To start the school year, grades 1-5 have been exploring the world of Zentangles! We learned that zentangles are complex patterns and inspiration to make them can be found anywhere. The name came from combining the idea of relaxation and allowing ideas to come to you (zen) with the idea to mix and intertwine (tangle). We brainstormed where artists might get their ideas for patterns and decided that the best inspiration can be found right before us! We looked for patterns in architecture, animals, plants, and more! Some patterns, like tiger stripes, were familiar; others, like the walls found in plants cells (cellular patterns) or the patterns found in cauliflower (fractal patterns) were something totally new!
We have been creating beautiful zentangles using the first letter of our first name. These will be the covers of our sketchbooks. We plan to re-visit zentangles throughout the year.
For more information on zentangles, check out this site.
