09 Apr What is Zentangle? Learn How to Draw Easy and Relaxing Abstract Patterns
Have you ever wanted to learn how to doodle beautiful abstract patterns but felt intimidated by art? Perhaps you’re looking for an easy & relaxing creative hobby? If so, Zentangle is the place to start!
The Zentangle Method is a simple, structured drawing technique perfect for beginners. It helps people with no art experience relax and express their creativity through step by step geometric & abstract patterns.
In this post we’ll dive into:
▶️ What Zentangle is and how it works.
▶️ The magic behind tangles.
▶️ The materials you need to get started.
▶️ A step by step guide to creating your first Zentangle tile.
Let’s jump right in!
What is the Zentangle Method?
The Zentangle method is a meditative drawing technique based on creating abstract and easy to draw patterns (called tangles) within a small square piece of paper (called tile).
Developed in 2004 by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas in the US, this art form wants to help people relax and improve their mental health. What makes Zentangle so inviting is its structured approach: each tangle follows clear step by step instructions, so once you start drawing you always know what to do next:
This allows you to get rid of the uncertainty and focus on enjoying each stroke. They become intentional, which helps you stay in the present moment and potentially turn down the volume on other daily life worries you might be having.
Unlike traditional drawing tutorials, we say there’s no mistakes in Zentangle – in fact erasers aren’t “allowed”! (I’m a bit flexible on this rule, a liiiiitle erasing never hurt anybody 😅).
If you draw a line where it’s not supposed to go, you just incorporate it into the design or layer something on top and continue. This adds uniqueness and personality to each tile!
What are tangles?
Tangles are the abstract patterns used in Zentangle. If Zentangle was a house, tangles would be the bricks.
You only need 5 elemental strokes to draw any tangle out there. These strokes are: dots, lines, arcs, curves and circles. If you can hold a pen and write the word “icso” you can tangle, because that word contains all the elemental strokes!
Because tangles are geometric or abstract, they don’t have to look like anything from real life. They’re not trees, faces, buildings, or animals… they’re just tangles. This takes a lot of pressure off the final result!
Anyone can create a tangle, give it a name and share it with the world! When you create a Zentangle piece, you don’t start from scratch: you take predefined tangles from other artists (or your own) so you always have a starting point!
Some examples of tangles are:
If you don’t know which tangles you should learn first, I’ve created a FREE ZENTANGLE WORKBOOK to help you master the 5 elemental strokes with 10 beginner-friendly tutorials.
Materials needed for Zentangle drawings
One of the best parts of Zentangle is its simplicity, there’s very few supplies needed! Here’s my list of recommended essentials:
(These are affiliate links, which means a get a small commission at no extra cost to you)
🖊️ Black fineliner or pen: it’s the main tool for creating tangles. A pen like the Sakura Pigma Micron is perfect for drawing precise lines, and it’ll last a long time because of the archival ink. They have different nib sizes, I recommend to start with a 03 and expand from there. Other brands I like are the Staedtler Pigment Liners and the Graph It Fineliners.
✏️ Graphite pencil to sketch and add shading to your tangles. Make sure it’s a soft one so it blends easily! I recommend the Bruynzeel 4B or the Staedtler Lumograph Black 4B.
🎨 Tortillion to blend the pencil. A lot of brands like Jack Richeson produce these, but if you don’t have any, even cotton swabs will do the job!
📋 Square paper tile. The standard size for beginners is 9 x 9 cm (or 3,5 x 3,5 inches) but you can use the one that fits your needs best. There’s pre-made Zentangle tiles, or you can also make your own cutting watercolor or mixed media paper (ideally 200g or thicker). My favorite is this 300g Canson watercolor paper.
👉🏻 For a ready-to-go pack, check out the official Zentangle Starter Kit.
Once you get comfortable with Zentangle you can always expand to all sorts of supplies (color pencils or fineliners, tiles of different shapes and sizes, canvases, watercolors…). But these are the basics!
