Usually I start out with a very unstructured approach to achieve a structured doodle. I do a “carving process,” after I have piled a lot of random shapes or outlines together in a heap on my screen. I fill in things and erase things– before I know where I am going. I randomly keep some things or discard them. Then, a ways into this process, a possible identity presents itself and I follow my intuition as to how far to take it to a finish. Then I clean up edges until it is presentable.
This process usually ends with a geometric feel as in the above confident striding dog, which reminds me of a drill sergeant on patrol. Naming or surmising the character of a given doodle is part of the fun. It’s meeting a new identity every time the process is indulged—which happens often, since an audio book is usually playing in the background–multi-tasking at its best!
I have a strong design background, and might have gone about the above doodle with a carefully planned process, using grids and rulers, but as a doodler, I have discovered design guidelines can work from the inside-out, as well as the outside-in. So my doodles spring from a different process than is typical of something “disciplined.”
Now, I’m going to contradict myself somewhat and show you a style of my doodles that is totally unstructured. One in which I do not take it through the refining process mentioned above. This is “Blue Rat.” As I worked, I reached far into my innocent, childhood exploring mode. It’s a lot like “squirting shapes.” I knew what I wanted to do and just begin “squirting” shapes with my stylus, while holding “rat” in mind. I put aside any thought of alignment or balance. I kept all parts. It was quick, and I enjoyed the immediacy of the process. I did a little cleanup, but not much. Like the dog above, the rat is running, but its a totally different way to capture movement. I think of this process as “blob doodles.”