Zentangle, no, Doodle!!!! Oh, What is it!!??


 I have been teaching Zentangle since 2017, have met several people, artists, across the world. One common thing I always hear - " Oh! You do doodling!". And then, the Zentangle artist in me gets vexed from inside, LoL, and in a very polite way I answer - "I am a Zentangle artist. Doodling and Zentangle are not same!!!"

Like you use a brush and a paint for paintings, that doesn't mean the oils and water colors and acrylics are the same. Similarly, for example, you cannot say Jazz Funk is same as Hip-Hop just because that's dance, there is a difference! 

Similarly, there is a difference between  Zentangle and Doodling!

Zentangle, as the name suggests is a Meditative art form, a state of mindfulness. It is a fun way to create beautiful abstract art by drawing structured patterns. We call these patterns, tangles. I, as a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) firmly believes that anyone can draw. 

Here we draw with an intent of creating something beautiful, with just letting the pen do the talking. I would call it Yoga for Mind, it improves focus, attention span, helps fight anxiety and stress and calms down the mind which is full of a zillion thoughts. 

There are only two requirements to learn Zentangle - 

1. You need an open mind to learn. DO NOT stop yourself from drawing thinking that you cannot draw, or you do not have the artistic skills.

2. You should know how to hold a pen!!! 

And Voila, you can draw :)

In case you are adding figures in your Zentangle drawings, then it is called as a Zentangle Inspired Art - ZIA, which is again different from Doodling.

As per the dictionary meaning of Doodling, "A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied." That means a state of mindlessness. But over the period of time, doodling has evolved as a fun and wonderful art, comprising of emojis, verbiages, language, colors, etc. 

Well, I cannot talk much about doodling as I am not a doodle artist, but I can definitely talk more on Zentangle, which I will do on my Future blogs! Till that time keep tangling. :)

Written by - CZT Neha Agrawal

*****

 I would love to hear back from you, please leave a comment! :)

Comments

  1. Amazing write up .. would love to learn this art from you sometime. Keep up the good work ❤️

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  2. Wonderful blog! Keep it going, keep it up. 😊😊

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  3. Well summarised. There are a lot of art forms and each one is uniquely beautiful. Thanks for sharing and giving this world a hope that everyone can draw 😀

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  4. Well said Neha. I have been doing zentangling since March 2020 when the lockdown began...started attending many Indian czts' live session through FB and Instagram including yours. I could really experience the mindfulness and calmness. Please do write more about zentangle.

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  5. I didn’t know that learning ZENTANGLE is that easy, it’s just 2 points!! Until I met you, never heard this word Zentangle and now with your blogging skills, I am sure we’ll get enlightened gradually!!

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  6. Very well written. I loved the the part where you wrote that zentangle is yoga of mind.

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  7. That's a wonderful write-up. I got inspired by your zentangling and the first thing I noticed was that every time I watched it I could sleep well so it definitely is a yoga fr the mind.

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  8. Hi Neha ! Have throughly enjoyed your Zentangle sessions and yes indeed they are therapeutic 😊

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  9. Very nice write up about Zentangle. Though I am not a certified teacher like you, I have got similar response from people who don't know about this wonderful mindful art. I think through your write up people will get to know the essence of zentangle

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  10. "Yoga of the mind " resonates really well. Good write up; details regarding training will be help for folks who are interested.

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  11. Am very glad that you have started writing about Zentangle art. Am loving this art through your sessions and would love to know more. It is definitely a great art which helps me to relax my mind.

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