Zentangle-inspired art starts with a picture drawing, such as a face, animal, or flower, then repetitive patterns are used within the drawing to accentuate specific areas.

Color is used frequently in this type of tangle art but not required to be considered a freeform tangle. The patterns are made to appear overlapping and flowing into one another.

They are less restrictive than traditional Zentangle because there is no string to contain the patterns. A Zen doodle usually includes color and shading to differentiate between the doodles and the patterns.įreeform tangles use patterns only to complete the drawing. Here I drew flower doodles and filled the spaces between them with various filler patterns. Zentangle is completed with black ink and shading with no color.Ī Zen doodle uses small drawings or doodles that are surrounded by repetitive patterns that bring the doodles together. This string can disappear into the drawing or can be used as a guideline for shading (see right image above). Zentangle starts with a “string” (see left image above) generally drawn in pencil and used to separate the different patterns.

Zentangle was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas as a meditative way to utilize repetitive patterns. Keep scrolling for the breakdown of styles.įour Types of Tangle Art by Tiffany Lovering Knowing the different types of tangle art can help to expand your creative outlets.” Once you know how to draw a handful of patterns, you should experiment with the different types of tangle art and see which ones you prefer. Though they all use repetitive patterns, they also have key differences. “Four different types of tangle art are popular today: Zentangle, Zen doodle, freeform tangle, and Zentangle-inspired. In her book, Zen Doodle Unleashed: Freeform Tangle Art You Can Draw and Color, Tiffany explains: To shed some light on the variations of this popular art form, I’d like to share with you Tiffany Lovering’s description. By now, you’ve probably heard of doodle art, Zentangle®, and several other variations. With just two days left, I’d like to send it off with a bang! Drawing doodle art is something that can be done just for fun, or taken to a high level of artistry. InkTober, the daily drawing challenge started by artist Jake Parker, is almost over for this year.

Small doodles to draw