The 8 steps of Zentangle: your first easy Zentangle tile
Ready to create your very own Zentangle masterpiece? The method has very easy to follow and clear steps to transform a blank tile into something you’re proud of:
Step 1 – Appreciation
Gather your materials and take a moment to pause, breathe and appreciate the time you’re taking for yourself as a unique opportunity to celebrate your creativity.
Step 2 – Corners
Get rid of the blank page right away by grabbing the pencil and marking the four corners of your square tile with dots. These guiding points will anchor your artwork and prepare your tile for the next steps.
Step 3 – Border
Connect the corner dots by drawing a simple light border around your tile with the pencil. This frame defines the boundaries of your art.
Step 4 – Strings
Next, draw freeform lines (called strings) across your tile with the pencil. These lines will naturally divide your space into several sections where your tangles will go. These aren’t strict limits, so the tangles don’t have to perfectly adjust to the strings – just use them as a reference!
There’s endless possibilities to divide your tile! Here’s 3 more string ideas you could use:
Step 5 – Tangles
Now for the fun part! Fill each section with a different tangle using the black fineliner. Something that’ll help you feel comfortable is to rotate the tile instead of your hands 😊
You can find lots of tangles on online databases like tanglepatterns.com or musterquelle.de, but if that sounds overwhelming I’ve created a free workbook with 10 easy tangles to get started.
All these next tangles’ step-outs are included in my free workbook!
The first one is Tidal by Zentangle:
The second one is Crac, one of my original tangles:
And the third and last tangle is Abalo, also my own design:
Step 6 – Shading
This is where the magic happens! Shading is a very characteristic element of Zentangle, and the key to making your tile feel complete. It creates contrast and gives life to your tangles.
There’s not a right or wrong way to add shading, you don’t have to worry about light sources or making your shades realistic. Just go with the flow!
You should apply a bit of pencil first and then blend it using a tortillion, like I did here with Tidal:
Then I’m shading the second tangle, Crac:
And last, I’m shading Abalo:
Step 7 – Signature
Once you’re satisfied, add your signature to your tile. This isn’t just a formality, it’s your personal stamp and a mark of pride. Signing your piece celebrates your effort and makes the tile yours.
Step 8 – Mosaic
If you’ve had the pleasure of tangling along with other people, combining all your tiles into a larger mosaic invites you to explore how the tiles interact with each other.
It’s one of my favorite parts of the process because on one hand you notice that every tile looks a bit different, and on the other hand they all blend together and what-others-would-call-mistakes are hardly noticeable. You’d be surprised how often people have a hard time locating their own tile!
Why learn Zentangle? Benefits of the Zentangle Method
Zentangle has a long list of benefits, making it an ideal hobby or low pressure creative practice:
✅ You don’t need experience! As we’ve seen, you only need to know how to hold a pen and write the word icso. Stroke by stroke you create a piece you’re proud of and probably didn’t expect you could pull off.
✅ Portable & easy to do anywhere. There’s just a few supplies needed and you can carry everything around. It’s perfect to tangle throughout your day: in public transport, waiting rooms, drinking coffee… even tangling dates with your friends!
✅ No blank page fear. You never start from scratch because you always have other people’s tangles and step-outs to start with. Also, selecting the ones you wanna use is a very fun part of the process.
✅ No pressure to create a masterpiece. The tangles don’t have to look like anything from real life and since there’s no mistakes it’s all about enjoying the process and gaining confidence.
✅ Reduces stress & anxiety. Tangles are ultimately repetitions of the same stroke over and over again. This repetition and structure are actually the key to its meditative and relaxing benefits.
✅ Teaches you to trust the process. As I have observed in all my in-person workshops, there’s always people that aren’t satisfied with what they are drawing but at some point (usually in the shading part) it all starts coming together and they end up LOVING their tile.
Start your Zentangle journey today!
Ready to explore all these easy Zentangle drawings and geometric doodles step by step? Grab your supplies, download my free workbook and discover why so many people love this relaxing and meditative art form. Happy tangling!