Double doodle art is fun, relaxing, and a great way to exercise the brain as it uses both sides of the brain simultaneously. Here’s how, plus some examples.
I was first introduced to the concept of double doodle art years ago by Maya Donenfeld of Maya*Made. She wrote about a mesmerizing drawing exercise her daughter learned at school from an art teacher.
We gave it a try, loved it, and have been doing it ourselves ever since.
(Thank you, Maya! Thank you, art teacher!)
I’ve included double doodle drawing in both my books (brief mention in the first, longer write-up of the activity in the second), but have never written a blog post about it, and thought it was about time I shared one of our favorite drawing exercises here.
Here’s a video I made, showing double doodle art in action! And don’t forget to keep scrolling for more detailed instructions, as well as to see some of our double doodles.
Double Doodle Art for Kids
MATERIALS
- Paper
- Tape (optional)
- 2 markers or pens per person
INSTRUCTIONS
Basically, you’ll draw simultaneously with both hands and markers, creating symmetrical, mirror image drawings.
Here’s what I wrote in The Artful Year (pages 39-40).
Holding a marker in each hand, place the tips side by side at the center of the paper. Begin drawing with both markers at the same time, creating a mirror image. For example, when the left marker is heading left to the edge of the paper, the right marker should be heading right to the other edge of the paper. When one marker is heading toward the center, the other should be as well.
Note: If you need help keeping the paper in place (for little ones, especially) you can tape the corners of the paper down first.
Here is some of the double doodle art we did over the weekend…
Maia double doodled entire scenes.
Daphne got super into her double doodles and did drawing after drawing, including Easter eggs, a spider web, and some abstract art.
Harry really got into it, too, drawing detailed starfish, sand dollars, and other designs.
I did a few myself, too, including an Easter bunny, portraits, and some abstract double doodles.
I hope you give double doodle art a try, both yourself and with your kids! It’s fun, relaxing, and a great way to exercise the brain as it uses both sides of the brain simultaneously.
More Fun Drawing Exercises for Kids
Pin It for Later
