When we are young we draw on everything with anything; we draw inside and outside the lines—when you’re young anything goes. By high school we are drawing all over our notebooks, often filling up the margins around the notes we are taking. I remember drawing, or doodling if you prefer, over books and comics as a kid. I especially enjoyed drawing mustaches on everyone I’d see in print, even dogs! As a teenager I’d often give magazine covers and advertisements the Andy Warhol faux silkscreen treatment. Sometimes a blank sheet of paper or canvas can be intimidating, so drawing on a magazine or ad can be liberating.
“Doodlebombing,” “doodle-bomb,” “re-cover” and “mixed media” are accepted terms for drawing over photos or magazines. I wish there was a better term for this thing most of us have done in our lifetime. In the digital age, “collage,” “photo-montage,” and “mixed media” are terms often used to describe the same process. The world of graffiti has so many words to describe everything from tags to bombings (a good short read on the subject can be found on weburbanist.com post: Graffiti Designs & Styles: Tagging, Bombing and Painting).
When I started posting my doodlebombs I felt alot of my friends just didn’t get it. Why would I draw on a magazine when I could draw on a blank sheet of paper? The short answer is “why not!” Doodlebombing is just another form of creative expression giving one the chance to play art director and illustrator. I think maybe every now and then I need to post a before & after picture or ‘work-in-progress’ photos to help show the creative process of a doodlebomb.
As you can see the before & after pictures of my Twiggy doodle-bomb, I echoed one of her famous Vogue covers by drawing a flower over the eye and created a mod, psychedelic ’60s look for the background. (I like my work to have a sense of history if possible).
Doodling on a magazine can be as involved as you want it to be or as simple as using a black marker. You can draw on anything you like—even a banana or a grain of rice, as seen in Turtle Wayne’s Blog post 10 Fun Things To Doodle On.
If you are looking for a supportive group of doodle lovers I suggest Doodlers Anonymous they even have a tumblr devoted to the craft: Doodlebomb! To see more of my doodle-bombs please see my flickr album: Doodle-Bombs.
Happy Doodling!