My Creative Space: Black and White Zentangle

I've been doing zentangle for a few years now. I started when I saw a book in an art store in Montpelier, VT. I saw the tangles and knew I could do it myself based on the doodles I have been drawing my entire life. Well, that blossomed into a really enjoyable hobby and I'm hoping to maybe sell some of them at some point, but right now, I'm just LOVING the creative process of making these pieces.

They are a lot of fun to make and I can get completely lost in them. Many nights I look up andI can't believe the clock is reading 2am. I put on music and go. I've created my own pattern book that I use very often, copying something I've seen online or a pattern I have created myself. I've introduced this art to many people, some people love it some people are meh.

I use a variety of paper and pens. I have found that the Sakura white gel pen is best of writing on black or dark papers. They don't skip or clog up like some of the other pens. For the thicker lines, I use the white Faber-Castell marker. I haven't used the Sharpie paint pens, yet, so I'm not sure how those work. Best bet, Sakura gel pen and Faber-Castell white marker. Paper can be any black paper, Definitely use acid-free because the acid in the paper will change the ink from white to yellow.

For the most part, I've been doing a lot of 5x5 black paper, but I have done a 9x12 and a 12x12 and they look pretty awesome.

If you're looking to add some color, DO NOT get Souffle gel pens. The packaging says they work on dark paper. They do NOT. They cost $25 at Michael's and are not worth it as the pens do not do what they advertise.

Here are my latest doodles in black and white...