Category: Zentangle

The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being.

2017 Year in Review

2017 Year in Review

Posted on by Charity Woods

Happy New Year!

I want to create a special post that sorta sums up my year for 2017. You know that although I had been blogging since 2016, I only got my own website in 2017. Boy have I been blessed with this outlet to share my creativity and inspire others to do something creative every day.  There are several things that I am going to discuss, to include my subscription to Sketchbox, My first Mandala Collection, Christmas Gifts I created and my favorite creations of the year. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and lets get started!

SketchBox

For those of you that don’t know, Sketchbox is a monthly subscription box for artists to try out different mediums. I have really been excited by everything that I have been able to create using the products I have received through these boxes. Some of my favorite products include a watercolor sketchbook, a full sepia Copic fineliner set, and last but not least watercolor pencils, this is only to name a few. If you would like to go back and review my unboxing posts you can visit them by clicking on the links below.

May  

June

July,  July Grab box  

August

September

October

 November

December

Mandala Collection I

For me, this was a huge accomplishment.  I wanted to start a collection of the mandala that was similar and yet different at the same time. For this collection, I chose to draw my mandala on gradient paper with black fineliners and a white gel pen. I was so happy how each one came out so different than the ones before.  Prints of these will be available in my shop once I get it all online. Stay tuned for this special collection. Each one of these mandalas are so special to me. I wrote a different post for each one, which you can visit below:

Mandala #1

Mandala #2

Mandala #3

Mandala #4

Mandala #5

Personalized Gifts

One of my favorite things to do is create something beautiful and personal for my friends, family, and co-workers. I truly enjoy the look on their face when they realize it is not only an original, but there are no others like it in the world. I want to share these few gifts with you.

Personalized Parties

Every birthday that happens in my house is a reason to celebrate. With the birthdays spread throughout the year, we are able to party all year long! Starting in February with my two from my previous marriage celebrating, then moving to my youngest two in June, oldest two in July and 3rd oldest in November. Mix that in with all the holidays and we rarely don’t have a reason to bust out some exciting party decorations. But also, because we have so many celebrations, It’s important that we get creative with them all, most of the decorations were homemade. Check out the following posts about my under the sea themed party for my youngest two.

Under the Sea

Octopus Guard

Sea Sponges

Jellyfish Mood Lighting

Furniture Painting

The absolute highlight of my year was creating a beautiful work of art for my mother. She brought this table to me and gave me no restrictions other than she wanted a Charity Original painted on top. Painted?! I’ve never painted anything detailed like the creations I have made.  Check out how this table progressed by clicking on the links below:

Scallopped Table #1

Scallopped Table #2

There are several other projects that I completed this year for Christmas Gifts to include a 12×12 personalized mandala painting on canvas, a monogrammed lazy susan and a phoenix staff for my best guy friend. All of these projects were special in their own ways and were hard to keep a secret for as long as I could since I love to share my progress pictures with the special people that received these gifts.

My Favorites of the Year

IMG_20170207_160657_379
IMG_20170718_210558_348
wp-image-39629511
Lunchtime Doodle
2017 Sketchbook
2017 Sketchbook
Penguin-Doodle-2
IMG_20170703_061203_293
2017 Sketchbook
2017 Sketchbook

 

Final Thoughts

I do want to send out a special thank you for all of you that have supported me this year. I couldn’t have done this without you cheering me on. Special thanks to my fiance’ who has stuck by my side while I have spent the long hours trying to make something out of nothing. I love each and every one of you and I can only hope that in 2018, we will see a lot more growth from CraftyArtistKC. Help me make this year a good one by sharing my site with your friends family and social media accounts. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Let me know in the comments below, what was your favorite project or post from this year!

August Zen Art Challenge - Days 6 - 10

August Zen Art Challenge – Days 6 – 10

Posted on by Charity Woods

The second mandala for the month of August covers days 6-10.  This mandala was pretty difficult when I got into it. I had to really think about how each pattern would fit into the mandala so that it flowed and looked decent enough.  Here are the links for the next five patterns of this challenge created by Mindful Creativity.

Day 6 – Clamz – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206539/

Day 7 – Stap voor Stap – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206545/

Day 8 – HollyHock – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206546/

Day 9 – Banana Braid – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206547/

Day 10 -“Unknown” (Feather) – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206548/

And here is what I came up with. Just like with the first five days, I started from the inside and moved outward. Day one was easy as it just filled the center beautifully. I would have to say that the most difficult pattern of this mandala was definitely HollyHock being right next to Banana Braid, but using stippling for the white space made it flow just fine.

