One Zentangle a Day

squares of Knights Bridge then morphed into Crescent Moon, which morphed on one end into Fescu.
    DECONSTRUCTING IS DRAWING an area of a tangled pattern to appear to have come apart. The parts of the pattern can appear to be falling gracefully away, torn, or transformed into a new pattern. This creates drama for the eye and a surprise to pique the viewer’s interest and gives the art piece a story. As artists, we communicate through the lines we draw. Abstract art is no exception. Using this technique as it approaches another pattern is a great way to bridge patterns together. When used in the middle of a pattern, it can lighten the tonal value of a busy area or change the feel of weightiness. Deconstructing a pattern creates endless opportunities for transcending from one pattern to another. The broken pieces of a pattern can be drawn on a pattern’s edge to resemble the pattern falling apart and the pattern ending there. Or the broken edge pieces can be used to start the new pattern, morphing one into another pattern. Wherever this technique is used on a Zentangle tile, it will move the viewer’s eye and create a surprise element for the eye to find.

Daily Tangles
    Try these two tangles. Florz and Onamato are two patterns that lend themselves well to this process. Florz is usually drawn on a diagonal with the original grid in diamond form, but it also can be drawn in checkerboard fashion. Onamato’s many orbs give it a nice textural effect. This pattern works well for adding depth in areas. It can easily be drawn smaller as it recedes.

    Practice the new patterns in your sketchbook until they are familiar. Use Florz and Onamato to create your daily Zentangle tile. Remember to use the eleven-step process when drawing the tile.
    Guest artist Judy Lehman started with the Knights Bridge pattern and then brought in Onamato, which deconstructs and intertwines with the pattern Mysteria. Knights Bridge returns and morphs into the pattern Florz. Flux weaves through the composition to continue the eye’s movement and unite the patterns.
    KNOWING THE PATTERNS MEANS you know how to re-create them. Many patterns lend themselves to deconstructing or morphing into another pattern. Practice deconstructing and/or morphing some of the previous patterns we have learned on a clean page in your sketchbook. The combinations learned in this exercise will be useful for incorporating this technique in future tiles you tangle.
    Each of the drawings Judy did started from one pattern that transforms or deconstructs and reconstructs into a new pattern. The top left image began with Isochor, the top right image began with Nipa, and the bottom image began with Hollibaugh.

DAY 14 DECORATIVE VALUE
    MATERIALS
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Micron 01 pen
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white Gelly Roll pen (from the original line) or a white Soufflé pen
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white charcoal pencil
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white S or K pencil
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2B Pencil
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sketchbook
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white tile
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black tile
    Shattuck is the focal point on this piece. Lightest in value, it morphs into Printemps. Printemps fills the bottom borders of Shattuck, so it requires a darker value. The grid behind Shattuck and Printemps borders both patterns and needed to be darker in value than both patterns.
    CHILDREN’S ART IS A PERFECT example of decorative value, which uses no established light source. Art pieces using the decorative value technique for shading feel shallow and have little depth. Decorative values can be maximized on a tile to move the eye through the piece with shapes that interact and shadows that create planes. To create this effect, the shape closest to the viewer is lightest in value and is referred to as the first plane. The shapes that lie directly behind the first plane and border its edges are given a slightly darker tonal value and make up the second plane. The shapes behind the second plane are shaded darker. Each plane of surrounding shapes gets darker as the planes descend outward. The amount of descending planes is kept to two or three layers to maintain the shallow feel. Conversely, you can start with the top plane shaded to the darkest tone, making each descending plane lighter.

Daily Tangles
    Try these three new tangles. The pattern Dyon is interesting whether you use it as one large Dyon tangle or as a grouping of the pattern. You can use Chainging as a border or in small, irregular spaces. It is easy to incorporate into awkward areas such as corners. The tangle Keeko is lively and a feast of movement. The lines can be