Reminder about UN-Tangle Holiday Retreat

Here are the details for the UN-Tangle retreat in November - just in case you have forgotten. No - I am NOT trying to rub it in your face, I wanted to remind you that you can save $75 off your room price if you register by September 1st. And that deadline is coming up FAST!

UnTangle Holiday Event 
Nov 9-11, 2012

The Patchwork Pearl and Sandy Steen Bartholomew have been working on a follow up to the original UnTangle retreat in March, and we're delighted to be able to announce what we have planned. The Beachmere called - they want us to ring in the holidays with them - so we hope that you'll join us on Friday, November 9th for a weekend of fun and Tangling - all with a holiday theme.
We're planning a weekend of workshops and hands on experiences for you, with an added twist of helping you with your Holiday gift list. If you have something in mind to Tangle, bring it with you to work on it.
One change we are making is that we're sizing the retreat to give each of you more room to spread out. Please make your reservations today - and take advantage of the Early Bird pricing at the same time - to make sure you get a chance to come play with us. 

Single room rate (includes the workshop fee of $250) is $875; 
Double room rate (includes the workshop fee of $250) is $725 
- book by Sept 1 and save $75.00 on your registration. 
If you're a commuter who wants to Tangle with us, the fee is $500 
(which includes the workshop fee of $250).

We hope to have as much fun as we did the first time, so please book your reservation today. 

An added note or idea... if you have a particular project you have been wanting to work on, or an item you need to tangle, bring it with you, but also let me (Sandy) know ahead of time, and I will make sure that you have the right materials to do the job. ie: I'll bring the pens, paints, whatever. :-)

AND - since I keep getting emails about this - - NO, you don't need to be an artist or a CZT to attend this retreat. YES, complete newbies are very welcome. And YES, Linda will match you up with a roommate if would like to share a room. YES, you can bring your spouse. NO, they don't have to take the workshop. NO, this is not a high-powered, stressed out super-workshop. YES, it is a fun, relaxing, easy-going, safe-place to let your hair down, be yourself, try stuff out, and laugh a lot.
Introverts AND extroverts will enjoy it!

Are you ready to sign up? Go here: SIGN ME UP! And I'll see you there. :-)

2nd Annual CZT Retreat

I wanted to remind any of you Certified Zentangle Teachers who were planning on attending the 2nd Annual CZT Retreat here in NH - that today is the deadline for getting $75 off your reservation!

The 2nd Annual CZT Retreat

October 25-28, 2012 

in Tilton, NH at the Black Swan Inn http://www.blackswaninn.net/  

Special guest artist Sandra Steen Bartholomew 

For details on this event write to betteabdu@gmail.com

To get all the information - take a look at my July post. This will be a wonderful chance for all CZTs to connect, rejuvenate, and brainstorm. New CZTs are very welcome. As added incentive, everyone who registers before midnight tomorrow night (Sat. Aug. 25) will get a free 1/2 hour session with ME! What do you mean "big whoop"? You get a full half hour of my undivided attention. Ask me anything - I can help you brainstorm about your business, give you feedback on your tangles or ideas, tell you how to set up a blog, share my secret sketches, share YOUR secrets... whatever you like. :-)
But you have to register before tomorrow night! Go. Right now. Email Bette. Now. ;-D
See you there!

Sakura / Zentangle Teaser Video

Sakura and Zentangle  have teamed up recently to release special Micron pens and tile kits. And just today, Leslie Crumpler, who works for Sakura and is a Certified Zentangle Teacher, released a really fun teaser video! The video features CZTs and their students working on Zentangle tiles (and using Sakura products). It also features some really adorable kids (like Molly Hollibaugh's daughter) and my little angels. hee hee. You can see my kids... Lilah is drawing from 0:58 to 1:11 and Alex is tangling from 2:14 to 2:25. Both my kids are using Zentangle for Kidz! as inspiration. :-) And you can see Lilo Bean, the cat, sitting on the bench next to Alex. She is in the book too - but she doesn't tangle.

(The video link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_g6M4BKWa4)

The Tangles of Kells ebook

If you read all the way through my last post about the Minnesota trip, you saw the mention of my new ebook? I had been working on Yoga for Your Brain™ Inspiration Sketchbook #1 - The Tangles of Kells for a couple of months before the trip. But when I saw that the Saturday night movie at the retreat was scheduled to be "The Secret of Kells"... oh - boy that actually gave me a deadline to finish it up!! I wanted to be able to give copies of The Tangles of Kells to all my students.

In real life, The Book of Kells is a fabulous, super-fancy-decorated illuminated manuscript with impossibly ornate designs. Not at all in the Zentangle tradition (as far as easy to draw, "one stroke at a time" etc.) The patterns and the Celtic knots and little creatures and people took talented scribes ages to draw and paint.