I would love to know your favorite part of this mandala and if you participate in the challenge as well in the comments below. I also always welcome comments, suggestions and constructive criticism.

August Zen Art Challenge - Days 1 - 5

August Zen Art Challenge – Days 1 – 5

Posted on by Charity Woods

As you may be aware, this is my second month doing the Zen Art Challenge created by Mindful Creativity.  I wanted to push myself to think outside the box and do something a little different with this month. I have decided to make a mandala out of each five day span. Below is a link to the first five days of this challenge. It takes you to her Pinterest board, where she keeps track of these.

Day 1 – WELL – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206499/

Day 2 – Ausheklis – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206511/

Day 3 – Patience – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206538/

Day 4 – Dragontail – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206536/

Day 5 – CurlyCrown – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206544/

Starting with day one I began in the center. I don’t like four petal flowers as I have stated before, but I know that part of the challenge, at least for me, is to use every pattern in a different way. So here is what I came up with. Can you see the progression of each day?

Please let me know if you like to see this type of challenge and which pattern you like most on this mandala in the comments below!

Zen Art Challenge - Day 23-31

Zen Art Challenge – Day 23-31

Posted on by Charity Woods

This is the fourth and final post on July’s Zen Art Challenge. There are a few things that I have taken away from this challenge. The first thing is that drawing every day is important, even if it is just a simple tangle on a scrap paper. Practice makes perfect and your skills will just get better the more you practice.  The second thing this challenge taught me is that it is ok not to be perfect. WHAT?!?! you say? Yes, it is okay NOT to be perfect. Learning tangles is so fun for me, but some of the tangles are not thrilling to draw. This challenge allows me to be introduced to new patterns while challenging me to learn new ways to draw them.  Without further ado, here are the final days in July’s Zen Art Challenge.

Day 23 – Belltemps

This tangle actually took me two sittings to complete. In my head, it was not this detailed, but once I started it, I couldn’t stop.  I wanted to add so much more complications to this, but honestly, I think the stripes achieved the look of complexity, without the work of complexity.

Day 24- Tami

Take a look at this tangle. A heart with an upside down fleur-de-lis in the center. I tried making this a border tangle like the examples given, but it didn’t appeal to me. So, the best thing I could do was create something more intense. Using this shape as the outline, I filled in the shape with tiny flowers and leaves to bring the whole thing to life. I felt like I was peering through a fence into a beautiful secret garden.

Day 25 – Ovolution

This pattern did not appeal to me at all. I am not sure if it is because of the shape itself, or the fact that each of the main lines is not equally apart from each other. There is almost no way to make these perfect as I walked around the oval many times before settling on this one.  My eye twitched as I tried to make the best of this despite my perfectionism trying to break through. Letting go of this is one of the hardest parts of this whole challenge.

Day 26 – Tore Up

This tangle was fun and I had done this sorta thing previously, you can find that post here. But making a hole in the center of the page was a little more difficult than I originally thought. I thought exposing a woven pattern underneath worked out great for this as well.  I did a little shading with the pen but didn’t look at the outermost line, which looking back now I think I should have.

Day 27 – Deebops

This tangle was too cute. From fireworks to flowers to hair, I could have gone so many different directions. I chose to use this tangle to create dandelions blowing in the wind. I love the way it turned out.

Day 28 – Spearl

This one was too adorable. I just knew that I wanted to create a abstract like piece with this. I added circles to the strings themselves and I think it just made the individual colors pop. I could see something like this hanging in my art room.

Day 29 – 4-Bol

I have to admit. I do not like 4 petal flowers. Its too boxy for me. I love when there are at least six petals, but in my personal opinion, the more the merrier. So this pattern was really difficult for me to even get in the mood for. But, Its done and I learned a new element to use in the future.

Day 30 – Chities & Day 31 – Mike the Mouse

Of course I had to give Mike the Mouse a home, and where better to do that then a beautiful mushroom garden. I would like to color this just because it is so cute, but I have to practice my techniques before I dive into a finished piece. I would love to know what you think about the elements in this picture. Definitely let me know  in the comments below.

Ok, That was it for the month of July 2017. I finished the challenge. I know there is one for August and I am planning something special for that one so stay tuned! Let me know which pattern was your favorite and if you participated in the challenge.

Zen Art Challenge with Mindful Creativity - Days 15-22

Zen Art Challenge with Mindful Creativity – Days 15-22

Posted on by Charity Woods

Yay! We have reached week 3 in this months challenge. I know I am late posting this but life is crazy right now and I left this post in my drafts section. Normally I schedule the post and it works out great, however, this time I failed miserably at it. I had been trying my best to do only mono tangles, but as you can tell towards the end, I had to start combining them. Also, You might notice that I have eight days included instead of just seven. This is due to how I combined them. The fourth and final post will include all the tangles up into the end of the month. You won’t want to miss it!

