CHARACTER DOODLES

by Joan Waites

A fun and simple art project to create with your students is a page of character doodles.

Starting with a blank sheet of paper, randomly draw with a permanent black marker, shapes, swirls and varied lines till the page is almost filled. If desired, leave one larger white space to be used later for writing. To make the project more challenging for older students, have them draw with their non-dominant hand, or with their eyes closed. 

Next, fill in the shapes created on the page using various colors. Use a medium that can be drawn on top of when dry such as watercolor, markers, acrylic paint or colored pencils rather than something waxy like oil pastel or crayons.

Once the shapes are filled in with color, ask students to look closely at the art. Can they see a face or an animal? A funny creature? A building or perhaps a tree? Using black or other colored markers, have students add facial details, designs, and embellishments to the characters and objects that emerge on the page.

To add a writing exercise, have students use the large white space on the page to compose a short story, poem, or character study about one or more of their characters.

Happy doodling!

www.joanwaites.com

CHARACTER DOODLES

by Joan Waites

School is out again for the summer. It’s time for lazy days, long car rides, and  perhaps some time relaxing by the water- whether it’s at the community pool, the sprinkler in the backyard, or a trip to the beach.

I was recently reminded of a drawing exercise I used to do as a child that would be perfect to pass the time on those long trips or rainy days.  It also works as a fundamental drawing exercise for art students of any age, illustrating how all objects can be broken down into simple geometric and organic shapes.

Draw 6-8 squares on a piece of plain white paper. Without thinking too much, quickly draw a random shape in each square.  Have children create funny, scary or realistic characters using each shape in the squares.

Next, use each character doodle as a starting point for a story. What is the character’s name and where do they live? What are they doing? Do they have a special friend or an enemy?  Have two or more of the characters go on an adventure together and see what happens! Stories can be told orally or written down and shared.

Enjoy the summer and happy doodling!

http://www.joanwaites.com/