Overheard a guy at the coffee shop say doodles need to be 'finished' to count

I was sitting near a sketch group at Bean & Leaf last Tuesday and this one guy said doodles that aren't shaded or colored don't really belong in a doodle dump. That rubbed me the wrong way. In my experience, the whole point of a doodle is the raw idea or shape, not polish. I've got pages of barely-there stick figures that made me laugh more than any detailed drawing. Anyone else think a loose line sketch should count just as much as a shaded one?

2 comments

2 Comments

norab213d ago

Was there a guy with a little cap and a notebook full of graphite smudges? I saw a guy like that at Bean & Leaf once, he got mad at someone for doodling with a Bic pen instead of proper art pencils. Reminds me of the time my uncle told me a joke doesn't count unless you tell it with a straight face. But half the fun is trying not to laugh while you're telling it. Same with doodles, the messy ones have the most character.

wadem893d ago

The real test of a good doodle is if you can still tell what it was supposed to be a week later. Pencil smudges fade, but a Bic pen mark stays sharp and committed, like a bad decision you stand by. @norab21 might be onto something with the straight face comparison, because the best doodles come from a place where you're not even trying to be good. You just let your hand wander while your brain is somewhere else. That notebook guy sounds like he was more worried about the process than the result, and that's a shame.