Folk Doodles: Getting Started
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Although I’ve been an artist most of my life, I only started seriously doodling recently—right after giving up the constant churn of news and the endless scroll of TikTok. Now, doodling—which I define as creating small, repetitive illustrations—has become a peaceful way to spend time away from screens.
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If you’ve ever wanted to draw—but didn’t think you had the time, talent, or ideas—I encourage you to try doodling. Our ancestors did it since the beginning of life. Today, things like ancient illuminated manuscripts and what we call "folk art" began as simple doodles.
​+ Not Having Ideas (because you don't see enough references)
Folk art in every culture came from shared symbols—birds, flowers, baskets, tools, and patterns from everyday life. People didn’t invent from scratch; they built on what they saw around them and what earlier generations had already drawn.
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The same is true today. Your best work will grow from borrowing and repeating. As you go, you’ll develop your own “doodling hand.”​
Because they are small, doodles should be easy to draw, but many people hold back from creating them from fear that they do not have enough skill or ideas on what they should create.
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The Two Biggest Roadblocks to Doodling (and how to avoid them)
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+ Comparing Your Doodles to the “perfect” doodles you see online
The doodles we see on Instagram, Etsy, Pinterest, and even here have been scanned, digitally edited, and often filled with bold, even colors. They look flawless. But in real life? Most hand-drawn doodles are full of quirks—uneven lines, awkward shapes, imperfect shading.
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The quality of professionally reworked doodles is significantly different than hand-drawn originals. Unless you use computerized tools to produce publication-worthy art, doodling is about rough sketching while sitting comfortably on your couch or perhaps park bench.
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Example of hand-drawn doodle versus the same doodle adjusted for publication​
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The solution! Where to Find Doodling ideas
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I prefer Mexican and Scandinavian folk art images, but there are plenty of other things you can doodle, including pure abstract art. The best place to find references is on Pinterest, a free site. When you sign up, they'll send you ideas daily! And then there is Zentangle, which provides patterns for easy-to-draw designs that when doodled, can turn into masterpieces.
Good topics for doodles include Mexican art, Oaxaca Mexican wood carvings, Scandinavian and Eastern European embroidery, and Czech Easter egg designs. Additional topics include monsters and Japanese anime.
Pick any theme, era, or nationality and you'll find images worthwhile doodling. Check out the decorative arts including stencils, jewelry, and material trim.
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Doodling isn't limited to pretty images. Drawing comic objects is also fun and can be fairly sophisticated, as you can see by the work of illustrator, Mattias Adolfsson (Mattiasadolfsson.com).
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Future Articles
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In future articles, I’ll show you how I turn raw doodles—done with colored pencils on multimedia paper—into cleaned-up, commercial-ready images that can go on T-shirts, tote bags, cards, or websites.
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But for now, the best thing you can do is just start doodling. Refer to my original article, "Art Material for Thrifty Artists," for inexpensive, portable, and clean supplies that I recommend.
A few minutes of doodling every day builds confidence and creativity. Stick with it, and before long, you’ll have your own spin on traditional styles—and maybe even inspire new ones!
"Folk Doodles: Getting Started" by Karen Little for Tips4LovingLife.com. 6/8/2025