One Zentangle a Day

pen
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2B pencil
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sketchbook
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white tile
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white tiles, white ATCs, or 3 1/2" × 2 1/2" (8.9 × 6.4 cm) tiles from watercolor paper
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Gelato opaque paint sticks, or Caran d’Ache crayons, or water-soluble oil pastels

Daily Tangles
    Sez is an official tangle. The pattern offers the artist many looks by altering size, shape, and density. Eke is also a great pattern for creating Tangleations from, and today’s second diagram of Eke shows you some of my favorites. Remember to stay focused while creating these patterns. I find it is easy to fall into the bad habit of going too fast, especially when drawing the one-stroke patterns such as Eke. Both of these patterns come out best by focusing on the spacing.
    Tangleations of patterns give tanglers the option to alter patterns so they fit the theme or message of the artist.
    Some days I use mostly Tangleations on my tile, others just a few, and some not at all.

Water-Soluble Crayons
    Color is a tool artists use to express themselves. Color can help convey a message or a feeling, set a mood or atmosphere, or highlight details that help tell the story our art represents. This makes it very useful to add to tangled journal art pieces. The media we use to apply color brings other options for the artist to consider. They can be transparent or opaque, have texture or none at all. Are they matte or glossy, dimensional or flat? Knowing what to expect from the media will help you achieve the final look you are after.
    Water-soluble crayons come in wax form, paint, or oil pastel. They can be used dry or wet. They can be applied directly dry and burnished to blend colors together. When using them dry, they can be applied directly to the paper and then blended with water, gel medium, or gesso. They can also be applied to a palette, mixed there, and then applied to the paper with a brush. Each has a unique look and a different texture covered in the Basics section ( chapter 1 ). As a mixed-media artist, I have found endless applications for all three of these items in a lot of my art.
    This ZIA exercise is going to start by skipping the border on the tile or ATC. Begin by drawing a string. Choose a type of water-soluble crayon and add tangles. Use the water-soluble crayons or a Pigma pen to add detail to the tangles. Create shading using the complementary colors of the crayons you started with.
    From my drawing table in my studio, I saw a dark greenish funnel cloud in the sky spinning over the city. I grabbed my Gelatos and applied the colors of the funnel cloud and background clouds. I blended the colors directly on the ATC with my finger. I drew the city peeking below the clouds, and using a Tangleation of Sez, I filled in the clouds. I then used oil pastel to draw Eke into the funnel cloud. A brush and water picked up some of the blue water-soluble oil pastel for shadows. Caran d’Ache applied the highlights and a few directional lines because of the textural effect they add. Do not be afraid of mixing media to achieve desired results.
    This piece had a string penciled in and was drawn using a Micron 01 pen. Gelatos mixed with gesso create the sky. The organic patterns were painted with Gelatos mixed with gel medium, and the highlights were added using gesso. The color palette is calm and cheerful.

CHAPTER 5: DEFINING AND USING STYLE

    WHEN IT COMES TO STYLE IN ART, the word has two main meanings. The first refers to the trends of an era or art movement. The Zendala section of this chapter will address this meaning of style as we explore meditative drawing with round tiles. The second definition means a distinct characteristic or trait of an artist’s work, giving a unity to the artist’s body of work.
    This chapter concentrates on how to recognize and grow your personal drawing style. We will look at options of expression from flair, neat lines, and borders, to transforming and creating tangles. We all have our own style. Personal style is made up of past surroundings and experiences, combined with what we like and are drawn to. We will explore ways to continue to express personal style, to keep our artwork fresh, and to continue to grow, starting with creating your own tangles.
    As you look over your work from the previous twenty-eight days, you will see certain consistencies throughout the collection. In my case, it is how I use the patterns to play with the tonal values, juxtaposing light and dark tones with the use of a range of midtone patterns that