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How to Make Zentangle Leaves with Sharpies

by Jean Van't Hul
July 1, 2024
zentangle leaves featured

Learn how to make Zentangle leaves using metallic Sharpie markers on colorful fall leaves. This Autumn art activity is fun for kids and adults alike.

Updated August 2024

We love Autumn leaves! This time of year, we love to collect every beautiful or interesting leaf we see, coming home with a new stack of red, orange, yellow, brown, and green every day.

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And we don’t just collect the leaves. We love to use them for so many crafts and art activities! There are endless ways to use leaves: you can draw and paint autumn leaves, or you can draw and paint on the autumn leaves!

If you want to draw on the leaves you’ve collected, you’ve got to try making zentangle leaves.

Zentangles are formed when the same pattern is drawn over and over again. They are super fun for kids and adults alike. We love to use the book, One Zentangle A Day for inspiration. And leaves provide the perfect canvas for making zentangles of all kinds!

zentangle leaves pin

How to Make Zentangle Leaves

MATERIALS

*A note about the leaves: You can do these on pressed and dried leaves or on fresh leaves. If you use fresh leaves, you may wish to press them for a few days after drawing on them, so they dry flat rather than curling up.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare your work area

    Protect your work surface with a mat or piece of paper (in case your permanent marker wanders off the edge of your leaf). We like to use black paper or kraft paper, because the metallic Sharpies look so good on it and we tend to doodle on the paper, too.

    leaves out on paper

  2. Create your leaf zentangle

    Choose a leaf and doodle designs, images, and words on it with the metallic Sharpies.

    Use a Zentangle book for inspiration if you like or create your own repeating patterns and designs.

    drawing zentangles

    You can do different designs in each leaf section, or on each leaf half if you desire, or on the entire leaf.

    leaves with doodles

  3. Repeat with more leaves!

    Set your finished Zentangle leaf aside and start a new one.

    Continue tangling and doodling until your leaves run out and you feel the need to go outside to get more.

    leaf with swirl

  4. Preserve with Mod Podge (optional)

    If desired, add a coat of Mod Podge to the top of the Zentangle leaves.

    This brings back the vibrant color and also makes the leaves more supple. If you’re hoping to save the leaves year after year, you can add a coat to the back of the leaf, too.

zentangle leaves
Photo by Andrea Martelle

Ways to Use Your Beautiful New Zentangle Leaves

More Autumn Art Activities

Pin It for Later

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How to Make Zentangle Leaves with Sharpies How to Make Zentangle Leaves with Sharpies

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