The movie, The Secret of Kells, was nominated for an Academy Award. It is an animated tale "about the power of imagination and faith to carry humanity through dark times."

You can see some of the gorgeous artwork on Flickr. And I just found out there is a graphic novel available for the iPad! You can rent the movie on Netflix or buy your own copy of The Secret of Kells on Amazon. I did both. I had watched it so many times with my daughter and then finally bought a copy so I could stop the scenes and draw the doodles and tangles. But seeing it on the big screen at the retreat was just spell-binding. The room was absolutely silent and I think most of us had our jaws hanging open. It is very hard to describe the beauty of the scenes. The animators are from many different European countries and have injected their own flavors and styles into the movie. The animation is flowing and luscious, not at all like the rigid contained images of an illuminated manuscript. And when it snows - the snowflakes are Celtic knots!! Of course.
Seriously, you just need to watch it for yourself.

This movie inspires me. So I created a little ebook to show some of that inspiration. The book is just under 30 pages. Yes, I know the pdf will tell you it is 16 pages, but the pdf reader is seeing each two page spread as one page. It is a little book, but has a lot of stuff in it. Kind of seems to be how I roll. My books are small but packed.

 I did learn a lot in the process - and I have had a ton of comments from people who bought the book over the weekend. The covers are black, and yes, they use a lot of ink to print. I didn't design them for print, but for the iPad. I like the look of the little Moleskine journals that I usually draw in - and my original AlphaTangle book. Black covers. If you are printing the book, you might want to NOT print the back cover. And use landscape orientation - print "sideways". Each two page spread will fit on one regular piece of paper this way.

When I printed my own copy of the book, I used my color laser printer and only printed on one side of each sheet. I folded each sheet in half and glued the backs of each page together, but only along the front edge. I folded the covers in a similar way, with the extra, blank part forming a flap inside the book... and some Japanese tape as the binding. I can open the book like an accordion and see all the pages at once.

Other people have told me that they are spiral binding their copies. Or just sticking the pages in a binder. A few people have told me to put the book on Amazon or Lulu.com. And a few more have asked why it is not available as a printed book. Sigh. Let's just say it's an experiment. And I hope you enjoy it.
If you folks like this little ebook, I have ideas for others that I would like to do!

Sandra Strait did a review of the The Tangles of Kells on her blog today. She is incredibly thorough and very honest - plus she makes the most incredible "samples" to test out my tangles!

You can order the The Tangles of Kells in my Etsy Shop or from my website. The website is more immediate, as soon as you pay, the shop will send you an email with the link to download your copy. If you order through Etsy, you will have to wait until I check MY email and then send you a link. I am quite a bit slower than a computer!

My website is www.SandySteenBartholomew.com and you will notice a large red button on the upper left that says "Shop". Click that, then the picture of the book you want. It is very easy. And fast. If you have any problems let me know. Well, problems with ordering or downloading - I can't guarantee that I can help you with other problems, but you can tell me anyway. I'm a good listener. :-D

Return from the Midwest

One of these things is not like the other... you can tell I'm from the East Coast - I'm the only one wearing black! (This photo was taken by Tootie Horn, so she is not in it - thanks Tootie!)

Joyce Francis, looks like a seance involving a tub of Cool Whip...?!

Strange image - looks like everyone is having a "time-out", "face the wall and think about what you have done." Actually... that is pretty accurate. They are all putting their work along the chalk-tray for a mini exhibit!

My amazing students hard at work.

I kept getting requests to draw Lilah Beans in peoples' journals...

...so I requested right back at 'em, that they each tangle a mini banner for me!

The building had some very intriguing architectural details. This railing part looks like a bug!

Some of my students' work. They did incredible things with whatever I threw at them.

Joyce wanted to take me to some Art Museums before I flew home, but I wanted to go to the Mall of America! (Yes, those ARE zombie Legos!)

I just HAD to see the huge Lego store! A whole wall of bricks... a Lego minotaur...

And a Lego Woody! Joyce makes friends quickly. She called her son from the store, "Guess where I am!?"

True love.

 I have been home for... three days(?) and I am still exhausted. But that was the BEST teaching gig I have ever had. And it wasn't just the Lego chaser! I learned a lot from my students and my fellow teachers, I just have to process it all and get myself to DO something with everything swishing around in my head. I did make a small start and got my new ebook posted on my Etsy store. I still can't get over the coincidence... I had been working on an ebook about the tangles in the movie, "The Secret of Kells" and guess what they showed on Saturday night at the retreat?! Guess!? That movie is truly mesmerizing on a big screen. I should write more about it - and everything - another day. Rest!

