The Art of Zentangle: 50 inspiring drawings, designs & ideas for the meditative artist

I am an artist and simply became intrigued looking through this book when I was shopping for books on mixed media and encaustic. There were a few zentangle books on Amazon (I'd never heard of zentangle prior to this shopping search experience) but this one seemed to have some of the coolest designs that appeared more organic than like Indian prints. (I am not sure how else to describe my choice via the comparisons of the suggestions Amazon gave me when shopping other than that.) Many years ago I owned a pottery painting studio and I have thought so many times since about the woman who worked for days on a large platter and did it all in black and white with these simply tiny designs...the thing was FANTASTIC when she was done. I tried to copy it once out of memory and couldn't. As soon as I saw books on "Zentangle" I realized it must be an art form I was unaware of. This is basically very cool doodles you could do with a sharpie marker. The book is filled with practice pages and filled with loads of ideas. What's ideal about that is it could keep a teen busy for hours learning to create these designs and be able to use them over and over. What's great for ME is that it lends itself to creating a very cool art piece of your own in any time you have to simply sketch out more and more designs. I plan to buy a large sheet of watercolor paper or use it on a large canvas that I can later frame and just leave it out on my dining room table to play with as I have time. Even better, you could create an awesome art piece that your entire family makes together. If you look through the book you see this is simply about learning to make the basic shapes then fill in the spaces between them after you create the shapes so that you have endless doodles everywhere. What I love about the book is that it's not just abstract shapes. It also shows you how to add in organic elements like a hummingbird or fish in your work, and fill them in with the Zentangles. I get the "Zen" part of the name as well. Art takes your mind away from anything troubling it, and the repetitive strokes and creation are very Zen and very peaceful elements for the mind. This would be an amazing book to have should you ever know anyone sick or in the hospital as there is little to do sitting in bed and reading and the TV grow tiresome. Bring them this and a box of thin tip markers and you'd likely be loved for it. This could create hours of fun and result in actually learning a new hobby that could parlay into some cool art pieces for one's home. Better yet, they take your mind away from pain when you do activities like this... The book intrigued me as I flipped through what pages I could see on Amazon. The book thrilled me far more once I got it. Very simple instructions and step by step guides for the beginner but cool enough designs to remain intrigued as you become an expert.

I purchased this to put together a gift for someone who needs to learn how to relax. Combined with the Sakura micron pens, a basic sketch pencil set & the Strathmore Artist Tiles sketch pad it was a great start up kit. . As an artist I understand the authors' point about getting into a "zone" while you are drawing. It is really similar to what one tries to achieve with zen meditation. Tangling allows one to focus your concentration while letting worrisome thoughts drift away from you. It is relaxing and anyone of most any age can do it easily. Our 6 yr. old grandaughter had been creating some amazing patterns. But if you were to tell someone to relax by drawing they usually say, "I can't draw". But anyone can doodle -- and tangling is sort of doodling with purposefulness. Once they get into it everyone has been surprised out how well their tangles turn out. This is terrific gift for anyone who has always wanted to be able to draw but thinks they cannot. This is more than a book of zentangle patterns, although there are plenty of those to keep you busy. It is more of a workbook with lots of space to practice, experiment & complete your own zentangles. There was quite a number of zentangle guides to choose from -- glad I picked this one. Well worth the price.

This Zentangle book has it all! It is simply Awesome! If you are new or old to Zentangle, you are going to LOVE this book. It starts with tools of the trade and explains what Zentangle is and swiftly moves on to the 50 inspiring projects and designs to make (which you can branch off to use with your own ideas and that makes the ideas limitless!). This is a nice meaty book. For those of you used to the small, more limited books or ten page instruction books, this book will make you smile - widely! There are four CZTs who authored this book so there are different flavors of Zentangle to enjoy. This book also goes beyond the tiles. They have their purpose naturally, but this book recommends different papers and pens and things to use as well as so many new ideas to expand your Zentangle Art. This is the Zentangle Book as far as I am concerned. There are a few that I really adore and enjoy, but none of them compare to this one. This book is my new favorite! Not only is the format large, it's also a workbook with plenty of space to try the new tangles and all of the ideas presented in the book. From birds and fish to detailed fairies, to frames, mandalas and glitter Zentangle, this wonderful book gives you lots of fresh ideas that could become frameable art around the house! The Art Of Zentangle shows you step by step many cool tangles-from easy to difficult. The projects are presented in stages with many of the final versions shown with bright colors! I can't say enough good about this book! I love, love, love it and I would give it 10 stars if possible. If you are curious about Zentangle, get this book! If you are not new to Zentangle, get this book! If you've put away your Zentangle stuff and want a fresh, new look, you know what I'am going to say...Get this book!!

I bought several other Zentangle books before this one, but they turned out to be primarily showcases for the authors' work. The Art of Zentangle provides many examples for inspiration, but also a plenty of step-by-step instruction on tangle patterns, borders, strings, motifs, stencils, mandalas, and working with shading. There are even a few bonus tangle-y craft projects to try. The intro and the chapter on supplies are short but complete. I took off one star only because there are 35+ blank "practice pages" scattered throughout the book where you can try the techniques explained. I tend not to write in books, I prefer to practice in sketchbooks, so I'd rather have more fantastic content on those pages instead of blank space. But if you like a workbook format, this is perfect. And even if you don't, this is a great Zentangle book that combines ideas and directions in an engaging and happy color-coded format for easy reference. The quality is also excellent; this is a big sturdy book with heavy pages. Don't hesitate to buy, you won't regret it.

