Elegant Lines Video Lesson
Every once in a while, it's a good idea to go back to the basics. I like to do that at least once a year. This time, I'm REALLY going back to the basics, with a lesson that covers the fundamentals of how to use a pen and create beautiful, elegant strokes.
This lesson goes back and explores the basics of Zentangle's elemental strokes — the simplest of all strokes that can form virtually any shape or drawing. According to the Zentangle method, the elemental strokes are five: straight line, C-shape, S-shape, Orbs (Circles) and dots. Together, they form the word ICSO. The idea is that if a person can write the word ICSO, then they probably can draw Zentangle. Brilliant!
That's how this lesson starts: we explore the basics of each elemental stroke, covering tips and tricks of how to draw each one in beautiful elegant ways. We cover also “Line quality”, that is, the way that a line can look more elegant if it has a tiny bit of a curve.
We discuss the best ways to position your hand, the best ways to create beautiful C and S-shapes, and how to create gorgeous sparkles (a tangle enhancer which leaves a gap in the line to simulate highlight).
We also discuss the very very important concepts of line-weight variation and rounding, two line enhancers that can dramatically change the way your tangles and tiles look.
You'll learn exercises and drills that, just like learning the scales in music, can perfect your lines. And just like scales, this is a lifetime of practice that will keep getting better and better in time.
The lesson contains 2 videos, totaling over an hour of lessons and practice exercises, but the most interesting exercise, in my opinion, is the ‘before and after’. I challenge you to recreate one of your older tiles using what you learned and I'm SURE you'll be amazed at the difference!
The most important aspect of this lesson, is of course, practice. I think this is particularly valuable to someone who hasn't drawn in a while, and wants to ‘flex their drawing muscles’ before tackling a real drawing project.
Now that the Zentangle MatchMaking series is over in the Art Club, we started a new series, focusing on Tangle Combos. This is the second session of the series, and since it's the beginning of the year, nothing more appropriate than using the classic 4 tangles used for a Back to Basics: Crescent Moon, Holibaugh, Printemps and Bales.