Zentangle Untangled (17 page)

The final medium I want to introduce you to is acrylic paint. I’m sure acrylic needs little explanation because most of us have used it since preschool. Acrylic is a versatile medium that can cover large areas as well as provide detail. It is quick drying and comes in every color you can imagine. Acrylic is a great way to add color to your Zentangle art.

My tip with acrylic is to use a fluid acrylic; heavier-bodied acrylics can become arduous quickly with Zentangle, especially if you are working on a small scale or are looking for fine details. Golden Fluid Acrylics are artist-grade paints that work well, but also look for craft acrylics like Claudine Hellmuth’s Studio line, especially in the small squeeze bottles. These allow you to control your output. I use both types, and there are many great brands out there for you to try.

If the explosion of blogs and books about art journals and sketchbooks is any indication, interest in journals is reaching new and dizzying heights. There is a lot of advice out there, and what I offer here is not definitive. It’s just what works for me.

Spending time reading books like this and various blogs can be very useful. You’ll see what others do, sometimes pick up tips and techniques, and get ideas about what sort of journal you’d like to keep.

The overload of information can also intimidate the beginner journalist—and even those, like me, who have kept art journals for several years now! The amount of talent on display is phenomenal, but you, too, have something to offer.

I’m often asked if there is a difference between an “art journal” and a “sketchbook.” In my mind there is some difference, but essentially it doesn’t matter if you call it an art journal, sketchbook, visual diary or Barry (has anyone actually named their journal that?). It is simply a place for you to test, try, stick, paint, write, draw and play.

For the purposes of this book, let’s go with art journal.

There are so many amazing art journalists whose talents vary across many media. Teesha Moore’s whimsical, playful journals are chock-full of color and collage. Linda Woods and Karen Dinino’s books also utilize color and collage but incorporate everyday items and photography into their journals. Then there’s the incredible Danny Gregory, who largely uses pen, ink and watercolor when documenting his life in his journals. He draws what he sees in ways I can only aspire to. All three approaches to this art form are legitimate, and all fall into the category of art journal.

I started as an art journalist from my scrapbooking history. My first journals very much lent themselves to what I would call a scrapbook style. When I began my art degree in 2006, I started to keep a visual diary as part of my studies. My art journals began to take more of a sketchbook approach, and that is largely how they remain, although I do still incorporate a lot of my photography into my sketchbooks. I learn so much through photography, and it is no less a documentation process than any other approach.

Borders around pages. Hands up—who has not drawn pictures and borders around pages of notes during college classes or long meetings at work? We’ve all done it, and when we’re working in art journals, Zentangle is a brilliant way to add borders to our pages. There are limitless ways they can be added. The next image,
Party 1
, is an example; I’ve used one of my favorite tangles that lends itself to borders,
Meer
.

Think about the tangles you know. How can you vary them to create a border? What tangles can be combined to create a border of interest?

Also think about use of color. How does adding color to your border impact the rest of your piece?

A tangled border is also a great way to begin your Zentangle tile. Use it as a guide and work your way in.