Day 15 – ‘Unknown’

This border tangle looked way too snake-like for me, so I just went with it. I penciled in a log because I am just not sure if I am going to keep it or not. I felt like this tangle needed a background. Until I figure out what the background should be, I am just going to leave it penciled like this. What are your thoughts on a possible background? Let me know in the comments below, as I am always open for suggestions.

Day 16 – Breach

This is hands-down one of my favorites so far. Instead of doing each petal the same, I thought it would be wonderful to do a variation sampler of sorts. I love the way it turned out and how different each pattern came out. I embellished the ends with another tangle called beadlines. I think it finished it up nicely and complimented the main focus tangle.

Day 17 – Lacy, Day 18 – Jasmine, Day 19 – Deelish

I decided to mix all of these up into one mandala. How awesome did it turn out? You be the judge. I will say that I really enjoyed forcing myself out of my comfort zone with this one. Started the center out with Lacy. I decided to use stippling as the shading for the center of each square, I think that it gave it another dimension. The next layer is Jasmine. Now I will say that I did not like the examples of this tangle at all. it didn’t make sense to me as a grid pattern. It made more sense to me as a full circle or a border pattern, so I used it here. I did a little embellishing adding a single petal between each, but it worked out fantastically. Finishing it off with Deelish. This pattern is so versatile. I decided to bring the stippling out to the border to give the whole piece a finishing touch.

Day 20 – Strimonds, Day 21 – Zixts, Day 22 – Balloya

So as you can tell, I decided to do another combination piece. Combining tangles is always something that requires a little thought in how you want the finished product to look like.  In the very center, I decided to add the Strimonds as the centerpiece. This pattern is a great filler for most but it didn’t appeal to me, so I didn’t want much space to be covered with this tangle. I surrounded it with my rendition of Balloya. All of the examples have this pattern with three sides, however, I knew that I needed this to be the bulk of the piece. Finally, I decided to embellish the outer area with Zixts. Its such a fun tangle and worked well with Strimonds, as they looked very similar. All in all, I really can appreciate the color shading which brought a little, fun, into the piece as well.

I would love to know what your favorite tangle mentioned in this post was. Please let me know in the comments below.

[amazon_link asins=’1592538118,1574219049,1441316310,1454919027,B0008G8G8Y,1784941077,1574214276′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’rafrti-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b5e9365d-6c2c-11e7-a4f3-1765ebe97dec’]

Zen Art Challenge with Mindful Creativity - Days 1 - 7

Zen Art Challenge with Mindful Creativity – Days 1 – 7

Posted on by Charity Woods

I was in the middle of my day to day operations with my creative business when I received a message from my friend Shri informing me of this zen art challenge. I was a little hesitant because this is my birth month and typically is one of my busiest.  But, with the relaxed rules, it seemed like the challenge for me.  This challenge is a different zentangle pattern per day, drawn anyway you would like, and on any day you would like. Her challenge is to learn a new pattern and use it in a new way each day. Essentially, practicing every day will make you better at it.

Although this has always been my mindset, sometimes I sit down and wonder what will come out of the pen or pencil in my hand. This gives me a vacation from thinking something up, instead it pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to think outside the box to create something new. I have enjoyed the challenge so far. I am hoping to post weekly to show you the ones I have completed so far. So let’s get started!

Day One – LaFlor

This pattern is one that I learned previously but haven’t really experimented with it since I learned it. I decided that the best thing for me to do here is to fill my sketchbook as well as experiment with some color. Let me tell you that I really feel like I should have penciled this out first because the bottom one looks a little off to me. But here it is:

Day Two – C-Yeah

This pattern is completely new to me. I thought that I would continue with the color theme and try to do something different. However, I feel like now that I have experimented with it a little, I could see it as a part of my floral designs I love to do.

Day Three – Spinrose

Okay, This one I actually really love. When I first looked up the pattern I was not amused by its simplicity. But I knew that I could make something amazing out of it. So I drew it out like the instructions say, and I drew it again, and I even drew it a third time.  Then all at once in clicked! I knew I was making a mandala from this. I am so happy with how it turned out and I hope that you are too!


Day Four – Pystyl
This pattern is new to me. Its not a crazy cool pattern, but I had to make use of it anyways. Other than making it a flower, I really didn’t see the pattern going beyond a stand alone piece. Which is okay by me because I like to add little elements in my drawings that I have seen and use them in a way that is a little non-traditional. With that said, I am pretty sure that I will be using this one in the future.


