How to draw doodling step by step with a pencil. These fancy patterns are Zentangle and Doodling

Today, drawing techniques such as Doodling(Dodling) and Zentangle(Zentangle). This unusual creativity allows you to not only create beautiful pictures, but also helps you relax. Drawing in these styles is a kind of meditation, a manifestation of inner creativity. The most incredible thing is that both a child and an adult can draw with doodling, zentangle or a mixture of both. In addition, such simple drawing is an opportunity to relax, get distracted, and this is very important for the child’s psyche.

So, what are these drawing techniques?

Doodling - doodles or unimaginable pictures

Translated from in English doodle is a scribble that doesn't make any sense.
Doodling is a drawing technique from simple figures(dots, circles, lines, dashes, squiggles - doodles). When put together, the doodles become an amazing picture.
Schoolchildren and students often get into doodling, drawing in notebooks during boring lectures. Starting to draw with simple figures, you never know in advance what the drawing will turn into. It is very easy! The hand draws, the brain rests, and the eyes enjoy what comes out. It's fun!

It’s easy to start drawing in this style - take a pencil, pen, chalk or charcoal and start drawing strokes, squiggles, circles, dots. Don’t try to “create” a certain picture from them. Just enjoy the process.

Zentangle - drawings in squares

Zentangle is a patented drawing technique that combines creativity and meditation. Essentially, this is the same doodling, the same squiggles and simple doodles, but enclosed in a grid. The people who patented this drawing method are Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.
Classic Zentangle is drawn on sheets measuring 8.9 x 8.9 cm, using repeating elements or patterns. There is no clear recognizable image in Zentangle. This is a grid of patterns.
In my opinion, real Zentangle looks like black and white patchwork. A sort of patchwork quilt in one tone.

Surprisingly, it’s a fact - a passion for Zentangle will help you collect your thoughts, free yourself from accumulated experiences, calm down, and develop creativity.

Zendudling - what kind of animal?

Zendudling combines squares with patterns and the final recognizable picture. For example, if you draw balloon from squares with patterns - this will be zendudling.

In general, the pictures in this technique are very interesting, they are so intricate that you can look at them for hours.

Round shapes filled with patterned tiles are called zendmandals.

Doing Zendoodles with children

There’s probably no point in writing about what kind of children these drawing lessons will help. I think that this drawing technique is suitable for both hyperactive children and overly withdrawn children.

The easiest way to start classes is with simple shapes. Draw the outline of a fish, bird or animal and ask your child to fill it in with a grid of patterns. You can make these drawings in one color or paint them in all the colors of the rainbow.

Most people, sitting with a piece of paper and a pen at a boring lecture, meeting, meeting or just thinking, make unconscious movements with a pen, drawing involuntary lines, shapes, creating incomprehensible drawings, thereby improving their mood and distracting themselves from something uninteresting that makes them bored . But not everyone knows that he makes drawings in a certain style. Therefore, it is worth considering such a direction as zentangle and doodling in the art of drawing, which is rightfully considered a relaxation procedure that brings inner satisfaction.

Definition of concepts

It is worth noting that Doodling and Zentangle are two similar directions that promote relaxation for the person doing the drawings, but with some differences:

Doodling - unconscious reproduction of any actions with a pen intricate patterns, curls, pointing the same strokes and other forms. Drawings are most often made on a small piece of paper, in the margins or in the corners of notebooks.

Zentangle - patented modern direction in the art of drawing and conducting art therapy with a person, his psychological relaxation. It is performed on small pieces of paper with a specific sequence of actions and clearer requirements for patterns and drawing schemes.

A newfangled drawing style patented by Americans R. Roberts and M. Thomas in 2006. Roberts and Thomas determined for themselves that zen is the path of development (movement), and reflects the character of R. Roberts, tangle is confused curls, reflecting the character of M. Thomas. In fact, “zen” means balance, meditation, and “Tangle” comes from “rectangle” - a rectangle for drawing.

The main similarity between the two directions is the age category of people who can perform them - from small to large, who can hold a pen, pencil or liner in their hands.

Before you start drawing in the Zentangle or doodling style, you need to purchase drawing supplies. For Zentangle - watercolor paper, use it to make cards measuring 9 cm by 9 cm, for Doodling - a notepad, notebook, etc. You will need a ballpoint pen, a liner, a pencil (plain or colored) - you can choose everything with different thickness of the core and softness.

When making drawings in the Doodling style, you shouldn’t think too much, you need to completely rely on intuition and inner sensations, without rules and restrictions of imagination, color and shape and type of drawing.

