Zentangle and Doodling: Patterns

Does it happen to you that you start thinking mechanically on a piece of paper? Such a story many people have had for sure at least once in their lives. But how many people know that abstract "scribbles" - a form of modern art? This is not a joke, and this article will introduce you to the philosophy and practice of such drawing.

Scribbles as a form of art

Dudling or Doodling (from English doodle - "scribble") - is the technique of creating a simple drawing consisting of various elements. The main thing in this case is that the person draws, being busy with something else: listening to the lecture, talking on the phone, being at the meeting, sitting in anticipation of something, etc. The dudling patterns can be both a pure abstraction and represent what Is a story value.

The main thing in this technique is mechanical and spontaneity of work. While the head is busy with something, the hand draws and produces the intricate product of your subconscious. The freedom to choose elements and their location, color, size, geometric shape and plot - that's what art is like "dudling". Patterns in this case can be completely arbitrary, the only condition is not to think about them.

Currently, doodling is actively used as decor elements, and in Great Britain there is even a National Doodle Day.

Scribbles as psychotherapy

When you draw in the technique of "dudling", the patterns turn out to be strange and very intricate: they consist of lines, dashes, circles, wavy lines and various other figures. As a result, they all combine in a quaint, often surreal, story. Such unconscious drawing is usually characteristic of people experiencing a difficult period of life. And then with the help of such "scribbles" they get rid of stress, loads of experiences and various negative emotions (anger, boredom, tension, etc.). So drawing in the style of doodling is not just a fun time, but also a method of psychological self-therapy.

In addition to the above, drawing dudlov helps to develop fine motor skills and thanks to this keep your brain toned.

How to Draw Doodling - Practice

The good news: to work in this interesting technique you do not need any special skills, no art education, no computer program, or even any special materials. You can draw almost anywhere, using only blank sheets of paper and any writing tools - pencil, pen, felt-tip pen, paint brush.

There is no single rule how to draw a dudling, because in this technique everyone expresses himself as he can. The main thing is that the patterns should be as simple as possible, repetitive, abstract and coming from the subconscious. This is dudling.

Patterns for beginners can include, for example, squares with different shading: solid, half, oblique lines, dots, circles, etc. There are no strict limitations, the main thing - a flight of fantasy.

Philosophy of Dudling and Sentangle

And what will happen if, in the process of spontaneous calming, still concentrate on the drawing process? This is in fact violating the main rule of dudling? Yes, that's right. And it does not just break. At this point, the dudling turns into sentangle.

Zentangle (from English zentangle; zen - "Zen Buddhism", and the verb tangle means "confusing") is a kind and form of art, invented by American artists Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts.

This method of drawing is most reminiscent of meditation, because it is necessary to focus on the moment "here and now" to completely abandon all things, thoughts and plunge into the drawing process. In place of mechanality comes awareness, in place of spontaneity - the thoughtfulness of the composition. In zentangle it is necessary not only to dive into the drawing, but also to follow certain rules for its creation: black and white color scheme, the drawing is enclosed in a square frame and divided into sectors that are filled with patterns. Sectors can be of any shape and size, and patterns - are absolutely arbitrary, if only the abstract nature of the plot is respected.

How to distinguish?

So, what are the differences between the techniques of dudling and sentangle? The patterns in both are the simplest, but in the first case, drawing occurs at a subconscious level, and in the second - on the conscious and obeys the rules.

This zentangle can be viewed from any angle and from either side. And if there is another color, except for black and white, or the outlines of a particular object, animal or person are guessed - then it is not zentangle in its pure form, but one of the mixed varieties: zendudling, zenmandala, etc.

Any person, regardless of the level of preparation, is available drawing techniques sentangle and dudling, the patterns in which are simple and repetitive. Drawing in these styles inspires, helps to reveal its potential, relieves tension, relaxes, heals the nervous system, relieves insomnia, develops small motor skills and visual-motor coordination. In addition, you can use such drawing on various kinds of trainings and psychotherapeutic classes.