A couple of years ago, I participated in a massive trading card swap. Our task was to create one (or more! ) sets of ATC sized Zentangle Inspired Artworks and swap them with 52 other CZTs. I posted images of the wonderful cards I received in an earlier post .  I received the cards on a difficult day, it was like receiving 52 little hugs.

Creating the cards was, at first a daunting, and kind of drudgy task.   But, after I got into a swing, it became an opportunity to really experiment and explore. The cards are small, so its only a small time investment for each one.  Furthermore (and this came as a surprise to me), because I needed to finish so many of them (and of course I waited till the last minute), I didn’t have time to labor over any one card.  If I didn’t like the way things were going for a card, it was easy to pitch it and start over (I know that’s not the “Zentangle way”, but its the way I work.

I also had to keep things pretty simple. I found I really like the uncluttered-ness that resulted.

Here are my 53 contributions (I don’t count well).

I have had the Zentangle Renaissance tiles and Zendalas for quite a while, and am just now getting into a groove using them.

Here are a couple of ideas for adding sepia colored ink and pencil to my tangles, and using white to add highlights.  I use Sakura Microns in Brown and Black and  Caran d’Ache Supracolor Pencils in White and Mahogany.

With “classic” Zentangle, we add depth by shading with graphite to push areas back behind the unshaded, white areas.  These shaded areas seem to be “behind” the picture plane. The shading inside the frame and around the flower push the Huggins background in to the distance, giving the appearance of two layers.

Zentangle using shading to create depth

By using midtoned papers, we have another way to depict depth and volume.  In addition to shading dark areas to push areas back, we can use white to bring areas forward.  The dark areas appear to be behind and the light areas appear to rise above the picture plane.

Renaissance Tile, using light and shadow to add volume and depth

Adding color also helps “organize” the Zentangle tile, with different tangles being different colors, using the sepia to emphasize a focal point.

Renaissance Tile, using light and shadow tor organize focal areas

Perhaps my favorite way to work with Renaissance Tiles is to use black in for a background tangle, and sepia with a few spots of white highlights (“pearl earrings”) to set other tangles or focal areas above that dark backdrop of Cubine and  a tanglation of Bales.

Adding spots of white as the “pearl earring”

I have thrown out a lot of pens before classes. I’ve learned to always check them first. Here is an article from Sakura that explains why the Microns sometimes appear to be leaking, but in fact, are actually ok.

From Sakura:

The Pigma Micron pen was originally designed in the early 1980s as a disposable alternative for expensive, refillable technical pens. If you are familiar with technical pens, you’ll know they have to be carefully handled or they will easily leak.

Based on photos we’ve seen and descriptions we’ve heard regarding a leaking Pigma Micron pen, the source is the air vent collar located just below the silver tip of the pen. (See Illustration 1, Area A.) Under normal use, the air flows into the barrel through the vent area. The equalized pressure allows the ink to flow through the microscopic nib structure via capillary action. However, when the pen is unconsciously waved, tapped or spun in your hand while capped, the centrifugal force can cause the ink to come out of the air vent, which is the path of least resistance. Most people are unaware that they have used the pen as an outlet for nervous energy. We’ve seen people use their pen as a drum stick, wave it in their hand or use it as a pointer while talking, tap the pen on their desk while on the phone, unconsciously spin it in their hand, and swing it in their purses and backpacks. Centrifugal force can also be applied to the pen during shipping.

The performance characteristics of Pigma ink require a special ink delivery system within the nib, but the trade off is that the Pigma Micron has to be handled more carefully than an ordinary ball point pen. We pack our pens full of pigment ink. Pigment ink particles are much larger than dye ink particles and therefore more susceptible to gravitational pressure. The pen should also be stored horizontally when not in use.

For a pen that has leaked, the area around the air vent can be carefully wiped clean, but there will also be ink residue inside of the cap.

Take a look inside of your Micron pen cap and you will see a secondary inner cap. (See Illustration 1, Area B.) This 2nd inner cap must also be wiped clean. Otherwise, every time you place the cap back on, the inner cap will transfer more ink to the vent area.

