Zendoodle Art for Kids!

Do you like sketching and doodling? Do you find yourself drawing patterns and abstract shapes while listening to music or watching TV? Doodling is a way to keep your mind (and hands) active and focused while you concentrate on something totally unrelated. 

Zendoodling is a way to create and organize those doodles more mindfully into something meaningful, unexpected, intuitive, surprising, and beautiful! The act of zendoodling can be incredibly relaxing, satisfying, and fun. And best of all, it inspires hands-on ingenuity and  creativity!

Zendoodling may look complex or difficult. However, the opposite is true. Zendoodling is fun and amazingly easy! You can start by making up your own patterns, or you can try a few patterns using our step-by-step how-tos until you get the hang of it. We've included a printable (pdf) sheet of Zendoodle Pattern Practice Squares for your practice zendoodles. Fill each square in with a different pattern. You'll love some of them, and others not so much. That's okay! Just keep practicing and see what happens.

                            

Now try a zendoodled art project.  After you have practiced zendoodling a few of your own patterns, try filling in special or seasonal objects with your doodles. For autumn, we used  Pumpkins (above) and these Doodled Autumn Leaves. Draw a simple shape first (like a leaf) on drawing paper, then divide it into sections. You can sketch the shape lightly in pencil first if you like, then go over it with a fine-tipped Sharpie. Then, fill in each section with a different zendoodle pattern, using the same pen as well as an ultra-fine Sharpie. Can you see how each of these pens was used to create the patterns in this leaf?

Here is a zendoodled Easter egg, which was part of a painting of Easter eggs hidden in the grass.

This is a zendoodled St. Patrick's Day shamrock that was cut out and glued to a painted background.

As an option, you can add a bit of watercolor right over the top of your finished zendoodles, such as this leaf. The Sharpie ink is permanent and will not bleed. 

Remember, however, that Sharpie ink can bleed through lightweight paper as you work, so be sure to place another piece of paper under your practice work. You will want to use heavier drawing paper or lightweight watercolor paper when creating your final zendoodle artwork, especially if you will be adding paint to your design. 

Zendoodle your pet!  Another idea is to zendoodle a very simple drawing of a cat or a dog (or any other animal). You can even use a coloring book page, like we did to zendoodle this little dog. Just print out the page and divide the animal's image into sections with your fine-tipped Sharpie. Then, zendoodle each section! If your chosen picture includes a background, you can zendoodle that too.

The simpler the image, the easier it will be to zendoodle. If you would like to zendoodle a pet, here are some printable coloring pages of puppies and coloring pages of kittens to get you started. 

Can you think of anything else you could zendoodle? 

Next up: Our favorite Christmas art ideas!