 BTW - I posted the group shot on Facebook, so please be sure to tag yourself if you are in the picture!

The 2nd Annual CZT Retreat

Attention all Certified Zentangle Teachers! Bette Abdu just released the details about the 2nd Annual CZT Retreat - which will be in New Hampshire this year. Yeah! And it will be in the fall - last year's (which was great fun!) was in July and it was so freaking hot - October is much better. :-)

Here is her message, followed by images with the details. If you are interested, be sure to email her to get "real" copies of the info, or to ask any questions. I'll be teaching one of the days, but I intend to "retreat" on the other days. It really is a fun, relaxing way to do a CZT retreat - everyone contributes their knowledge and comes home refreshed AND revved up with ideas.

If you are NOT a Certified Zentangle Teacher this is NOT the retreat for you - come to my retreat in Maine, in November instead. Tee Hee!

Announcing the 2nd Annual CZT Retreat, October 25-28, 2012 in Tilton, NH at the Black Swan Inn http://www.blackswaninn.net/  Special guest artist Sandra Steen Bartholomew For details on this event write to betteabdu@gmail.com

 

**This event is offered by Bette Abdu, CZT

It is neither sponsored or endorsed by Zentangle.com***

A few notes on the UN-Tangle Retreat

I have had a few emails asking questions about the UN-Tangle Retreat - Holiday Edition that is taking place in Ogunquit, Maine from November 9th-11th, 2012.

1. I'm sorry the pricing confused people - my intent was to actually make it easier, by showing there is a choice as to lodging. OK, here is the "simple" version:

Single room rate (If you want a room all to yourself, no roommate) = $875

Double room rate (you don't mind sharing a room with another student or you are bringing a spouse, etc.) = $725 (per person)

Commuter rate (driving from home, or a friend's house each day) = $500

These prices include the workshop, class materials, lodging for two nights, meals (two breakfasts, two dinners, and one lunch), and all applicable taxes.

Oh and you can save $75 off your lodging if you sign up by Sept. 1st.

2. November - yes, it is cold and you won't want to lay out on the beach... or swim (you wouldn't want to swim, even in the summer, brrrr...). So why November? The hotel is affordable and it is fairly empty so we get treated like queens. During high season, we're talking ~ $300 a night. If you bundle up (or not - sometimes it is still quite warm in early Nov.) there is a wonderful walk along the cliffs called the Marginal Way. It connects Ogunquit (boutiques, restaurants, galleries, chocolate shop...) with Perkins Cove (there's a drawbridge, shops and restaurants). The Beachmere Inn sits right on the Marginal Way. There is a gorgeous view from the hotel, no matter the time of year. Our workroom has a window that looks out at the sea. There is plenty of time to take walks and explore the town. The March retreat started with a small blizzard and ended with temps in the 60's. It's New England.

3. Why Ogunquit? When I run away to work on a book or take an escape, I always go to either Ogunquit or Wells, Maine. They are just far enough away from home, and close to the sea, but not too much of a drive. The Beachmere is my favorite place. When I was there working on Tangled Fashionista, I had barricaded myself into my room (which has a kitchen!), my work spread out all over the bed and floor... I was staring out at the ocean and munching on dark chocolate covered apricots and thinking: "this is the best place to retreat from the world. The only thing missing are some cool people to talk to." In general, I would stay and work as long as I could and usually went home when I got really lonely. "Wow - what if I came up here and brought some other people to tangle with!!??"

4. Retreat? Call it whatever you want. I don't mean "retreat" as in yoga and chanting and massage (although that can be arranged...). I mean "retreat" as in "step away from your to-do list!"
I don't know about you, but unless I'm enrolled in a class or have some other obligation to make art, it ends up pretty low on that to-do list. Even when making art IS your job, it still gets bumped below checking email (and writing blog posts?) ;-) Zentangle is a weird paradox (hee hee) - it is solitary and involves inner reflection and lots of other woo-woo stuff. BUT it also seems to create a craving for other like-minded souls. When you DO Zentangle, you need to SHARE it. And, lastly, by the end of November we all get caught up in that crazy chaos of all the Holidays. I dread that time. I'm guessing that if I prepare myself by calming down, enjoying some art and meeting a whole bunch of super-amazing people (only super-amazing people come to these kinds of things!) - then I think I can make it through the holidays and experience them for what they were intended rather than a commercial rush.

5. It's just a ton of fun! And you get to relax and watch from the side (my usual style) or you can throw yourself in and show off (it's amazing what a little chocolate can do for one's confidence).

Did I miss anything? Post any other questions in the comments. :-)
(Oh - and sign up HERE)