I’ve always loved to color and draw. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. I find it very relaxing. It’s also fun to do when you are bored.
I am a doodler. I can draw, but all of my drawings look like doodles. I’m far from an artist. My co-worker is a true artist. Her work is amazing. I can only dream of being able to draw like her.
I tend to draw the same things over and over again. All of my doodles look the same.
I work with kids so it’s OK that I’m not a talented artist. To them I draw great. That is all I need to hear.
Here are some examples of my doodles.
I told you I’m not an artist. Not even close.
I’m proud of my Shrek and Donkey doodle. I cut Donkey out because I didn’t like how he looked, but I like how just the ears turned out. I’m also proud of my pencil drawing of a tree. I did that while “babysitting” about 20 kids in a computer lab, so my eyes were up and down the entire time (I had to watch them as much as possible).
When I was younger I would love to receive a brand new box of crayons (it always had to be Crayola’s 64-pack with the sharpener in the back), new markers, a doodle pad or two, new pencils and if possible, a book that showed you how to draw things.
I still have plenty of “how to draw” books, but sadly, all of my drawings come out as doodles, even when I follow the instructions. For that reason I’m going to just doodle and not worry about making something look like a fine piece of art.
If you are a doodler, or know someone who is, you might want to check out these two books that cater to the doodler. I was sent both books to review.
The Art of Doodle Words: Turn Your Everyday Doodles into Cute Hand Lettering
This book takes a fun and easy approach to lettering by combining it with doodling. The result? Adorable word-art that only requires a pen, paper, some basic techniques, and your imagination.
I work with middle schoolers. Believe it or not, they enjoy coloring. They are not really into coloring images of Winnie the Pooh or a jolly Santa Claus. They do, however, enjoy coloring in word art and inspirational art. I know several of them hang them up in their lockers.
This is an example of what type of art/coloring pages I am referring to.
I love how some people (artists) can take a simple work, like “Believe,” and turn it into a piece of art that can be colored and displayed.
I sometimes make posters for various things (volunteer, work…). Sure, I can just write or type of what I need to say, but it would be more fun, and grab more attention, if I can turn the words into fun artwork.
The book The Art of Doodle Words, shows you how to amp up your writing with many pages of inspiration that will make the ordinary extraordinary.
The book discusses the various tools you can use (pencil, fine tip marker…), as well as templates and basic techniques. It then goes on to show you many different examples of the type of lettering you can utilize to make the letters stand out. Here is an example,
This is referred to as “Ball-Jointed.” I actually used to do this back when I was in school – back when kids wrote actual paper notes and not text messages. I totally forgot about this until I saw it in the book. I wonder why I stopped doing this? I wouldn’t use it for all occasions (like filling out forms), but it would be fun to use when writing out holiday cards or notes to my family.
This book also touches upon “block lettering.” I still do that today when I am making posters and I want the letters/text to stand out.
In addition to offering you a variety of letter techniques, the book also provides you with many fun, artistic examples that you can use to transform the letters into something else. Here is an example.
The word is “Flamingo” and it’s decorated with Flamingo images to let a viewer know that it’s Flamingo (if that line makes any sense?). It’s obvious that the Flamingos form the “a” and “i” in the word. It really “jazzes” the word up.
Here is another example;
If you make a lot of posters or signs, or you enjoy being creative, this would be a fun book for you.
Kawaii Doodle Cuties: Sketching Super-Cute Stuff from around the World
In this book you go on a journey across the globe. Step-by-step instructions help you to turn sketches of the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, and more into sweet and friendly characters in the Kawaii style.
Are you familiar with the creative style known as Kawaii? It’s a Japanese “technique” (for lack of a better description) that turns ordinary things into something cute. I’m sure you’ve come across many examples of that in your travels. Normally the objects have large, round, black eyes and simple smiley faces.
Above are some examples.
In this book you will learn the background behind this fun style of doodling (it’s been around since the 1970’s!), as well as tools to help you with your doodling, tips, and more. In addition, the book will give you step-by-step directions on how to draw a variety of images, including a pretzel, volcano, panda, vintage car, and a house, just to name a few.
Most of the images in the book (the ones that you can create) are simple enough. There are a few that might be a bit more challenging, but I think that even the most novice artist should be able to re-create the images.
I keep this book at work so that I can practice doodling during “down time.” I even let the kids that I work with use the book (they often fight over it). I think it’s fun to see how different the same image turns out when drawn by different people. What I mean is, you and I can do the same doodle and they will come out looking slightly different, which I think it great. Those differences give them their “personalities.”
I don’t have any physical examples. The book is at work. The kids use it more than I do (I do have “down time,” but I still need to watch the kids). Most took to it easy enough. A few have had some problems here and there, but nothing major.
The book also has some “search and find” pages (along with the answers). I have printed them out for my kids to do at work. They love them! Not only do they enjoy finding the cute images, but they also LOVE to color them. I wish the author made a coloring book because my kids at work would go crazy for it. An example of what I mean is found at the bottom of this post.
If you, or someone you know, loves to doodle, or they enjoy making posters, these books would make a great gift.
I have linked to the books (above), so you know where you can purchase them. They are also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
What do you think about these books? Do you think they would make a great gift for you or someone you know?
Kimberly
*I received free copies in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.