How to Doodle

Co-authored by Rebecca Schweiger

Last Updated: September 15, 2024 Fact Checked

Doodling is not only a great way to pass the time during a boring class, but it can help you improve your artistic skills and find your passion. As long as you relax and let your hand do the thinking, you'll be on your way to having original, funny, or even gorgeous doodles. If you want to know how to doodle, just follow these steps.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Learning the Basics of Doodling

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1
Have the right tools. If you want to be a master doodler, then you should be prepared to doodle wherever you go. Inspiration -- or boredom -- can strike at any moment, not just in your third-period history class, so you should always be prepared to start doodling. You should always carry a notebook around, along with a few tools. You can begin with a few basic tools and use more artistic tools as your doodling skills improve. Here are some great tools to doodle with:^{[1]
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- Simple supplies:
  - Pencil
  - Ink Pen
  - Highlighter
  - Marker
  - Ballpoint pen
- Artist supplies:
  - Charcoal
  - Chalk
  - Coloured Pencils
  - Paint
  - Pastels
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Get inspired. As soon as you feel the urge to doodle, just put your pen to the paper and get started. Whether you're thinking of an act, an event, a feeling, a person, a place, a song, or even your own name, you should just put your pen to the paper and start drawing to see what you come up with. When the urge to doodle strikes, don't ignore it (unless it's not appropriate for you to doodle), or the feeling may pass.^{[2]
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- You'll find that you can also become inspired after you begin to doodle. You don't have to wait for the feeling that tells you to doodle -- you can just start doodling and feel the inspiration seep into your pores.
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Associate freely. You don't have to stick to doodling just flowers, puppies, or your own last name. You can start by doodling a garden of flowers, then think of your best friend Mary Flowers and start drawing her pet poodle, Pork Chop, who makes you think of the delicious pork chop dinner you had last night...just start with one image and keep drawing whatever pops into your head.^{[3]
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- You don't have to stick to one theme or concept. No one is judging you -- and it's likely that no one will even see your doodles, so feel free to draw whatever you want.
- Try to think about what it is that you want to convey with your doodles. Then, think of different materials and techniques that can help you with that idea.
- Experiment a bit and always remember: there's no right or wrong when it comes to art.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Doodling a Variety of Objects

