Let's Doodle!
Create a themed doodle journal by drawing daily sketches of characters, patterns, and scenes, practicing shapes, shading, and storytelling through pictures.
Step-by-step guide to create a themed doodle journal
Simple Doodle Art | Fun & Easy Doodling for Kids & Beginners 🖍️
Step 1
Place your materials on a flat surface so everything is easy to reach.
Step 2
Pick one fun theme for your doodle journal such as space jungle or underwater friends.
Step 3
Write today's date and a page number at the top of a fresh page.
Step 4
Warm up by drawing six simple shapes quickly across the page.
Step 5
Turn two or three connected shapes into a main character by adding eyes a mouth and limbs.
Step 6
Draw a simple background or scene that shows where your character is.
Step 7
Add shading or texture to one area of your character using short pencil strokes.
Step 8
Decorate the edges with a repeating pattern or a border.
Step 9
Write a one-sentence caption that explains what your character is doing.
Step 10
Color your character and the scene using your coloring materials.
Step 11
On the next page draw a tiny two-panel comic that shows a short beginning and ending for your character.
Step 12
Repeat these steps each day trying a new pose scene or a new doodle technique.
Step 13
Pick your favorite pages and draw a cover with a title for your doodle journal.
Step 14
Share your finished creation on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
I don't have a sketchbook or fancy coloring materials—what can I use instead?
Use printer paper or a stapled stack of scrap paper as your journal pages, and substitute crayons, colored pencils, markers, or even cut-up magazine pieces for the 'coloring materials', using a regular pencil for the 'short pencil strokes' shading step.
I'm stuck turning shapes into a character or my shading looks messy—how can I fix that?
If the 'two or three connected shapes' won't become a character, lightly erase and redraw connections until the eyes, mouth and limbs fit, and practice the 'short pencil strokes' for shading on scrap paper before adding texture to the final drawing.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages or skill levels?
For younger children simplify the warm-up to big, easy shapes and use stickers for eyes and a simple border, while older kids can add detailed backgrounds, more precise 'short pencil strokes' shading, and a more complex two-panel comic with captions.
What are fun ways to extend or personalize our doodle journal after finishing the pages?
Create a custom cover and title from your favorite pages, turn a daily pose into a recurring character arc across the journal, add collage or textured media to the scenes, and photograph the finished book to share on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to create a themed doodle journal
Easy Drawing Hacks for Kids! 🎨 10 Minute Doodles Anyone Can Do
4 Videos
Easy Drawing Hacks for Kids! 🎨 10 Minute Doodles Anyone Can Do
How to draw using the doodling technique | Step-by-step Guide | Drawing for Kids
How to DOODLE | Step by step
Easy Doodling for beginners - doodle art tutorial
Facts about drawing and doodling for kids
✏️ Just 10–15 minutes of daily sketching adds up fast — 365 quick drawings in a year can supercharge your skills.
📚 A themed doodle journal can become a visual storybook — drawing one page a day can tell a whole-year-long tale.
🖍️ Doodling can help memory and focus — a 2009 study found doodlers recalled about 29% more information than non-doodlers.
🎨 Famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso filled sketchbooks with practice drawings to explore ideas.
🧩 Most characters are built from simple shapes — circles, squares, and triangles are the building blocks of fun designs.
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