My last blog post was way back in 2020. I can hardly believe it. But then again, the whole world was forced to go on "pause" for too long a time. It wasn't until April 2022 that I scheduled and taught another Zentangle class. The moment a couple of my previous students returned to my home I was so happy. We exchanged smiles and hugs and set about making happy little Zentangle ornaments. This ornament idea was an inspiration from Barbara Langston, one of my CZT classmates. She is a wonderful Zentangle instructor with her own YouTube channel called "Not Perfect Zen".
For our ornaments we used Lindy's Magicals to color our paper tiles and then we tangled over the top and shaded and highlighted.
Next we folded our tiles while sending a string and an attached bell through the center of the ornament. We glued the folds and created a lovely shiny coating using Mod Podge.
In the following weeks I offered several Zentangle classes focused on creating a 7"x 7" piece known as an Opus tile. At each session students were taught five new tangle patterns. Week by week the art piece emerged. Now normally I will complete an Opus within a session or two, using the patterns that come to mind and then repeating them with slight variations. But I noticed my student Trisha had come for about four sessions and hadn't completed one Opus. I asked her when she was going to finish one and her answer was interesting. She said, "I love what I've been able to do so far and I don't want to ruin it by trying to add the final patterns."
This is a common stumbling block for many artists. This fear of failure can hold artists back from starting and it can also hold some back from completing a work.
We talked it through, bringing to mind that nothing Trisha had done thus far had been ruinous AND it was only a piece of paper. I had given her fresh Opus tiles each session so she had plenty more to play with.
The result of our conversation was that Trisha went home and indeed completed her Opus piece. In fact, she told me her drawing time put her in a peaceful "zone" that allowed four hours to go by without her noticing.
She proudly sent me a photo of what she had done and said, "I tried as hard as I could to ruin this tile but it didn't get ruined!! I think it's a breakthrough. I'm so happy." I think anyone would agree, Trisha created some wonderful art here:
We have also been creating art booklets which are filled with inspiring quotations designed to support anyone delving into art. Originally designed for Mental Health Awareness Month (May), special patterns were suggested for each page by the founders of Zentangle. Step-by-step instructions for each page are found on the Zentangle YouTube channel. There is something wonderful though about gathering in person and stepping through the pages together.
Here are some pages my students and I have completed so far. I love seeing the different stylings and interpretations when we lay our work out in mosaic form.
Anyone local to San Diego can participate in any upcoming class by going to the Meetup.com and joining my group called Zentangle With Annie. Those who aren't local can still join the group to see the activities our group does. Here's a link to click to join! Zentangle With Annie Meetup Group
