Very briefly said, Zentangle® is an abstract art form. It doesn’t represent a specific object or person, and doesn’t make you think “I wonder how it will be when it’s done”.

The name (and method) was found by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. The word consists of “Zen” and “tangle”, which refers to both sides of the art form: A meditative process that consists of drawing complex shapes by breaking them down to simple lines.

Unlike mandalas, the origins of Zentangle is somewhat recent. Maria and Rick found this method in 2004. They still actively hold workshops and seminars. Like a pyramid, it started with them, moved on with their students, their students’ students, and very quickly invaded most of the world. It’s easy to find certified teachers who teach this method along with Zentangle enthusiasts who just practice this art as a way of meditating online and on social media.

Maria and Rick not only found the name Zentangle and the patterns (which are called “tangles“), they also developed a method to teach it. The method consists of 8 steps, seemingly simple but things that we usually forget or overlook.

The slogan of the Zentangle method is “Anything is possible, one stroke at a time“. Because of this, it’s possible to find step-outs for every tangle, which deconstruct the complicated (or simple) pattern. They use step-outs when introducing a new tangle as well. That way, something that looks very complex when finished (tangle) can be drawn by anyone and everyone, and the person drawing it moves into a meditative state (zen).

 

İ C S O

 

If you can write these letters, you can draw a Zentangle. Just like mandalas, the art of Zentangle doesn’t need you to have any talent. Since it’s non-representative, the risk of saying “Man, this doesn’t look like my subject at all!” is eliminated. The tools you need to draw a Zentangle can be found easily in every day life: A piece of paper, a pencil and a pen.

How you’ll fill the paper is completely up to you. You can create hundreds of variations drawing the same tangles. You can look for new tangles and draw them. You can even create your own tangles.

When you look at what you created afterwards, you’ll say “Did I just do that??”. And you’ll notice the time just flew by. You’ve been sitting for hours, and now you are more at peace than when you first started, despite all the bad things in your life.

Now tell me, who wouldn’t want that?

 

There are lots of websites where you can find more information on Zentangle, mainly their own page, Zentangle.com . While most are in English, there are some who are in other languages as well. Personally, I haven’t stumbled upon a Turkish page while I was surfing. If you do, let me know so I can share it on my page as well.