Creating zentangles is a common practice in art therapy as a means of self-expression and meditation. It is also a tool to learn pattern, rhythm, movement, motif, space, and, in some cases, shading. The work seen here was created by Mr. Biondolillo's classes as a way of practicing it all!
Still Lifes
The students followed their "stained glass windows" with practice in one-point perspective, shading and drawing small objects and groups of objects in an effort to work their way up to drawing a still life. Two thematic, involved arrangements were made for each class, and the students photographed these in harsh lighting before cropping them and adapting them to their drawings.
Sketchbooks of da Vinci
Drawing human anatomy is one of the most important things an art student can learn. This may come naturally to some, but the truth is that as much as observation is important, there are also rules to drawing the face and the figure that everyone must learn. After spending several weeks practicing the canon of the face and figure, the class was introduced to the works of the great Leonardo da Vinci. It was explained that, while the artist is of unparalleled importance, that he got that way by practicing his whole life. The students are then tasked to create their own sketchbook page in sepia pencils. Each page was to contain three drawings - one of the face, one of the figure and one of an element one might find in da Vinci's work, such as an idea for an invention or a study of a flower. These drawings were then scribbled over in ink and painted with coffee to create an aged effect, as though they may have come from the Renaissance.