About Zen Kin®
Zen Kin® are whimsical characters with tangles for hair. They are drawn from the shoulders upward. They are whimsical but not cartoonish. They have displayed their DOB, or date of birth, on the drawings in the bottom right corner. Included is my chop, or initials. and I give each Zen Kin® a first and middle name surrounded by quotation marks. This is as if to say that if they were real and had a name this would be it. Finally, I write the words Zen Kin® on the front of the artwork. The purpose of drawing these and sharing these with others is not only the relaxation and joy that I get when drawing them, but the joy they bring to others when they see them. It is so important to me to spread joy in this world. I feel fortunate to be able to do that with my Zen Kin®.
After drawing my Zen Kin® and feeling the joy that comes as I draw them and then “meet” them at their completion, I decided I wanted to share that joy with whoever would find joy doing the same. I designed and shared the design of my Zen Kin® Cousins with thousands through videos and publications. When others draw my Zen Kin®, they become Zen Kin Cousins. I feel that we are all like cousins on this earth and there exist connections to others that are cousin-like even if they have not met yet. Sharing Zen Kin® Cousins has been joyous, and I hope to continue this endeavor.
In 2020, during the worldwide COVID pandemic, I conceived a project called Katrina’s Zen Kin® Cousins Project. I gave instructions on how to draw a Zen Kin® Cousin online and asked for participants to send a Zen Kin® Cousin drawn by them in their own space across the globe to my home. The project culminated in a wall of cousins that I had in my home. I wrote a book about the journey, and it includes the artwork of 720 artists from 31 different countries. The book is available on Amazon.com. I have had much feedback about this project, and I believe it was successful in its goal to spread joy and foster community during the time of isolation from a worldwide pandemic.
Other Zen Kin Styles
I have since created other Zen Kin® styles and presented them to the public.
Zen Kin® Kith
Zen Kin® Kith are my Zen Kin that are drawn in the style of Picasso, or in other words, they are not true representations of the human face. I ask the artist to draw the features in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. The guidelines are to make mistakes. A minimal color is added to these Kith, and they have few tangles for hair.
Zen Kin® Rellie
I also created the Zen Kin® Rellie. My definition of Rellie is a relative or relation, which also can mean cousin. They are characters that are drawn with only the basic strokes representing just one eye and the nose and mouth of the character. Again, there are very few tangles on the Rellie, and there is no color added.
Zen Kin® Flowers
I have designed Zen Kin® Flowers which are Zen Kin® represented from the shoulder upwards on top of a flower stem. They can be alone or in a field of flowers.
I have Zen Kin® Twins, Kids, and Triplets as well as Zen Kin® Pets.
Zen Kin® Pets
Zen Kin® Pets are pets with tangles that match the tangles of their Zen Kin® Cousin owner.
Zen Kin® Bijou Budz
Drawn on Zentangle® Bijou tiles
Optic Zen Kin®
With all these various Zen Kin® Cousins, Rellie, Flowers, and Pets, I have guidelines that are basically what I want the vibe to be. I allow artists to draw these characters and share them following the guideline of the following:
They are to be depicted from the shoulders upwards. They should not represent a particular person or character. They need to be labeled Zen Kin® Cousin, Zen Kin® Cousin Rellie, Zen Kin® Cousin Kith, Zen Kin Cousin Flowers, Zen Kin® Bijou Budz, Optic Zen Kin®, Zen Kin® Cousin Twins, Zen Kin® Cousin Triplets, Zen Kin® Cousin Kids and Zen Kin® Cousin Pets
I am the only one who can sell anything with the words Zen Kin® anywhere in the art. If a CZT teaches Zen Kin® in any fashion, it is to be a free class or a donation to a non-profit organization.
All Zen Kin® art should be free of any wording other than the name of the character. They should be without any depiction of violence and are drawn with the purpose of spreading joy.
I hope this brings you up to date on my passion for all things Zentangle and for my special Zen Kin® and family. I enjoy them so much and I hope that you have found them to spread joy to you.