Doodle 14, Dark Grey Fine Tip Felt Pen

I doodle often.

Mostly on paper with a fine felt-tip marker or blue ballpoint pen. I like the way those tools feel gliding while I draw. Sometimes I doodle in my head. Although doodling in my head allows me to draw very fast and accurately, rearrange and erase, the medium is shallow and dissipates rapidly. And like most artists, I’ve also doodled on napkins, envelopes, tabletops, books… you get the idea. Doodling helps me think, helps me form a concept, and helps me become a better artist.

Doodling is a dichotomy…

With flowing forms that wander and bleed from the middle in all directions, doodling teaches manual discipline and exactness. I become better at knowing exactly where to begin, where to go, and when to finish.

The art of doodling has gone…

By the wayside. We often jump straight into designing using whatever space we have, whatever font is available, and whatever other limitations are set in front of us. That’s not to argue that subconsciously we haven’t already doodled something out in our heads. I have often laid out a magazine spread in a blink of an eye and done color studies on several pages of a website while staring into space. Doodling as a first step in production allows us to either confirm our flashes of genius so we can move forward with confidence. Doodling also gives us permission to crumble and toss without wasting so much time.

IncredibleDoodles is a gathering place of all kinds of art and different processes that lead to art. Tucked away in sketching pads, book covers, behind mats and frames, you’ll find sketches, studies, and doodles.