Zentangle Dragonfly Art Tutorial
Get Inspired: Zentangle Dragonfly Art
Sun catchers, mosaics, or even jewelry creation would be fun projects for creating your own dragonflies. But why not stretch the imagination and create Zentangle Dragonfly Art? Before you begin, do a little research on Dragonflies for inspiration.
While looking at these curious insects in a book, online, or in real-life observation, make note of the following:
- The variety of colors you see in various dragonflies. How many colors can be seen in a dragonfly’s wings?
- The textures and shapes you see in various parts of its body. How might you repeat these shapes in your zentangle?
Use these insect pages to record your findings!
Supplies Needed to Make Your Zentangle Dragonfly Art:
Once you feel inspired, it’s time to begin! For your Zentangle Dragonfly, you will need:
Follow These Easy Steps to Make Your Zentangle Dragonfly Art:
A Zentangle is an easy-to-do art form where structured shapes are repeated to form a pleasing design. Traditionally they are done on 3.5 inch square paper. The process of creating them can be very calming and even therapeutic.
I decided to add a little twist to a traditional Zentangle project with this Zentangle Dragonfly Art. You can also use other animal shapes for Zentangles.
- Sketch a simple dragonfly. Use at least half the area of your paper. Start with the thorax, abdomen, and then eyes and head. (This might be a good time to review the anatomy of dragonflies and insects in general.) Then add the wings.
- Inside each of the wing and body segments, add repeating shapes to create the Zentangle. Simply choose the design to repeat for each body segment. Use your dragonfly inspiration to select the shapes you will use.
Simply add a new pattern to each segment. My favorite thing about this project is how enjoyable it is to create the patterns. - Add shading with pencil as desired. This will add a little more depth to the Zentangle portion of the project.
- Finally, create a watercolor backdrop by carefully painting with cool color choices- such as green, blue, and purple. Use plenty of water for an added effect. You can also add drips or use a splash technique with a toothbrush.
And of course you can do the same kind of Zentangle art project with other insects or animals too! If you’re studying birds, create your own bird Zentangle. If you’re studying sharks, do a shark Zentangle. If you’re studying farm animals, have fun creating Zentangles of all sorts of farm animals!
Have you ever created your own Zentangle? What kinds of art projects do you and your children enjoy doing together? Do your children enjoy incorporating art projects into their homeschool studies?
