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Totally Easy Zentangle With A Simple Step by Step Guide 2026
updated 4 years ago Published: October 25, 2018
updated 4 years ago
updated 4 years ago
updated 4 years ago
updated 4 years ago Published: October 25, 2018
0 comments
Love this circle-y thing idea. Zentangles is one of the very few art projects my 5 year old will actually do without gritting his teeth and making my life miserable so I’ll have to show him this.
Cool! Maybe he can make one with just a couple of circles together. Wow, I can’t imagine my almost 5 year old having the patience to do this. Maybe I’ll see what he makes of it…
I love that you break it down to show how easy it is to do, but it comes out amazingly complex and interesting!
Thanks, Mia. SO easy. In fact, most projects need to be or I get bored too easily. 🙂
Very cool! I was just looking into this last week and was also surprised it was such a big thing. You make it look easy!
I tried it…. I liked it! I want to do it again!
Show me! Show me your Zentangle! Will you post it on my Facebook? Isn’t it the best?
Love this idea and your pattern! It would make a gorgeous textile design I might add!
How cool! I hadn’t thought of that, you creative thing, you.
I think it would be a super idea to draw a quilting design. You could get as complicated as you are able to machine quilt. I think just doing a series of outlines then transfer or trace them on to tissue paper, pin to your wall hanging or small quilt then machine quilt on the tissue paper. Then gently remove tissue from quilt. That’s about as clear as mud isn’t it . When you have pinned the tissue paper with the design to the quilt, you would get an idea as to how it would look. Oh how I wish I were still able to do this, I can just picture how it could be done.
That sounds fantastic! I would LOVE to see a quilt like this- I wish I knew a quilter, I would see if I could get them to try this! Great idea.
I am thinking it would be fun to zentangle an embroidery pattern! I am going to try it…..it will be
different, easy and interesting, hopefully!
I am so intrigued by this idea- if you feel like it, I’d love to see a pic. You can even post it on my Facebook wall or email it. That sounds SO COOL.
I used to be a super-doodler and think I missed my calling as a Zentangler. I just spent so much time on that patterns site that I think I fell in.
Baha! You absolutely need to break out a Sharpie and some paper and have at it. You’ll come cursing back to me that you’ve lost your entire day, but you’ll be all totally blissed out.
Great Post. You really get Zentangle, Jeanette. Love to you from a CZT–one of those Certified Zentangle Teachers.
Hey Georgi! So glad to have you here. I can’t believe I had never tried it before- it’s just wonderful.
I saw this on Pinterest and had to click over. I am doing something just like this in my “Wreck This Journal” by Keri Smith! My circles are much smaller though as I traced a pill bottle to fill the page in the book. This is awesome!!
Oh, cool! I bet it looks great with smaller circles- I love how you can sort of just go with whatever you have lying around.
This is such a great Idea. I have been intimidated by the zengle patterns I see on Pintrest. I feel like this
Is a good way to get started. Thank you very much.
This is definitely a great way to get started! You look at some of those finished tangles and you wonder how in the world they did it. This is so,so easy. I hope you give it whirl!
I’ve been drawing since pretty much 18 months old, my mother would tell me; she was an artist, and Dad was creative in the kitchen, so my sibs and I grew up with creativity all around us 24/7. Started tangling 2 1/2 years ago, and what a great way to handle stress (my job in our hospital’s ICU is VERY intense!!).
Never thought to draw circles and then Z-tangle them, but think I’ll do that soon. I’m working on a drawing right now that is comprised of storybook houses done entirely in Zentangle patterns–it’s going to come out so cute! Even the garden in front is going to be tangled 🙂
I like the idea of tangling within circles–and am thinking that a combination of sizes would be quite awesome. Yep, have to do that.
I’m so glad you like the idea! What a great idea to use it as a stress-reliever for an intense job. I think I might send my sister some pre-made circle papers so she can sit around filling them in; she works as a therapist in a behavioral health hospital.
Love your Zentangle post. I have done pattern hunts with my students and they love finding “new” patterns in their environment. Sharpies are a great start but the microns take it to a whole new tiny level of detail.
Yeah, the Microns are pretty wonderful. Have you tried Copic markers? I keep hearing wonderful things about those. It’s a great idea to do pattern hunts out in the world; I notice that after I tangle for a while I start to notice patterns EVERYWHERE.
You make it look like so much fun and so easy, can’t wait to first try it on my own and then think about ordering the necessary supplies, etc. Thanks for all the good info.
