Beyond Playing

The Need For Instruction

Spring is always a stressful, hectic, time in the classroom for the teacher as well as the students with "testing season", end-of-the-year projects, final paperwork, report cards ... and it's a perfect time for a little yoga for the mind - enter Zentangle!

Being a teacher by profession, I am also a continuous learner.  I wasn't satisfied with just knowing where to find patterns and duplicating what I was seeing (see Inspirations Page), I wanted to learn different techniques such as working with different papers, pens, shading, adding color ... so I turned to Google again and searched for classes in my area.  I discovered there were actually about 7-8 Zentangle Certified Teachers (ZCTs) in town, and one had a listing of classes on her blog, Tiki Tangles.  I contacted Janet Masey and requested class information, to wit she was very accommodating, adding me to her Facebook group, and providing me with the next class available, the hummingbird - a ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art).  Janet was kind enough to not only let me take the class (even though I hadn't taken the "basics" class which is usually a pre-requisite), but also let me bring the art teacher from my school too!

4 1/2" X 4 1/2" Apprentice tiles; Micron pens; shading with graphite pencil;
color added using watercolor pencils
Chainlea, Dragonaire, Flux, Poke Leaf, Dooleedo
May 16, 2015

Annddd I'm hooked! ZIAs are usually "beyond basics" pieces.  (I tend to go straight up when it comes to artsy/craftsy things and skip the beginning steps ...) I went on to complete several more on my own.  The next day ...

4 1/2" X 4 1/2" Apprentice tiles; Micron pens; shading with graphite pencil; 
color added using watercolor pencils
Chainlea, Dragonaire, Coil Variation, Flux, Cross Hatching
May 17, 2015

See Gallery Page for more ...