You wanna make some art?
Good.
Humans have been making art since the dawn of time, a cave wall and some cave person paint made from plants and goop, and that art was all over the walls before you could say sabre tooth tiger!
It is part of who we are, but I think over the years , gatekeepers of taste and trend and “this is the only way” have popped up and built so many barriers. These barriers get in the way of us having a go and splurging out the cool stuff, that we want to say and set free from our minds.
But the good news is, this shiz is in our DNA .
It’s happening.
But what do you make art with , when there’s so many materials and techniques and weird fancy stuff to use. Where do you start?
What if you spend loads of money on art stuff and it sits in your cupboard judging you for the next 6 months, cos simply put, you’ve overwhelmed yourself .
This is where the simple act of doodling, is your creative best friend.
You don’t need a special room and every art material ever, to make some art and get pleasure from the process.
This is why doodling, drawing, whatever you want to call it, is in my opinion the best creative activity out there- simply because, it doesn’t require a tonne of kit, expensive lessons and hours of your time.
You don’t need loads of skills, and “talent", you can get cracking on the back of an envelope and have a go.
(These days I’m starting to think that making anything from your mind with your hands is becoming a revolutionary act.)
Just having a go will have plenty of good effects- get you into flow, help you unplug for a bit, process problems and work through ideas.
And yes, the more you draw and doodle stuff the better you get - it’s a muscle memory thing.
“BUT AMY ,I WANNA MAKE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS COOL NOW, WHAT IF I WANT TO MAKE A BIRTHDAY CARD FOR SOMEONE OR DOODLE SOMETHING TO LOOK BACK ON.”
Yes, I hear you ! It’s frustrating, especially when what your doodle doesn’t quite turn out how you expect and sometimes it’s good to sit with that ( that’s part of the magic) but other times there are a few simple things you can do to add a bit of snazz to your final results and make you feel like “oooh that’s actually ok.”
I’m talking about materials.
Choosing a couple of nice materials can make your overall result look nicer even if you have drawn the cat and made it look a bit weird.
(For the record I am here for your weird cat doodles- every doodle is magic in my opinion.)
Here are 4 easy things you can try to feel a bit more love when you are dipping your toe into doodle world.
1- Waterproof Pens- Get some black pens that are waterproof. Doodling something and then colouring it in ,only for it to become a big smudged mess is devastating, especially if you spent a bit of time on it. This fixes that.
2- Different Nib Sizes - Quite simply it’s hard to draw smaller details with a massive black marker pen - so maybe get three different widths. No, you don’t need a set of 20 different thicknesses, just get a handful and it will give you some choice. These smaller ones are also quite nice for writing notes in your sketchbook or visual diary etc, it has a nice smooth look. Plus they feel nice to use. Laying down ink on paper is a gorgeous sensory experience, swish swish.
3- Paper- If you’re going to keep a sketchbook for the first time or a nice multi purpose notebook with blank pages- get one with nice paper in. When I say nice I mean a decent thickness, that doesn’t bleed or go through to the next page. Having a decent paper canvas for your scribbles makes all the difference. Like it or not inks and paints do look different on decent paper. This is a quick way to upgrade your final results.
4- Colour - Try a tiny pocket size set of watercolours or some watercolour pens, these little beauties behave well on nice paper and can add a much needed splash of colour to your scribbling. I’m always sloshing about with messier materials like ink or paint or charcoal but I think sometimes, something with minimal mess and fecking about can upgrade your results and make you keener to get your pens out and have a go.
Making art doesn’t have to involve easels and and turpentine and berets ( unless you want it to)
Like anything a few simple tweaks can make the experience more enjoyable, fun and leave you wanting to repeat it again.
This is a process I come back to again and again and I have begun to realise works with everything else in life. WAIT WHATTTTTTTTTTT!!!!
✏️Doodle Challenge - with a PRIZE!!!!
I have a copy of Sarah Townsends award winning and fantastic book - “The Little Book Of Confusables” to give away to one lucky subscriber. Check out the book here- https://www.sarahtownsendeditorial.co.uk/the-little-book-of-confusables/
I have been loving this handy little book, whilst I’m not a writer, I do use words a lot so having this on my desk is AWESOME.
How to enter -
Doodle me something nice from your day or week or month or year it can be big or small. It doesn’t have to be perfect, BUT don’t spend more than 10 minutes on it.
Take a quick photo and either email it back to me here or DM it to me over on Linked IN and your name will go in the draw.
CLOSING DATE: 1st JULY and winner will be contacted via email and shared in next months newsletter and on social media. I’ll even throw in a couple of my postcards so pick up a pen and as we do every month……….
🫖Grab a brew
⏰ Set a timer
✏️ Get doodling
I can’t wait to see your doodles and as ever thank you so much for hanging out with me here!
Big Doodle Love,
Amy xx
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✏️Sketchbook Snippet - this months is UP TOP as I wanted to show you a bit of playtime with my new watercolour pens. Like all of us I can definitely get stuck in a rut and feel, like everything I make looks a bit mehhhh. Much like getting a jaunty new hat or a fabulous new pair of strides, changing it up with your art materials can make your results feel a bit zingier and get those creative juices flowing!
I want to wear a beret now! 🇫🇷 🖼️🎨🖌️🤣
That was just the little prompt I need to do a little sketch today!