This is my first-ever blog post, folks, so please be gentle.
O.K., I’ll begin by explaining the blog name. You know that the word “doodle” usually refers to random jottings made while otherwise occupied—on the phone, attending meetings, watching television, or just daydreaming. Doodles are very rough sketches of people, patterns, animals, objects, etc. Examples: The logo 
sketch in the above header; and to the left, details from a sketchbook page and calendar (those little empty squares make lovely frames). If memory serves, both were done while viewing C-SPAN Book TV one Sunday afternoon. My plan for the blog is to expand the definition of doodling to include—in addition to visual crafts such as photography, cartooning, illustration and graphic design—play writing, prose (fiction and non), and anything else (woodworking? ironing?), that invades my brain pan. A little of this, a little of that—the whole blog becoming one big doodle. Making the content interesting for readers/viewers other than close friends and family is my challenge. We’ll see how it goes. (By the way, the “meister” part of “DoodleMeister” I can explain only as something that I came up with while doodling away in a state of wishful self-delusion.)
Doodle Object Lesson
Doodlers know the practice can become obsessive. In his spare time between assignments and on work breaks or at lunch, an illustrator coworker of mine did his intricate doodles on large sheets
of illustration board, watercolor paper, the morning paper, and scraps of any material within reach that would tolerate a pen or brush line. They were brilliant. He was a master of using crosshatch shading to create images of subtle beauty, each of the works consisting of thousands—what looked to me like millions—of tiny lines. I admired him as an illustrator but even more as a doodler. There was no chance I’d ever be that good, but his fantastical works inspired me to try. Above is one of my crude attempts to apply what I learned watching him. For some reason I decided to add extra shading with a red pencil, which of course is redundant.
Optional Doodle Interaction
To help make this introduction to my blog interactive, please send one of your favorite doodles to me as an email attachment. The address is: jimscartoons@aol.com, and write “Doodle Interaction” in the subject line. I’ll post my favorites on the Doodlemeister.com blog, paired with your comments. Your submission will serve as my permission to use your doodle.
Copyright © 2008 Jim Sizemore.
Posted by Jim 