This is a great book whether you are a beginner or a long practiced tangler. There are basic instructions and a selection of patterns in the first section. It includes sixteen borders which will be great for journal pages, frames, and cards. Then there are three main sections, each by a different artist. Penny Raile has whimsical animals, fish, a fantasy garden, hummingbird and toadstools. She also has pages to experiment with variations on Hollibaugh, Flux and Roxi, suggestions for motifs, channeling Picasso and silhouettes. Norma J. Burnell gives suggestions for finding inspiration and variations on Pokeleaf, Dragonair and Chainlea. She has a totally different and equally lovely hummingbird, but the fairies...they totally knocked my socks off. I would buy the book for the fairies alone Margaret Bremner focuses on mandalas, and has a system for creating them that takes all the terror out of trying to make them symmetrical. Her variations are on Shing, Cadent and Printemps. She also offers tangles she created. The book has blank areas and pages so that you can try out the designs and techniques. I really like this because I can tangle right away when inspiration strikes and have even more artwork for reference. Forget buying groceries, get this book instead. It offers many, many hours of zen pleasure!

There are actually 4 contributing artists to this inspiring & fun book. It offers clear detailed instructions on how to draw, shadow or color your zentangles. Also as an added bonus it shows you show interesting variations on the tangles. Along with showing you how to draw zentangles there are projects, ZIA'a , Mandalas and templates you can copy. There are blank pages for you to practice on if you wish, even though I can't quite bring myself to do that yet! I actually warm up and practice on regular paper, then draw in a Strathmore mixed media spiral bound book on 90lb paper, that way if I choose to use watercolors, coloring pencils or watercolor pencils to color the zentangle, the paper I use is ready. Its really a fantastic book for anyone who is interested in Zentangle. There are lots of books out there and they all are interesting in their own way, but this one seems to have all the elements needed to keep any "Tangler" engaged for quite a while. I love it and highly recommend it!

It's ok. Gives you space to doodle and try out different patterns. It's not heavy on information or instruction. It's more just a workbook with lots of ideas to try. I used it a few times or more but then just went back to doing everything on my own. I know zentangle is sort of a free spirited sort of thing but I really wanted more background on how it came to be and the "inventors'" original philosophies since I know they take their idea so srsly they've copywrighted it. Oh well. It's a neat book. I might go back to it and play some more in it again.

I loved this book! It was really fun and inspiring. It was my 2nd zentangle book, but you could use as a first-timer. I liked that it encouraged you also to draw things and fill them in with tangles. A lot of Zentangle books don't ask you to go that far. In this book you learn how to draw a cool fairy girl with zentangled hair and a pretty little hummingbird with zentangles (among others). I think this would be great even if you're not yet comfortable drawing, you might really surprise yourself. They aren't complicated drawings. And if you just want to learn the tangles without drawing you could always do that too because it does show you how to do the tangles step by step.

Für völlige Neueinsteiger würde ich als erstes weiter One Zentangle a Day: A 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun empfehlen, mit dem Buch lernt man alle Basis-Patterns und -techniken, die sich in anderen Werken und Vorlagen immer wiederholen oder variiert werden. Dieses Buch ist prima, wenn man die Grundlagen schon kennt und z.B. weiß, in welchen Schritten man bei den Mustern vorgeht, denn die Tangle werden nur noch fertig vorgegeben, die Feinarbeit beim Nachzeichnen wird nicht mehr Stück für Stück gezeigt. Neben Varianten bekannter Tangle wie Pokeleaf oder Hollibaugh stellen die Autorinnen auch eigene Entwürfe vor. Das Interessanteste an dem Buch sind aber die komplexeren Anwendungen der Muster in größere, auszuschmückende Vorlagen. Man kann z.B. Mandala gestalten, einen Fantasiegarten und exotische Vögel. Wahlweise kann man die eigenen Werke direkt in das Buch malen, hierfür gibt es Blankoseiten und -quadrate, oder ein Zeichenbuch bzw. -block benutzen. Persönlich würde ich anregen, die entsprechenden Buchseiten einmal durchzukopieren, so kann man bequemer malen und mehrere Möglichkeiten durchspielen, eine Vorlage mit Tangles auszuschmücken. Schön zum Entspannen und auf leichte Weise künstlerisch aktiv zu werden.

WOW! I love this book. It is so packed full of beautiful drawings, doodles and ideas, that I had to ask Father Christmas to deliver it early! If you like drawing or colouring, then you will like this book. But it also shows you how to start to draw and then build upon it, so that you end up with really lovely artwork. It is not for young children, more for teenage, young adult and older. I really like it and would buy it as a gift for someone as well as a gift to myself! I think this is the best Zentangle book out there and would also recommend it to those who own other books in the series.

Très bien expliqué pour débutant et jolie mise en page. Il y a tout de même un peu trop d'espace vide pour s'entrainer.

It's very very beautiful pictures. I can learn more and more draw in the book.

Loved this book. To Zentangle is almost a form of meditation and to learn new patterns and other forms of Zentangle is very interesting.