Zentangle is done in black and white, with certain clear lines, in the form of abstraction. The sketch should be complete on all sides and look like a single picture.

The main thing in performing any drawing technique is interest, relaxation and inner sensations.

Zentangle – step-by-step lessons for beginners

How to start drawing in Zentangle style:

  1. You should make a frame on the drawing sheet with a pencil, leaving small margins; to do this, put dots in the corners and draw thin lines along the perimeter with a pencil. This method should help a beginner navigate the delimitation of space on the sheet. Gradually, with gaining experience, it is not necessary to create such a frame; as they say, everything will appear by itself “by eye.”
  2. Next, draw out with a pencil the zones that will make up the integrity of the picture. The main thing is that all the strokes that will divide the sheet into zones must be carried out without lifting your hand, smoothly.
  3. Fill the selected segments with patterns one by one. Having finished one drawing, you can start filling in a new zone.
  4. When drawing, you should use not only simple lines, but also curls, geometric figures, figures irregular shapes giving them shades with a simple pencil, making some strokes several times.

A few examples of simple patterns for beginners with which you can start your fascinating journey in drawing:

Points and straight lines

Before moving on to drawing in the form of simple lines, you should practice on a separate piece of paper: draw simple and thick lines, give them shadows with a simple and colored pencil or pen:

  1. Draw dotted lines and gradually thicken with each line and give a different shadow.
  2. Draw broken lines and make them voluminous, also highlighting them with shadows and strokes of color.
  3. Try to give the lines cone-shaped thickenings in different directions.
  4. It is important to learn how to give directions to lines; for this you should learn to draw straight lines from one point, like a fan. You should carry out this exercise by creating fans on one sheet of paper different directions, first in a straight line: right-left (west-east), up-down (north-south), then use other directions.

Wavy lines, waves, arcs

You should draw 2 straight lines parallel to each other. Between these lines, first draw straight lines that will be at the same distance from each other. Then gradually reduce the distance between them, then increase the distance between them. Then bend the lines in the form of an English S and do the same exercises with it.

We draw several squares, each of which we divide into 4 equal parts. First, we make straight lines in different directions or from the center of the square. Curved lines and arcs in different directions, making them also sometimes wider, sometimes narrower

Scales, stones, lanterns, rings, three-dimensional figures

Rings are drawn similar to the second lesson, first between two straight lines, narrowing, expanding the ring, following the decrease or increase in the distance between them, changing the thickness of the lines.

Scales - depicted either wide or narrow, shading them with a simple pencil, then pressing harder - creating dark shadows, then weaker - creating a light shadow

Lanterns are drawn using notebook cells. From one end to the other, draw arcs on both sides that will connect and form a kind of flashlight. The parts that are inside should be shaded, this will give volume to the lantern.

Stones are a simple version of an image in the Zentangle style; they are drawn in a round, uneven shape, overlapping each other, shading them. The exercise should begin by filling the square from the corner, drawing stones that will create a blockage effect in the drawing, then try to shade them.

Training should be carried out every day, devoting at least 30 minutes, then the sketches will acquire more beautiful, clear, confident lines and shapes, curls.

Step-by-step doodling for a beginner

To create drawings in the Doodling style there are no rules or restrictions, just use your imagination in interweaving fancy curls and patterns.

To create a picture, you need to decide what to draw on: an album, a notebook, a piece of notebook paper, a wall, glass. Choose pencils, liners, ballpoint pens or markers for drawing;

The following are the simplest step by step drawings in doodling style.

Examples for sketching

For drawing, you can use any shape in which it is created from lines and curls original decoration. Patterns can be repeated or randomly scattered throughout the design.

We bring to your attention examples for an advanced level (increased difficulty of drawing):

Zentangle patterns and diagrams for beginners

This style is so interesting that many people find unusual uses for it, such as decorating eggs or a tea set, manicure, or a T-shirt for Easter.

Zentangle brings a lot of positive results:

  • relaxes;
  • inspires;
  • concentrates attention;
  • eliminates negative thoughts;
  • relieves stress;
  • develops fine motor skills;
  • increases motor activity of the eyes.

There are a huge number of patterns and patterns, the main thing is to start with the simplest, training your hand and imagination.

