Badge: Zendoodle More

Completed the basics or already started exploring this craft? This badge builds upon your basic knowledge of Zendoodle and gives you more ideas to continue with this craft.

Steps

1. Research patterns.

The variety of patterns you use in your designs will add interest to your final piece. Research the patterns available online. You can practice those you find or use them for your own inspiration. Where can you start looking for patterns?

2. Pattern collection.

Create your own collection as you’re researching. You can start a notebook, use index cards and more. I’ve created different card sets for this purpose after a lot of experimenting and finding what works best for me. A sample from each of the three ATC-sized sets (in both black and gray) are listed in the supplement list below.

NOTE: ATC-sized cards are standard trading cards so you can use holders for those to store your cards.

3. Local classes.

Taking classes can help you jump start your skills. Classes might teach you basics or you can create a specific project. Look at local art and craft stores for classes. You can also check out meet-ups and club / group meetings for groups that meet to discuss techniques.

4. Color it.

Adding color to your final black and white design is an alternative you might explore. Before colorizing your designs, make copies and experiment so you’re not destroying your original designs. Take one design and color it at least three different ways to see how it looks and explore what you can do with this.

5. Color zendoodle.

Want color but still like the look of a white background? Instead of sticking to a black marker, use a different color. You might choose one for a project or a variety. Experiment with using color lines / patterns in your designs.

Shapes for Doodles

6. Silhouettes.

Silhouettes are great for an “outline” to zendoodle. The best thing is that silhouettes are readily available. Explore available silhouettes in clip art and from public domain sources. Make your own with shadows. Create them digitally from the photos you take. Try one or more of these and get a silhouette, then zendoodle into it.

7. Non-touch sections.

To this point, our zendoodle designs have been within a single piece. Instead, you can create non-touching sections and put different doodles in each one. Check out the supplement sections for two different ideas for creating items that work together for zendoodling.

8. Reverse shapes.

Instead of doodling into a shape, do the background and leave the shape area open. This works really well for words and letters. You can also do simple shapes. Let your imagination be your guide!

9. Letters and numbers.

If you’re using letters and numbers, I recommend heavy or black typefaces. They provide thicker strokes for zendoodle designs. You can open up the font in an illustration program, outline and stroke the letter or number. A couple are provided in the supplements below.

10. Shading.

Adding shading adds depth to your zendoodle designs. Look at your designs. Where can you add shadows to different sections to make it pop?

11. Non-paper projects.

You can also use this technique on non-paper projects. Think about doing zendoodle designs on a few of these ideas and try one.

Simple canvas shoes
Paper-mache shapes (pumpkins, eggs, etc.)
Rocks
Back of dominoes
Ornaments
Tiles
Gourds
Cups and mugs

Supplements

SUPP_Zen Design Card_2_Blank_Black_larajla

Zen Design Card, pattern and variation, ATC-sized, blank grid, black

SUPP_Zen Design Card_2_Blank_Gray_larajla

Zen Design Card, pattern and variation, ATC-sized, blank grid, gray

SUPP_Zen Design Card_4_Blank_Black_larajla

Zen Design Card, 4-step pattern, ATC-sized, blank grid, black

SUPP_Zen Design Card_4_Blank_Gray_larajla

Zen Design Card, 4-step pattern, ATC-sized, blank grid, gray

SUPP_Zen Design Card_5_Blank_Black_larajla

Zen Design Card, 5-step pattern, ATC-sized, blank grid, black

SUPP_Zen Design Card_5_Blank_Gray_larajla

Zen Design Card, 5-step pattern, ATC-sized, blank grid, gray

SUPP_Zen Design Cards_Available_2017

Zen Design Cards, set descriptions and those available on my Etsy store (larajlacreates)

SUPP_Zen Design Cards_Develop_2017

Zen Design Cards, how the cards were developed

SUPP_Zen Letter_ATC_larajla

Zen shapes, letters, ATC-sized, ENRICH ME!

SUPP_Zen Letter_Minibook_larajla

Zen shapes, letters, minibook, ENRICH

SUPP_Zen More_2in_12up_larajla

Avery 2” round label printable, 12 up

SUPP_Zen More_Checklist_larajla

Badge checklist

SUPP_Zen NonTouch_Squares_larajla

Zen non-touching shapes, squares, full sheet

SUPP_Zen NonTouch_Teardrops_larajla

Zen non-touching shapes, teardrops, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Reverse_A_larajla

Zen reverse shape, letter A, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Reverse_F_larajla

Zen reverse shape, letter F, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Reverse_Stars_larajla

Zen reverse shape, two stars, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Dog_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, dog, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Egg_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, egg, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Flower_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, flower, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_HeadF_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, female head, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_HeadM_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, male head, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Leaf_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, leaf, full sheet

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Minibook_larajla

Zen silhouette shapes, minibook

SUPP_Zen Silhouette_Snowman_larajla

Zen silhouette shape, snowman, full sheet

Sites to Explore

Get the infographic here > larajla blog post

Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs