Smashbook: Zentangle Fairytale

Today I'm featuring another spread from my Pretty Pink Smashbook. What I love most about SMASHing is that your book can be anything you want it to be... because there are no rules! And I use mine in so many different ways. Some of the pages resemble a scrapbook with lots of photos, captions and embellishments. Other spreads are journal-like with mostly writing and little or no embellishments. I even love to use it as an art journal with mixed-media creations, collages, and in this case Zentangles. It's so cool flipping through my book and seeing all of the different spreads... each one capturing what I'm feeling at that moment.

I was a newbie to SMASHing when I first made this spread 9 months ago. As a matter of fact, this was actually the 3rd spread I ever created, and my very first Zentangle pages. Although it looks complicated, it's not. All you are doing is repeating simple patterns. If you're a doodler like myself, you should pick it up easily. But anyone can do it, all it takes is some practice.

I choose to do this Zentangle in a Love theme because I love SMASHing about Love. This was just another way for me to show it. I think the Pretty Pink book is the best book to use when it comes to the subject of love. It's chock full of sweet, romantic pages with touches of pink and "lovely" little details.

I flipped through the whole book to find the perfect background for my Zentangle art. The pages I chose were covered in roses and had a large "Memo" label on the left page and a smaller "Forget Me Not" tag on the right. These pages couldn't have been more perfect for what I needed...it totally screamed "Love"!

Inspired by the gorgeous images and patterns on the internet, I started out by drawing my Zentangles freehand with pencil first because I knew I was going to make mistakes. (Especially with my 3-year old sitting right next to me bumping me every 5 minutes!) And from there, I just let the pencil flow...

Then I went over the whole thing with a black zig pen and erased all of the pencil marks. I added pops of color using a red colored pencil and with a black calligraphy pen, I wrote a favorite quote and filled in the "Memo" label with a special sentiment. I finished off the spread with a couple of photobooth pics taken during that moment in time, over 14 years ago.

I know that another Zentangle spread will be going into my book in the near future. It may have taken me a while to do these pages (thanks in part to my toddler), but it was all worth it. Those few hours were incredibly relaxing and fun at the same time. It's definitely a great way to wind down after a long and hectic week.... you should try it sometime :)

[*Update 5/12/2013: You can find my recent Zentangle spread here.]

Would you like to take a peek at my Pretty Pink SMASH* book? You can find it here. Are you looking for inspiration to fill your books? Be sure to check out my "SMASH* & PL" pinboard on Pinterest. Wanna stay updated on my recent posts and projects? Be sure to "like" my new fan page on Facebook!

Are you a SMASHer? Have you tried a Zentangle spread yet? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? Feel free to drop me a line. Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Mahalo for stopping by!