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Doodle flowers. Flowers are a popular item for doodling because there are endless variety of flowers and they are fun and easy to draw.^{[4]
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Research source} Here are some ways you can draw flowers:
- Draw a vase and fill it with your own bouquet of flowers.
- Draw a garden that is filled with unique flowers.
- Draw a field of sunflowers with a sun shining down on them.
- Draw a rose bush surrounded by rose petals.
- Draw daisies. Cross off some of the petals and play "He loves me, he loves me not."
- Write your own name or another word in simple flowers.
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Doodle faces. Faces are more complicated to draw than most flowers, but you'll feel rewarded when you've truly learned to draw a face. You can draw the face of your teacher or your classmate, or just have fun drawing a random face. Here are some other ways to doodle faces:^{[5]
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- Practice drawing almost the same face with different expressions. This will help you get to know the face you're doodling.
- Doodle a face of a person you know from memory, whether it's your crush or favorite celebrity. Later, you can compare the doodle to the actual person and see how well you did.
- Doodle parts of a face. Draw an entire page of eyeballs, lips, or noses, and see how much you learn.
- Doodle a caricature. Draw a face with silly, exaggerated features.
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Doodle your name. Your name is another popular thing to doodle. There are a variety of ways to doodle your name, whether you're writing it over and over again in the same way, or writing your name in a completely new way every time. Here are some ways to doodle your name:^{[6]
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- Write your name in cursive. Try writing it with exaggerated loops.
- Try writing your name as small as you possibly can while making it still legible.
- Write different versions of your name that abbreviate your first, middle, or last name. For example: "Jean M. Carmen," "J. M. Carmen," or "Jean Marie C."
- Write your first name along with the last name of your crush. This will help you see if you're a match made in heaven.
- Write your name in big block letters. Decorate the block letters with vines, stars, planets, or hearts.
- Write your name in bubble letters. Have soap bubbles floating off the top of your name.
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Doodle animals. Animals are another fun thing to doodle, and there are endless possibilities to cover your pages with cute or scary creatures. You can draw your pet dog, create a creature of your own, or even turn an ordinary kitty into a monster. Here are some other ways to doodle animals:^{[7]
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- Doodle underwater creatures. Draw an ocean and place all of the underwater creatures you can think of, from jellyfish to sharks, in this fun seascape.
- Doodle jungle creatures. Create your own jungle filled with parakeets, monkeys, snakes, and any jungle creatures you can think of.
- Turn ordinary creatures into monsters. Doodle a collection of cute kitties, puppies, and bunnies, and then have fun giving them fangs, evil eyes, and devil's horns.
- Doodle your favorite pet. Are you obsessed with your dog? Draw him in a variety of cute poses.
- Doodle your dream pet. Draw the pet you'd like to have the most, even if it's completely impractical. You can even name him and write his name around him in bubble letters.
- Doodle a hybrid creature. Draw a dog with a lamb's head, a leopard with a peacock's tail, or a fish with an alligator snout.
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Doodle what you see. Have fun doodling whatever you see in front of you, whether it's your teacher, your classmates, the board, or the world outside your classroom. You can find a lot of originality in the ordinary objects right in front of you. Here are some other things to doodle:^{[8]
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- The contents of your pencil case
- The expression on your teacher's face
- The clouds or sun outside your window
- The trees outside your window
- Anything hanging on the wall in front of you
- Your other hand
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Doodle what you hear. A fun way to free associate while you're doodling is to listen to whatever your teacher or the people around you are saying and to doodle the things that you're hearing about. Here are some ways to doodle what you hear:
- Doodle a historical figure. If your teacher is talking about George Washington, draw him in a variety of poses.
- Doodle a person you've never met. If you hear two people discussing a person with a funny name, just imagine what he would look like and draw him.
- Doodle a concept. What do you think of when your teacher says, "embargo" or "bell curve"? You don't have to doodle what the object actually is -- just doodle what it makes you picture in your head.
- Doodle a song. Did someone walk into the classroom with that song that always gets stuck in your head blaring from his headphones? Draw whatever it is the song makes you think about.
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Doodle a cityscape. Cityscapes are fun to doodle and are perfect for the bottom or top margins of your pages. Draw a cityscape along the top of your notebook page, and have fun adding all of the little details that make it unique.^{[9]
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Research source} Here are some things you can do when you doodle a cityscape:
- Make it night. The city looks the most beautiful at night, so draw a full moon and shade the sky in a dark color.
- Draw little windows in all of the houses. Some will be lit and some won't be.
- Add more details. Add trees, lamps, phone booths, trash cans, and even people walking their dogs on the streets outside the city.
- Draw a city you love. Think you know exactly what the New York cityscape looks like? Try drawing it and see how accurate you were later.
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Create your own doodle world. As you become a more experienced doodler, you can create your own world, with your own people, your own animals, your own buildings, and your own trees in it. As you become more experienced, your creatures, thoughts, and people will begin to take on their own form and everyone will be able to recognize them as yours.
- Once you're a professional doodler, you can spread your love for doodling to others. Become an after-school doodle coach and share your love for doodling with others.
- You can even name your own world something like, "Megland," or "Walt's World," and write this name on top of your doodles.
- You can create a collage of your doodles in your room by taping the pages to your wall and being proud of all the doodling you've done.

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Tips

Don't worry if it looks "childish." "Childish" doodles are the most expressive, funny, and cute.

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Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
Doodles can be as simple as patterns or a complex and a room full of items.

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Eventually, you will make your own style of doodling. If you like it, stick with it, or try a new style.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Carry a small notebook and pen to doodle anytime, anywhere inspiration strikes. Doodling keeps your mind engaged and can spark creativity.
Develop your own doodle style. Over time you'll recognize characters and scenes unique to you. Be proud to make doodling your own artform.
Observe your surroundings for doodle inspiration. Doodle your view out the window, your teacher's mannerisms, conversations you overhear.
Doodle whatever pops into your head — objects, people, feelings, songs — don't censor your imagination. Let your hand wander freely.
Add color and dimension. Shadows, highlights, and hues make doodles more vibrant. Experiment with different art supplies.
Make doodling fun, not perfect. Don't erase; just explore. Doodling is about self-expression, not technical skill.

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Warnings

Don't be modest. If your drawing is really good, just say thank you and smile -- save your doubts for later!

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Helpful 25 Not Helpful 3
Don't even think at all. It will only make you get "stuck". Just draw! If ever you are stuck, you may draw the first thing that comes to your mind.

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Helpful 28 Not Helpful 4
Don't be overconfident and obnoxious about your drawings. This means do not take your drawing out and show it to tons of people; it will make them think you're starving for attention.

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