(11-15-2010) Issue #003

All artwork, images, graphics and article content courtesy of Chet Spiewak (Author/Artist)

Master of the Doodle

Master of the doodle?...What's the meaning of this??.. Is it some sort of secret art technique??... NO.. is the answer. The term doodling is referred to as sketching. It has been around since the beginning of time when prehistoric man sketched figures of hunted animals in the sand with his spear. Today, everyone doodles- some do out of boredom, some for planning and while others doodle ideas to start the design process. The only difference is some of the sketches are better at it then others-Why?----because they have mastered making sense out of their doodles.

Sketching out ideas
The first step in designing is rendering your thoughts into visual sketches that can be shared with others or maybe later on, reworked the drawings with more detailed. These doodles/sketches are simplistic--- they stress the important details and characteristics of your vision. They also act as the starting point for your designs. Some great examples where doodling helps is creating characters, design props, rendering vehicles, new story ideas, minute details, and world visualization.

 

(INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC) Random Doodles of SPACE ALIENS

 

Doodling with a purpose...
Doodling has a purpose-- usually it is to visualize your thoughts for further development. Making random sketches based on ideas is always a greet way to start the design process. These quick sketches/ideas can be enhanced, refined and developed, creating the production ready artwork. Some of the best cartoon characters ever created started with a series of random sketches. A good practice when doodling is the use of footnotes to highlight artwork. These footnotes will help with details and are great for when the artist decides to enhance the sketches at a later time.

(INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC) Doodles of SPACE ALIENS ENHANCED

 

 

Doodling Do's and Don'ts.....
Do's
Do let you pen/pencil flow on paper
Do use footnotes and descriptions on details.
Do sketch storylines and story scenarios
Do enhance and develop your doodles at a later time
Do illustrate characters props and worlds
Do learn how sketch action and mood with a quick wave of a pencil or pen
Don'ts
Don't get caught doodling when you shouldn't be- can lead tensions, insults and detentions.
Don't worry about paper type or media-- Sometimes the best sketches can come at odd times.
Don't spend too much time making the initial sketch perfect - because it can side track your vision.
Don't doodle on yourself--- because it can lead to a tattoo obsession..

 

Making sense of your doodles by applying a sense direction to your artwork It is an important doodling trait to aid in the brainstorming process!