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Zentangle Workshop Learn How to Create Beautiful 'Zendoodles'

Welcome to my zendoodle workshop. What's a zendoodle? Well, it is a drawing created by filling pre-defined spaces with repeated patterns. Some people call them Zentangles but this workshop is not connected to the Zentangle(R) method taught by Rick and Maria of Zentangle.com. I am not a certified Zentangle teacher (CZT) so this workshop is just a guide and a nudge to get you going. If you really want to get into this art form, then I highly recommend you visit Zentangle.com and consider taking the course. This workshop is spread over a long page. Scroll down to see sections on materials for creating zendoodles, a short step-by-step demonstration, videos, a gallery of Zentangle and Zentangle-like drawings and a whole plethora of similar pages that showcase more aspects of Zentangles, including books and further information. Please note, all text and images, unless otherwise stated, are mine and should not be used without permission.

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

What is the Purpose of Zentangles or Zendoodles or Whatever They Are?

Well, they are beautiful. You will be surprised how easy they are to create and how lovely your very first one will be. You will be eager to make another and may find they are addictive! One of the unexpected benefits is that as you work on your drawing, you will find yourself becoming calm and relaxed. If you can find 30 minutes of free time, without interruption, you may find yourself entering a quiet contemplative, meditative state. Drawing in this way, without trying to prove anything or worrying about getting it right allows your mind to take a break. Creating Zentangles can improve your creativity in other areas of life. It can improve your confidence - after all if you can produce artwork like this, then you can do anything! Almost all creative tasks can be broken down into zendoodle steps. One small mark on the paper will lead to more. You can frame and display them. Zendoodles look wonderful hung

together in one place. Or how about you transfer your new skill to decorating your home? People have Zentangles on their walls, floors and even their toilet seats!

What's With the Name Thing? Zentangles, Zendoodles, Xentangles, Tangles... ?

Zentangle(R) is the name of the art form and method taught by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. You can learn their method by subscribing to their newsletter, visiting the website or by taking a course from them or from a Certified Zentangle Teacher. Other people have coined similar names to describe their work. I created some Zazzle products with my designs and labelled them 'Xentangles' to avoid infringing the trademark. Rick and Maria have connected certain words or terms to their method, such as: Tangle ~ the pattern formed by making repeated strokes of a pen. They have assigned names to all their tangles. I can't remember names so I don't use them. There is a great website which catalogues tangles, as created by Rick and Maria and also by other people. See the last page for links. String ~ is the initial line drawn that provides a framework or structure for the tangles.

Tile ~ is the paper or support on which the Zentangle is drawn. Doodle ~ is something Zentangles are not. Doodles are random, mindless things. Zentangles are purposeful and mindful. I do take issue with this. Many people have commented on a blog post of mine that they have been 'zentangling' (whoops.. not supposed to use it as a verb) for years but called their artwork 'doodles'. So, to me they will always be 'structured, contained doodles'. It has been suggested that we call our outside the box stuff 'Zentangleinspired-art'. That's nice... I like it.

First Steps in Zentangle Gather Your Materials

I have listed below what you need to get started. It isn't much. Zendoodles are created with the most basic materials: pen and paper. You can hop over to Zentangle.com (no affiliation whatsoever) and purchase a ready-made kit. I have one and it really is lovely. However, you can put together your own kit much more cheaply. I have also added some information about creating a special or sacred space for drawing. It is a very personal choice and I have some suggestions to turn your zendoodling time into something very special.

Zentangle Zendoodle Materials ...And a Place to Use them

You need surprisingly few materials to create zendoodles. A pencil, pens, paper and an eraser will do. I also like to keep a tortillion/paper stump nearby for smudging and shading right at the very end of my Zentangle. Another important point to consider is, if you intend to use this process as an active meditation, then you need to create the right place to work. I'll touch on that a little later. First - the pens!

Sakura Pigma Micron Personally Recommended by TheRaggedEdge The best pens you will find for Zentangles, doodles and many other applications. And... at around $6 for a set of six pens, you can't go wrong. Sakura Pigma Microns are archival, bleed-free and waterproof. Use the 005 and 01 for tangles. Use the higher numbers for filling in. They also work on many surfaces.

Moleskine Watercolor Notebook Pocket The sketchpad version of the Moleskine is excellent for Zentangles. However, I do prefer the heavier paper in this watercolor notebook. I often revisit my drawings and add watercolor or other media to them and I need something that will stand up to the extra punishment. If you can get hold of one, a Fabriano Satinata Fadpad 8 x 6 inches (A5) is even better as it is Hot Pressed paper and is lovely and smooth. Alternatively, if making 3.5 inch tiles for Zentangles, buy Fabriano Artistico HP in large sheets.

A Few Other Zendoodle Bits and Bobs Get yourself a good eraser - not for mistakes but to erase your initial pencil string. You may think it isn't visible but if you gently use the eraser over the drawing, you will see how it suddenly pops. Then you will want to add back some judicious Zentangle Shading. A tortillion or paper stump, often used by pastel artists, is very useful for softening shading. And, of course, a pencil sharpener. Try to hide it from your kids!

