AKA Zentangling

One of my favorite things to do when I was bored in school was to doodle.  You would find doodles all over my notebooks, papers, and (sad to say) even my textbooks.  I was never really "good" at it, it just occupied my time...that is, when I wasn't writing notes in class.  Today it seems as if doodling has been taking on a much more "glamorous" form.  It's no longer called "doodling", now it has taken on a new name & art form called "Zentangle".  Of course it has been modified to follow a much more artistic approach to "free-hand" art, which includes repetitive patterns co-mingling together to form an almost "trick-the-eye" appearance.  Remember those books you could buy that had hidden pictures in them--sort of reminds me of that..except those usually had a lot of color in them and Zentangles typically do not.  There are books you can get at craft stores, and there's even more info, including tutorials, study plans, & supplies available on the official website for Zentangle. 

My first attempt!

While I like the idea of using these sorts of drawings to create art, then using them in cards/scrapbooking, papercrafting, etc, as in this blog, I can't see paying for instruction on the matter.  So, I got online and scoured a few websites to see what kind of inspiration was out there.  Then, I sat myself down in front of the TV with pen & paper and just enjoyed playing around with it.  By organizing my lines, repeating patterns, and letting the ink flow, I was able to get the hang of it pretty quickly.  And while not precise, by any stretch of the imagination...I like it!

Give it a try & just have fun!  Lisa