Fantastical, Intricate, and Immersive: these three words encapsulate the essence of Mr. Doodle's artistic journey. An innovative artist whose mastery over doodling transforms everyday surfaces into extraordinary works of art, Mr. Doodle's creations captivate the imagination, evoke joy, and immerse viewers in a world of playful complexity. In this exclusive interview, we delve into the mind of Mr. Doodle to explore the moments that sparked his passion for doodling, his meticulous creative process, and the whimsical intricacies that define his art. From his early inspirations drawn from video games to his bold use of black ink, Mr. Doodle offers us a glimpse into the universe of an artist dedicated to spreading happiness through his immersive and intricate creations.
First of all, thank you for sharing your insights with Shot Magazine, Mr. Doodle. We are fascinated by your unique artistic style. To start, could you share with us how your journey as an artist began? What inspired you to pick up a pen as your primary medium? Additionally, we’re curious about your frequent use of black ink—what significance does this choice hold for you, and how does it influence the overall impact of your work?
My story doing this kind of thing began when I was young. I loved the video game Crash Bandicoot as a child, and it inspired me to draw characters similar to those in the game. I had a book that taught me how to draw all the heroes and villains from the game and I used to draw them in scenarios that I wanted to see them in- games that didn’t exist but which I wanted to design and send to the company behind Crash Bandicoot for them to develop so I could hope to play them. This turned into a bit of an obsession with drawing characters. Then, when I was 15, I became much more heavily involved in drawing and doodling, in particular. I didn’t really know where it was all going, but I knew I wanted to spend as much time as possible doing it. I initially used pencils and became quite attached to them - I didn’t add tone and shading to my drawings, but I liked the look of cartoonish, sketchy line drawings. I didn’t like the permanence of a pen at first, but when working on my graphics work at school, my teacher, Morgan, encouraged me, and I got much better with pens. I started to fall in love with the impact of the intense boldness of a strong black pen on paper.
Your doodles are incredibly intricate and seem to cover every surface they touch. Have you ever hidden any secret messages or personal stories within your doodles that viewers might not easily notice?
Yes, I do this sometimes. Sometimes I’ll be drawing for long periods, maybe 12 or 14 hours a day, and this leads me to inserting things into the doodles that perhaps only really have significance to me and not many others. I’ll hide characters that refer to nicknames I have for friends or family. For example, I have a friend called Ben who is very tall, so recently I drew a Big Ben building with a face and arms and legs. I’ll also often draw characters I created many years ago, like ‘Wombat and Dribble—the Dynamite Duo,’ a pair of characters I made for a video game that never really happened, which I was creating ideas for when I was 13.
How do you decide when a piece is finished? Is there a particular moment or feeling that signals completion to you?
It’s usually once I’ve filled up the whole space. Generally, my doodles swarm over an entire area, and there’s a real sense of knowing when to move on to something else. Occasionally, I’ll work in more of a ‘cluster’ type shape, and it’s less obvious when to stop adding more doodles.
If your doodles could come to life for a day, what kind of adventures do you think they would have? Would they explore whimsical worlds, interact in unexpected ways, or surprise even you with their journey?
I think that’d be so cool! In my imagination, there’s this place they all live called ‘DoodleLand,’ and all the characters have happy little lives there. They exist in different areas like the Marshmallow Mountains or the Pencil Pyramids. In my mind, they’re very friendly and joyful, and even if put into the worst situations, they would find something to smile about. I think if they existed as real beings that could talk and walk around Earth, then they’d make it their job to just be a friend to absolutely everyone and do their best to bring happiness into those people’s lives.
How do you mentally prepare or get into the right mindset before starting a large-scale doodling project? Do you always have a clear plan, or do you let your mind and pen wander freely?
I very rarely have a plan. Pretty much all of what you see me create is unplanned—for me, there’s no real gain to be made by having a plan with this type of work. In fact, if there were to be a strict plan, it would be much harder to follow. The doodles all come from the subconscious, so they’re hidden in the back of my brain where I can’t really access them. So I don’t visualize specific characters, objects, or anything; they just appear as I draw them. Live performances for me are just as fun as they are for the audience because I don’t really tend to know what will happen next either.
The character of Mr. Doodle seems to be very eccentric and eager to convey joy through his artistic work. Was this your initial intent? And does the character of Mr. Doodle reflect your personality in real life as well? character
Yeah, I think that’s right. Mr Doodle is a very happy character, probably because he gets to do what he wants all the time. Whilst it does spread happiness to some people, the intention of the work is actually quite selfish. Although that word can be seen as negative, in this sense it’s not a bad thing. My target audience is myself in the sense that my simple and pure motivation to draw is to make myself happy. Making other people happy is a very well received and happy bonus, and I love putting a smile on a stranger’s face, that brings me a lot of joy. But that’s not the main reason I do what I do. I make my work out of a real compulsion to do so because I have an urge to create things every day, and am not very happy with myself at the end of the day if I feel I haven’t created enough. But generally, yes, I think I’m quite similar to Mr. Doodle in the sense of being pretty happy, perhaps less eccentric, but generally quite positive.
You’ve undertaken incredibly captivating projects, such as the tunnel installation in London and your house, where you've covered every inch with your doodles. What has been the most surprising or memorable reaction you've received from the public regarding these works?
It was quite funny, when my wife Alena had just given birth, we stayed in hospital for a couple of nights and had brought a doodle pillow from the house. One of the nurses came in to see how Alena was doing she said “Oh, that pillow reminds me of that man who’s drawn over his whole house. Have you seen that?” To which I then explained who I was, and I think she was surprised. It’s quite cool for me because the house was a dream project of mine for a very long time and in some ways has become more well-known than I have. Now people see me in the street and say “Are you the guy who doodled his whole house?” That’s really cool for me, and I’m happy I’m known for that.
If not doodling, what else catches your eye or captivates your attention?
I also like making music and other forms of art, but really I channel this sense of doodling into every creative thing I do in a way. So even with music, I kind of doodle through audio, if that’s possible? So it’s often kind of spontaneous noise-making, as if to mimic what the doodle characters might sound like if they made noises. As well as lyrics and songs that Mr. Doodle sings.
With the intricate and continuous nature of your doodles, what technical challenges do you encounter when working on large-scale projects? How do you overcome these challenges to bring your creative vision to life?
I sometimes have tricky surfaces to draw over- ceilings can be difficult, like one I recently did for my show at the Holburne Museum in Bath, as well as the dome I’ve just drawn over at sketch in London. These two surfaces required scaffolding and devices to allow me to access tricky-to-reach areas. The results are always so satisfying though!
What’s next for Mr. Doodle? Are there any out-of-the-box projects or unconventional ideas you’re excited to explore in the near future?
I’m looking forward to more people seeing the film we made with Jaimie’D Cruz and Ed Perkins called ‘The Trouble With Mr Doodle’. And one day I’m going to doodle a town! We may be waiting a while for that, but I’m determined to make it happen.
All images credit: Morgan DaviesMr.Doodle Shot Magazine Interview Issue 15
