Exploding Doodles

Greetings Artsy friends. I'm so happy you've come. I hope you can stay a while, join me for a cup of tea/coffee and maybe an artsy chat. Lets get to know each other this year.
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Facebook - Danine Mroz

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Holy Exploding Doodles Batman!!

I'm thrilled that so many people have joined the "Doodle" movement. Everywhere I look now I see Adult colouring books... Drug Stores, Book Stores, Craft Stores, Department Stores and Art Supply Stores are all carrying a large variety of doodle books. One of my favourite doodle artist has a few colouring books out. He goes by the name "Squidoodle" his work is that stunning... he can also be found on Instagram and Facebook under that name. Hint, Hint... they make great gifts and stocking stuffers. 

So, while colouring is a great way to de-stress and is a ton of fun, I would highly encourage you to give doodling a try for yourself. It's easy, relaxing, and very rewarding. Honest!  Remember the kid in school... the one who doodled all over every page and cover of their notebooks? You can be that kid. That kid didn't fret if their work was particularly good.  They were just passing time, making marks, zoning out, relaxing and having fun. And guess what? Research now shows that when a person doodles while listening to a presentation/lecture the information is retained at a higher level...

Tangles: Wist (left) C-Yeah (right)

Imagine that!  In fact some schools are now encouraging kids with ADHD to doodle. As an artist that thrills me. The other amazing side affect of doodling is increased hand-eye co-ordination and spacial awareness. Therefore all other work becomes better as well. Hip-Hip-Hooray!! 

You may be wondering where to begin... Well, wherever you are is always a good place. There are a ton of different types of doodles, from simple geometric patterns to large intricate designs. Of course we start at the artistic level that we currently are at. I have found Pinterest is one of the best places for step-by-step instructions on various doodle patterns. In fact, I have quite the collection of 'Zendoodle How To's' on my Pinterest site PrairieMroz. Simply choose 3 or more patterns, practice them and then create a "thread". From there you fill  in between the lines and your patterns comes together.

Another method that I have found is #1 - Draw a simple object using an "Elegant Writer" calligraphy

pen.  Give it it's basic characteristics and then draw lines within. #2 - Add water with a medium water colour paint brush and watch the magic happen. I love how the pens colours flow and bleed... let it move about the page. (Allow to dry). #3 - Colour with some watercolour crayons, such as "NeoColour", add water. (Dry) #4 - From there fill those spaces with your doodle patterns.
Some other objects you could draw to get you started; Owl, Bird, Cup, Cat, Dog, Star, House, Angel,,, anything that you can already draw basically. If you're stuck trace your hand. Most of all,,, remember to have fun.

I hope these quick tutorials help you along the way to a doodle/art practice.  At the very least, I encourage you to go grab a colouring book, some pencil crayons and a cup of  coffee then get busy making some art.
Thanks again for joining me.
You're beuatiful!

More Doodle Fun

There's just something about creating something out of nothing. Doodling is a soft form or art. It doesn't have to be particularly good, it's purpose is to pass the time and to help get the creative flow going.
When I'm having trouble getting my artistic muse to show her lovely face I get out a pen or pencil and begin a doodle. Some have Zentangle elements, some are more of a sketched doodle, while others are random patterns... but the most fun are when I put all three together and create a large Uber-doodle using the open scribble as my starting point.

 Starting by holding your pencil loosely, move your hand/arm freely and flowingly around the page to create a large flowy design.
Add words, images, designs ~ repeat your patterns and imagery around the page to create flow and balance.
Remember to use Small, Medium and Large elements to make your doodle more interesting.

 I absolutely love Paisley - Fun factoid, Brad Paisley has Paisley designs on all of his guitars... they're beautiful.
Finding a design for paisley or any other design can be as easy as opening your closet, a magazine or checking out packaging on popular products.
What designs are you attracted to?
Are there recurring patterns in your life? What are they? Doodle them.

Adding color is always a blast... I try to keep it to 5 colors or less. But, I often blend a couple colors together OR do light and dark of the same color giving the image of more colors.

Smile ~ Laugh ~ Create ART!

Weekend Fun

My apologies for being absent for a while. Life and kids and stuff... you know how it goes. Sigh

I'm here to share with you some fabulous new Zen-Doodles. I hope you like them they're one of my favorite thing to do to pass the time on a rainy day, sitting having coffee, pretty much any time.

I was first introduced to the art of Zen-Doodling/Zentangling on the Milliande community art pages shared by other members. I was awe struck by how beautiful these creations were and how different and special each one was. I started searching the web for tutorials and found a good deal on YouTube. At first I was copying others (which is totally fine, you can use mine for inspiration is you like) and soon I was creating my own. I find my inspirations from men's ties, decorated boxes, clothing, books, etc. Designs are everywhere... just keep your eyes open.

The two main patterns here, the Zentangled Mooka (heart shapes) and the centre pattern I learned from YouTube videos courtesy of Rick Robert and Maria Thomas the founders of Zentangle. Their YouTube home is "Zentangle" and they have a lot of fantastic video's showing you how to create your own beautiful works. Many people find great peace and relaxation while doing this technique and use it as a form of Meditation... hence the name "Zen"-tangle. I know I could spend hours at my desk mindlessly creating Zendoodles, and I have. I find that the more I do the better I become at them... as with all art. The one area that I'm still not fantastic at with my Zendoodles is the shading in. But I will keep working on that. :D 

My second ZenDoodle is a combination of hearts, flowers and paisley's that are inspired by many amazing YouTube video's by "miraculousmosquito", her stuff blows me away. She has countless YouTube videos, "how to build" flowers, leaves, paisley... as well as some very interesting trees, and other shapes that are out of this world. I simply can't say enough about her... she is indeed "Miraculous". Along with Zentangles that I have picked up from "milliande" whom you can find on YouTube or at her art community site "milliande.ning.com" and share you work with others. :D Which I highly recommend by the way. The community is very encouraging and it has been wonderful getting to know other creative ppl from around the globe.

Lastly, my 'Flowers and Ribbon'. Yesterday I found a YouTube video by "rainbowelephant61" who, among other things, showed me how to create these fantastic ribbons. I wasn't sure what to do with them at first... so I thought, "Well, I love to do flowers" and that's what I did. I'm very happy with the results. I decided to do the ribbons in different colors and then keep to traditional black for the flowers. Just the thing I think. :D


So that's all. I hope you like them and check out the YouTubers and start creating some/more of your own. 
Cheers for now.
Danine