If you follow Zentangle trends, you have been seeing a lot of posts about tangling on toned papers. Tan or gray are the most common. Sea shells, flowers... very nice. But I like to be a bit different - or weird, maybe? So I am going to share some behind the scenes pics for a large drawing I did about a year ago on Strathmore Toned Gray paper (see the end of the post for details on the paper).
My inspiration for the drawing was a stone wall pillar in the corner of my apartment. For some reason, as I was staring at the wall... I started to see creatures emerging from the rocks! (Go ahead and try it for yourself. I'll wait...)
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-Uu81fVmVgo0/Va7ehepBJ8I/AAAAAAAAHKU/C6m8Lq9YuBY/s2000/rock-2bwall.jpg)
So I sketched the creatures in my notebook.
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-KRAjNYiQzoQ/Va7ejxptMCI/AAAAAAAAHKg/UVzQIvLO7j0/s2000/img_1096.jpg)
...and then redrew them onto the gray paper using pencil and then, a Micron pen.
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-JJEmOTp2rQo/Va7egzqrPQI/AAAAAAAAHKI/2mmAIorOXNQ/s2000/rock-2bsketch.jpg)
Using different sizes of Microns, I added tangles to the entire background. I was thinking of deep-sea creatures, so the tangles are kind of sea-weedy and bubbly.
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-Ik5FrIYcpyU/Va7e9ntmH0I/AAAAAAAAHLE/AZsTSffGYqo/s2000/img_1037.jpg)
I added more pencil shading behind the creatures in order to push back the background and help the critters pop out a bit more.
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-HFoUEdA_3Fo/Va7e_Oni0nI/AAAAAAAAHLQ/mt_0Gcej7u0/s2000/img_1038.jpg)
Next - I used a white Prismacolor pencil to add some highlights on the backs, foreheads and noses...
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-vu35JUsz9pM/Va7fBYBFK0I/AAAAAAAAHLY/0tXxNpL1NTw/s2000/img_1039.jpg)
Here's a close-up with some highlights...
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-1fkGCWzpNuo/Va7fBa__0jI/AAAAAAAAHLc/qygwPFHwELM/s2000/img_1040.jpg)
I used a Prismacolor black pencil to add the darkest darks to the underbellies and crevices. And some details like eyeballs and mustaches!
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-czJcVj8gNR0/Va7ehAkODJI/AAAAAAAAHKM/uC_RyU3q4ZY/s2000/rock-2bcloseup.jpg)
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-df4K23KyoT0/Va7es6WBqrI/AAAAAAAAHKo/0fE6L226xKg/s2000/img_1059.jpg)
And there we are.
![](https://www.teddybear-n-geekygirl.com/content/images/-Rgk4CdGIVCI/Va7eveDPYwI/AAAAAAAAHKw/ShR-1ege7wE/s2000/img_1057.jpg)
We used to carry these Toned Papers in the store (the BeeHive). Today, I took the remaining inventory and put it on my Etsy shop (Bumblebat) The paper is available in gray or tan - and then you can choose between hardcover, or spiral-bound sketch journals. And the hardcover journals come in 8.5 x 11 or 5.5 x 8.5 inch sizes! So many choices.
The one I use in my example is the larger, hardcover, gray paper journal. The spiral bound sketchbooks are great if you want to remove pages (they have micro-perforations) to frame or to cut up for smaller artworks, or for use in classes.
And to thank you for reading all-the-way-to-the-end... here is a coupon code for my Etsy store: BLOGLOVE
Enter the coupon in the promo code box during check out, and you will get a 15% discount. It's good until the end of July, on purchases over $10.
Now go draw something!
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