As a healthy way to relax, unwind, and escape the frenzy of modern life and the 24-hour news cycle, I took to doodling in the evenings.
Along with adult coloring books, there's been a genre trend recently called "Zentangle," which is a specific kind of pattern-oriented doodling. I tried it and liked it, but quickly realized that I preferred more free-form, stream-of-consciousness doodling. I call it Tranquilidoodling, and I do one each day, or try to.
When I sit down to doodle, I often have no idea what I'm going to do; I just start and see what happens. Sometimes I'll have an inspiration when not at the drawing board, and then I might block something out a bit in pencil first, just to make sure it ends up more or less like I'd pictured in my head.
But most of the time, I start right in with pen and blank paper and no plan, no corrections, no erasable safety net...and the results ore often surprising!
These are just a few recent doodles. I have hundreds now, some of which can be viewed in the attached link.
I highly recommend it! Even if you don't "draw," yet, if you're stressed, try doodling random shapes and lines, and see what happens!
More info: flickr.com
