Alot on Her Mind © Sue O’Kieffe 2009
I like to put my sharpie pen on paper and just let my hand go wherever it wants to. I don’t have any preconceived idea of what is going to result, though sometimes I can see specific lines or shapes in my mind’s eye that might guide me in some ways. I usually doodle at night, for an hour before I go to bed. These are my Evening Pages. Doodling helps me relax.
As I start embellishing the outline of my doodle, I start to see shapes emerge as well as the story around it. It is my story, and I know that you will have your story. I love knowing what your story is; it is part of the beauty of abstraction.
When I began doodling as a regular art practice, I was fascinated with zentangles. After a while, though, I found trying to remember all those patterns was more than I wanted. Something inside of me just wanted to explore without having to pay attention to someone else’s guidelines. I have always been a bit of a rebel, anyway!
People have wondered why I call my art doodles. I know that back in the olden days, doodling was seen as something mindless and had negative overtones. I call it doodling because the word is fun to say; and thanks to the internet, doodling has become its own type of art form.I would refer you to sites like Doodlage, Doodlers Anonymous, and Eat Sleep Draw to see more awesome examples of great illustration happenin’ all over the place. It’s a doodle revolution.
So if you find delight in the line like I do, I would encourage you to buy some sharpies and a sketch book and just allow yourself to play.
Over and out from Doodle-land.
~suedoodles
Sue Doodles 
Love it! Doodling rocks, indeed… inside..or outside of the box…or shall I say, mandala 🙂 – be it in my dayplanner, in a tiny sketch book in my tote (3 x 3) – it feels so good, and brightens my day! Thanks for sharing your doodles with us!
Thanks so much for the link!
– Lee
co founder of eatsleepdraw
Hmmmmm. Thanks for claiming the Doodle as your art form! And the image you posted today has given me more inspiration for my “art cards” that I do every night. I’m working on teaching myself that I actually am a visual artist, and so every night I fill up a small 3″x3″ card with doodles. However, lately I’ve felt a little uninspired. Like I’ve used up all my ideas. So your blog entry today gave me a bit of a jumpstart. Thanks!!
hey sue its olivia again i love that illustration. sometimes thats how i feel