Day Five – Boundary
This pattern was  very fun. The possibilities were endless. I love everything that I have seen with these, but of course, I am always drawn to the mandala and therefore, I worked on integrating this in my current piece. it worked out perfectly, in my opinion. Once I was done with the mandala, I wanted to add some design elements at the bottom that would elongate the mandala. Almost to the point of it moving towards a dream catcher.

Day Six – Kurllz

This pattern was so weird and it has gotten several reactions from those that have seen it. Either it looks like beads on ribbon, which was the objective, or it looks like tape worms. There is no in between. Regardless of what anyone else says, I love this pattern and will definitely be using it in the future. It just works wonderfully as a divider for multiple patterns on one page.


Day Seven – OOF
I need to confess something about this pattern. I hate it, well, hated it. I felt like it was beautiful in the right setting but by itself, it just wasn’t very appealing to me. So, in the way that I do, I had to figure out the best way to display all the elements of this pattern without taking away from the pattern’s simplicity. I only did it by creating an overlay of  rings to make it visually interesting enough for me to be able to share it with others.

Okay so there is the first week of zentangle patterns. Check back again next week as I share patterns 8-14. Let me know in the comments, which of these patterns are your favorite and which are you least favorite. I look forward to hearing from you all! And remember, if you want to join in this challenge, it is never too late.

Zentangle Pattern Organizer

Zentangle Pattern Organizer

Posted on by Charity Woods

I created this pdf page so that you would be able to keep your patterns organized. I’ve looked all over and I have seen a bunch of how-to’s and such, but all of them require expensive notebooks and creating your own squares. Let me just say the one thing I agree with is creating the pattern yourself in each square, as opposed to just printing off the guide. This allows you to practice the pattern as well as putting your own creative touch on each.

So, I took the work out of it. You can print these off on any printer, using whatever paper you choose, and then you can put them together in different way.

Binder – You can create a 3 ring binder specifically designed for your zentangle patterns and step outs.  You can create tabs for each letter of the alphabet, or types of pattern (organic, mechanic, borders) or you can simply put the papers in the binder for your own reference.

Expandable File – This is a great way to keep things organized as well. Although the amount of zentangle patterns out there are so vast, you can start small and build up your inventory.

File Folders – If you have the space to make a folder for each letter of the alphabet and have it at your fingertips, I highly suggest this way. You don’t have to punch holes in the paper, You can  just pull them out when you want to and put them back easily. Also, once you build up your patterns, you will discover more ways to create storage that fits your space.

Download your Zentangle Pattern Sampler here!

I would love to know how you are going to organize your zentangle patterns. Please comment below!

 

2017 Sketchbook - Page 15

2017 Sketchbook – Page 15

Posted on by Charity Woods

I am using this page as a sampler of sorts. These are a few zentangle patterns that I have not used very much if at all. The outermost pattern is called Doozaly. The curtain pattern I have seen drawn so many times but this is the only time I have ever attempted it myself. I can’t find where I saw it before, but once I do find it I will update this post. Finally the one in the center is called Spoon Flowers. These are all my own ways of creating and modifying the patterns that I see. I wanted to create something that was just interesting.

Have you ever used these patterns before? If so, link your modifications below.

Diva Challenge #320 

Diva Challenge #320 

Posted on by Charity Woods

For those of you that have been following, you know that occasionally I do a few challenges. I have my lunchtime challenge, and diva challenges and also madebyjoey challenges. Today for my lunchtime challenge, I decided to integrate a diva challenge in as well. You can see the challenge here. It requires using a tangle called “dansk”. 

So, with this challenge, I decided to use an artist’s tile to ensure that I had a small area to fill. I also decided that I wanted to add a few patterns I typically use in my drawings. I like the way it turned out even though it was my first time using this tangle. 

Have you ever used this pattern? If so, link yours in the comments below. Also try to push yourself to complete it in 45 minutes or less since this is also combined with my lunchtime challenge. 

Lunchtime Challenge

Lunchtime Challenge

Posted on by Charity Woods

Let me introduce you to a fancy little Zentangle called “Starfish Double Barrel”. That’s right, double barrel. This is a beautiful Zentangle that I just had to tackle and make my own. It was so easy to start. From the center circle, you draw out eight long petals. As you work around the circle, you add only one layer on each side of that petal until they finally touch. Now the possibilities are endless. You can switch up the tips, you can create a wonderful center design for the rest of the starfish to pop out from, or you can simply color it in like I did.

Anyway you do it, I just hope that you get out there and experiment with this tangle. I would love to see what you come up with. You can link your experiments in the comments below.

