Zentangles

Zentangles are miniature pieces of unplanned, abstract, black and white art on a 3.5-inch (9 mm) square tile. They are not only exquisitely beautiful, they are fun and relaxing to create.

“According to CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) training, a Zentangle® is the form created on a 3.5 inch tile, with [abstract] patterns referred to as tangles.

Works using these patterns but differing in size and shape and surface are ‘Zentangle inspired Art’.” – Nancy Lubin, CZT

The process of creating a Zentangle® is a form of “artistic meditation”, as one becomes completely engrossed in making each pattern, deliberately focusing on “one stroke at a time”®. The creativity options and pattern combinations are boundless. And anyone can do it!

The Zentangle® art form and method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Zentangle® is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. You can learn much more at zentangle.com and from taking a class with a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) but here’s a brief overview.

Format – A Tile

The surface for a Zentangle® is a 3 1/2-inch square “tile” (9 cm x 9 cm) of high quality paper (“fine, individually die-cut printmaking paper selected for its texture and archival characteristics”).

Process – A Ceremony

The first important step in the ceremony of Zentangle is to relax and breathe deeply, bringing one’s attention to the process.

On the Zentangle tile, one lightly pencils a border and a “string“, a freeform shape into which one then draws intricate non-objective patterns called “tangles“, with very deliberate intentional strokes using a thin-nib archival ink Sakura Micron pen. Additional shading can be added in pencil to create depth and drama.

Example of a Border with a "String" drawn within it with pencil on a Tile - ready to tangle and become a Zentangle®!

A Zentangle is not intended to be a representation of something else. Both the tangles used, and the resulting completed tile are designed to be abstract, non-objective creations. As described on the official website:

“A Zentangle® has no up or down and is not a picture of something, so you have no worries about whether you can draw a hand, or a duck. You always succeed in creating a Zentangle®.”

The mindful drawing of individual strokes makes possible the shift in focus that is meditation. The decision-making involved in other forms of art is deliberately removed in the Zentangle method. The outcome “unfolds one stroke at a time”.

Primo Examples

If you’ve never heard of Zentangle® before and would like to see some wonderful examples, check out this one by guest artist Jella Verelst here on TanglePatterns.com. Then visit the Zentangle Gallery to see originators Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts’ beautiful work. Maria is widely recognized as one of the top calligraphers in the world. Her 40+ years of experience with pen and ink transform an ordinary line into something quite lyrical.

Zentangle® or Doodle?

A lot of folks call their drawings “Zentangle”, when more accurately they are Zentangle-inspired art (ZIA). Almost all of the current postings on flickr tagged “Zentangle” are not Zentangles. There are a few notable exceptions, usually (though not always) posted by CZTs. And don’t get me started on YouTube – there’s way too much misleading (and just plain awful) information about Zentangle there.

What is the difference between a doodle and a Zentangle®?

Primarily Zentangle® is a form of artistic meditation that produces non-objective drawings composed of patterns that can be viewed from any perspective. They do not contain recognizable objects and there is no “right side up”.

Likewise, tangle patterns do not represent a natural or actual object, figure, or scene.

A Zentangle® is also a specific size and format, as described above.

UPDATE 10/28/10: a discussion about Zentangle® format and Zentangle-inspired art (ZIA’s), here. Contribute to the conversation if you’d like!

And here’s another excellent article discussing “Zentangle or Doodles”, from Verlin.

Related Links:

• Copyright issues you should know
• Legal information about the Zentangle® method – What you should know about using the term Zentangle® and using tangle patterns in teaching or your art.
• Zentangle® Terminology

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