This Doodle Halvesdownload comes to us from 11 year-old Emil de Graaf, an avid doodler, and his clever mom. To inspire her talented son to create, Emil’s mom cropped photos she found and challenged him to doodle-bomb* the missing half.
We discovered Emil’s excellent drawings on instagram and asked him if he would share them with our kidcandoodle community and we’re so happy he agreed!
For February, our drawing (and media) challenge is to doodle something silly every day. Take a look at the list below. Join in anytime. All ages welcome. Check back here to see our videos and doodles! Show us your drawings on instagram, facebook, and twitter with the tag #28days28drawings and #kidcandoodle and we’ll share your doodles too. Hope you’ll doodle with us.
28 Days 28 Drawings February Doodle Challenge
Day 1 : cats in hats
I’m challenging myself to try a different medium each time — you should too! Whenever possible, I think it’s important to experiment with different materials and play with them. Try each one out, get a feel for how they work, and see which ones you enjoy using. Keep learning!
This was done using China Marker, a grease pencil often used to mark up proofs by photographers. This waxy pencil writes on plastics, windows, and other surfaces. I like their rich, crayon-like color; it’s my favorite drawing implement and what I often use to create the artwork for kidcandoodle.
Day 2 : dancing dogs
This mint + pumpkin risograph print was made at Hato Press in London. The printshop offers a 2-color risograph printing workshop that is ideal for learning how the process works. It’s very similar to silk-screening, but done with the convenience of a photo-copier machine. It was such a fun experience — I want to do it again with Little Dude.
Day 3 : party animals
Double-duty: I added the blue to coordinate with the popular weekly Colour Collective twitter art prompt, “air force blue”. This was done with Prismacolor pencils, one of the best colored pencil brands. (My family gifted me a 72-color set for my birthday this year.)
Day 4 : sloths taking selfies
Biro or Bicballpoint pens are a drawing tool that I usually shy away from — I find them intimidating. I created these selfie-obsessed sloths using ballpoint, and then colored them in Photoshop.
Painting pillow-fighting pandas with Windsor & Newton Drawing ink seemed very appropriate, because the ink recalls Asian calligraphy, and pandas are native to China.
Day 7 : dinosaur detectives
It’s hard to draw a dinosaur detective without making it look goofy! My Dino Sherlock was drawn with a Pentel brush pen and then colored using a mini set of Filia oil crayons, which are portable, and great for on-the-go drawing kits. I also love the vintage-look packaging.
My son Dylan likes to draw digitally, using pixel apps such as 8bit Painter, and he’s been contributing several drawings for 28 Days 28 Drawings, like this one for penguin pirates. *proud mama*
Day 9 : rollerblading raccoons
Raccoons are just too cute to draw. This rollerblading rodent was sketched with graphite pencils. A basic set like Derwent should be included in every artist’s supplies.
Day 10 : giraffes in galoshes
Wouldn’t it be funny to see a giraffe in wellies? I thought so too! Oil pastels were used to doodle this rain-ready long-legged mammal.
Day 11 : space hogs
Uh-oh, it’s a swine in space! Drawn with stubby Stabilo Stifte crayons, a genius 3-in-1 tool that can be used as coloring pencil, watercolor, or wax crayon, too. They are nice and soft and the chunky size is fun for small hands to hold.
Day 12 : trees hugging
I wanted to make sure that not all the drawing prompts were of animals, but still include unexpected things, such as this couple of tree huggers. Created with a mix of Windsor & Newton drawing inks and colored pencils.
Day 13 : fruits in sunnies (sunglasses)
A fun medium to try is collage: it’s quick, experimental, and not too dependant on hand-eye coordination — perfect for this trio of sun-tanning tropical fruits. Also colored with China Marker pencil and Adobe Photoshop.
Day 14 : pika pool party
Pikas are such cute critters, resembling mice or hamsters. (You may not have realized that this Pokemon character was inspired by a pika.) I imagined they’d be fun-loving creatures who enjoy a good pool party. Also created using watercolor + colored pencils.
Day 15 : flying foxes
This prompt was intended to have a double meaning: flying foxes could be clever pilots or fruit-eating bats (like those found in my former home of Brisbane, Australia). Please interpret as you please. I suggest using Prismacolor pencils or gouache.
