Loitering on the roads along the gardens, overhanging trees and the seemingly empty sky in the city, you would probably notice graffiti, murals, paintings and most definitely the doodles on the walls of houses, buildings, tunnels and subways.
You probably have made millions of doodles without even realising it. By definition, it is considered a drawing or a collection of patterns that is made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied. They might have some representational meaning or they might just be patterns, an amalgamation of random and abstract lines. They are also referred to as scribbles.
Although doodles were associated with boredom, they have gained popularity in the recent years. Instagram pages, Facebook groups and online forums that provide a platform for artists to showcase their work, for critics to review them and for everyone to view, download and share their opinions on these artworks. These pages, groups and forums enable promotion of art helping artists get a break in their field. They also enable people to interact with the artists and may be even collaborate with them.
Meaning behind patterns
“Doodles are the most basic form of art. I believe that any skill a person possesses in art can be made better by doodling. Doodles needn’t be very deep or meaningful, it could just be random lines that mean nothing or patterns that fill up the page. Elements like layout, uniformity and balance however play a very important role and the beauty is that people don’t need to learn them from workshops or classes for it comes naturally,” says Edna, a 20-year-old doodler.
Amrita handles an Instagram page where she regularly uploads her art and doodles. “One reason why doodles might just be one of the best forms of art is because they’re really easy. Anyone with a pencil and the right amount of creativity can open a book and start doodling,” she says.
Malaika Joseph, another doodler, says, “Drawing things that are small and have minute details needs concentration and this piqued my interest. I usually doodle for memes and vines and it’s really fun. It needs patience but it’s worth the end result.”