Art Project 52: Learning the Art of Zentangle

We were looking for some quick and low- mess crafts for Thanksgiving.  I stumbled upon a blog or two that taught the art of Zentangle and thought that if we started with a Thanksgiving themed picture we could have a lot of fun.

As part of our 100 Days of Challenge, I'm trying to be intentional about exposing my boys to all different forms of art.  Zentangle is pretty big right now and it's actually quite easy.  Easy enough that all three of my boys were able to complete our project in just under 30 minutes.



What is Zentangle?  You can read more about it at Zentangle.com but my understanding is that the focus in Zentangle isn't so much in the art that is created as in finding peace through art.  Hence the Zen!

Using repeated and simple patterns made up of lines and dots you fill in spaces until you have a pattern that looks pleasing to the eye.  There are no mistakes; in fact you are never supposed to use an eraser and that is why most Zentangle creations are made with black ink.

For our project we chose to use colored gel pens and printed out a blank turkey coloring page that I found at Activity Village.

I started my turkey the night before to give them a visual of what we were looking to do. I showed them a few sights and explained what Zentangle was.  We looked at a few different patterns on Pinterest and then I set them loose.


Evan told me several times he loved that he didn't have to worry about making a mistake since there were no mistakes!

My completed turkey 

Alec's completed turkey

He sure looks relaxed.

Evan's turkey 

Ian's turkey 


Our other art projects:
Project 1: Painting with Hexbugs
Project 2: Tissue paper flowers
Project 3: Star Wars Crafts
Project 4: Watercolor compass circles
Project 5: Floral pens
Project 6: Watercolor outlines
Project 7: Scratch art jellyfish
Project 8: Oil pastel flowers
Project 9: Fingerprint dandelions 
Project 10: Beaded Sun Catchers
Project 11: Bird Crafts and Snacks
Project 12: Color Mixing Butterflies
Project 13: Water Gun Art 
Project 14: Using Watercolor Kits
Project 15: Dragonfly Silhouette Paintings 
Project 16: Painting Pet Rocks
Project 17: Spray Paint Resist 
Project 18: Water Bottle Windsock 
Project 19: Stained Glass Kits 
Project 20: Tin Can Windsock
Project 21: Firework Glue Art
Project 22: Qixel Art
Project 23: Makit Bakit Kits 
Project 24: Wood Burning Project 
Project 25: Making Our Own Raft
Project 26: Spray Painted Canvas
Project 27: Paper Bowl Jellyfish 
Project 28: Tin Foil Art
Project 29: Oil Pastel Bubbles
Project 30: Chalk Pastel Paintings 
Project 31: Washi Tape Votive Holders
Project 32: Drip Painted Pots
Project 33: Sun Art 
Project 34: Tissue Paper Transfer
Project 35: Stained Glass Class
Project 36: Visiting the Art Museum 
Project 37: Taking an Art Class
Project 38: Making Minecraft T-shirts
Project 40: How to Draw Books
Project 41: Wax Resist Watercolors
Project 42: Splatter Paint on Canvas
Project 43: Fine Line Fall Leaves Drawings
Project 44: Fairy Village Trip
Project 45: Oil Pastel Resist Leaves
Project 46: Tissue Paper Leaf Art
Project 47: Bat Silhouette Paintings
Project 48: Beginner Photography 
Project 49: Making Harry Potter Wands
Project 50: Making Cat Faces
Project 51: Making Homemade Cards

Comments

  1. PurpleSlob InRecoveryNovember 22, 2016 at 7:58 PM

    I love 100 days of art!
    The boys did a terrific job!
    2ut

    ReplyDelete
  2. J. MackinnonNovember 23, 2016 at 11:34 AM

    Awesome collection here, thank you for sharing. I love that you showed the end results :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kym ThorpeDecember 2, 2016 at 10:56 PM

    All those turkeys turned out great! Thanks for sharing on the Virtual Fridge. (I like your son's statement about there not being any mistakes. Great attitude!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3December 3, 2016 at 4:42 AM

      I thought so too; I wish he'd apply that to all of his artwork.

      Delete
  4. Linda SNovember 10, 2017 at 11:23 AM

    Beautiful! and Creative :) Everyone's Turkeys turned out great. We are going to have to give this a try.
    I'm so glad you stopped in to share this week at our Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop - it's giving me ideas for upcoming holidays and events!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3November 10, 2017 at 4:11 PM

      Great! So glad I could help. We just did a similar project yesterday at Co-op and the kids loved it.

      Delete

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