National Doodle Day

Release that inner artist – and have loads of fun doing it – on National Doodle Day, a celebration of all those idle sketches that people tend to make while on the phone or in boring meetings. These scrappy drawings are recognized each year on their very own day of celebration, so free that creative spirit and don’t forget to take a sketchpad to that next scheduled meeting!

History of National Doodle Day

The background of National Doodle Day dates back to 2004 when it became a worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for epilepsy research and support in the UK. The event is now celebrated annually and has successfully raised thousands of pounds each year for the cause.

The tagline ‘Drawing a line through epilepsy’ heads the campaign, and participants can join in by submitting their doodles, along with a small donation. The Doodle Day team then judges the doodles and awards prizes accordingly.

In addition to holding a doodle drawing contest for individuals, National Doodle Day also has connections with a wide variety of famous people who offer up a doodle or drawing to be auctioned off to raise funds for the Epilepsy Action organization. From Axel Scheffler (illustrator of The Gruffalo) and Martin Brown (illustrator of Horrible Histories) to Eddie Redmayne and Mary Berry, a huge array of famous British folks have participated in the auction for the National Doodle Day over the years. Each year brings a new chance for folks to bid on and win some one-of-a-kind artwork.

So next time someone in the family creates a random masterpiece while day-dreaming, don’t throw it away. Keep it for the next National Doodle Day!

How to Celebrate National Doodle Day

Wondering about some ways to celebrate National Doodle Day in style? Enjoy the day with some of these ideas for celebrating it:

Start (or Keep!) Doodling

One great thing about doodling as an art form is that it doesn’t require any fancy equipment. On National Doodle Day, just pick up a standard pen or pencil with a notebook or even some scraps of paper and get started! Squiggly lines, flowers, circles, diamonds, hearts and even faces will often make their way from pen to paper, many times without even thinking about it.

In fact, some folks believe that what a person doodles reveals a great deal about their personality! For instance, according to some graphologists, doodling circles might show a need to belong while triangles might reveal a powerful and ambitious personality. And, of course, mindlessly sketching hearts would imply a sense of love and romance.

Check Out National Doodle Day Online

Those who are interested in following along with the happenings on National Doodle Day can look at the Epilepsy Action website to learn more about the day. Not only that, but the webpage also offers an option to sign up to receive email notifications to keep apprised of all of the happenings around the event. It’s also possible to follow National Doodle Day on Instagram to view amazing artwork!