Oodles of Doodles

I've doodled all my life: on corners of important papers, while I'm talking on the phone, when I am trying to think of something to write. I've doodle and sketched across Asia and Europe.

                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                  

Sketches from China and Amsterdam

Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, teachers and artists, have created a new, more focused doodling called Zentangles*. They have developed patterns to use and a system of doodling that incorporates mindfulness. Each stroke of the pen is followed by your eye: a great meditative practice.

For those of us who are long-time doodlers, following patterns and using their mindfulness practice is helpful, but  I have more fun creating my own patterns and just letting go to see where doodling will take me.

Sometimes doodles will turn into sketches that I think might be worked into something more finished, and sometimes not. They just stay on the page where I made them. I never thought that any of my doodling would be published, but a request for doodles came from Interweave Press last Spring, and I sent some examples in.

This is a piece I called "Letterform Lover's Nightmare," which will appear in the new book, Zen Doodle: Oodles of Doodles by Interweave (they publish Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.)

Look for the book at https://www.northlightshop.com/zen-doodle-oodles-of-doodles/?lid=BVcmmac110414 and then try some doodles! Show me what you doodle -- even the ones on your scratch pad or iPad.



*Also, check out Zentangles at https://www.zentangle.com/index.php for a different type of doodling.