The Zentangle Goat (or antelope?)

As I’m still without a machine I’m spending a lot of time drawing, and have come across the idea of “zentangles”, which are basically just formalised and structured doodles. There are lots of websites and blogs devoted to “zentangles” which you can find via Google, but here are a couple to start with.

http://www.zentangle.com/index.php

http://tanglepatterns.com/

Of course the idea of filling space on drawings with abstract patterns isn’t new. Many styles of art use abstract motifs as space-fillers in large, complex designs – you can find examples in Celtic art, Pacific tapa paintings and many others

A Celtic zentangle?

 
 A zentangle from the South Pacific?

As far as the “zentangle” idea goes, I don’t like the psychobabble luggage that sometimes comes with it, and I also don’t like the idea of copyrighting something as basic and universal as a doodled pattern. On the other hand, some “zentangles” can be very beautiful, and anything that encourages people to draw, and to have faith in their ability to draw, has got to be a good thing

So I’ve been playing around with using zentangle-like motifs as decorative elements in a few drawings which I’ll eventually digitise. This one started out as a goat but ended up more like an antelope. I like the intricacy of the abstract patterns, and I will digitise it as a simple appliqué of the animal's body on a contrasting background. This is going to take a long time to digitise, but it will help pass the time until I can use the machine again

Sketch for a zentangle goat embroidery (or maybe a zentangle antelope)