Droopy eyes. A stifled yawn. Line of sight constantly shifting to the nearest time-displaying machine around. Just when you think these are the blatant symptoms of an acute case of boredom, out come a piece of paper and a pen. And the rest is history. A symphony of ink and paper ensue, at the end of which the paper is alive with the buzz of artistry, the hand generously covered in ink and the eyes droopy no longer. The non-existent just got created. There’s a magic about every stroke. What are we talking about? The humble doodle, of course!
Doodling is something we’ve all done, at some point or the other, some more elaborate than others.
It’s our go-to activity, it’s our little comfort bubble - whether we’re talking on the phone to someone particularly annoying, or listening to a boring lecture, life doesn’t seem half bad once we’ve got a notebook and a decent writing device. Perhaps our earliest memories of doodling are those in our notebooks in school - scribbles around the edges of our notes - until of course, we moved on to college where the doodles practically started replacing the notes! And then at work, when we see people on seemingly important calls, furiously scribbling - till we get a closer look and see recurring doodles of Batman. People have different doodling stories. Says Rini Joseph (19), a student, “I doodle to break free from the monotonies of life, when I want to get into a space where I can connect with myself. Doodling is actually very meditative for me, and it is the one time I pay attention to myself and what I think, instead of being preoccupied with everything else! When I look back on my doodles, I feel a sense of calm, so I’ve now actually devoted an entire notebook just for doodling!”
Satyajit Krishnan (38), a corporate head, doodles and works simultaneously. He says “I sketch when I’m on important calls. I doodle in my notebook or my phone. It brings out the emotion in me. What’s interesting is that when the calls are bad and the clients and pushy, I do the most intricate doodles, as opposed to when the calls are easy and pleasant, because then I’m really focusing on the conversation!”
And do doodlers have doodling preferences? Turns out the serious ones do, repeatedly revisiting a particular genre of artwork. Rini says, “The recurring theme in my sketches and doodles are perhaps the female body. I create art inside the silhouette generally, and it’s rather abstract”.
For Sathyajit too, it’s abstract art that he revisits, affected by his phone calls!
Luke Fernandes (19), a student, however, revels in sci-fi doodles. He says “It’s basically stuff that stirs my imagination. When I watch a superhero movie, I create my own artwork based on that. So whether I’m just bored during class, or waiting for someone, I mostly sketch mechanical suits, monsters, dragons and cars”.
Did you ever wonder if it was possible to make money off your doodles? Luke says “I put some of my designs up on this website called conceptnation.in, where they put my designs on T-Shirts if they’re popular, and sell them, so I do get a part of the money”.
The world of doodles is a large, large one, and we all revisit it for comfort every now and then, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. And what with life getting so hectic these days, praise the day the Lord said ‘Let there be doodles’!