Lunchtime Challenge

Lunchtime Challenge

Posted on by Charity Woods

As I was thinking of what to draw, I came across this zentangle pattern called Pharro. Now this pattern starts with a curved line and then a dip below that curved line. There are lines that criss cross inside the dip, and then lines are drawn upwards to the initial curved line. Now I thought of this pattern at first as a flower. It just makes sense as a flower, but  I wanted it to be a little unique. With drops hanging off each side and a sense of life protruding from the other side of the curved line.

But as I was drawing this, something else came to mind. Unfortunately for you, I am just unable to capture exactly what is in my head because my realism craft is very premature. But I wanted to give a little taste of this underwater jester I created out of this same pattern. It was fun to create, and pushed the boundaries of my abilities at the moment. Hopefully I will get better in the future.

 

I had fun creating each of these artist tiles over my lunch break, which was approximately 45 minutes. If I had actually sat down and focused on the ending design, I may have been able to come up with something better. But alas, this is the point of my lunchtime doodles. I want to push myself creatively in the few minutes I have set aside for lunch.

Let me know what you think of each of these in the comments below. Don’t be afraid to critique and link back to any Pharro designs you have come up with.

Lunchtime Challenge

Lunchtime Challenge

Posted on by Charity Woods

As you guys are well aware, I have a mere 45 minutes to doodle or unplug as I like to call it. I have been taking my Artists Tiles to work to do just that. This piece is pretty small, It is on a 3×3 square. Although it is blown up pretty big here, I promise it was small.

I love these small tiles because of the time restraint I have, I can devote just enough time to trying out new patterns. Let me know what you think about this in the comments below!

Do You Zentangle?

Do You Zentangle?

Posted on by Charity Woods

Zentangle is an art form that teaches you how to use relaxing strokes to create beautiful works of art. Sometimes you’ll see me referencing Zentangle as it has really taught me a lot about different techniques. I store my Zentangle Patterns in a photo book I purchased for barely anything. It holds standard sized photos and its is perfect for what I need it for, which is a reference book.

There are a vast amount of patterns and almost just as many sites that are designed to show you versions of each. One of my favorite websites, TanglePatterns is one of the most complete sites I have found for the patterns, short of buying a book, this is my go-to way to learn new patterns.

I would greatly encourage all artists no matter what your skill to check out this wonderful method that is sweeping the world. Fall in love with each pattern the way I have.

Have you heard of the Zentangle Method before? If you have, please tell me in the comments below which is your favorite and if you have found any sites specifically designed for this method.

I look forward to learning more about you all!

Lifeblood

Lifeblood

Posted on by Charity Woods

The story behind this drawing is that just as every snowflake is different, I have to believe that every raindrop is too. Each raindrop plays an important role in the survival of our planet. Without water, we would all surely perish.

Although I am not an extremist in any way, I do believe that if everyone cleaned up after themselves and worked on their own footprint, we would be way better off.

Lunchtime Challenge

Lunchtime Challenge

Posted on by Charity Woods

Well, I have had people tell me this looks like a fish and another tell me it looked like wings, either way, this was my lunchtime doodle today. I hope you like it! Yes, I did it in 45 minutes or less. This was just completed with a sharpie for the larger lines and then I filled it in with a sharpie pen that I had for all the little details.  The amazing thing about this doodle, is that I never intended it to be anything. I just love the way it turned out. It is so bold and yet so detailed. Seems like I should keep this one for a coloring book one day.

Let me know what you think it looks like in the comments below!

Zentangle Sampler

Zentangle Sampler

Posted on by Charity Woods

So, I did it, I decided that I was going to take the patterns that I use the most and create a sampler page using just those. I started this by just drawing a bunch of circles. After I drew all the circles, I just decided how I was going to split it up based on the designs I wanted to incorporate.  The problem is that I don’t know these Zentangle names. So let me know in the comments below!

So far I have these added:

Paradox

Fescue

Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice

Posted on by Charity Woods

Another Zentangle sampler here. Just some of the tangles that I have really enjoyed using. What a better way to collaborate all the different patterns, than to join them together on a symbol of fall and thankfulness.

Let me know if you have seen any of these tangle patterns before and which are your favorite in the comments below.

Joey's Weekly Challenge #128

Joey’s Weekly Challenge #128

Posted on by Charity Woods

Ever since I started doing these spider webs, I can’t get enough of them. Maybe it is the time of the year with all the spooky decor, but I love drawing them and adding them to different pieces. This challenge was a lot of fun and of course, I got to add my webs.

The funny thing about this is being arachnophobic that I am and yet love the artistry of webs. Even my 7-year-old points that out. *teehee*

Anyways, You can find the challenge here.