Doodle Drawings

Literature/Images:
Completed Doodle Drawing
Print: Joan Miro, People and Dog in Sun

(shown below)

Materials:
12x18 construction paper, white
Permanent Marker
Oil pastels

Introduction:
Discuss abstract art, ask if the students know what it is. Bring out print for students to observe, give them about thirty seconds to just look at it. Begin to ask them questions. What do you see: what kind of lines, what kind of colors (primary), do you see anything you recognize in this painting? Some students see one person, two people, the dog, and/or the sun. Ask them if this is how people really look? Do they think the artist was concerned that they look realistic? After discussing this read title, some students will want to know where the second person is, turn picture upside down to see more clearly. Begin discussing how Miro used his dreams to come up with his abstract paintings. Do we have time to go to sleep? No, so we have another way to come up with an abstract drawing, a large doodle. Most students are familiar with doodling. Begin the demonstration.

Steps:
1) Write name on back.
2) Using a black permanent marker put it down anywhere on the paper, do not lift, begin moving around paper in large shapes, can be curvy, looping, sagging, jagged, geometric. Be sure to use entire paper, but keep large shapes, do not have students do tight little spaces as will be more difficult to color in later.
3) Lift marker and students will have large doodle drawing.
4) Ask students if they see anything in the doodle, is it looking like anything? Start coloring in various shapes made by the doodle drawing. Maybe something will begin to appear.
5) As an abstract image begins to emerge encourage students to enhance it. Some examples in past classes have been: mermaids, turtles, fish, crazy monsters. Students can add teeth, hair, scales, large eyes, etc. Students have great deal of fun.
6) Name your picture, very important, put it on the front. Miro’s painting really helped us see all that he had in the painting because of its title. Sometimes people don’t realize there are two people or a sun. Some people think it’s a cat, not a dog.

Review steps and allow students to begin creating. Walk around classroom and advise on doodle drawing as needed; there are usually a couple students that do very small doodles or very tiny shapes that will very difficult to color in.

Wrap Up:
Have a showing of the artwork. Talk about how everyone followed the exact same steps but came up with such unique and interesting work, each student made the work their very own.