Saturday, July 6, 2013

DOODLE DAY JULY - DAY 6


Welcome to the Doodle Day July drawing challenge! Here at Doodle Day, participants from all over the world are getting inspired by the daily prompts and posting their doodles on the Facebook Group page. Not a member of Facebook? That's okay - share your doodles on your blog and post the link in the comments here or don't share them at all. Drawing is a very personal experience and this is a stress free doodle zone so you are not required to share your drawings with anyone. Enjoy the process.

Today's doodle prompt has been donated by Julie Rowan-Zoch and this one is full of emotion. Artist and writers are challenged to figure out how to show emotion with a few words or lines. This is often difficult (especially if you are not in the middle of that feeling at that moment). It's like an actor being told to cry on demand. Click below to go to Julie's blog and learn about the emotional doodle prompt of the day but don't let it get you down. We are all smiles over here.

 
Have fun!

Friday, July 5, 2013

DOODLE DAY JULY - DAY 5



Welcome to Doodle Day July - Day 5! I hope you all enjoyed doodling things that sparkle yesterday. If you are new to this challenge, I post a prompt each day and you create a quick doodle. Let your mind and arm go and create something related to the prompt. If the prompt doesn't inspire you, doodle something else that day. The important thing about this challenge is to take time each day to be creative (without the pressure of perfection).

Julie Rowan-Zoch has posted today's doodle prompt on her blog so go check it out, grab a pencil, and doodle.

 
Have fun!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

DOODLE DAY JULY - HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!


Welcome to DOODLE DAY JULY! Today is day 4 and that means that it is the 4th of July! Woo Hoo! Cue the fireworks!

If you are new to Doodle Day, this is a daily doodle challenge. It began May first and we had nearly 100 doodlers participating. We are back for July because it was soo much fun, we just didn't want to stop letting our pencils dance across our pages.

Each day, I post a prompt with some inspiring photos and/or drawing tips and participants can either use that prompt or doodle something else that flows from their pencil. A doodle is a drawing that does not take a lot of thought. It isn't perfect, it isn't meant to be added to a portfolio or submitted to an art director. This is a relaxing exercise in releasing creativity. Your doodle can take 10 seconds or up to an hour but if it takes longer than that, you are probably over thinking it. You are always welcome to turn your doodles into portfolio quality pieces but you certainly don't need to. Be inspired. Be creative. Have fun.

This month, a bunch of the fabulous doodlers who participated in the May challenge have volunteered to host a prompt or two. Today, we can thank Julie Rowan-Zoch for her fabulous prompt and without ruining her fun, I will send you to her BLOG so click and have fun!

CLICK HERE FOR THE
 
 

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

DOODLE DAY JULY - DAY 3

Welcome to Day 3 of the Doodle Day July challenge! This month, I have many guests writing posts and doodle prompts by doodlers from the May challenge. Today, our guest is Alayne Kay Christian.

Take it away, Alayne...

MANDALA-DOODLE

For this prompt, I use the word “mandala” loosely because my suggested mandala doodling is not true to the form of a “proper” mandala. According to my Webster’s, the definition for mandala is as follows:

Mandala: 1) a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe: specific: a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side. 2) a graphic and often symbolic pattern usu. In the form of a circle divided into four separate sections or bearing a multiple projection of an image.

The word “mandala” is Sanskrit for circle. Many cultures across the globe include the mandala as part of their religion as a way to tap into the soul or psyche.

In addition to the mandala’s spiritual or religious connection, it gained psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s attention early in life. He painted his first mandala in 1916. He called mandalas “a representation of the unconscious self.”

Today, mandalas are used in art therapy because they are considered a great source of healing and reflection or meditation. There are even mandala analysts who will interpret a person’s drawings – just a little tidbit for those who might be interested.

Remembering that this group is about DOODLING and NO PRESSURE, today’s prompt is about the freedom to instinctively use whatever materials, colors, and spontaneous expression that come to you.

There are a few ways to create your Mandala Doodle:

1. The core of mandala designs is the circle, so start with a circle. I like to trace the lid of a frying pan, but that is a large circle. I have used cups, bowls, even water bottles. Go for the size that you are in the mood to use for doodling. I have even drawn a very irregular circle freehand. I had nothing to trace, and I was in the mood to mandala-doodle, so I went for it freehand. You can find that one on my blog.

2. Let your feelings and instincts guide and inspire you through this creative process. The best way to do this is to mandala-doodle in a place that is distraction free. They say in art therapy that the finished mandala will represent and reflect who you were at the time of creation, only you will know if that is true for you.

3. I enjoy giving my mandala-doodles titles because when I am done, I always see something within it that I feel must be said. You might want to consider doing the same.

