I try for different digital styles when I doodle. A designer might refer to that approach as “variations on a theme.” Personally, I think of it as visual adventure, since I just plunge in and let it take me where it will. The “Man with a Tea Kettle,” above, is one of my favorites. Below are tea-themed doodles from my archive, done at different times, accompanied by my thoughts on doing them.
This doodle came out like a line sketch in a coloring book, so I added pattern and color to enrich it. I rely on imagination, not a reference photo when I doodle. The result is not always accurate, but it’s always interesting.
This doodle started out as a random heap of circle, triangle, and square outlines. I filled in some of the overlaps, erased some, and added onto the heap with my Apple Pencil. As I played, I gave my iPad quarter turns—until I saw the wisp of a ceremonial figure appear in my imagination. Then I helped that figure emerge into “The Tea Ceremony.”
This is a bit of a hybrid doodle. When I made the red and white teapot, I followed the same process as the previous doodle. However, the image does not have the same disciplined geometric feeling because I surrounded the teapot with conventional drawing. I called it “The Picnic.”