Why do you doodle?
I think there are so many reasons we all draw, doodle, sketch, etc. It might be some connection to making crazy, colorful messes on paper when we were kids. Or it could be meditative, a helpful distraction from boredom. I don’t really know exactly why I draw, but I know it’s something I’ve done my entire life. I used to fill up all available space in the margins of my notes at school with weird drawings. My folders were also covered in band names and characters. I learned to draw from a young age by copying Marvel trading cards and images of my favorite cartoon characters. I think that DNA is still in the drawings I do today.
I’ll go long stretches without doodling very much in my sketchbook, and then I’ll come back to it very intensely, and draw nonstop for awhile. I do illustration full time, so drawing is a part of daily life. But there is something different about working freely in your sketchbook, without a specific brief. The time I spend drawing whatever I want almost always feeds back into my professional work in unexpected ways. Doodling in my sketchbook is the foundation of everything I do as an artist.
— Greg Kletsel
Related:
Questions + Drawn Answers with Greg Kletsel
July’s Guest Contributor: Greg Kletsel
This is part of a new and on-going (weekly) series where I’m inviting artists to share some recent sketchbook spreads and answer one question: Why do you doodle? It’s a simple ask, but I believe it can reveal a tremendous amount of insight into a habit so many of us creatives share. Please comment below and share your own thoughts on the topic. Be sure to follow these artists for more inspiration and check back next week for a new one in the series. — OKAT
