Zen Doodling vs. Urban Sketching? Discuss.

Tuesday Tips & Tricks by Wes Douglas

Has this ever happened to you? Someone who knows you well or someone who hears that you like to draw suddenly makes the connection to another seemingly dissimilar art form. Recently I had an acquaintance compare my urban sketches to Zen Doodling. My blink reaction, with only a surface awareness of this art form, is that it did not even compare to what I do with urban sketching...or so I thought.

But before I dismissed Zen Doodling as such a different alien art form from urban sketching, I needed to do a little research.

(Zentangle by Janet McLeod)

According to Karla Archer, in her Live The Life Fantastic blog, the term ‘Zentangle’ was coined by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. Roberts had noticed that the focus that Thomas had, while drawing, was similar to the meditative state he had learned as a monk – what is often referred to as “flow“. They then set out to develop a system allowing almost anyone to follow and use as a way to relax and express themselves creatively. The system follows certain steps which are established to allow freedom to create within the boundaries.

(Zen Doodle by Ann Marie Cheung)

Zendoodling has none of the specifics, regarding paper, size of the shape, color etc. You can draw a shape (letter, animal etc) that fills a large sheet of paper and fill it in with patterns or create designs on clothing, pottery, etc, and it can be meant to look like something. 

http://www.livingthelifefantastic.com/2013/05/what-is-zentangle-zendoodle/

OK, now we're getting somewhere. So if I sketch out a building and spend the next 30 minutes adding tiny little bricks to its exterior or many many windows and, in the process I reach a relaxed state, could I be treading in the Zen waters of doodling?

Or let's consider that framing the building or house of my sketch is a number of trees and shrubs and I spend time meticulously drawing out tiny little leaves. Could this be bridging the perceived gap between zen doodling and urban sketching? I suppose it comes down to the desired outcome.

Does urban sketching help to relax you or do you feel pressure to do well?

Do you feel that having guidelines help you to produce better sketches or do you feel that they stifle your creativity?

Does drawing from observation excite you or would you rather sketch from your imagination and let the sketch appear organically?

I think there is a place for both since neither one needs to be the end all of anyone's art form. I think parts of the urban sketch can contain an element of Zen doodling but a purely Zen doodle posted on Urban Sketching may earn you some push back. Sketching can come from many influences and does not have to be exclusively defined by a label or requiring permission to apply its system. 

I'm not advocating that we all start posting Zen doodles on the Urban Sketching sites. Rather I am trying to understand that commonality that others see in different forms of sketching. If it makes you feel good, I say let it roll. If a debate must ensue, you may begin now.

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: "Some Advice on Giving Feedback Online"

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: "Some Advice on Giving Feedback Online"

Artists love to learn how they can get better at their skill or learn a new technique from another artist with a better idea. A big reason why we started this regular weekly post, "Tuesday Tips & Tricks" was so that we could offer free tips to this community of artists all trying to get a little bit better at some aspect of their artistic endeavor. Artists love to read how they can get better and readers love to make comments. Here's how you can make comments without being disregarded or hurting feelings.

First, let me clear up a misconception about the social media space. That "like" or "heart" button does not count as offering feedback. In fact those two buttons should really be relabeled "I Acknowledge" buttons. If you want to offer comments that will really help another artist, you are going to have to type it in.

There is a formalized critiquing process: "Describe, Analyze, Interpret and Evaluate"

http://diversifiedarts.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/artistic-criticism-how-to-critique-art/. 

The following are some more simple things to keep in mind.

"Destructive Feedback" or failed, well-intentioned sentiments can oftentimes be misinterpreted online.

• Short, incomplete sentences sound stern and agitated.
• ALL CAPS LOOKS LIKE YELLING or SCREAMING
• Sarcasm is never as funny in different cultures as you might think. It all depends on how well you know the person with whom you are joking.
• Basically, if someone cannot read your comments and work on fixing something about their art that will improve their skill or art, then you are better off not commenting at all, no matter how much the temptation.

First, start with praise:

• "I really like your choice of colors."
• "Your lines are confident and the composition is wonderful."
• "I can tell that you are really passionate about this subject..."
• Starting with a compliment will make a person more receptive to your helpful feedback.

Second, "Constructive Feedback" can sound like this:

• Ask questions for clarification before you make assumptions or offer critique
• Offering constructive feedback does not mean say whatever you want without compassion for the others' feelings.
• "Would you be open to some feedback on your piece?" The key here is to make sure the other person first responds with a "yes" before you offer critique.
• "Have you ever given any thought to using...?"
• "What I find that has helped me in a situation like this is..." Putting your comment in first person will sound like you are sharing information as opposed to commanding the other person "YOU should do this."

Lastly, make yourself available to answer any questions or clarify your comments. I would love to hear what kind of critiquing experiences you have had and what you have learned from them.

"Weird Time"

"Weird Time"

There is a phrase in the user experience world that describes how people interact with their electronic devices when they have "nothing better to do"--at least they think they have nothing better to do. Checking the electronic device is, afterall, an efficient use of time, right?

Take for example this guy in the sketch I made above (at the Brown Elephant Resale Shop in Andersonville, suburbs of Chicago, IL). While I did not have a conversation with this guy, I know that he was doing the good-husband thing by "shopping" with his wife. The way it works is the happy couple enters the shop together and then they somehow get split up--the wife goes to the clothes and knick-knacks and the husband says he is going to check out the furniture.

After a few seconds, when the husband sees that his better half is safely out of range, he pulls out his smart phone so that he can quickly check text messages, Facebook posts, or in this case the Chicago Bears football score. He does this while standing, or hiding, behind the big cabinet in the background. When more and more time goes by, now the husband feels that his wife is really distracted by the cute dress that she found on the rack and a few other items. She gets caught in the tough decision mode. He has now moved onto the couch and the scores of other football games because he is invested in a Fantasy Football league and wants to see how he is doing overall.

I see this kind of behavior at the train station, airports, long cashier lines at the store, waiting for a ride at DisneyWorld and, God forbid, at a signal light with moving traffic. The term "weird time" is meant to describe how the person with the electronic device feels when they are in the company of strangers and feel awkward about looking stupid or striking up a conversation. I understand because I am the same way except that I will pull out my sketchbook to comfort those "weird" feelings of awkwardness. I must add that I never sketch while sitting at a stoplight and my sketches are a longer lasting feeling than those filler moments of checking to see if I am still relevant to the rest of the digital world. 

So what happened with our couple above? Eventually she returned to find him on the couch with his phone and gives him the signal that she is done and ready to go. So he gets up and they leave together laughing about the fun things they had both found in The Brown Elephant.