Saturday 21 August 2010

How do you doodle?

Earlier this week, Chris Fothergill posted about his 'back-of-the-envelope' doodling and I promised that I would post my 'doodle' as soon as I found time. Well, the week went from bad to worse with the printer problems and other work stacking up, so I've taken a break from trying to stick to my self-imposed schedule in favour of doing something a bit less serious.

So here it is, the doodle I did on the front of an envelope while watching the 10 pm BBC News -

I'm sure that doodling is good for us and, unlike a lot of things, it's practically free, it's quick, it's legal and it's fun! So why not give it a go?

If you have a back-of-(or front of!)-an-envelope doodle, contact me through my profile, or through facebook, and I'll post it here on this blog. I'd love to see what you come up with!

8 comments:

UmmSuhayb said...

Mine are usually more abstract/ geometric for some reason. Usually it happens when I'm on the phone/put on hold, so it's almost my subconscious mind drawing things, as my conscious side is thinking about what I'm saying. Doubt if they're worthy of a publication!

Unknown said...

If doodling is more unconscious than sketching or has less of a goal of working towards a finished product, I don't do much of it anymore. Sometimes I'll doodle/sketch to come up will ideas, but I'm usually either drawing or I'm not. (when did I become such a stick in the mud?!) Maybe I shoud get back into it.
Judy, I couldn't find your doodle at first because I thought the lady on the phone and computer was a logo! I thought maybe it was someting that didn't translate to my computer in the middle but that's the address window! haha! great sketch/doodle! (now I don't know how to refer to them!) What a loose, lively style! it's lovely.

Judy Adamson said...

@Louise - maybe if you save any interesting envelopes you receive and keep them by the phone, your subconscious mind will surprise you one day and make something less abstract of it! I don't think you can force it though. That would be too much like hard work! But there's nothing wrong with 'abstract' so email me some when you get time.

@ Rod - I don't think what you've said makes you a 'stick-in-the-mud' but I do believe that if we can introduce a bit of playfulness into our 'work' sometimes, it may well turn out to be another, albeit indirect, route to achieving our goals. Do you think it could be that by removing that element of goal/destination consciousness, we can arrive at an even more exciting destination, almost by accident?

Judy Adamson said...

Rod - and everyone else! - I'm sorry the scan isn't very clear. I intended to go over my doodle with a pen to make it clearer but simply didn't find time!

Unknown said...

Judy, your picture's fine! I simply meant that it is soo nice that I thought it was part of the envelope to begin with!
You and Chris make an excellent point of trying to put an informal, fun element into a process that can easily seem drained of any enjoyment by work pressures. It's a great idea and I'm definitly going to try it!

Unknown said...

Judy, your picture's fine! I simply meant that it is soo nice that I thought it was part of the envelope to begin with!
You and Chris make an excellent point of trying to put an informal, fun element into a process that can easily seem drained of any enjoyment by work pressures. It's a great idea and I'm definitly going to try it!

Carole Barkett said...

I used to take messages at work, doodle all over them then have to redo them before I turned them in.

jeanlivingsimple said...

I doodle at work while waiting for call-in customers to make-up their minds on what they want to order. Now why do they call before making a decision on the order is a mystery to me.They often yell at others asking them what the heck they want. Ouch! You don't want to see my doodles.