Once upon a time, I zen-ed out...chapter one.
Hello Dear Reader,
I'm reporting on my Zentangle journey. Shall we review?
12 weeks. 12 tiles. No design plan.
What have I done?
Now, if you have already read my previous post, you know my designer-heart was palpitating even as I sat down to focus on each line, fill each space without thought of the completed work, and deliberately zen out. Quite the challenge for me to not plan the design, to only use a single color and one pen thickness...but I discovered some surprising results.
First though, my completed tangle:
My first zent-tangle method tile
At first, I found this method did not resemble a fairy tale. I wanted to match my shapes and alter scale so the eye flowed through some sort of composition, but as I worked I found I began to fill in each section a little more slowly than the previous one, I worried less about the overall design – though I couldn’t shut my mind off from thinking about weight and shape. I was less concerned with the finished piece the closer I got to it...I played more than usual.
Confession: I do see a hundred things I would change in the design above if I could go back in time. I would adjust the shading to be more universal and I’d more carefully measure the anchor area in the middle...perhaps I’d give the border a thicker weight, too. But those details don’t erase the fact that I found I enjoyed the official zen-tangling system very much. More than I’d expected. Plus, I didn’t find I was exhausted at the end of my tangle time, but rather excited and ready to start a new tile immediately.
Perhaps this is just beginner’s zen? Only time will tell, but I say Chapter One offered a solid beginning to my "zensational" tangle experience!