No Pencil or Eraser allowed?

June 16 -

Another drawing trend that is very popular right now is Zentangle.  It was developed by a couple; a former monk and a calligrapher, who have some very specific rules about process.  I have found the technique to be very freeing because you cannot make a mistake.  Basically, you begin with small, images that you can repeat over and over, with or without variation (depending on the image and the application,) until you have fill the predetermined area.  Oh, one more rule:  NO pencil and NO eraser allowed in the process; pencil may be used for shading at the end ONLY!  The images below represent part of the progression of steps in the process.

All pictures in this series are built on the image that was created before.  All are created using a Micron black fine tip pen on acrylic-coated paper.   The first step is simply lines draw to form blades of grass with roots going below.  Click on image to enlarge.

The rocky area where the roots are anchored is also formed by simple line drawings and dots.  Click on the image to enlarge.

Below the upper rock foundation is the river bed to feed the roots above; also a very simple line drawing repeated four times. Below that, is the lowers, rock layer, made my making simple rocks and giving them "weight" with short, repeated lines.   Click on the image to enlarge.

The rich texture and moisture layers below the root level could certainly support additional grass, so look carefully to see the two additional tiers of grass blades, added one at a time, behind the first.  The key to layering in Zentangles is to stop drawing at each overlap, and continue on the other side.   Think ahead - remember no erasers.  Click to enlarge the image.

Those open blades of growing grass needed "something", so I began to add some hearts to suggest natures way of growing passion, care and love.  Again, in keeping with the spirit of Zentangle, the key is in the repetition.  Click on the image to enlarge.

If you investigate Zentangle, you will discover that there are many, many standardized patterns that Zentanglers all over the world, recreate for their own images.   Most of the images above, including the twisted cloud shape, are part of the Zentangle library.  Click on the image above to enlarge. 

Continued repetition and layering result in a fairly complex image that use only simple lines and a little shading to complete.  Remember, no pencil or eraser allowed in this process.