How to (Actually) Doodle: Weekly Project #2 with Brooks Chambers

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“Um… I already Know How to Doodle.”

Doodling is by no means a mystical art. It comes naturally to most of us and fills in spare moments whenever they pop up. Odds are, you don’t need someone to teach you how to doodle, but it might be time to remind ourselves what doodling isn’t.

The word “doodle” gets thrown around a lot. Most of the time, it seems like people are referring to a small drawing. In Google’s case, they’re referring to some pretty intricate and thoughtful creations that are shown to billions of people every day. Far be it from us to play Word Police, but it’s worth noting that many of these drawings & designs aren’t truly doodles.

How to (Actually) Doodle: Weekly Project #2 with Brooks Chambers

Time to Complete:
10-15 Minutes
Materials Needed:
Paper and a pen, pencil, or any other drawing tool you have on hand.How to (Actually) Doodle: Weekly Project #2 with Brooks Chambers
Instructions:
Make sure you have your materials with you the next time you’re heading into a meeting, lecture, or timeshare sales presentation. You can also try putting on a podcast or audiobook. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you actually want or need to pay attention to. Let your mind focus on what you’re listening to, then start doodling. Don’t give a thought to what you’re going to draw (that would defeat the purpose). Just put your pen to paper, and start moving it around. It might end up being a picture, but it might end up being a pattern or a kinda sorta random collection of shapes.
Follow-through:
In a separate session, take one of your doodles and use it as the foundation of a new piece. If your doodle is a fairly coherent drawing, this could mean importing it into Illustrator and fully coloring it. If your doodle was more unruly – say, a collection of disparate shapes, you could use their outlines to create a new picture that you didn’t see before. This approach is similar to the Scribbles & Shapes project from 28 to Make.

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Brooks Chambers is an excitable design advocate and writer at CreativeLive. He loves people and the stuff they make.