Block 4 – Exploring Visual Art K. Carachilo - carachka@wallenpaupack.org

What is the Zentangle Method?

Roberts and Thomas established eight steps of the Zentangle Method. By following them, you’re exercising your creativity as well as engaging in self-care. The eight steps are:

1. Gratitude and appreciation. Be in the moment and thankful for your tools and the time you have to create something.

2. Corner dots. Afraid of the blank page? They instruct you to place a “light pencil dot” in each corner of a 3.5″ square paper that’s about a pen’s width away from the edges.

3. Border. Connect the dots you just made with a line to create a square. 4. String. Separate the sections of your square with lines they call “strings.” The marks can be curvy,

straight—whatever you like. 5. Tangle. A tangle is defined as a “sequence of simple strokes that make up a pattern.” Draw these

elements inside of the strings and borders. Be deliberate as you make your strokes and focus on the pen as you do so. “Trust that you’ll know what to do next,” they write, “when the time to do it comes.”

6. Shade. Add shading with a pencil to give your tile form. 7. Initial and sign your work. Put your initials on the front of your artwork and sign the back. You might add

the date and any other comments (like how you felt) when creating it. 8. Appreciate. Relish in the fact you made something!

Don’t let these steps intimidate you. Zentangles are created with repetitive patterns and are meant to be abstract. Above all, they’re supposed to encourage mindfulness, intuitive thinking, and empowerment by proving that you too make beautiful works of art.

Since its creation, zentangles have taken the world by storm. There are plenty of resources to help you make the most of this activity. Some sites, like Tangle Patterns, offer templates you can download. Alternatively, you can buy a grid notebook to map out your own shapes. But once you get comfortable with zentangles, challenge yourself with more unconventional shapes—or even make entire compositions comprising “tangle” patterns.

Something easy and fun to do, Zentangle. Here you will find instructions, examples and a few patterns. It is very easy and there is no right or wrong way to do it. There are instructions to get you started but after you understand the underlying principles you can do what you like. So give it a try, don’t worry about making mistakes that is part of what makes Zentangle so great, mistakes are expected and welcome. Just relax and go with the Zentangle flow.

Create your own Zentangle around 4” by 6” give or take

Use any patterns you want online, in this handout or make up your own

You can use just and ink pen or try markers, colored pencils whatever you have at hand.

Above all have some fun with it!

Next, draw some lines to divide the square into sections. These lines are called a string and they are freeform.

Then start filling in the sections with designs or patterns. You can get ideas for patterns from books and from the web. https://tanglepatterns.com/ has a ton of patterns with step-by-step instructions for drawing each one. Or you can just make up your own or do a combination of both.

Here is the same one with all of the spaces filled.

When you have filled in all of your spaces, you will want to use a pencil to shade parts of your design to create some depth.

Simple, fun, and kind of addicting. Great mindfulness activity, also great just to relax.

Photo: @iraniart_bello

It has the same calming effects as coloring but involves

drawing—specifically simple, abstract patterns.

Photos by Brita Lynn

While many people create detailed zentangle drawings, the Zentangle Method is much simpler than that. Here’s how you start one:

Photo: Craftwhack

Begin by drawing a simple shape like a circle or square. Then, fill it in with whatever patterns you like:

Photo: Craftwhack

That’s it! Just let yourself draw; zentangles are all about “freedom, well being, and complete focus.” You should feel lighter after finishing one.

Photo: Yael360

Photo: Alondra Arellano

Photo: ImHope / Shutterstock

You can even color them when you’re done!

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.

Information gather from the following websites:

https://mymodernmet.com/zentangle-art/ see Sara Barnes above

https://minds-in-bloom.com/try-zentangle-with-your-students/ see Rachel Lynette - Minds In Bloom