Doodling with a pencil, pen, liner - simple drawings

The owl is a wise bird that many try to depict on a sheet of paper in the Doodling style - it looks original and unique:

  1. On a piece of paper, first draw 2 eyes in the form of a circle, in which draw 2 shaded semicircles on one side.
  2. Draw a cone-shaped nose in the middle between the edges of the circles.
  3. Determine the size of the owl, draw the floor of the oval from the bottom to the top of the eyes and draw a line between the line of the unfinished oval, slightly angular, so that the resulting 2 corners resemble the ears of an owl.
  4. Draw 2 arcs on the sides of the oval - these are the wings of an owl.
  5. Next, you should highlight the owl’s eyes, draw arcs above the eyes and below the eyes and nose on one side of the ear and on the other, connect them between the eyes, and the lower ones under the owl’s nose.
  6. The penultimate touch is the paws, depicted in the form of 2 stripes.
  7. Now you can start the Doodling technique, and apply shadows and strokes with a pen, pencil, or liner.

Monsters are often depicted by schoolchildren and students at lectures.

And also other drawings:

The most beautiful drawings in the Doodling style

We have made a selection of the most beautiful drawings in Doodling style:

For beginners to draw in these styles, you need to follow a few tips:

  1. If you first apply drawings with a pencil, you should choose the thinnest pencil, which can then be disguised under the drawing.
  2. You should not use an eraser to erase details or unfinished curls; it can ruin the drawing.
  3. In the first stages of drawing and training your hands, you should follow the rules. Once you have gained the necessary experience and confidence in the movement of a pencil or pen, you can disregard the rules, creating the most incredible and bizarre compositions.
  4. For drawing, it is better to use liners with different thicknesses of the rod, which are sold in any stationery department;
  5. While drawing, you need to relax, take your mind off outside world and immerse yourself, concentrate on your inner world;
  6. It is not necessary to create a huge painting in one go; it can be completed over several days or months.
  7. If you can’t do something, draw something, you need to get distracted, and then it will come. new idea to create a drawing.

Each person, drawing daily, will eventually understand and find for himself exactly those secrets that will help him make the most original and unique paintings in the Doodling and Zentangle style.

Some people have been using Doodling and Zentangle techniques for a long time, maybe even since school, but they do not know that these “doodles” have their own name and execution technology. After reading this article and a little practice, you can sit down and relax even after a working day, creating unimaginable patterns and shapes. It is even possible that the paintings created after a working day will one day become a masterpiece of art and will be highly appreciated by art critics and admirers of such creativity.

Doodling (from the English doodle - “doodle”) is a form contemporary art and irrational drawing style.

Unlike school art lessons, there are no rules in doodling. Patterns can be both abstract and plot-based. You can use and combine classic and.

Doodle evangelist Sunni Brown, in her book Creative Doodles, identifies three areas for using doodling.

  • Personal effectiveness(cognitive direction): memorization and recall of information, as well as its understanding, the birth of insights, increased creativity.
  • Collective effectiveness(organizational direction): access to the full picture, strengthening teamwork, developing creative, strategic and tactical thinking, active participation in solving problems and creating innovations, effective meetings, visual recording of meetings.
  • Doodling for fun(personal focus): focus, relaxation, empowerment.

Brown loves doodling and despises any attempt to “create a technique.” However, on the pages of the same book, it tries to classify doodle artists and invites readers to take the “What kind of doodler are you?” test.

Exercise “Find out your doodling DNA”
Turn on the radio or music (but not the TV, because you won’t be able to resist looking at the screen), sit at the table with a pen and notebook, and let your hand write, draw, react to what you hear. Don't focus too much on this, and don't think that the first thing you draw will be your doodling DNA. Sometimes the hand gets rusty, so to speak, and you have to let it develop before it reveals your true inner doodler. After 5-10 minutes - or however long it takes you to truly get into a relaxed state - look at the result of your creativity. you drew vertical lines, cells, painted a face? Does something look familiar to you, perhaps a pattern or object that you have drawn before? Close your eyes and remember how you used to doodle. What do you remember? What do you see?

Here are the five main types of doodlers identified by Sunny Brown.

Brown believes that each of us has our own unique visual-linguistic signature, almost like a signature or fingerprint. And this can be a starting point for activating and developing the natural ability to interpret visual language and use it in different contexts.

Where to start

Doodling is suitable even for those who have never drawn and are convinced that they cannot do it. The main thing is mechanicalness and spontaneity. While the head is busy with something, the hand draws and reveals the secrets of the subconscious. You are free to choose colors, shapes and sizes. However, if you are just starting to practice, consider the following tips.

