It’s been a while since I’ve done a meditative Zentangle. I took the time for this one because I was having one of “those days”. The Zentangle method is a great technique for setting aside all of the outside world noise and just relaxing and drawing for a bit.
Give it a try!
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen. Shading done with graphite pencil.
Sketchbooks.
Do you use a sketchbook? If you do, is it big? A favorite size is 9" x 12". They are great, if you generally draw in a larger format.
But I think a smaller size works much better if you regularly tangle on standard-sized tiles. The reason why is because you can turn the sketchbook easily, just like you turn your tile as you draw. I also like the smaller size because it fits in a pocket or my purse, so I always have one with me!
This is a small, white, real pumpkin that I tangled on during October 2010.
It wasn’t easy to do because the squash was heavily coated in some kind of wax.
I used Pigma Micron pens, but they tended to stay wet a long time.
Also, the ink tended to bead up in spots so that when it dried, there were darker circles.
So, while this wasn’t a total loss, it was really frustrating to do.
Pods.
Today’s monotangle is brought to you by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault . If you don’t know anything about it, you should. You can go an a virtual tour of the vault via your own compter, without even leaving home by clicking here. The tangle Inapod has always been one of my favorites. I love the way the lines flip back and forth as it is drawn and how the pods emerge as you draw. It can be used at all different sizes as a ribbon, blossom or even a grid fill, as I did here for the frame.
Color.
This was the first Zentangle that I ever used color on. I even used my markers to create the shading. I didn’t do another full color Zentangle until this year, because I really didn’t like the way this came out, at the time. It just seemed too alien for a Zentangle. Now, I don’t mind color and actually enjoy it once in a while!
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen. Coloring done with Tombow markers.
Upside down.
Originally, when I started drawing this tile, it was oriented 180 degrees from this position. As I was working on it, and rotating it around to draw various parts, I realized that I liked it better this way.
Zentangle drawn on Official Zentangle tile using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Bronx Cheer Cyme Emingle Inapod Isochor Keeko Sedgling Sh-Rock
Orbs.
I wanted to do a Zentagle with lots of different orbs. I ended up using Keko in the background, though. I felt that any more orbs would cause everything to blend so much that the individual tangles would be lost.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Apollonian Waves Inapod Keeko Kuke Marbles
Old fashioned.
This tile has several tangles that I haven‘t drawn in some time. And the style is more like what I did years ago than what has evolved since then. Every so often, I think it‘s a good idea to reflect on the past.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum using a black Micron pen.
Tangles: Echoism Emingle Finery Florz Inapod Quandry Sedgling Static Stiritup
Even though I made a weird mistake in the Eyewa, and “fixed” it by making it a “eye”, this is still one of my favorite Zentangles. I love the blank area in the middle, and so many people have told me various things it reminds them of! What do YOU see?
The tangle below Munchin is a variation of Chevron.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen.
Plenty.
That‘s how many tangles there are in this image. First of all, there‘s my favorite Inapod. I just love this tangle because it‘s easy to draw, kinda funky, and looks dramatic. Then all the rest of the tangles really shouldn‘t work together here, but they kind of do, and the shading lifts and individualizes each section.
Zentangle drawn on Strathmore Vellum Bristol using a black, Micron pen.
Tangles: Amaze Angel Fish Ballot Box Spirals Chads Enyshou Huggins Inapod Puf Stef-Ah-Ni Venetian
Zentangle drawing done with Micron pen on Zentangle Tile .
Tangles: Cadent Drupe Emingle Evoke Fescu Gneiss Inapod Tortuca Worms
Yes, I‘m weird.
And proud of it. Sometimes I just stick things into corners or odd places to add a touch of whimsy and surprise. It‘s fun and makes for eye-catching, interesting drawings. This drawing kind of messes with your mind because of the variety of depth of the shading and sizes of the tangles.
In addition, since I was tired of drawing with black, I decided to switch to a sepia pen and use a couple of brown colored pencils to do the shading. The slight tint adds to the uniqueness of this tile.
Zentangle drawing done with Micron pen on Zentangle Tile .
Tangles: Cadent Cirquital Claire Flutter Inapod Marasu Meer Quabog