Hi Pam, the great thing is that it really is fun and easy. Have fun with it- there’s no end to the patterns you can try out as well (I just posted a pdf to download with pattern ideas if you want to check it out.)
I just starter Zentangle a week ago and absolutely love it! I was searching Google for info and came across your site, it’s THE BEST!!! Thank you so much for the great info on how to get started with this wonderful craft!
Oh, I’m so excited you love it! I mean, it’s hard to NOT love Zentangle. Check out the Zentangle pattern ideas I just posted today… it’s so fun coming up with new patterns, too.
can’t wait to tryout the design with my folk art students
Ooh- folk art classes! That sounds fun; I hope they love doing this.
Okay, I’ve spent the entire afternoon at a receptionist temp job today exploring your Zentangles and other projects, and I was so smitten I went out at lunch and got myself a little Strathmore drawing pad and colored pencils so I could do a Zentangle or drawing a day. You go, girl. I love your blog. You have neat ideas for those of us who are creative but not necessarily artistic.
WHAT!? You are so awesome! I’m beyond excited that you bought a sketchbook at lunch; how cool is that sudden urge to do something creative, huh?
I knew a therapist who used to draw a mandala in lieu of morning meditation. I like that idea since I’m too fidgety to sit still and focus on my breathing. I plan to work on a Tangle instead.
Yes! I think tangling is so meditative and that’s why it’s so wildly popular. I find meditation far too stressful because I’m all fidgety, too- I think the repetitive drawing helps lull your brain into the same state as meditation.
HI
Just found you by googling perspective drawing for kids, then I found this page – oohh we are going to have so much fun with this this afternoon.
Really enjoyed your ‘about’ page, the bit about swearing cracked me up, made me think of a book I recently read where the authors dad kept calling everyone FOOKWITS and LOONIES!
Kindest regards from the french alps
Hi Emma! Thanks so much! And I’m glad I was findable through Google- bloggers always love to hear that. Did you do some tangling? Did you love it??? And thanks so much for the new names to call everyone. 🙂
Hi!
I just discovered Zentangles today and thought this was such a fantastic post! Would I be able to print these examples and patterns out to show a group of students so that they can learn how to make their own Zentangles?
Thanks for your post!
Oh my goodness!!! I love drawing and creating all sorts of things and let me just say that I can not wait to try this for myself. This looks amazing. I have to admit that I’m a little intimidated but the way you broke it down helped me feel like it was doable. Can’t wait! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This is awesome! Never heard about this Zentangle thing but now I’m ready to dive into it. As a compulsive doodler, I think this is a wonderful project idea! 🙂
I am a Certified Zentangle Teacher…. Or CZT … And you are right…. Zentangle is awesome! But use a Micron 01- it just adds to the awesomeness !
Oh, I do love Microns. It’s strange, I always reach for the Sharpies when I tangle. I think I may have to go nab one and fall in love with them again. 🙂
It’s beautiful, I love tangling into circles.
Zentangle® is a real precious method, but if you post about it, please make sure you present the real principles. A Zentangle® string is NEVER EVER done with a pen, strings are not meant to be seen in the end, do them with a pencil and do them intuitively by hand, THAT is the real Zentangle® experience. Hanny, CZT 14
Hi Hanny! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment- I think it’s easy to get confused at first about Zentangle vs. regular doodling. I had no idea when I first made this post that Zentangle was *quite* so complex- there’s a lot more to it than everyday doodling, and it’s fascinating. My version is definitely more “doodling patterns”, so thanks for chiming in.
Glad to read about your tangling experience! Just wanted to mention that there is so much more that you will learn from a Certified Zentangle Teacher than you could ever learn from books, the Internet or from blogs, about the Zentangle Method. Basically you have described bits and pieces of Zentangle but are confusing doodling and tangling.
The Method of Zentangle is extremely important to so many people who are doing it for therapy. It is so much more than just drawing patterns.
Thanks for your comment, Brenda! You’re right- I got caught up in the doodling part of it and haven’t delved fully into Zentangle. I’ve realized that as I’ve been going along with this, and while I still think doodling can be pretty therapeutic, I’m realizing there is so much more to Zentangle than what I’m laying out there.
It’s been a while since the last comment was left here, but in case anyone comes by I just wanted to say that I was fooling around with Zentangle one day and got the idea to try it as a white on black design so I cut some black card stock and used a white gelly roll pen…it looked really neat! Had to try it just for fun.