Zentangle

Is distance learning a little hectic, maybe even stressful for you? How about trying a Zentangle drawing! The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. We call these patterns, tangles. You create tangles with combinations of dots, lines, simple curves, S-curves and circles.

Spotlight

Student Samples

These are the materials you will need:

Paper

Any solid paper will do here

Printer paper
Notebook paper
Watercolor paper
Construction paper
Recycle a paper shopping bag

Pencil & Pens

Pencils start the process with simple shapes and lines
A regular Fine Point Sharpie is excellent for bold lines
An Ultrafine Sharpie or ball point pen works great for fine lines

Optional COLOR

Watercolor could be used to tint areas of the paper BEFORE creating a design, giving you colored paper to work on

When a black ink design is complete you could consider adding color to it.

Colored pencil can be used to color in spaces
Or watercolor could be used AFTER creating your design IF you use permanent marker for the zentangle designs.

Pick a starting point:

I recognize that in the creative process, sometimes the most difficult part is figuring out WHERE to start or WHAT to make. Here are some design concepts and compotition ideas that might help you with that part. If you want to start with your own idea, by all means do so.

Squares

Individual patterns in traditional squares

In a classroom setting, I would recommend this as a method of practice. Trying a page with a few sketched squares on it and picking half a dozen patterns to try from the inspiration further down the page or even branching out with your own pattern ideas.

Watch the memorizing video below to see a variety of tangles as they are drawn

Positive or

Negative Space

Try your initials

or your Full name

Using freehand letters or even printing an outlined letter or word using word art you can fill the letters themselves (positive space) or the area around the letters (negative space).

In the video below I demonstrate how you could use the computer to create your letters.

Overlapping Shapes

Circles

Trace a shape over and over again to fill a composition. Allow the shapes to overlap, they could even go off the edge of the paper. Using a roll of tape or another basic household object can give you an interesting jumping off point for your designs.

Organic or

Geometric Design

Flowing Organic Lines

Just let the tangles flow.... does that sound too wild for you? Try starting with a loose winding pencil line as a starting point.

Radiating Lines

Starting with a pencil and possibly a ruler you can draw a series of lines - in the sample above the lines radiate out from one central location. You could consider lines that change direction and even overlap each other.

In the video below you can watch the artist creating a very fluid organic design.

And GO!

Allow yourself to relax as you do this project. You might even embark on a design and realize that you need to pause and come back to it another time. You may have noticed that i did not list an eraser as a tool for this project. I am not a big fan of erasing (as many of my veteran students know). For this lesson we will try to live by the mantra that "There is no eraser in life and there is no eraser in Zentangle!" However, in creating Zentangle art (and in living life), you will discover that apparent mistakes can be foundations for new patterns and take you in unexpected and exciting new directions. Make those initial "mistakes" look intentional and do something great with them!