This doodle is my first attempt at painting on watercolour paper
After my doodles at the beach, I stopped doodling almost completely. There were so many other things to do; reading, writing, school work, Christmas, that doodling got neglected. My drawing book and coloured pencils languished in my desk drawer, forgotten.
This doodle was coloured with pencils
But then Mum took up doodling.
From the very first, Mum's doodles outclassed mine. Simple circles and ovals turned into brightly coloured drawings. From the very first, Mum favoured painting as the method for colouring her doodles. Watercolour pencils, and watercolour paints filled her drawing book with colour. For someone who maintained she couldn't draw, Mum's pictures were beautiful.
I tried a blotchy, uneven background with this one
This spurred me on to bring out my own drawing things. Obviously I wouldn't try painting. Painting doodles was for those who knew how to use paint, not unartist people like me. So I stuck to coloured pencils.
But Mum's painting looked so much better than my pencils. Why was it that, no matter how hard I tried, my pencil coloured was never as smooth, nor as rich as her paints? There seemed to be something good to this painting idea. So I dug out an old set of paints and a floppy paintbrush and tried it myself.
I love the colours on this one. Paint again
My first efforts were well rewarded. How nice my doodles looked when they were painted! How smooth the colours were! How bright! I fell in love with painting doodles after the very first one I did.
Doodle followed doodle. My imagination took flight. So many doodling ideas flooded my head. I drew and drew and...ran out of pages in my book.For the first time ever I had finished an art book.
Pencils. The colours seem to have faded in the scanner
Doodling reigns supreme in my art world. I can't draw a portrait, paint a landscape, or even manage a simple cartoon. But I can doodle. And I can paint a doodle. I know my art form, and I am quite content with it.
Which do you like better, doodles coloured with pencils, or doodles coloured with paint? Do you doodle? What kind of art do you do?
Those doodles look as if Charlotte's fairies belong in them.
ReplyDeleteI love the bright colors and flowers. I have to say even though my favorite is the last one, I like the smoothness of paint better than the penciled-in colors.
I don't draw very well, or even doodle, but I got a portrait drawing book, "Draw Real People," from our library, and I think that I'm doing pretty well, though I haven't used color yet.
MAS
Those are beautiful, Imogen! I don't really have any artistic talent, no matter how hard I've tried. I should give something like that a shot, though, and see what happens. It could be helpful in keeping me awake and alert in class, too. :)
ReplyDeleteMAS, I really love the smoothness of the paint too. It's often hard to get the right shade of colour I want, but the end result is so worth it!
ReplyDeleteYou're drawing people? Wow, I can't draw people at all. They sort of resemble people, but not very much, not when you compare them to Charlotte's work.
Thank you Clare!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you could draw these. They's so easy that even I can manage them. the best part about them is it's supposed to be stylised, it never has to look real.
I actually draw these quite often during schoolwork, especially when Mum is reading to us, or we're watching some educational DVD.
I heard about someone who doodled in math classes to keep herself awake. Well, she doodled in lots of classes. Now she doodles for work. How lucky is she?
Doodling is such an interesting idea, I hadn't really looked at it like this before. And all of these are gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous. Keep it up, whether you use watercolors, pencils or both.
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Hi Imogen
ReplyDeleteWell recently I started doodling (after I saw this blog post actually)
But usually I draw birds, attempt to draw other animals, and also i draw portraits of people (from the shoulders up)- the portraits don't always work out, but I do have a couple of good ones!
Helena
These are beautiful Imogen, and a few days before you posted this I just bought myself some watercolor paints because I missed them from my childhood. Nothing as beautiful or productive as your paintings have come from my paint brush. But I like to doodle just about anything that comes to mind. :)Currently I am just blurring colors together into smears and smudges of happy colors. :) But these are truly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your beautiful art work!
Jessica
Sarah, I never thought of doodling as an art until my mum showed me an art doodling blog. I was hooked from the first day. Now I love to doodle, and often get my stuff out during school time when I'm listening to Mum reading, or we're watching a DVD.
ReplyDeleteHelena, I'm so glad you're trying doodling. I find it so much fun, and it's great to know that I've inspired someone else to try it too.
ReplyDeleteYou're better at art than I am, I'm sure. I can't draw animals to look like animals and I daren't even try faces. I'm sure that you'd be very good at doodling.
Jessica, I've been blurring colours too! I like having a mixed colour background for my doodles. Generally they end up cream mixed with blue or pink, but I'm hoping to try something more elaborate some time.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy my doodling. It's the one form of art that makes me happy.