Training in Providence Rhode Island to Become a CZT

What a marvelous experience it was to go to Providence to learn Zentangle teaching techniques from Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, the creators of the method.  I joined with 150 other enthusiastic artists from 40 countries for 3 days of nonstop drawing.  We couldn't get enough!

We were in a gorgeous ballroom in The Graduate, a Sheraton hotel built in 1921.  The entire hotel was filled with art inspiration.  Patterns were everywhere!

Each tangled tile that we created was placed in a basket on our way out to our breaks and  by the time we went out for a subsequent break, they were hung in a beautiful mosaic.  Seeing each individual tile become part of a larger whole stunned us all with how gorgeous it all was.  Every person's interpretation of an assignment was unique.  Combined with all the others... well it all just fit in such a lovely way.

As new CZTs we came away from Providence not only knowing how to teach the techniques of drawing, but also the calming and peaceful thoughts that come with the Zentangle philosophy.  "No mistakes"... there's nothing to fear in doing art.  "One stroke at a time"... allowing oneself to slow down in this way not only produces beautiful art results but puts you in a healing and relaxed state.  So much more!  

I left so enthused to share this with everyone.  And now my art teaching journey begins...

I Want to Teach!

It was after my second Zentangle class that I started wanting to show this art to all my family and friends.  They were amazed at what I was creating and wanted to try it too.  My first student was my friend who came to my house for lunch and a leisurely afternoon of drawing.  At first she started reaching for an eraser and a ruler (we are both engineers by training and past occupation).  I told her that a big part of Zentangle is that we work entirely freehand and there's no need for an eraser because there are no mistakes!  It's all part of the freedom of the art.  Any line or curve placed somewhere we hadn't intended is simply an opportunity to see something new and unique emerge!

Here's my friend's first Opus tile.  I think it's amazing!

Next I traveled to my sister Mary's home.  She had mentioned that another teacher at her school had provided a very brief lesson on Zentangle but Mary didn't get it and was a bit frustrated that she couldn't execute a drawing.  So we sat together at her dining room table and drew, one stroke at a time.  When she finished she was so pleased and I told her to sign her art and go show her boyfriend what she'd done.

Here's Mary's first Opus tile!

And then I knew... if I was going to continue teaching I wanted it to be official.  I wanted to be trained by the Zentangle founders and be certified to teach their methods.  Fortunately a CZT seminar was being held a month later in Providence Rhode Island.  I enrolled, bought my plane ticket and wondered excitedly at what was to come... 

My Second Zentangle Class

A week following my first Zentangle session with Linda I went back to her home for a second.  She had a second blank Opus tile waiting for me and about five new patterns to show me.  I was struck by how simple it was to place a dot in each corner and then connect them to form a frame.  Then a freehand string to divide up the drawing space and it was on to the pen and the patterns.  Since the Opus tile was too large to complete in a 90-minute drawing session, I took it home to finish.  I enjoyed the drawing so much that I finished it that evening.  And here it is:

At our next session I was able to try using colored ink along with the black.  And I learned five more patterns as well!  I was delighted with the result...

At this point I knew a couple things.  I knew I had framable art.  And I knew I wanted to teach other people how enjoyable it is to draw this way. I had started showing my sisters and friends what I was doing and they in turn were asking me to show them how.  And my sisters started putting dibs on new drawings I did.  Maura got this Opus-size Zentangle:

And Mary got this one:

My First Zentangle

In March 2019 I looked up a local watercolor instructor I'd studied with years ago.  My hope was to get a refresh on the painting techniques that are her own unique style.  But I found that she was only offering classes in Zentangle drawing at the time.  This was something I'd never heard of before but I figured it would be good to learn whatever it was that Linda was teaching now.

What a relaxing treat it was to learn how to draw in this way.  We sat at her dining room table with a Zentangle "Opus" tile in front of each of us.  This is a 10.5" square piece of cotton Italian paper that feels much like watercolor paper.  We use Sakura ink pens and put down predefined patterns within "strings" we lightly drew with pencils.  These strings formed segments that would be filled with different patterns.  We focused on each stroke or squiggle or curve one at a time.  Within an hour or so I had produced my first Zentangle shown here and was just so pleased!