We used to entertain our boys with “the doodle game” during long waits at restaurants, during car rides, or in doctors’ offices. One person would make a scribble, and another would transform it. Pass the paper and crayon down, repeat.
My doodles often grow out of random scribbles, which I use like writing prompts. When I first started doodling in earnest—is that a thing?—I still asked other people for these prompts. That got old for them pretty quickly, so I took over both stages of the process. Now I mostly work from my tablet, and within my own head, though sometimes I’ll ask for a scribble if I need to get over some creative block. (The clip above shows an example of a doodle developed from a swirling loop drawn by my husband.)
An experiment occurred to me while writing this post: what if YOU could send me a starter scribble? I can’t promise I’ll have time to get to each one, but I’d happily post any results. If that sort of random collaboration appeals to you, feel free to submit your scribble here.
I still believe strongly in the doodle game, because it’s fascinating to see how many different ways a single drawn line will be “seen” by different brains. Pictionary came out when I was a kid, and capitalized on that very disconnect: the challenge was to quickly understand what was emerging from the mind of a teammate. It’s such a great concept that it’s still going strong.
With progress in tech it’s easier than ever to make your own doodle game, even with friends living thousands of miles away. There is, for example, Apple’s ubiquitous Notes program:
As amazing as this technology is, it does seem like a lot of work on the front end. I imagine it becomes second nature quickly when you’re in the habit. Look how quickly we all learned how to Zoom.
Luckily, scribbling has been properly game-ified for both native techies and those who are willing to adapt. My kids knew about Jackbox Games’ Drawful and similar games well before I did. These are fantastic for pandemic-era game nights attended from multiple homes (or multiple bedrooms). Alternatively, for some free and more lo-fi online doodle gaming, you can meet up in a private room at skribbl.io. My work team did so during one remote office party and it was seriously fun.
Whatever your approach, I heartily recommend the collaborative doodling model. It is a low-stakes way to be surprised by your own creativity, and even to be social and collaborative.
If you like that sort of thing.
Process Peek: Send Over Scribbles