How To Create Zentangle Inspired Art

 Today I'll be showing you how to create zentangle inspired art. I call it zentangle inspired art because it isn't an actual zentangle but it includes similar elements such as intricate patterns (but only here and there). The drawing style zentangle was originally created as a meditating method to relax you. It's true that drawing detailed pictures can calm you down, however I do zentangles because I love the overall affect of this technique. In this post I'll be showing you my practice exercises that I do before starting this type of art. I hope I help!



To start off, I drew elements that I wanted to include in my drawing. This can really help because you can get used to drawing things you have never drawn before (this was my first time drawing bats, as you can tell :P). Also, this is your chance to adapt your drawing style. This really is the time to experiment! I had fun creating spooky faces on the pumpkins, skulls and ghosts! You can try different shapes and sizes to create a new look! My top tip is to put ticks and crosses next to your doodles. This doesn't necessarily mean you will include them in your final piece, it just says to you whether you like the way it looks or not. In one way, this practice page helped me to decide what I was actually able to draw in my last piece because I then knew that I didn't want to include ghosts as I couldn't get it right.



The next stage of the drawing process was another practice page, this time it didn't go into so much detail. It just had a few practices of each technique until I got them right. To create this practice page template, I just drew a few small boxes. From then on, I started drawing Halloween patterns in them and decided whether they were good or bad. To fill the space I did a quick practice of the main drawing, a little witch. I did a colour test on the doodle to see what worked best together.


It was then time to start the real thing! I kept looking back at my practice pages that proved to be very helpful! I used the elements from the first exercise to fill the spaces at either side and the pattern page to fill the little witch. There were some extra doodles on here that I didn't practice. If you are having trouble coming up with new ideas for your drawing, you can search keywords on google images such as Autumn, Halloween or spooky. Remember! You should only be inspired by other artist's work rather than copy them; you want to create a unique piece that you can be proud of! Now you can either leave your zentangle inspired art black and white (this is traditional) or you can continue onto the next stage like I did...




The final (optional) step is to add colour! This is where the colour test comes in. I looked back at my colour test and made a new colour scheme with different shades that I thought worked well together. This is a Halloween picture so I tried to include , orange, black, green, purple and metallic colours to give a spooky feel to the drawing. I made a gradient of dark purple to pale blue for the early evening sky. I scattered hundreds of little silver stars over the sky to make it look magical. I love the overall effect of this picture; I poured hours of my time into it and I feel it's worth it! I hope this has helped you to gain new skills and think about practicing in a different way. Let me know in the comments what you have created with my tips and what other drawing posts you would like to see on this blog!

PS: Don't forget to vote in my poll to tell me what type of post you want to see soon! If you voted for a seasonal post, (as well as this one) you'll see plenty in the next few weeks!