On this final day of 2025, I wanted to try something a bit new as a jump-start for the new year!
This begins with a green, multi-media paper. I have been looking for a green paper to play with because all of the decorator paint colors for 2026 are in the grey/blue-green family.
I was in a local art store, getting a new sketch book to begin the new year. Browsing through the various papers, I came across this pad of green, mixed-media paper from Clairefontaine. The color is lovely, although a little bit darker than I though I wanted. But I decided to purchase it and give it a try for various techniques.
Here is the first one: a Zentangle. It began with Crazy ‘Nzeppel, drawn with the dark green Micron pen. This gave me places to place a variety of tangles.
After lots of tangling using the olive green Copic Multiliner, I started with white chalk for the highlights. I did this so that the tile wouldn’t get overwhelmed with the shadowing green.
Next, I added the dark green pastel pencil for shadows and dimension. A deep yellow pastel pencil was used for pops of accent color. The chalk and pastel blended very nicely into the paper!
Last came a little bit of graphite to push the area where the N’zeppel lines crossed. I also added a tiny bit here and there to deepen some shadows.
This required a lot of patience and took a while to create. However, I love the final results! I still wish the paper was just a bit lighter, but I was still able to get quite a bit of contrast.
I hope all of you have a very Happy New Year!
Zentangle drawn on a tile cut from Sage, Paint On, mixed media paper from Clairefontaine, using a deep green, Micron pen, and an olive green, Copic Multiliner. Coloring and shading done with General’s pastel pencils. Highlights created with white chalk pencil. Additional shading done with graphite pencil and Polychromos colored pencil.
#drawing #tile #zentangle #tangling