Every year around this time, I post some heart-related tangles.

Last summer, I stopped practicing Zentangles in favor of drawing people. But after the ICAD (Index-Card-a-Day) challenge ended, I didn’t do much drawing at all. Whenever I stop Zentangling, I lose my skills, and I feel like I’m starting all over again. I’m dissatisfied with this first one, using the pattern Amer by Maria Vennekens:

Next is Triskel Heart, designed by Ina Sonnenmoser:

This is Heart Thread, designed by Dolly Bolen:

Cross-Ur-Heart reminds me of a traditional appliqué pattern, which is why I repeated it like quilt blocks. The pattern was designed by Jenna Black:

I love “grid” designs. This one is by Helen Williams, and it’s called Hearts & Diamonds:

Another grid pattern, SweetHeart, also by Helen Williams:

The next tile is a string of several patterns, including LG by Adele Bruner, Fan of Hearts by Rachel Foster, Luheart (I made a variation) by Chen Su Chun, Heart Wrap by Ina Sonnenmoser, Heart Thread by Dolly Bolen, and Heart wave by Helen Williams. This is my favorite in this group:

If you read Creative Juice #280, you may have seen the Valentine tutorial. I tried it, but I didn’t like the colors of the Tombow markers I have (they’re skin tones, not perfect for hearts), so I tried alcohol markers. That technique doesn’t work with alcohol markers. So I substituted actual watercolor paints. My painting isn’t as cute as Smitha’s, but it was fun:

If you’d like to see my Valentangles from previous years, here they are from 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you get to spend it with the one you love. If not, can you do something nice for another person who might be lonely?