4. Remember, do what strikes you. As with all our doodling, this is about the experience (the actual creation of the mandala) not about the finished product.

You can find images of many beautiful “proper” mandalas on the Internet. A search will also bring up plenty of info on mandala art therapy and info on Carl Jung’s connection to and writings about mandalas. I offer some of my mandala-doodles below for examples. You can find more examples on my blog. You will see that some are very involved and others are very basic. It all has to do with what I was experiencing at the time I doodled. I even have one mandala where I was in a “rule breaking” mood, and I went way outside the circle with my doodle. I titled that one “Chaotic Freedom.”
BACK TO BASICS

EXPANDING CONTRAST

ONE EMAIL

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

WEB OF LOVE'S LIGHT
 
 
Enjoy the process!
Check out more of Alayne's Mandalas on her BLOG.
 
Thank you, Alayne, for today's post and for sharing your Mandalas. Now I'm off to doodle. I think I'll doodle two - a geometric design and an organic design.


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

DOODLE DAY JULY - DAY 2

Welcome to Doodle Day July - Day 2! So excited to have friends to doodle with again. I hope you are ready to have some fun. I spent the weekend in Chicago for a wedding and the ALA conference so in honor of the city, today's prompt is...

SKYLINE

Draw a skyline - it can be a city, country, the horizon along the water - any skyline you can see in your mind. Create a doodle and put that skyline on your paper or computer. Don't spend a lot of time - there's no need to follow the buildings of an actual city or mountain range. Let the skyline flow from your mind, through your arm, to the page.

I used to tell my students to create a line along the tops of the buildings - a jagged line zigging and sagging along the page. Then they dropped the verticals and turned each one into a separate buildings filled with Zentangles or windows or stripes. Your skyline does NOT have to be in perspective or have any depth to it. Try not to overthink it. Another way to approach it is to draw one building (or rectangle) on the page then draw another rectangle next it or slightly behind it - keep layering behind each rectangle. Add windows if you have time. Each rectangle can be a solid color or keep them all black. If you only have a minute or two - create the outlines of the buildings and leave them empty. These are meant to be quick, carefree.

Don't forget to join the Facebook Group (if you haven't already). There, you can post your doodles, check out other doodlers creations, give and get drawing tips, learn about software, post and see links to videos and websites for doodlers, and much more...

Here are some skylines for reference:














Have fun!

Monday, July 1, 2013

DOODLE DAY IS BACK!

The Doodle Day May challenge ended on May 31st but the group on Facebook has continued to grow and doodle! I received soo many requests through June to continue the challenge and the prompts that we are officially back on for the month of July! Woo Hoo!

If you are new to Doodle Day, join the Facebook Group and then check this blog each day to find out what the doodle prompt is. You never have to use it - it is there to inspire. There are people who are told "draw something" and then they stare at a blank page and panic. There is NO STRESS associated with this challenge so if the prompt inspires you to doodle something related (or unrelated) go with it. If you wake up and feel like doodling a chicken, do it. There are no requirements for this challenge. If you doodle something, anything - you have been successful. The idea is to allow yourself to be creative without worrying about perfection. If you are still at a loss, start drawing circles and see what they become. Write your name in funky letters. Your doodle does not have to BE anything either - swirly lines, zig zags, polka dots - whatever gets your arm moving is fine.

Doodle Supplies:
You can use a pencil, crayon, marker, pen, computer, paint, Hershey syrup,...or anything else to create your doodle.

What to doodle on?
Paper, post it note, computer, napkin, pancake,... whatever you want.

Now, grab your doodling instrument and get ready for today's prompt.

This challenge has been soo successful because of the amazing participants. Yes, there are professional illustrators and those who want to become professional illustrators, but there are also writers, teachers, parents, children as young as 4 years old, and friends who haven't drawn a thing since elementary school. In honor of you, we are starting with a doodle that I will join together to create this month's t-shirt/notebook/mug/print design.

Doodle the word DOODLE.

Anyway, any style, any direction, color or black and white.

Remember that this is a doodle and does not need to be "tight" - there are no art directors judging it. It can take you 10 seconds or it can take you an hour or anywhere in between but any longer is not a doodle - it's a masterpiece and you are probably over thinking it.

Whatever font or style you create is up to you. If you surround it with swirls, Zentangles, flowers,... that is totally up to you. Make it your own.

If you want your doodle to be included in the shirt design, (which will be a collage of the different doodles for this prompt), email me a jpg to Alison@AlisonHertz.com. I will shrink it or crop it to fit in with the design.

Oh! I almost forgot. This doodle prompt is a little longer than others. I will still post a new one each day this week but you have until Friday to send me a doodle of the word DOODLE. Post them on the Facebook Group page whenever you finish it. The sharing in that group is fantastic!

Have fun!