Doodles

Some people would call my little drawings or pocket studies doodles. I would not. Those are specific renderings of something I am looking at and trying to recreate with graphite and ink. A doodle is a wholly different beast. A random wild ride that may end up somewhere or may not, but that is what makes the process so fun and relaxing. I often end up repurposing my doodles for something else, but the initial process is paper and pen or pencil and a ride through the mood of the moment. Sometimes, I will decide ahead of time the type of doodle I am doing and set out to do it. It really depends on where I am and what is going on. The whole reason something is called a doodle, in my mind, is that it is spontaneous and not planned, even if you are grabbing a pen and notebook first. I do a fair amount of letter doodling, as well, if I am waiting someplace or in a meeting. Mandala doodles are very meditative. The repetitive formation of the thing is very relaxing as it emerges usually quite organically. Floral doodles are typically more deliberate as I am trying to work out a floral design idea. Marker doodles are random things I do when I have markers and construction paper handy. It is always interesting trying to decide how to fill up the paper without actually filling it up. The gestural doodles I seem to favor when I am stressed or nervous. I do a gestural drawing like scribble and add in from there; I usually start to fill in the spaces randomly with more doodles, designs or colors. These do not relax me as much as the mandala doodles, but I always feel like I have gotten something done after that fact, which seems odd for a doodle, but there it is. Hybrid doodles occur when I want to do more than just a doodle, so I do 2 types of doodle and add some splatters or watercolor – it’s a doodle dressing up as something else.

Mandalas

Florals

Marker Doodles

Gestural Doodles

Hybrid Doodles