Enjoying the many types of doodle art.

I do enjoy a good doodle. Always have. No doubt always will.

I doodled a lot as a child (often on things that I wasn’t really supposed to be doodling on), and still enjoy it as a way to relax.

Here are some of my favourite doodles, I hope they inspire you to do some of your own.

TTFlowerDoodle
I started by writing the word “flower” then just doodled around it. The biggest problem was knowing when to stop! The thicker outlines were drawn with a black Sharpy pen and the thinner ones with a Micron Uniball.

Over the last few years there has been a lot of interest in doodle art, in particular with the introduction of the version trademarked as Zentangle.

TTZentangleBooks
Official Zentangle Books – lots of ideas for “tangles”

I have quite a few Zentangle books, and have been very inspired by the beautiful patterns. I like to use my favourites and combine them with my own to create “make it up as you go along” designs.

TTZentangleBook1
One of my favourite Zentangle books. Click the image to read my review of this book.

I love creating ATCs – Artist Trading Cards, which are small pieces of artwork. Click this link for more information about Artist Trading Cards – Introduction to Artist Trading Cards.

TTATCBirds.
Two more ATCs. Here I have used bird stamps by Woodware and doodled inside the designs

Doodle art can be incorporated into all sorts of different crafts.

TTBlackwork
I made this sampler, from a kit, in 1997. It is a form of embroidery called blackwork and dates back to Elizabethan times. Sort of doodling with threads.

Sometimes the doodling is the background and the main feature of the piece is actually a blank space. This works very well for Zentangle-inspired art pieces.  This technique is very easy to do, but looks dramatic and unusual.

ElgyfuZenCat2
For this ATC I first drew the outline of the cat, then doodled all around it with a fine black pen. This was part of a series of 4 cards, each with a different cat silhouette in the middle.

You can start the doodle off with an image. Printed, stamped, die cut or collage pieces – there are many options for this.

TTFaceTangle
# For this ATC I used one of the Tin Teddy 1″ Photo Faces as a starting point, then added the tangled “arms” around.

There are many styles of doodling. I rather enjoy the “kawaii” style that is based on Japanese and Korean characters. These are very simple to draw but look cute.

TTFunDoodle
Another ATC. This time I wrote the word “Fun” in pencil, then used a black Sharpy pen to draw random little characters all around it. Some overlap the word to make it look more like part of the image.

You can include doodle art in journals, card making, scrapbooks and more. It is such a versatile art form.

TTSingingBird
This is a page from one of my art journals. I drew the tree freehand, divided it up then filled it with Zentangle designs from my books. The background is stencil in acrylics and the birds are from rubber stamps.

Combine Zentangle type designs with your own artwork to create original pieces that have extra impact.

TTZentangleMumGirl
Another ATC. I sketched the mother and child in pencil, then inked over the lines. I coloured the people with pencils and filled the background with assorted Zentangle type patterns.

Start your creativity with a simple stamped or sketched design and just start doodling. Don’t worry too much about what goes where…just let the dots, lines and squiggles flow from your pen how they will.

TTDayofDeadZentangle
For this ATC on yellow card, I started with a rubber stamp of a skull. I then doodled around it for a “Day of the Dead” themed result.

 

Here are links to my reviews of two of my personal favourite books of Zentangle patterns. These books are great value and have loads of inspiring designs you can use (and adapt) for your own creations.

The Great Zentangle Book by Beate Winkler

One Zentangle a Day by Beckah Krahula

Just Doodle – creating doodle art for fun and relaxation – Zentangle and beyond
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