Book Review: Zentangle Basics by Suzanne McNeill

Book Review of Zentangle Basics by Suzanne McNeill

My son loves to draw which is the initial reason that I bought Zentangle Basics. I hoped to give him a little inspiration to move outside of his comfort zone in a fun way. What I didn’t realize is that I would also enjoy the book myself.

You might wonder why I would buy a book when there are so many resources available around the internet. When we travel, we don’t always have access to WiFi. We also live in an area with frequent power outages. Having a book on hand provided us with something to do when we couldn’t connect to the internet. The book is thin and lightweight which makes it perfect to slip into a bag while we are traveling. Definitely a bonus when you don’t want to carry a lot or have heavy items in your carry on bag.

The exercises in the book are simple with suggestions for building up to more complex designs. A list of recommended materials are provided, but really not necessary. We started off by using a pencil and various black markers that we had on hand. I used a thin tip black precision marker along with a Sharpie to make the album cover on the left( for my Find Your Voice album project). You really don’t need any of the artists quality papers recommended unless you absolutely want to buy them.

Prior to using Zentangle Basics, I was under the misconception that drawing Zentangles was complex. Once I set to work, I was drawing designs with ease and completing squares in just a few minutes. I can see this book being a confidence booster to anyone new to drawing. Though the book doesn’t come right out and teach you 3-d drawing designs, many of the zentangle squares are 3-d. They can give you insight into making your drawings more dimensional.

This book would definitely be perfect for anyone new to drawing or who has always wanted to try to create zentangles. In fact, the recommended age range is 5 and older.

I give Zentangle Basics 5 out 5 stars.