“Are you stressed all the time?”
“Do you need to let go of your stress and relax?”
“Is there a need to improve hand/eye coordination?”
All this and much more can be done through the Zentangle method. The Zentangle Method is an easy to learn, relaxing and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. This method can be used by anyone who knows how to spell their name. It helps increase focus and creativity and provides artistic satisfaction with a greater sense of personal well-being.
Zentangling is a formalized process that was created by Rick Roberts and Mary Thomas. It is a specific way of drawing images, most often with a black pen on white paper. The traditional practice of Zentangling is done on 3 1/2-inch square tiles made from special paper, but it can be done on any paper cut into squares or larger paper as well. The Zentangling process can seem very complicated. but it is a very simple path to relaxation and focus. Also called doodling with a purpose. Practitioners of this art form have provided several benefits including calming an anxious mind, increasing self-confidence, and creating moment-to-moment awareness in a similar way. as mindfulness meditation.
How to create a Zentangle?
To create a Zentangle, start with a frame drawn in pencil and then draw a “rope” across the frame to divide the frame into sections. On each section, draw a repeating pattern, called a “tangle.” The meditation comes both in the rhythmic drawing and in the subsequent reflection on your work. Some of the features of the Zentangle method are: Deliberate Stroke: In Zentangle mode, each stroke is done consciously and deliberately. As we deliberately drew each stroke, we realized how these insignificant strokes contribute to an overall pattern.
Deliberate Focus: When deliberate strokes are made, the focus is on the stroke and not on the end product to be made. This then leads to more focus on the strokes being made and not thinking about what the final pattern will look like.
Unknown results: The Zentangle method allows each person to discover new possibilities that are not anticipated when we start with the art.
Summary: A Zentangle creation is meant to be non-representational, with no up or down. Since it’s not an image of anything, creators don’t need to worry about whether they can draw a hand or a duck. It is just the different strokes that form a pattern and ultimately an abstract image.
No Eraser – There is no eraser in life and there is no eraser in a Zentangle kit. However, when creating Zentangle art, one discovers that the apparent mistakes made can be the basis for new patterns and take us in new and unknown directions.
Gratitude: Gratitude is the basis of zentangle art. Whether appreciating the texture of these wonderful paper mosaics, noticing the patterned beauty that surrounds us, or grateful for the opportunity to put pen to paper, we always return to gratitude.
Inspiring: The Zentangle Method’s non-verbal language of pattern and proportion can open doors to ideas that previously seemed closed. Creating in the manner of Zentangle opens those doors, not because they were locked, but because those doors turn on non-verbal hinges. When you create in the Zentangle manner, you can enter a state of relaxed focus where intuitive ideas flow freely.
Ceremonial: As in the Japanese tea ceremony, when creating zentangle art, the person creates a personal environment of peace and harmony.
PORTABLE – A Zentangle mosaic is 3 1/2 inches (89 mm) square. A Zentangle mosaic is designed to be completed in a single sitting. A tile can be finished in as little as 15 minutes. Once the mosaic is completed, there is a sense of accomplishment and more mosaics can be completed in less time.
BENEFITS OF THE ZENTANGLE METHOD:
The Zentangle Method is being used by many people for different purposes. Some of the benefits that people have experienced from practicing this method are:
• Relaxation
• Simple and fast access to mindfulness
• Non-verbal diary
• Insomnia (improving sleep by creating Zentangle art before sleeping)
• Self esteem
• Inspired
• Panic attacks
• Modify behavior
• Being part of a supportive community
• Nurture and develop creative skills
• Relieve stress
• Improve hand/eye coordination
• Develop/rehabilitate fine motor skills
• Teamwork and group approach
• Therapy
• Anger control
• Addiction therapy tool
• Diet helps
• Increase attention span and ability to concentrate
• Homeschooling
• Brainstorm
• Problem resolution
• Design inspiration
• Stretching and warm-up for artists.
Personal experience of practicing Zentangle art:
My personal zentangle story began in 2015 when surgery on my ankle kept me on bed rest for 6 weeks. As they say “an idle mind is a devil’s workshop”, bed rest and immobility caused my mind to have unwanted thoughts that needed to be appeased. Since I was immovable and couldn’t do much, I started exploring the internet looking for something I could do while on bed rest. That’s when I stumbled upon Zentangle art. I first started reading about it and was intrigued to try it out. So, step by step, I began to try internet entanglements and felt very relaxed doing it. I got so involved with this art form and realized that even a day without making art made me feel like I was missing something. Even though I didn’t have bed rest and worked together with taking care of my family, I didn’t stop doing art because it gave me peace and helped me to relax and have some time for myself. In further research, I discovered that only certified teachers can teach the art. So I started looking for a certified teacher and took a class with her after a year of practicing the art form. The class was a great learning for me about the nuances of making art. It helped me better understand the art form and the benefits it can bring me.
Practicing art has helped me in the following ways:
• Relax my mind
• Anger control
• Reduce mental stress
• Live the moment
• Not thinking about what has happened or worrying about the future.