Personalize Your Gift Tags | Introducing Doodle December

 

Zen doodle patterns and ideas
“Pin” this gift tag on your Pinterest holiday board!

Have you ever made your own gift tags for holiday or birthday presents? I know you love to get creative, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you have. I did recently, and it was so much fun! I was inspired by the newest zen doodle DVDs that our team has produced, including Tiffany Lovering’s Tangle Love Workshop: Zen Doodle Basics, which I joyfully co-hosted.

Because we have so many tangles to teach, we’re going to celebrate this month as “Doodle December” and feature a new holiday gift tag each week that I’ve tangled. Copy these designs, or let them inspire your own patterns! To make it even more convenient, click here and get the same blank tags in green, red, and white, and Micron pens that I used at the Interweave store.

One of the things I learned from Tiffany is how to create a super simple and cool zen doodle pattern, like the one I drew within this Christmas tree. The tags are a great size for this (4.75×2.375) because you have plenty of room to draw.

holiday zendoodle
I chose the green tag because it lends itself well to the subject.

1. Draw the outline of a Christmas tree with a Micron 8 pen. Use a stencil to draw a star on the top,or draw it freehand, leaving room for your “To” and “From.” Draw little spirals for lights on the tips of the branches, then add curving lines that resemble garland. Add circles in random places, overlapping the lines as you please.

doodle sketching

2. Color in every other space within the tree. This leaves some parts of the circles “open,” and gives the appearance of eclectic ornaments. Then color in the star by connecting the inside points, leaving the tips “open.”

doodling ideas

 

3. Draw lines within the star’s points and embellish the tips. Use a white gel pen to add small dots within the garland. Lastly, use the pencil that comes with this kit to lightly draw lines around the outside of the tree and star. Use a tortillion to transform the line into a soft shadow, making the image pop.

I’ll be honest. Before Tiffany taught me the basics of doodle art during the filming of her new DVD, I didn’t even own a tortillion. But after our studio time was finished, I went straight to an art supply store to buy a set. I can’t believe the difference adding such a simple shadow can make, especially with tangle art. It’s so much fun to take my doodles from my sketchbook to these tags, and I know that the lucky gift recipient will appreciate the personal touch of a handmade tag.

Click here for Tangle Love Workshop: Zen Doodle Basics and you can make your own. And please let me know in the comments what you would do with these tags! Stay tuned—I’ll be sharing doodle patterns on more gift tags with snowmen, ornaments, and candles throughout Doodle December.

Happy doodling,

Categories

Blog, Mixed-Media Techniques

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