I discovered Zentangle at a Sketchbook Revival* workshop a couple of years ago and wanted to explore it further. The problem was that I just never seemed to find the time - I'm sure you will have had the same response to other things - so this year I decided to make time (more about that below...)
What is Zentangle? It's a way of creating beautiful images, made up of particular patterns, known as 'tangles', which are drawn from scratch. The tangles can be broken down into simple steps so that they are easy to learn. It's a very relaxing and mindful activity.
*A free annual online art event and a great opportunity to get some inspiration - find out more here.
What did I like about Zentangle? Well, one of the techniques I use for creating abstract mixed-media artwork (like these) is to take a sheet of paper with patterns on it and then rip it up, so that I break the patterns and leave them with open edges. I then glue down these ripped pieces, take a pen and extend the broken lines in different ways. I often used papers filled with Zentangles so wanted to be able to make my own.
I have also never found that doodling comes particularly naturally and when I first heard of Zentangle, it seemed like a structured way to doodle. As you might know if you have been following my work for a while, I often start with coloured backgrounds, full of differnent patterns and line, and liked the idea of being able to create a freehand design on top. I particularly like floral shapes but haven't had much success using these in my work, but many tangles are based on shapes in nature so I wanted the chance to practice these.
Then, last Christmas, I was given an excelllent book with a 6-week course on Zentangle (details below). I decided I would gradually work through it while my children were getting ready for bed (a process where my active help is not needed so much now, but that does involves a lot of waiting around while they are faffing around) rather than just well, scrolling on my phone, which I inevitably end up doing whenever I am waiting around.
Of course, as any parent will know, there is no better way to get your children's attention than to sit down and look relaxed. So inevitably what ended up happening was that my children also had a go. My youngest got particularly into Zentangle and it's now become a calm pre-bedtime activity for us. She was really happy to finally be given a proper artist pen to use and after she made some progress through my book, I discovered that there are several books about Zentangle for kids, which, funnily enough, is much more age-appropriate.
As with any new skill, it's not enough to just work your way through a course; you have to practice. I had just been given a new, small, concertina sketchbook and decided that I would use this to practice Zentangle.
On one side of my sketchbook I gradually built up a little library of tangles. On the other side, I made a design with the first tangles I learned and I gradually added to this to practice and incorporate any new tangles I was learning. The sketchbook is only a little bigger than a phone so fitted perfectly in my bag and I pick it out and added to it instead of picking out my phone whenever I needed something to pass the time.**
**This is a habit that I am trying to break after realising that I really want to do more art and less scrolling. Have a look at this Ted Talk for some of the reasons way.
I can't really show you the result here as it's too long (and still in progress anyway) but you can get the general idea from the image below. This was never a project intended to make an outcome that I could frame on the wall in the end, but it's a good illustration of what I can achieve with my time if I draw instead of scroll!
Now, for full disclosure, this is totally not the way Zentangle is supposed to be done. The proper method consists of drawing on tiles of a specific size (see examples above) made with a particular paper. However, as much as I love buying new art materials, I am also a believer in using what you have and doing what works for you.
Another reason I chose this way to practice is that I wanted to get used to drawing when I was out of the house - something that I've never really done - and was most comfortable choosing an activity that didn't rely on capturing my surroundings as a first step. I have been pleasantly suprised to have strangers sat beside me on planes or trains ask me about Zentangle and compliment my design - who knew people did that anymore?
As well as continuing with adding to my Zentangle design, there are a few other ways that I have used or plan to use the technique, including making hand-made journals and decorating some things around the house...watch this space!
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