Day 16 : trucks eating tacos
I know this was a tricky one to draw, and it would be challenging to not make it look cartoony. I wanted to have a few prompts that weren’t animal subjects, and it’s a nod to my love of tacos and the many I’ve sampled from taco trucks in Austin and Brisbane, Australia, where we used to live. Drawn with China Marker pencil.
Day 17 : reading rockets
If rockets had a book club, what do you think they’d read? My bet is on science-fiction. This was another quick sketch using my go-to drawing implement: China Marker grease pencils.
Day 18 : aliens skiing
Aliens aren’t very good at skiing. Especially when they have three legs! These creatures are cut-up from magazines — a super resource for collage. Art recycling is re-creating AND re-using. Also doodled with Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens, another artist’s necessity.
Day 19 : flower painting
I purposefully left this prompt open to creative interpretation. I thought of Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers painting, as well as the act of painting flowers too. Flowers are a lovely source of inspiration for artists — beginner or advanced, alike — it’s no wonder they continue to be a popular subject. Created with Pentel brush pen and Faber-Castell pastel pencils. Pastel pencils are more blend-able than regular colored pencils, but they also smudge easily, so take care when using them.
Day 20 : skateboarding pigeon
Day 21 : surfing banana
Day 22 : squirrels wearing scarves
Day 23 : singing sea lions
Drawing with white and colored chalk pastel on black or dark paper is a terrific artist’s exercise to focus on lighting; it requires you to look at and draw only shadows and highlights. I cheated a bit here because I added the outline (I was being impatient), but ideally, you would try to fill out the figure by ONLY drawing the highlights, mid-tones or shadows. If the paper is dark, such as in this example, you would draw only the highlights and mid-tones, and leave the paper to be the shadows.
Day 24 : hula-hooping hippo
I animated Harriet the hula-hooping hippo, by making a simple gif in Photoshop.
*What’s a doodle bomb, you ask? Doodle bombing is when you draw over photos, magazines or newspapers. We have a Gallery Show Call for Entries called “Doodle Bomb,” and we hope to see yours!
Claudi’s doodles looked so fun, we thought that we needed to give it a go! We took some photos from our backyard, and created a doodle download for you to play along.
Click on the Field Notes image below to download. Print, then fold the page in half twice, to create a mini booklet of Field Notes doodles.
If you need more inspiration, please check out Claudi Kessels’ work here.
Please note that by downloading our Field Notes, you agree to ourTerms and Conditions.
Need to add to your doodle library? Here’s ten doodle books to keep you drawing and your imagination growing. These are not books that show you how to draw things in a specific way, but ones that help get your wheels spinning. Presenting:
by French illustrator Jochen Gerner (b small publishing) is terrific for younger artists, but stirs those creative juices, so it won’t bore older ones, and has enough activities to keep everyone amused!
I’m a big fan of Serge Bloch’s drawings — especially his work combining photos of real objects — and his new book, 3, 2, 1. . . Draw! (Wide Eyed Books) is sure to make you see things in a whole new way.
(Macmillan Children’s Books) This book is a great way to introduce budding artists to some of the best illustrators working today. It allows you to collaborate with your favorite artists (including Lorna Scobie) and demonstrates how they all doodle differently — each having their own personality and style.
Hirameki (Thames & Hudson), Japanese for “flash of inspiration,” is a clever book by artists Peng & Hu, who encourage you to doodle what you see out of paint splotches. Perfect for all ages.
A companion to Shackleton’s Journey (also by) William Grill, is brought by one of my favorite publishers, Flying Eye Books. William Grill’s brilliant illustrations make me want to draw with colored pencils.
Andrew Rae and Lisa Regan created this book, My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook(Laurence King), for all of us doodlers with fantastical ideas (and those who want to come up with fun inventions, too).
(Quarry Books) Can a doodle change your life? Author/illustrator Salli S Swindell (and I) think so! Doodling regularly helps your brain to think visually, observe details, focus, and become more creative. Doodle on!
This last one is not actually a book, but a lovely brainstorming box for budding designers who appreciate specially-packaged things. It includes a pack of illustrated cards that detail your “client’s” needs, and a pad for you to doodle your designs. There are three kits available here.
These lovely books are available at fine bookstores and museum bookshops.
WIN!
Win a set of the 10 imaginative doodle books above by showing us your doodle bomb by June 30, 2016. Click here for more details.
