What to Doodle? Where to Start?

When I was teaching, students would often come up to me and ask me to draw them something. They figured that since I drew some things well, I could draw anything well. That thinking couldn't be farther from the truth. I only draw what I can draw well. I stay far away from anything that has to resemble real life. I'm horrible at drawing people and animals. I'm sure I could get better if I practiced, but to tell you the truth, I'm not really interested. I enjoy doodling, so that's what I do.

If you're wondering what to doodle, the answer is simple...Doodle what you know. Let me give you an example. For one of the projects at our school the students needed to draw a western scene. So many of the kids started by trying to draw a horse. Many of them would get frustrated and not want to do the project any more. Some would come up to me and ask me to draw them a horse. I would explain to them that I couldn't draw a horse and that they should choose something else, something they felt comfortable drawing. For some reason, kids think that the only western thing to draw is a horse, so I gave them more ideas: cactus, dessert, cowboys, cowboy hats, spurs, snakes, etc. I told them to pick something from the list we made that they could draw and base the picture of of that. I showed them how cool a drawing of a cactus could look. That got their minds moving and they were able to complete the project without too much more complaining.

Draw what you know. I follow this rule when it comes to my own doodles. If you look carefully at my coloring pages, I use the same designs and shapes over and over, just in different ways each time. I stick with what I can draw, because that's enjoyable to me. If all you can draw is a triangle and square, don't feel like you are stuck. You know how many ways a triangle and square can be drawn? It's amazing to see how many different patterns and designs come out of a couple different shapes.

What to doodle? It's simple, Doodle what you know.

Return from What to Doodle to Doodle Art Alley homepage