Doodling is something that almost everyone does at one time or another. Whether it's in class or in a business meeting, on the phone or on the train, doodling is a natural reaction. For those who don't doodle often though it might seem like something mysterious or strange which needs interpreting. Fortunately doodling is easy; you just need to take a step back and let it flow for you.
What Is Doodling?
Before someone tries to learn how to doodle he or she needs to understand what doodling actually is. The word doodle comes from German, and referred to a person who was a fool, or who was simple in some way. The modern meaning of the word, referring to small drawings done idly while one thinks, came about in the 1930s and might be connected to the word dawdle for someone who's wasting time.
All of the history aside though, a doodle is nothing more than an unfocused or unconscious drawing, typically made while one's attention is supposed to be focused elsewhere. This is why doodles often show up in the margins of notebooks or on sticky notes at work; people who are tethered in place and stuck listening to a phone call, lecture, etc. will pick up a pen and begin to make small, unfocused drawings. These are doodles.
How to Doodle
There's no right or wrong way to doodle, much as there's no right or wrong way to draw in the first place. Doodlers can use the margins of a notebook or a pad of sticky note reminders just as easily as they can use a pristine white sketchbook. A doodler can use a number 2 pencil, a ballpoint pen, or really any other drawing implement that he or she desires. As long as you have a medium, it's possible to doodle.
When it comes time to start doodling it's important to let your mind wander and to focus on any creative idea it comes across. Perhaps you see a large letter A on your letterhead, and decide to draw vines encircling it like something out of an old book of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Maybe you decide to add roses to the vines, turning the A into a fully-fledged topiary. Perhaps you decide to put a castle on top of the pinnacle of the A. Maybe you draw the vines hanging down and swinging in an unseen breeze.
That "maybe" is the core of doodling. It's like word association, but with pictures. Whatever comes to the doodler's mind he or she can draw that. It can be as elaborate or as simple as the doodler wants, and there's no rules about how something has to make sense or not. Unlike a more traditional drawing, where someone will have a complete end product in mind, a doodle is just moving from one thing to another. It could be a spiral in the upper corner, bubble letters that become the foreground of a miniature forest, or just a little cartoon character that gives commentary on the rest of the notes taking up the page.
Doodles can be plain or elaborate as well. It might just be a simple, skeletal drawing of a tree, or it might turn into an amazingly detailed human skull. That's on fire. Surrounded by chains. Some doodles are monochrome, and others are filled in with full color. It all depends on what inspiration strikes you, and what materials you have available, which is why it's a good idea to carry a little bit of variety in your pens, pencils, and other doodle supplies. You never know what the next idea is going to be, or what color you're going to want to make it.
Doodles Can Be Anything You Want
It's important to remember that doodles are just little sketches that the doodler makes when boredom, inspiration, or a combination of the two strike and he or she happens to have a pen and a piece of paper handy. There's also no restrictions as to what a doodle can be of. It might be just filling in the white letters with wavy line patterns, making them look like they're made of Damascus steel. It might be a caricature of the person giving a speech as a bombastic talking head with a tiny body. There are no restrictions when it comes to doodling, and nothing is sacred.
What Are The Benefits of Doodling?
While it might seem like something silly done purely out of boredom, there are actually a surprising number of benefits that come with doodling. Doodling is, in many ways, like chewing gum; it allows one to remember what's going on and to free up the mind in order to think and to be creative. Whether it's during a business meeting or a psychology lecture doodling can actually help listeners retain more information than they otherwise would, according to scientists who have studied such things.
In addition to the memory benefits of doodling, it's a way to release the conscious focus to let the brain's creative juices flow. That's why if you're having trouble figuring out a problem it's a good idea to just doodle and see what comes to your mind. Often times the relaxation is similar to meditation; you think you're focused on the doodle, but your brain is really fitting together the puzzle before you to find an answer to the issue you're facing.
Lastly, doodling is great practice for those who want to master the skills to draw. Whether its doodling eyes and noses, complete faces, cars, cats, or any other kind of image, doodling will help develop the muscle memory to draw. Doodling allows artists, whether budding or professional, to get in the much-needed practice to hone their skills and to keep a razor's edge on their abilities. So while some people might view doodling as a waste of time or energy it's important to remember that it does have a purpose, and it can actually be quite helpful.