Zentangle Thank You's

I've been working on a few 3.5 inch Zentangles to make thank you's with.  I thought I could show some pictures of them, and say a few more things about Zentangle in general as I haven't written much about it.

Zentangle's primary purpose is being a relaxing and meditative tool for anyone regardless of what artistic skill level they feel they are at.  I can definitely see how as you focus on your drawing you aren't really thinking about much else, and can get lost in your work.  However, I find this true with any creative project that I work on.  But, for people who need a little more guidance and don't normally sit down and create, this is perfect!!

The Pigma Micron pens that they recommend are excellent!!  I now however need to get some better paper than the sketch paper I've been using.  I had one little scrap of watercolor paper that I used for a birthday card, and what a difference!  The watercolor paper was so dreamy to draw on!

I'm also thinking about getting a Moleskine notebook as a way to keep all my drawings together.  I've never had an art journal, so it could be fun!

Sandy Steen Bartholomew of Totally Tangled talks about finding inspiration for your drawings from everything around you, like nature, architecture and ordinary objects.  Once you start working on these, you start seeing designs and patterns in pottery, fabric, rugs, etc, that you can try in your Zentangles.

I found it wasn't long before I wasn't looking through the book as much for inspiration.

I think my favorite part is the last step, which is adding in some shading with a pencil.  It's amazing how the tiniest bit of shading can create depth and a 3D effect.  I don't have a blending stump, so I just made one with a small piece of rolled up paper, and it works great!  But a finger works too.

It's fun to see what kind of shapes and designs you can make when you aren't really thinking that hard about it.  If you tell yourself ahead of time that there are no mistakes, it helps take the pressure off.  This is especially nice for me, because I usually start everything with a pencil so I have the option of erasing.  So it's fun to just jump in with a pen and not worry about messing up.

So I'm still enjoying playing around with this.  I think one of the most appealing things about Zentangle is seeing your end result and thinking that it looks pretty complicated and intricate compared to how easy it was to make and how relaxed you were while making it.