Thursday, September 29, 2011

Zentangle 2

One morning when the weather was cool and dry (the weather for the past 2 weeks has been wet and hot), my 4 yr. old and I (with coffee in hand) decided to enjoy some outside time. We were on our way to our neighborhood park when we were distracted by something in the water hole. I call this the water hole b/c I don't know what I would technically call this body of water that separates my neighborhood from another. Hmmm...maybe a pond? Anyway, we walked to get a closer look to see what appeared to be creating large ripples in the water. The only culprit we could see was turtles. We stood there awhile watching the turtles and the occasional small fish that swam by. As many of you artist know, its often those quiet simple moments when ideas begin to flow through your brain.
I had just finished teaching my students a lesson on shape and patterns where they were to demonstrate shape and pattern by creating a zentangle art piece. In a earlier post, I introduced my first Zentangle where I simple "scribbled" on the page and filled in the areas where my lines intersected with patterns. It was random and interesting to see what the final outcome would be, but this time, I wanted to plan my design so that it was a recognizable shape. Watching the turtles and admiring the details of their shell, I decided that my next piece would be of a turtle. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece, but I'm rather fond of this little guy :)


Friday, September 9, 2011

Zentangled

My second school year teaching home schooled art began this past week. This year, I've not only expanded my classes to include 1st - 3rd graders, but I've also added 3-D design and some other mediums to my curriculum. I'm excited to create with them.

I was going through one of the supply catalogues when I decided to browse through the teacher resource books. I found this book about the art form, Zentangle. Did a little research on the Internet and thought that this would appeal to the 4th - 6th grade students. I looked up materials on the subject and ordered the book "Zentangle Basics".

The above picture is my demo for my students. I have to admit that my students are not the only ones who will be enjoying this...I think I'm hooked :D I have a few ideas of what to do next.