A Special Place to Zen-Out

Zen-doodle on the go Actually, if truth be told, I don't have anywhere special to do my zendoodles. I have a corner of a large bedroom, where my computer, printer, art materials and workspace live. I usually do my drawings here. I also do them while sitting in front of the TV. Okay... I also do them over the play park, at the beach and when we go for a walk and the children want to go off and explore. That's the beauty of Zentangles; you need so little that you can do them anywhere. Deliberate doodling - Zentangle as meditation However, when I am settling down to some serious doodling (there's an oxymoron), I like to create the right conditions. It is lovely to shut the door, play some relaxing music and chill out. Sometimes I substitute the music for a good radio play - BBC Radio 4. I like incense, so will often light a stick to get me in a creative mood. If you

have a good, directed desk lamp to draw by, then light a candle or two around the room, otherwise, natural daylight is best. Try to create some time when you won't be interrupted. Begin by closing your eyes and grounding yourself for a few moments. Visualize roots spreading from your feet, into the floor and down into the earth. Breathe deeply and relax. When you feel calm pick up your pencil and begin your drawing. Don't plan it, just allow your hand to guide itself as you draw the initial dots, lines and string. Start to add tangles with a pen. Focus your mind on the movement of the pen as you fill in the spaces, hear the noise it makes and feel the texture of the paper. If, in due course, your mind wants to wander then let it go. Enjoy.

Zendoodle Step-by-Step

Although the images in this Zentangle-inspired workshop are all very different, they usually start out in exactly the same way - a single line drawn on paper. The nice people at Zentangle.com call this a 'string'. This string forms the structure of your drawing. For this workshop, we're going to go the traditional way, with a single line drawn on a 'tile' - a piece of paper or card 3 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches

(8.5 cm x 8.5 cm). The image shows the back of a Zentangle tile from my kit. The paper is lovely and perfect for zendoodling. However, eventually, you may find this size is just too small so move onto a watercolor pad or loose paper.

Step One - Dot and Border your Zendoodle Tile

Take your tile and make four dots with your pencil; one in each corner. You don't need to be precise about this. Join the dots with a wavy line. You can even put loops in it but it's not compulsory. Keep your pencil marks light - mine are heavy so they will show up on the scan. Once you have drawn a number of these, you may find yourself dispensing with the border altogether. Some people like to fill the whole tile. For now, we'll go with the border.

Step Two - Draw your Zentangle String

Put your pencil tip at one edge of the border and draw a random curvy line. You can see that mine looks like an inverted 'V' and an elaborate 'S'. You can make yours more or less complex. It's a good idea to practice drawing strings on scrap paper. Many people have problems with strings, including me. Watch the videos in the next section to see how effortless Maria makes it look. Again keep your pencil light. I had to go over mine to make it visible, hence its scruffy look. No matter, it will be erased when the drawing is almost done.

Step Three - Start Tangling

Begin to fill the sections with tangles with your 01 Micron pen (or use the finest black pen you have). For now, keep to a single simple pattern in each section. I have provided some examples below and you will find more on the videos and the links in the last part of the workshop. I recommend you sign up to the Zentangle.com newsletter as they often include instructions for new tangles. Also take a look at my other Zendoodle pages, again, they are all listed on the last part of the workshop. You will find ideas everywhere. This is where the relaxing starts. It is the sheer repetitiveness of making small marks on paper that enables you to enter a meditative state. Put on some tinkly music and you'll be away. My tile seems to want to keep turning around and that's okay too.

Simple Tangles

Step Four - Erase the String

I've filled all the sections that I wanted to. You can leave as much white space as you like. As I was tangling, I could see that there was a heartshape going on so I extended the top-right border a little to complete the heart. Now it's time to erase the pencil lines.

Zentangle - Pencil Lines Gone

Step Five - Add Shading I like this part best of all. It's quite simple to add shading to your drawing. Turn it around until you are looking at it the way you like best. Then decide which way the light is coming to it. From top left or top right usually works well. Mine is going be top left. Begin to shade the sides of your tangle sections to make them look threedimensional. Shade under 'leaves' and 'pebbles'. You can always erase if you don't like it. I always use a tortillion/paper stump to soften the shading.

And don't forget to sign and date your work. It's really interesting to go back and see how your skills develop over time. Here is the finished Zentangle:

Zentangle-Inspired Art Gallery

? Truth is eternal, knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them. ~ Madeleine L'Engle

Trinity

I looked for my soul but my soul I could not see. I looked for my God but my God eluded me. I looked for a friend and then I found all three. ~ William Blake

Spring Breeze

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. ~ William Wordsworth

Joined

Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts. ~ William Shakespeare.

Pearls

I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls off a string. ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

From Dragons to Sea Serpents

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more. ~ Lord Byron

Here be Dragons

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. ~ JRR Tolkien.

Shading and Shadows

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning ~ Maya Angelou http://www.squidoo.com/zentangle-shading

Into the Swirling Vortex

? So here is this Vortex of becoming – a Vortex that contains all of the requests, all of the amended requests – each and every detail of each and every asking that has

emanated from you – and the Law of Attraction is responding to that. Envision this swirling, swirling, swirling Vortex and the power of attraction that is amassed as the Law of Attraction responds to this pure, nonresisted, focused desire. The Vortex is literally drawing in all things necessary for the completion of every request it contains. All cooperative components are being summoned and are coming for the completion of these creations, for the answering of these questions, for the solutions to these problems. — Abraham

Five

I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic. – Abigail Adams