Get a creative notebook

It is better if it is a small notebook (A6 or A5) with thick paper so that you can always take it with you.

Choose convenient tools

What do you like best: ballpoint pen, gel pen or a pencil? Do you prefer to color with water-based markers or markers? Choose tools that you will be comfortable working with.

Take time to draw

As in any other business, mastery in doodling comes with practice. Let your thoughts fly every day: draw over your morning coffee, on the subway on the way to work, in bed before bed. 15–20 minutes a day is enough. Soon, doodling will become your daily positive habit.

Experiment with color

Colors have a strong effect on a person: some calm, others, on the contrary, irritate; some are inspiring, while others are depressing. For many, doodling is black and white, but try playing with the rainbow. Apply a light background to the paper with watercolors and draw doodles on top. You can go the other way: first draw a pattern, and then color its individual elements or the whole.

Use templates

A blank sheet of paper can cause confusion. How to draw? Where to begin? Start your own creative path Templates will help you with doodling.

In the book Zen Doodling by Tonya Jenny and Amy Jones. The art of subconscious drawing » contains the world's best examples of the art of doodling with step-by-step instructions. Try repeating them to find your creative style.

As you can see, there are no strict rules in doodling. A flight of fancy, and that’s all. Whatever the pattern turns out to be, the main thing is that it reflects your soul.

In this article I will reveal for you basic rules and step by step instructions to the process of drawing Zentangle. You will learn how to draw balls from start to finish, what you will need to get started in this exciting process, and we will also look together new videos of master classes on creating Zentangle.

Although Zentangle images are all very different, they usually start the same and are repeated using the same method: one contact with the paper ( auto note: the founders call this “impact”) - one line drawn on paper. Wonderful people those who are fond of the Zentangle drawing style call it “ line». Line forms the structure of the drawing.

For this seminar, step-by-step master class for drawing Zentangle we are going to proceed in the traditional way in the classic sense of drawing Zentangle tiles. To get started, don’t forget to stock up on all the necessary supplies. Plain paper wonderful and ideal for zendoodling. What will you paint with?

For the first time, almost anything is suitable: gel pastes, simple ballpoint pens, fountain pens, ink, felt-tip pens, markers, liners - for the basic drawing of Zentangle ball patterns; and also: graphite, charcoal, pencils - to create a shading effect and an eraser. It is advisable to use white paper and black drawing tools to create contrast and get a beautiful Zentangle tile in its classic sense.

Instructions:

1 Step. The borders or banks of your Zendoodle tiles.

Take tiles(a piece of paper approximately 9*9 cm) and place four dots with a pencil, one in each corner. You don't need to be precise about this, in other words, don't use a ruler to measure equal distances - it's not required here. Next, connect the dots using wavy, jagged lines. You can even add loops in the lines, but this is not necessary.

Use your pencils marked "H" (hard, which will make the lines lighter and thinner). In the illustration, a pencil marked “B” was used (soft, the color is richer and brighter) so that the result is displayed when scanning, and you can clearly see everything.

Once you have connected a whole series of lines, you can do without borders at all. Some people like the tiles to be filled all over. For beginners to draw using the Zentangle technique, it is better to proceed according to this step. Next, you decide for yourself which one you like best.

2 Step two. Draw curves for your Zentangle tile.

This is undoubtedly an important move, which further decides how many types of pattern and Tangles you can draw. Place the tip of a pencil on one edge of the border and draw a random, curved line. You can see in the illustration what an inverted “V” and a written “S” look like when used.

You can make your curve more or less complex in structure. This good idea to practice drawing curves in magazines and newspapers around the edges. Some people draw a curve for the ball with eyes closed, extremely concentrated on images and meditation.

Continue with this step also using a light pencil, drawing barely visible to the eye traits.

3 Step. Beginning of Tanglingentanglement.

Of course, the most interesting step is where space is given to your personal imagination and fantasy. Because in this step we start filling in the ligament sections using the best black pen you have. Below you will be provided with simple patterns for beginning Zentangle artists to fill in.

I've provided a few examples below, as well as many unique and interesting examples you will find on my website. You will also find ideas all over the world to create own patterns Zentangle To fill in the links and draw your Zentangle tile. This is where the relaxing effects of the practice begin: frequent repetition of drawing small marks on paper allows you to enter a meditative state. Put on some relaxing tunes or meditation music and you'll be away.

The correct tile is obtained if you want to hold it and rotate it around, and that's okay too. True Zentangle can be viewed in any way, from any direction, and the ball will always look good.

