One Zentangle a Day

string and place the tangles in the areas you want them. The tile will be drawn in three stages, so divide the design into three parts: a background, middle ground, and foreground. When you are happy with the thumbnail sketch proceed to the Claybord. Draw the string in pencil and the tangles that are in the background with an Identi-Pen. Now only shade the background area. Make sure the pen is dry and then use a paintbrush to apply Mod Podge to seal the ink and graphite. Make sure the sealer is dry before proceeding. Apply a layer of resin, being cautious not to get it thicker than 1 to 2 millimeters. Pop any air bubbles with a pin. Bring the resin out to the edges with a skewer. The resin must be cured before moving on. If you used Soleil, cure it in sunlight for thirty minutes or under a UV light for twenty minutes. The thicker the resin, the longer it takes to cure. If you used ICE Resin, leave the tile to cure for twenty-four hours. Use an Identi-Pen to draw the middle-ground patterns. Shade the middle grounds with the gray Glaze gel pen. When the ink is dry, repeat the resin step. Cure the resin. When the resin is cured, draw the foreground and shade with a gel pen. Apply a third layer of resin and cure.
    It’s worth the time, but wait between layers. ICE resin allows you to pour a thicker layer, thus giving the most depth.
    The depth achieved with this technique is very exciting.
    The graphics were sealed before embedding in the resin.

DAY 42 SIMPLE LINE DRAWING
    MATERIALS
    •
Micron 01 pen
    •
2B pencil
    •
sketchbook
    •
two or three white tiles
    •
ATCs (optional)

Daily Tangle
    Try this pattern. Our last pattern is the only official Zentangle I know that has a purpose. The Bronx Cherry covers mistakes. Better than erasing, you can always draw over that problem area.
    If I had given this pattern in chapter 1 , it would have been highly overused.
    Today’s Zentangle tile is a celebration of your absolute favorites, starting from the string you draw to the patterns you pick. Include any Tanglenhancers and Tangleations. Remember the eleven steps to creating a tile. Take the time to examine the tile and turn it after you finish the first pattern. Let the tile develop one pattern at a time and after completing a pattern examine the tile from every angle before proceeding to the next pattern.
    The tile is divided into half Tangleations and half patterns.

Line Drawing
    Many of my tangled journaling pieces start from a simple line drawing. Everything is simplified; there is not a lot of detail in the faces or buildings. Sometimes every bit of the paper or tile is filled in with pattern, other times just a few areas. Many times I lay down my string drawing with a pencil and then fill in and add details with a pen. Two-thirds of my journaling remain in the achromatic scale, with a third adding color. I like to let the graphics speak for themselves and add few words, if any. If you are uncomfortable with trying to draw people, start with the trees and plants, simple geometric buildings, or a combination of the two. You can also take a magazine picture or other picture to the light box and trace around the objects. Use graphite transfer paper to transfer the drawing to your sketchbook, paper, or tile.
    The tree was drawn with Gelato pens and the owl with gesso. Ink tangles were applied and then gesso was used for highlights.
    A sketch done in Seattle that uses tangles to fill in some delectable details.
    This sketchbook was covered with watercolor ground, tangled in ink, and shaded with Inktense pencils.

INSPIRATION GALLERY

    Judy Lehman created this bowl using Pebeo paint for porcelain.
    Seal plastic rings with a water-based sealer.

    This bracelet and pendents are made from photocopies of the author’s tiles.

    Judy Lehman created these bisque ornaments with Bic pens.
    THE KEY TO SUCCESS with placing your art on these objects is twofold. Clean the glass with 91 percent alcohol and use the appropriate pen. The pen must be permanent and made to work on glass, plastic, and metal.
    If you have not found a Certified Zentangle Teacher in your area by now, I encourage you to do so. It is through them that you will find out all the latest news, patterns, and events regarding Zentangle in your area.
    Judy Lehman created this ornament using Pebeo glass paint and cured them in a home oven.
    Judy Lehman used a Sharpie pen on this piece to add some tangles to her Christmas tablescape.
    The author filled these glass