The pen should work fine after both areas are wiped clean.

This blog post from Boredpanda.com  has some GORGEOUS images,  lots of inspiration for pencil and line drawings.

Many of the articles about Zentangle are written by CZT’s, and lean toward the artistic expression aspects of Zentangle.  My love of Zentangle tends to focus on its possibilities for creating beautiful art, especially for students who don’t think of themselves as artists.  But this can create anxiety, as you can think too hard about producing.

Zentangle is as much about focus and relaxation as it is about art

This article was published in Psychology Today, written by an Art Therapist. She does a great job capturing the essence of what it is about Zentangle that creates that state of calm and focus.

Being the results oriented person that I am, I need to be reminded again and again, of what Zentangle is.  This quote from the article really brings it home for me.

. I like to think of tangling as a form of “creative aimlessness.” Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh observes that we need to cultivate aimlessness in life rather than continually striving to be “number one.” For example, when we practice walking meditation, we are not trying to arrive anywhere in particular; in fact, if we stay focused on the future, we lose the joy of our steps in the here and now. The same is true of the process of tangling. If we get caught up in judgment and deliberation, we are not in the here and now. But if we simply enjoy the creative process, we can enjoy every single moment of it and that is ultimately what any creative expression offers us.

Its so important, amongst all the pressure and rushing around to “produce” something, be it a plan for a class, or a piece of artwork for an auction, to just take a few minutes to be in the pure enjoyment of the process.  If your work doesn’t please you, its ok, its about the journey.

Here is a link to the article.

Whether working from a template, or drawing an original knot, add tangles, color, highlights and other ornaments to a framework knot to really bring out their beauty.

I have been drawing lots and lots of Celtic Knots lately, but after the knot is drawn, then what?  I hadn’t been able to really come up with ideas for really enhancing the artistic aspects of these pieces.

That is, until a friend shared an image by Sulamith Wulfing, a turn of the century German artist and illustrator.  Her work focuses on fairies, nature, and spirits.  This is not normally my cup of tea, but the way she embellishes her drawings with ancient knot designs and other ornaments is beyond stunning!

Here is an interesting article from the Huffington post about adults who color.  The relaxing focus that the article writes about is applicable to drawing Zentangle, Mandalas, and Celtic Knots as well.

Here is a snippet from the article

Coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries. But it also “brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress.”

For me, shading and coloring Zentangle  Inspired Art is about more than creating beautiful art. Filling in space with color or pencil is very meditative.  Watching a piece bloom with color is so gratifying. The results can be positively magical.  Layering colors creates a beautiful depth that is so captivating to watch as it develops.

When my kids were young, they didn’t have coloring books.  I didn’t object to them coloring, I just wanted them to draw their own lines.  Coloring Zentangle Art, Mandalas and Celtic Knots which YOU draw gets the best of all worlds.

Traditional methods of drawing these beautiful forms rely on a system developed by Iain Bain of connecting dots in grids.  I  have tried and failed to master this system many, many times.  Furthermore, I am a “freeform” kind of gal, and have been trying to find a method of drawing these figures that could be used for more random, spontaneous figures.

A few years ago, I  happened across a book by George Bain, and was struck by the simplicity of his methods.  He basically sets out a string and draws auras on in all of the spaces, and around the outside.  He then connects the auras with a system of bridges, that alternately go “over” and “under”.  I have a little Minitutorial that demonstrates this technique.

But I was still unsatisfied. Getting the bridges to line up and the auras to be perfectly spaced to give the appearance of a smooth continuous cord was very frustrating. It was hard to develop a rhythm while drawing the aurae, as the spaces can be small and irregular.

I kept at it, and I have found some tricks and methods that are much more satisfying to use when drawing knots. The results are much better, and its easy to get into a “flow” once the techniques are practiced.  I am teaching these in the “Taste of Celtic Knots” class, where we explore several methods of drawing knots, and practice making increasingly more complex knots, such as these.