But do not forget that there are also objects visual arts in Zentangle style, which are slightly different from classic tiles. The designs can be all sorts of intricate shapes, such as hearts, birds, hands, faces—anything.

Simple Tangles, patterns for filling bundles of Zentangle tiles:

4 Step. Removing curves.

Complete all sections you wish. You can leave as much empty space as you like. Now it's time to erase the pencil lines drawn in the beginning - in steps 1 and 2.

5 Step. Shading.

I like this part the best. It's quite simple to add shading to your drawing. Turn it on while you look at it the way you like best. Then decide which path the light leads to it. Top left or top right usually looks and works well.

Start shading the sides of your tangle sections to make them look three-dimensional. Shadows under “Leaves” and “Pebbles”. You can always delete them, erase them with an eraser if you don’t like them.

Also try blending to soften the shadow in different places. And don't forget to subscribe and date your work. It's really fun to come back to your notebook after some time of Zentangle practice and see how your skills develop over time.

Now you've finished working on your first Zentangle tile. I hope you are satisfied. You may have a question:

Should Zentangles always be black and white?

Yes and no

Purists and supporters classical method Zentangle drawers will answer: “Yes!”, as they do. However, Zias (Zentangle Inspired Art), a community of artists and hobbyists who practice abstract Zentangle drawing, will laugh and say, “Of course not.”

Try, experiment, add color to your beautiful creations using pencils, watercolor paints, acrylic, gouache... create and use whatever you like and inspires you.

How to start drawing, if you don’t even know the rules of such a drawing? It's OK! The beauty of doodling is that there are no rules. Yes, yes: any doodles, by and large, can be called doodling. And perhaps you, without knowing it, have already drawn doodles, you just didn’t know that these involuntary unconscious sketches were called that.

On the one hand, when there are no rules and you don’t need to memorize anything, it’s good, easy and attractive. But there is also back side medals: it’s difficult to start without any framework at all and you can quickly become disappointed if it doesn’t immediately work out the way you would like. Therefore, it is better to master the technique slowly, allowing yourself to try, giving yourself the right to make mistakes. Perhaps some advice from experienced doodlers is worth taking into account.

Of course, there can be no universal advice here, but there are still several recommendations that initial stages will do this creative process more convenient and enjoyable:

  • You can draw doodles different instruments — there are no restrictions, but it is better to choose those that are comfortable for you to work with and pleasant to hold in your hands. The emotional mood is important here; it affects the entire process and depends on such seemingly small parts like the surface of a pencil, the brightness of the color...
  • Many doodling masters are not professionals at all, they are simply so fascinated by this technique that they consider it a blessing to spend every free minute doing their favorite hobby. This is how the skill is gradually honed, the eye, creativity, and sense of composition are trained, and time after time the doodle masterpieces turn out better and better. Therefore, it would be nice to get into the healthy habit of doodling every day for 15-20 minutes: and you will train your hand, and emotional condition will be balanced.
  • To quiet your inner Critic at the very beginning, allow yourself to just try. Find pleasure in the process, focus on what you like, what you achieved in the drawing.

Tell yourself: "I'm drawing to try something new, I'm just experimenting"

  • It can be difficult to start drawing on a white sheet of paper, then you can practice using rough drafts to draw details, parts of the drawing, train your hand and eye by copying simple templates that can be easily found on the Internet.
  • Some suggest mastering the technique in stages. First you need to get better at drawing different parts of the patterns (many variants of motifs can be found on the Internet). When you learn to draw individual details of ornaments, you can try to combine them into compositions.
  • It is useful to allocate a special small notebook for sketching your favorite motifs and patterns, training your hand - it is convenient to carry it with you everywhere and use it on occasion.

The main thing is not to forget that in doodling it is impossible to do something wrong, and what at first glance seems like a mistake can ultimately turn out to be beautiful pattern, which was not yet in any catalogue.

Let's start drawing in doodling style

Just turn on some pleasant music so that your attention dissipates and your consciousness switches. Take a pencil, liner or pen in your hand and start drawing, drawing lines and without thinking about where and how they should be drawn. Don’t get too hung up on it, listen to the music, you can even sing along, let your hand move the pen freely along the sheet. This can create an initial outline for a drawing, and then the empty space inside the outline will be filled with patterns.

You might want to experiment with color - this is not at all forbidden in doodling. Some paint in black and white, blue, green, while others use the entire color palette. It all depends on the imagination and tastes of the artist. So create, invent and try with pleasure!

Download doodling

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