Have Pen. Will Doodle!

Deborah DeLue • Feb 21, 2023

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The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 4 No. 4 February 24, 2023

This week we're taking a break from our usual format to bring you a fast, easy drawing activity to enhance your visual vocabulary. If you're new to the tribe, visual vocabulary may be a new term. We like to think of visual vocabulary as the building blocks of visual thinking. Learning to quickly and easily draw simple icons, maps, and charts is the first step toward great visual thinking.

Practice makes progress!

Setting yourself up with time, space, and tools for practice is one way to create a drawing habit.

Some possibilities include the following:

Take a cue from author Jessica Hagy Place a small stack of note cards and a pen near your coffee or tea station. And practice drawing a few icons, a simple map, or a quick chart while waiting for your morning beverage to brew.
Try a tip from illustrator Wendy McNaughton and keep a notebook and a few pens on your coffee table and practice drawing a few objects or characters while watching TV.
Take a suggestion from sketchnoter and author Mike Rohde. The next time you take handwritten notes, include a few simple icons to illustrate the key points.
Carry a simple sketchbook made from a single sheet of paper and a pen in your pocket or purse. Practice drawing a few items or people you see around you while waiting in line at the grocery store or deli.

If you're into digital, load a simple drawing app onto your favorite device and use it to follow one of the prompts above. If you're new to digital drawing, one of my favorite apps, is Paper by We Transfer. It features a straightforward tool set in a sketchbook-style format that is great for quick drawings. No learning curve necessary.

Enough with the words. Let's draw!

One of my favorite ways to practice my visual vocabulary is by creating magazine doodles.

Want to play along? All you need is an old magazine and a thick pen or marker.

Going digital? You'll need your favorite digital drawing app and a few fun images to import into the page.

Step 1: Find an exciting image - Flip through an old magazine and select an interesting picture. It can be anything, an attractive shape, some fun colors, an unusual arrangement of items, or a large area of negative space. Choose whatever piques your interest.

Step 2: Imagine what you might draw on or around the image to tell a simple story.

For example, milk being poured into a glass may remind you of ocean waves, so you might draw in a surfing stick figure or a sailboat.

Step 3: Have an idea but need help with how to draw it? A quick Google image search of any word plus "icon" will return a vast selection of possibilities. Pick one or two to use as inspiration.

Step 4: Give it a go - There is no right or wrong answer. Just put pen to paper and start drawing. For example you might:

Add a few simple shapes to turn a landscape into a hot air balloon adventure

Add face and arms to turn a curvy lamp into a sultry singer.

Add a stick figure to a bowl of soup to turn it into a hot tub

Have fun and let your imagination run wild!

Bonus Points - Add a narrative - write a few words to help tell the story. While the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," is true, adding a few words to help tell a story is the backbone of great cartoons.

As with all endeavors, practice makes progress. The more often you doodle, the faster you build your visual vocabulary and visual thinking skills. Till next time happy drawing!New Paragraph

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