Five Fridays #23 - Doodley-do's

Since I posted my page for the PageMaps challenge, I've gotten alot of questions about how I did that doodled frame around my journaling. Here are five doodley tips & ideas along the same lines, plus the tutorial on how to doodle a frame by hand:

1. Always draw more than one line. I can't draw a straight line--very few people can without a ruler or some kind of aid. So when you are doodling, draw several lines at a time. That way if you make a boo-boo or waver, no one will really notice.

2. When doodling fancy corners or flourishes, doodle the fancy stuff first to make sure it is centered. Then doodle the lines that connect the pieces.

3. Use a "template". To create a frame or shape, use a template--this can be a scrap of cardstock or chipboard, a plate, whatever you have that is the shape you want your frame to be. Here I traced a dinner plate:

Then I doodled a scalloped edge on it:

And cut it out with pinking shears on the inside and just around the scallop on the outside.


Instead of paying money for this look you can make it yourself! Here's the finished page, using this week's sketch from 52 Sketches:


Here's my page:


4. Doodle everything! You don't have to doodle just on paper. Doodle on top of an existing design. Or on top of flowers, like on this page:


If your sticker letters don't stand out on your page, doodle/outline around them in black pen:



5. Vary pen thickness & type. I like to keep on hand a 0.7mm black pen, a 0.5mm black pen, and a 0.35mm black pen. Use the thicker pen for the bolder parts and then the thin pen for the detail work Once you have it right, go over the detail parts with a thicker pen. Consider using Copic markers AND souffle markers. Add accents with colored pens. The sky is the limit!

How to doodle a frame:

I created this Easter page of my nephew (yeah, it is already Easter--whoa!). I used souffle pens for the doodling but you can use whatever you want--I just liked the colors for the theme of the page.
1. Cut a piece of chipboard or cardstock the size you want for the mat of your pics.


Trace that onto a piece of patterned paper or cardstock-- you don't want a super busy pattern because then you won't be able to see all the hardwork you just did.

Remove the template after tracing. Draw a few more lines along those you just did--it is okay if they are crooked.

Draw in corners and fancy flourishes on your frame. Just draw those parts first. Once you are done with all the decorative parts, connect the parts with straight lines.

After everything is connected, make sure you go over all the lines a couple of times with the pen. This will hide any imperfections. Add photos and enjoy!

Happy Creating!