Being an art enthusiast & Zentangle® practitioner for last 2 years, I would love to share my experience with you all,
Zentangle® is a very easy to learn, relaxing and meditative art form which uses some structured patterns composed of very elemental strokes to create beautiful artwork. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas of Zentangle® INC, USA are the founders of this method.
To me, doodling and creative art were mere hobbies until Zentangle® happened. I made the transition from mindless doodling to mindful drawing, through Zentangle®. These days it has become my favorite pass time with my kid. My 4 yr old already knows some pattern names & scribbles them too although she is still struggling to hold her pencil properly.
Traditionally, Zentangle® is an abstract art form drawn in black n white with some greys (pencil shading) on a 3.5” X 3.5” paper (Tile) using a pigment pen.
However, when I tried to introduce this method to my 4 year old, I realized ,
1.Kids understand definitive forms better, so make use of their coloring books which has a number of outlined shapes, animals, birds, objects, to start with and they can fill in the shapes with tangles/patterns. eg: Elephant as shown above
2.Kids love colors, so do not limit them to black and white, esp. kids between 4-6 years, believe me they are more creative than we ever imagined, let them play with colors and draw with the medium they feel most comfortable instead of a pigment pen on a coloring book or sketch book
3. Kids need to relate the patterns with things/objects that they see in everyday life in order to remember the patterns. For eg.
Tangle tipple Vs. Bubbles
Tangle Hollibaugh Vs. Ice cream sticks lying randomly
Tangle Printemps Vs Jalebi (the Indian sweet) or the spiral on a candy
The benefits of Zentangle ® practice are immense for kids as for adults.
* Improves focus & concentration, kids are generally fickle minded, don’t sit at one place for long or lose interest very fast in the toys, other materials. It is an excellent way to glue them to their sketch book or tile for at least 20-40 mins with full concentration & focus.
*Improves motor-skills, hand-eye coordination, esp. useful for kids who are differently abled. The patterns or tangles, as we call them in Zentangle® method are made up of very repetitive strokes which does not allow your mind to deviate from what you are doing and makes your eyes and hands move with each stroke in a consistent manner.
*Improves confidence. It does not require any artist background, esp. kids who are just about to learn holding their pencils properly, the method provides an excellent platform to boost their creativity through very simple, easy to draw patterns. The final outcome is always a surprise and instills greater confidence in a child not quite sure of his/her creative skills.
*Zentangle® practice helps de-stress & relax in a fun way, examination time or interview, it just takes your mind off the current and takes you to a new level.
*Zentangle® is very meditative, It is not mindless doodling or scribbling where something else is the primary thought on your mind, It involves mindful drawing, the patterns require repetitive strokes which are drawn in a deliberate way, with full attention and awareness, but with an open mind. A true mediation…as they call it Zen Tangle…
*Zentangle® has a different set of benefits to offer when practiced as a group activity apart from being an individual practice. Kids learn, share, innovate, create, motivate, collaborate and interact much more when the art is practiced as a team building and group activity...
So, whats the delay, introduce your kids & yourself, to the Zentangle® method of drawing right away & experience its enormous benefits…..!!
If you wish to see more of my works ,
here's my facebook page, youtube channel, Zentangle Mosaic app(Sanju)
*Zentangle® is the registered trademark of Zentangle INC., USA. Terms & phrases used in the article are the intellectual property of Rick Roberts & Maria Thomas of Zentangle INC. USA