JUST DOODLING DIGITALLY AGAIN

Several weeks ago Kristin Dudish posted some sketches she had done on an app called "Scribbler", and I immediately lusted after it and downloaded it on to my I-Pad.  

It's great fun, and produces some great results.  Thank you Kristin, it's a great way to relax. 

This was my first attempt:

Just a few straight lines to form an abstract design, and two colours to scribble with - it's always best to start simple to find out what any program can do.

Never one to leave anything alone, I opened the sketch above in Photoshop and used a filter I've not experimented with before.

This is the result of using the Liquefy filter.  I like the change from straight lines to whirls and twirls.  Doing this kind of thing always gives me inspiration for ideas to draw in my sketchbook.

After a little practice this next fishy one pleased me.

The result is always unexpected.  It takes a little experimentation to find the right amount of scribble for a drawing before you decide to stop - otherwise it gets swamped in a mass of lines.

Taking the fishy scribble into Photoshop, I used the Poster Edges filter, which gave more definition to the sketch, and adds a touch of drama.

The next one is another very simple drawing:

I stopped the scribbling process before it covered too much of the original sketch, and was pleased with the effect.

I was interested to see what I could do with another filter on Photoshop.

This time I used the Emboss filter, and fiddled with it until I got an effect that pleased me.  WOW - this really has the wow factor, a real 3-D effect.

If you are new to Photoshop and haven't used the filters very much, this is a good way to experiment and find out what they can do.

I wondered what would happen with a drawing of a face:

The face is quite an early attempt with Scribbler, again limiting the amount of scribble, and using a fine scribble line and two colours.

Taking the scribble sketch into Photoshop I tried Glowing Edges on the original, which gave quite a dramatic effect.  I have to try this kind of sketch in my black-page sketchbook with coloured inks.

For the version above I opened the original sketch in Snapseed, another of my favourite apps, and grunged it about a bit and then grunge-framed it.  Quite different, but good.

The rather startled looking chap below was quite an early sketch in Scribbler, just the basic sketch before doing any scribbling.  I saved it in my photo album so that I could try different versions of it.

That was supposed to be a mouse he's holding in his hand, but it's not very convincing!

I tried three different Scribbler versions - all put together on the image below.

Not particularly struck with any of those, so I went back to Snapseed with the original.

When I had fiddled about with it a little, using my favourite grungy thing, I was quite taken with it.

I've decided to turn it into a card to give to Stephen, the tutor, on the last morning of the Tate course, with an appropriate comment - probably something about the difficult wire sculptures we did on Saturday.  Perhaps:

"STILL STRUGGLING WITH THE WIRE BENDING"

Great fun, very therapeutic and very fruitful for further sketching ideas.