, Nebula, Netz, Nian, Nin-Nio, Noel, Oaken, Octafleur, Opera, Optical, Oreo, Oringel, Oscillate, Over and Under, Owline, P_P, Paddle Pedal, Palmette, Papa Bear, Patch, Patchett, Patchop, Pax, Penguin, Peppy, Perspicax, Peso, Petal Plant, PeTree, Pig’s Nose, Pin Wheel, Pin-er, Pine roll, Pineapple, Pineapple Pile-Up, Pinez, Pinz, Pipez, Pipkinz, Pistia, Pleated Beauty, Plicated, Podz, Pointer, Porter, Pufcookie, Pulak, Quadrant, R-chez, Radhost, Raid, Red Bud, Reibi, Reynard, Ribbed Heart, Ribbon Candy, Ribbon Rose, Ring Link, Ringz, Ripped Screen, Ripple, Rng, rockwall, Roll Over, Roller, Rollin’, Rosè, Roshan, Ross, Rotary, Rotory, Round 2 It, Rozalo, Rozlin, Rubin, Rush, Rushy, Ruutz, S-Dot, Sacramento, Sailin’, Sati, Satin & Silk, Scoop, Sea Wall, Seize, Semaphore, Shaggy Plant, Shiretown, Shuri, Simple Lines, Skarab, Skinz, Slalom, Smoke Stax, Snag, SO, Sphere Gear, Spidey, Spin, Spin2, Spinz, Spiralex, Spirilla, Spiroz, Spool, Sprakit, Spring Loop, Sprocket, Sproink, Square Gear, Squared Off, Stack, Stained Glass, Stamen, Stanchun, Star Fire, Star Gear, Star Wall, StarFlake, Starry-Pete, Starshine, Steam Chane, Steel, Stinking Benjamin, Storybrooke, Sunz, Supplize, Suzi, Swirling Tide, Swirly Heart, Taaj, Tall Baobob, Tall Pipes, Tall Tree, Tear Gear, Tennyson, Tent, The Blues, The Reds, Tierso, Timeless, Tinfoil, Tira, TootsieMoon, Top Hat, Totem, Toucan, Treads, Treasure Dragon, Trellis, Tri-4, Tri-Fleur, Tri-Fleur (Steampunk), Tri-Heart, Triage, Trangles & diamonds, Triforce, Trigon, Trumpet Flowers, Trunky, Tunia, Turbine, Tweety, U & I, Uncube, Unicorn, Use-Away, Use-Ful, Use-Kickin’, V-Wraps, Veez, Venn, Vernice, Vintagem, Viola, Viecht, VO, Wave Runner, Waves, Weefenz, Weequash, Whee, Whirligig, Whirly Bird, Whistle, Whol-ee Tree, Wild Heart, Will-o-the-Wisp, Wind Fleur, Windmill, Wingnut, wings, Wobbe, Wrapper, Xcite, Y-Arrow, Your Call, Yuan Bao, YXBox, Z-Trope, Zeplin, Zigga, Zone.

Alice Hendon sent me a copy of her book, ‘Tangle All Around the World’ so I could review it. I received no other considerations, though this post contains affiliate links which help support Doodlewash. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Sandra Strait

I’m a self-taught artist who dances about with all sorts of artistic mediums. My main loves are Watercolor, Zentangle and Ballpoint pen. The subjects of my work are many and varied and change at whim. I’m a little bit crazy, but doesn’t that come with being an artist? I post Reviews and Tutorials here on Doodlewash.

See author's posts