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days. Maybe it’s a silly holiday, but when I was growing up in the US, I loved giving and getting the little love notes from my classmates. In Australia (where we moved to) and in England (where we currently reside), it’s not really celebrated in schools, so you can’t buy those mini packaged valentines at the store. As a result, my sons and I have made it a tradition to make our own. Here’s a few examples of valentines we’ve made in the past.
Above from left: Little Dude putting stickers on the lolly cards; fairy cookies in stitched envelopes.
This year we’re doodling these candy cubes, and you can too. Just download this treat box template, decorate, cut out, fold and fill with candy to give to your sweeties. I recommend printing it out on heavier paper stock so that the box is strong enough to hold the goodies.
Click on the above preview to download.
Need more ideas? Here’s 90 more here and 30 more here.
Hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day!
Please note that by downloading our Valentine’s Day treat box, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
This year, I thought I’d challenge myself to doodle with a different medium each week. Some materials will be traditional drawing implements, such as markers or crayons, but others will be more experimental.
We’ve featured artists who have played with unusual ingredients: Claudi Kessels (nature), Javier Pérez (corn chips) or Justin Garnsworthy (plastic), so it’s not new, but it’s fun to try new things, mix it up, and see things in a different way.
For my first try, I happened to have many IKEA bits lying around (we just moved across the planet, from Australia to England), so here’s how I used them in my drawings:
I enjoyed doodling with the bits — they instantly add character and liven up drawings. I was less precious with technique and creating something realistic, especially because the screws tend to roll around, so it’s a bit more spontaneous and fresh.
Next time you draw, think of ways to add the pencils or eraser to your drawing. How about combining your toys to complement your art? Lego pieces or doll clothes would be great! Have fun and check back to see what we play with next week.
Introducing Doodle Battle, a game based on the popular Battleship we all grew up with as kids. This one was created by our resident artist Dylan, aka Little Dude, and inspired by one of his favorite books, Tom Gates.
This is Dylan’s sketch above. I’ve adapted it and created a download for you to play! Ask a friend to join you.
To Play
(for 2 players)
Doodle at least 5 characters in your grid game card, but no more than 10. Both players should have the same amount of characters on their cards.
Make sure to keep your game board positions hidden from your opponent.
Allow the younger player (Player 1) to go first, by calling out a letter and a number corresponding to a position on the game card. Player 1 marks that box on his/her own card with an X, to record that that box has been called.
Player 2 answers with “hit” or “miss”. If there was a successful “hit”, Player 2 should scribble out that box/character with a RED color.
The winner is the first person to “hit” all of his opponent’s characters.
Click here to download a grid game card to play. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite childhood game?
Please note that by downloading Doodle Battle, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
Hi Doodlers! I’m so happy to share a new printable with you! Believe it or not, this one was inspired by a dude who has been in the news much lately. You may have heard of him?
I thought it would be funny to draw animals with fancy hairstyles: like a cat with a mohawk, or a monkey with Pippi braids. So with the help of the internet, we’ve created Holy Hairdos! for your doodling pleasure.
Just click on the Holy Hairdos! cover image below for your FREE printable pages. Please note that by downloading, you agree to our terms.
There are two pages of clues, Actions and Animals. The object is to draw a picture using a clue from each page. You can choose the ones you want to draw or randomly pick from one of the two methods:
Drawing out of a Hat (option A)
Rolling a die or pair of dice (option B).
You will need (A) two hats or bowls or (B) a pair of dice to play.
(A) Cut out the clues, careful to keep the two sets separate. Put each set in a separate container, mixing them up before picking one from each hat or bowl. Draw a picture as the clues suggest.
(B) Set the two pages of clues in front of you. Let the die or dice choose what you draw. You can roll one die on each page and draw the set of clues based on what the die lands on, OR roll the dice twice, and take the numbers rolled and match them to the number listed on each clue, then draw your selected clues.
Note: To get a number 1 for (B), you will have to roll one die, but to get numbers 7-12, you will need to roll a pair of dice.
Your Feature with a Creature drawing is created by drawing one Action and adding an Animal to it. Possible combinations include ‘whales eating ice cream,’ or a ‘crocodile riding a unicycle,’ or a ‘giraffe going potty.’ Here’s a few doodles that you shared with us!
Click here to download the Doodle Halves pages for you to doodle-bomb*. Please note that by downloading, you agree to our terms.
