Zendala

I'm intrigued by mandalas, which are generally various geometric designs, usually in concentric configurations. In Hinduism and Buddhism, these diagrams represent the universe and are used in sacred rites and instruments of meditation. Mandalas are also found in nature in flowers and plants, like sunflowers, agaves, and tree rings; in sea shells, like nautilus and urchins; in clouds, like hurricanes; and various other natural phenomena.

Since Zentangles are created with repetitive patterns in a fun, relaxing, focused way, they fit well with mandalas as instruments of meditation. Zentangles made into circular designs are called Zendalas. These are my recent creations.

Zendala 1. 6"x 6" mixed-media paper with pencil and Sakura micron pen.
This was inspired by the Zendala Dare weekly challenge. I don't recall
which  number this was from. I used Rick's Paradox to create a spiral
design in the center. The outside was created with copada and mooka tangles. 

Nautilus. 6"x 6" mixed-media paper with pencil and Sakura micron pen.
Nautilus have always intrigued me. It amazes me how these
alien-appearing cephalopods can swim and have lived in our
oceans for millions of years.  After creating the shell pattern, I added
bubbles to remind me of the ocean it lives in.

Shell. 6"x 6" mixed-media paper with pencil and Sakura micron pen.
After drawing the nautilus, I wanted to do another shell pattern. This
is a common scallop shell I remember picking up on the Atlantic
Ocean and Gulf of Mexico beaches on various vacations as a child
and an adult. I tried to use tangles that could be used as borders and
decreased in size as I drew them from the outer shell to the center bottom
of the shell. I separated the sections with pearlz.