Interview with Sue Jacobs

This past week, I had a chance to visit with Sue. She shared some wonderful information about her life as a tangler and the opportunites it presented her. I asked if I could post our visit here and she readily agreed.
I am so glad you could join me, Sue.

How and when did you first become interested in Zentangle?

I found Zentangle on the internet by chance. I got into it quickly, so I don’t really remember exactly where I came upon it. I spent hours online, drawing out every tangle pattern I came upon.

How long have you been a tangler?

Actually less than a year. I started my blog in November of 2010, but didn’t really start until early January 2011. I’ve always been into art, though. I doodled in grade school and have always had pads of paper by the phone. I love decorative painting, (acrylics) and watercolor painting.

Have you been published in any books?

I connected with Suzanne McNeill when I offered to help demonstrate Zentangle at the CHA show in Chicago. (Craft and Hobby Association). That connection led to my doing shrink art jewelry that was featured in the ‘Zentangle 5’ book.

Was that exciting for you?

Of course! The CHA show is a trade only show so it was fun to wander around there. And that is where I first saw the finished ‘Zentangle 5’ book. It was thrilling to see my name and my artwork in print.

I’ve created a few tangle patterns on my own. I put the designs and steps on my blog. It is amazing to me how others pick up on the designs and use them in their own work. I feel like a proud mama! Additionally, my patterns will be picked up by other bloggers. Thankfully, they will leave a link back to my page. It’s so amazing to see the spike in my blog view numbers when this happens. On one of those days I had over 1700 page views! Being published on the internet is a big deal too!

Do you teach the art of Zentangle?

That’s one of my favorite parts. I get such a kick out of seeing students get ‘turned on’ to Zentangle.
I teach wherever they will have me. I first started at a shop that I’ve known for over 20 years. Banbury Fair in Bartlett, IL. I started with them as a decorative painter. Their shop has evolved into so much more over time. I love wandering around the place myself before and after classes. I have classes scheduled there in the next few months.

I’ve taught at a local Art League, a decorative painting club, and I’ve done several home parties. I try to post the information about my classes on my blog under the tab for my classes.

I noticed that you have a new design everyday on Facebook, where do you get your inspiration for them?

I try to have new designs frequently. I tend to work in spurts. When I get an inspiration l will usually do 2, 3 or more at the same time. When I do my watercolor backgrounds for tiles I have a whole area of my studio set up with tiles in various stages of completion. It’s so much fun to experiment with colors, and different techniques to see how many different results I can get. Different materials and different media create different results too. Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist.

How has Zentangle influenced your life?

I love the fact that I can be creative any time, anywhere. I always have Zentangle supplies in my purse. I love how Zentangle has me looking around wherever I go and being inspired by the oddest things. I am a Gemini and one of the traits that applies to me is having lots of projects going at one time. What I love about Zentangle is that finally, I have FINISHED projects! I can get a tile done at one sitting, and usually I’m pretty happy with them. It gives me a lot of satisfaction.

I also love that, as a CZT, (Certified Zentangle Teacher), I get to share Zentangle with others. It’s also nice that I can make some money doing it, too. I hope that my blog will someday provide some income, too. I hear about others making money but I haven’t figured that part out yet.


You asked me about my favorite Zentangle. It’s hard to choose one. They all represent different phases of my growth in Zentangle. They are like my children – it’s hard to pick your favorite.

Thanks Sue, for spending some time with me and my readers. I look forward to your tangles everyday when I am on Facebook. They are so beautiful and inspiring.