Doodling is addictive. I doodled a cow yesterday as an entry for ArtExplosion Week 30 contest and it was a lot of fun. I decided to draw another doodle today and this time around I wanted to doodle an owl. I always love owl art and I knew this one will be fun to make.
I started my art career as a doodle artist and I used some of those earlier doodles in my coloring books.. A lot of people do not consider doodle to be serious art. Some even though they are just mindless scribbles that are worthless. It is so far from the truth. Some of my artist friends are well-known doodle artists. If you are a Malaysian and read The Star, chances are you have seen the Doodlism column. Those doodles of famous people were created by Sarah Salim. And if you go to some big chain bookshops like Kinokuniya or MPH you probably have seen this coloring book...
This book was illustrated by my friend, Marty Woods. His doodle art is so intricate it just blew my mind!
Doodle? Who knew, right?
There is another artist who inspires me - the American artist Keith Haring (1958 - 1990). His doodle-like pop art has spontaneous lines and patterns that became his distinctive personal signature. Haring opened his Pop Shop in New York in 1986 to sell products with his designs on them. He sold t-shirts, toys, and mugs to his adoring fans who could otherwise only dream of being able to afford one of his paintings or sculptures. This was in the 80s where the Internet was not available yet and only well-established artists could afford to open a shop selling merchandise with their designs.
Things are so different now. We have the Internet and anyone could open an online shop with minimal or no cost at all. Artists could finally sell their art to anyone anywhere in the world and not just their local audience.
I have been selling products with my designs for a couple of years now. I think the Internet (and of course Steemit) have been a real blessing to the artists' community. Everyone knows artists do not make a lot of money, well, unless they are well established and well known. Having our personal online shop and gallery helps tremendously because it allows us to earn passive income without doing too much work.
The doodle
This is the owl doodle I did earlier today. I drew it on a piece of watercolor paper because I wanted the background to be in watercolor. Once the paper dried, I used black fine liners and markers to doodle.
Once completed, I scanned the drawing, cleaned it digitally in GIMP and finally uploaded the design to my shop...and voila! Here are some of the products with my design.
Advice to newbie artists
A lot of newbie artists think their art has to be "perfect" before they could set up a shop. Maybe some people agree with this statement. But personally for me, don't wait too long to set up your shop. "Perfect art" is subjective. You might think your art is amazing but some people might think they are rubbish. And that's okay. It is just a matter of preference. The point is to put something out there as much as you can and see which one attracts the most audience. Chances are if you market it right, someone will like your style and become a fan and perhaps will buy something from you. Keep trying!
Thank you for visiting! What do you think of this doodle? Please leave your comments below.
My previous posts:
Art Explosion Week 30 | A "Deviant" Cow
Daily Devotional | Money And False Sense of Security
My Sketchbook | Funny Moments In Our Day to Day Lives
Team Malaysia Babes | The Community
My Sketchbook | Sketches Of A Dancer
Steemit Milestone | 1000 Followers And Being A Force Of Good
Daily Devotional | Worry And Obedience
Doodle Art | Flower Doodle Tutorial
Daily Devotional | Planting Seeds of Kindness
I am selling some of my paintings over on Artfinder. Shipping is FREE worldwide. You can check them out here: ARTFINDER.
My gifts & merchandise available at REDBUBBLE (international), Printcious & CreativeUnited (Malaysia).
Thank you!
My avatar was illustrated by @pinstory
