Doodling & Mehandi

Last Sunday in church, my son leaned over and asked what I was drawing. I whispered, “I’m not drawing, I’m doodling.”
Later I explained to him how I can listen more attentively and more easily absorb what’s being spoken if I doodle. It’s the only way I ever made it through high school. I doodled at least one pocket folder a day, mine and the ones my friends would pass off to me in the hall on my way to class. I keep a small sketchbook in my purse at all times specifically for doodling.

I googled “doodling” and, to my surprise, it’s a subject with plenty of research and quite positive results regarding focus and retention of information. Cool, validation!
A few years ago I found a great vintage Mehandi reference book, a technique used primarily in the ancient art of henna body painting. I picked up another book recently with other great designs. To me, Mehandi, (Mehndi) is the ultimate technique in doodling. I enjoy doodling this style in my sketchbook and on 3-dimensional objects, such as my lake stick. Swirls, scallops, leaves, dots, borders, zig-zags, and flowers, it’s so fun and relaxing.

This morning, inspired to do a little Mehandi doodling, I poured a nice big cup of coffee, grabbed my vintage glove mold, a gold metalic marker, linked into favorite inspirational radio station, K-LOVE, and went to it.
This is the result of one hour of pure artistic pleasure, aka: doodling.