Exercise 3:5 Free Association

The Art of doodling.
I honestly miss doodling, do not get me wrong I do still doodle, but, what I’m talking about is the long mindless doodles that I would do in class at school, or meeting at work, normally on lined paper with limited space.

Not long ago I got a book called “Sketching from the Imagination, An insight into creative Drawing” By 3dtotalpublishing.
Which covers the sketchbook work of many brilliant Artist and Illustrators such as Mattias Adolfsson whom sketchbook doodles has already appealed to me in one of the research tasks.
In this book a lot talk about doodling, from remembering their early years spent doodling to getting starting in their sketchbook by doodling.

If I start with a random shape or a line however, and let my subconscious fill in the rest, the process is much less tedious and more challenging and fun.

Rustam Hasanov – Sketching from the imagination, An insight into creative drawing. 3dtotalPublishing. 2013.

I folded A4 printer paper in half, so would be able to create a small “booklet” of my doodles.
Whenever I was “busy” watching telly, waiting for someone, listening to music I would try to doodle.

At first I tended to do a lot of “repeat things” items or sketches that I’ve drawn.

I spotted I did a lot of gestures and movement in stick figures.

A couple of my doodled turned into page of a “finished” doodle, but seem to like patterns and “leaves”.

Many was inspired by things and shapes I saw on telly or the flow of the music.

After I finished my little Doodle booklet. I took to my sketchbook, as well as including a couple of doodle pages.
I took a few of my doodles and developed them into more finished illustrations (as below)

I took the one idea I liked the most (above) and turned into a illustration by scanning my sketchbook pages and fixing in photoshop. (below)

More “doodle” pages – Main sketchbook

Last ending paper (above) – included ending doodle sketch and an insert to keep my doodle booklet.

I really enjoyed this exercise, being able to get myself back into the mindset to randomly doodle again. It is good just to let yourself go, and be so free with a pen/marker.

I could take so much and use in new ways my doodles.