Doodle It!

"A drawing is simply a line going for a walk." -Paul Klee

What is a Doodle?

Doodling is a great way to start to develop your own style and original imagery. Again, the great thing about doodling is that there are really no rules and no "right way". Our goal is to really create images that are original and in our own style.

The good ol’ Wikipedia says that:

“A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes.

Stereotypical examples of doodling are found in school notebooks, often in the margins, drawn by students daydreaming or losing interest during class. Other common examples of doodling are produced during long telephone conversations if a pen and paper are available.

Popular kinds of doodles include cartoon versions of teachers or companions in a school, famous TV or comic characters, invented fictional beings, landscapes, geometric shapes and patterns, textures, banners with legends, and animations made by drawing a scene sequence in various pages of a book or notebook.”

Doodle Appreciation

Google Doodles

25 Most Creative Doodles on the Web

What can Doodles Do?

Sunni Brown has written many books and is an expert in the usefulness of doodles to AID understanding and attention. This, of course, may contradict many teacher's opinion about doodling. What are some attitudes towards doodling that you have experienced in the past? Sunni Brown's talk on TED "Doodlers, Unite!" can be viewed here.

*Can aid memory and focus

*Helps you deal with stress, nervousness and boredom

*Everyone can doodle

*Doodles can reveal a lot about a person. Just as the choice of clothes, hairstyles, or home decor tells us something about a person's personality, our drawings can do the same thing

*Unlock creative juices

*Help develop own original style

*Simple Doodles can become awesome works of art!

Rules of Doodling

1. You can do anything

2. You don’t need to know your end result.

3. Let the doodle create itself

4. Doodle what you know.

5. You need only the confidence and motivation to start.

6. There really are no rules!

How To Doodle In Class

Figure out which class(es) you find most boring. You can even doodle during the entire school day if you're lucky.

Find a school notebook that is fairly empty. A few class notes from previous classes in the front works best. It makes it more believable that you weren't doodling.

Appear organized and ready to learn. Don't overdo this if you usually space out or are the "average" student, it'll make your teacher suspicious. When you arrive at your desk (preferably one near the back of the classroom), open your notebook to a clean page and have your pencil/pen in hand as if you are ready to take notes.

Participate at first. Answer a few questions or add on to the lecture the teacher's giving. Appear attentive for the first five minutes, then take your pencil and move slowly towards the clean page. Doodle, but don't overdo it. Every few minutes or however often you would like look up and nod as though you are understanding the lesson or let your eyes widen as though you were realizing that "that is how it worked". Then look down, pretend you are taking detailed notes, and continue.

Sit far away from the troublemakers or class clowns. The teacher is usually more focused on keeping an eye on them, and you do NOT want him/her to watch you so closely. You may want to get them to do something during class (if they don't already do things like throwing pencils at each other) and wait. The teacher will notice and maybe move the kids, but you'll be safe as you are far away from the direction of the teacher's attentive eyes. Experiment a bit. Try sitting close to your friends and doodle during class or sitting next to a complete stranger and doodle.

Doodle things you like, for example, your favourite cartoon character, Videogame character, etc. This may seem sad but it's actually quite fun if you're young at heart.

Doodle Personality Test

Doodle Personality Test Instructions

1. Pass out a plain sheet of paper and pencil/pen to each person.

2. Ask them each to draw a Pig. Don’t give any other details. No specifics. Just draw a Pig.

3. After everyone has finished their drawing, read through the following interpretations so they can find out a little more about themselves from their drawing.

4. Have a good laugh.

Doodle Personality Test - Pig Interpretation

If the pig is drawn:

Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic.

Toward the middle, you are a realist.

Toward the bottom, you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.

Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates. (birthdays, etc.)

Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don't have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates.

Facing front (looking at you), you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.

With few details, you are emotional and naive, you care little for details and are a risk-taker.

With less than 4 legs showing, you are insecure or are living through a period of major change.

With 4 legs showing, you are secure, stubborn, and stick to your ideals.

The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are. The bigger the better.

The length of the tail indicates the quality of your love life!

Doodle Prompts & Exercises

Instructional Modern Art

Follow the instructions and be amazed at the endless possible art work that can be created.Example Instructions (Feel Free to create your own!)

1. Using straight lines, separate a blank sheet of paper into 4 sections.

2. In one section, draw 3 shapes.

3. Create a border decoration for one of the sections.

4. Draw a circle in an empty section.

5. Choose a different section and draw another circle.

6. Connect these 2 circles by a set of parallel lines.

7. Make 6 dots anywhere on the paper and connect them with wavy lines.

8. Draw one shape, 3 different times, in 3 different sizes.

9. Draw triangles in 2 corners of your paper.

10. Initial in one of the triangles.

11. Color in as you wish

Doodle Prompts

1. What’s in your bag? Doodle the items in your purse, back pack or laptop bag.

2. Are you a biker? Draw your perfect bike and accessories. Where is your favourite place to ride your bike? Draw that as your background!

3. There’s an app for that! Draw your “dream” iphone. What apps do you wish existed? What would those icons look like? What do you wish they would do?

4. Draw your favourite store and some of your wish list items from that store.

5. Draw your TV set up and draw what is usually on your TV.

6. What are you most excited about for this weekend?!? Is it relaxing? Is it cleaning? Is it a party?

7. What chore do you hate doing? What chore do you not mind?

8. Is there a (good) moment in your life where you can point to and say “My life changed at that moment!”? Doodle the scene.

9. If you could own any exotic animal, which animal would you own?

10. What is one thing you want to change about yourself?

11. Write a letter to yourself in the future- what are you loving RIGHT now in this moment? Doodle that or convey it in a letter.

12. Complete this thought… “My greatest wish is….” Doodle it with pictures or creative font.

13. Where would you LOVE to travel to? Doodle something that represents that place/city.

14. Draw a picture of the sun. Be creative with it. What does SUNLIGHT mean to you? Doodle it!

15. Pick your favourite shape. Fill your page with only that shape.

16. Grab your favourite photo or a photo you like from a magazine. Try to replicate it in drawings…. Don’t worry about how “accurate” it looks. Try to recreate the scene and the feelings in the photo.

17. Draw your own Zentangle. http://www.zentangle.com/index.php

18. Do a scribble experiment. Draw lines around your paper and then fill in the holes with designs.

19. Doodle your “to do” list. Make it more interesting with drawings around the edges.

20. Doodle your favourite quote. Use an interesting font.

21. Draw a picture of your dream house.

22. Doodle your name in cool letters.

23. Draw your favourite outfit or the outfit you wore today.

24. If you were a superhero, what would your power be? What would your outfit look like?

25. Draw three objects near you.

26. Draw a self-portrait or objects that represent you.

Doodle Interpretation

What Doodles Really Say about you?

Doodle Colouring Book

Each student will create SIX full page doodles. FIVE will be inspired by the list of "Doodle Prompts" listed above. One will be of your own choosing. Each student will submit his/her own favourite doodle to submit for our class Doodle Colouring Book. Before you submit your doodle, you will reflect upon the meaning and process of your doodle.