The Quiet Side

Exploring the unseen benefits of creative focus.

Shade :  comparative darkness or obscurity owing to interception of the rays of light

After all that time relaxing into my lines, learning to be deliberate in my strokes and focusing on the here and now – you want me to shade my tile?

Inevitably in classes the fear of the darkness and shade comes out after all that hard work of learning to let go and embrace the lines of a tangle. Practicing breathing and lightening our grip on pens with renewed focus on how we are feeling is a lot of work. And then all the anxiety and fear we work through letting go with the pen is back again.

One of the beautiful elements of Zentangle as a non-representational art form is that really there is no wrong way to shade. I could take the same exact tile and shade it six different ways and they all will highlight something new and different in the stroke of the pen.  Shading can mask something you don’t like and bring forward with light something you love.

If you are in a dark mood your shading may be dark and deep, and if you are full of joy in this moment that you have pencil in hand, your tile will reflect that. It can serve as a sort of mood journal, and can add a lot of depth and insight to your creative journey.

Try This

It is excellent practice to try the same tangles and same tile repeatedly, giving you many opportunities to try a different way to shade that tile. So start your shading practice by tangling two tiles with similar strings and the same tangles. Then set these two tiles side by side and try shading them in different ways.

Alternately, take a photo and print it out several times to try something new on each copy. You’ll be delighted by the results of the challenge.

deliberate – still – appreciate – quiet – focus – trust – deconstruct – beautiful – reflect – relax – discover – create – comfort – shade – breathe – inspire – be bold – embellish – savor – slow – calm – admire

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