Hi, friends! 

It’s Char from the Design Team, and today we’re getting into the festive spirit with some Thanksgiving Doodles.

Thanksgiving is definitely not as big of a celebration in Canada (where I’m from) as it is in the states. We celebrate our Thanksgiving in early October, so it’s very much a part of early fall and not really a part of ‘the holiday season’. That being said, we definitely still enjoy a big meal and celebrate the crisp autumn season! 

Supplies

Below is a rundown of some of the products I used to create this spread. If you would like to purchase any of these products, remember to use the code CHAR10 at checkout to save yourself some money.

• A5 Dot Grid Notebook - although you don’t even need the dot grid, you could also do this in one of the Sketchbooks. 
• Calliographs - These are amazing for layering colour, and I love that you can switch between the fine and broad tips depending on how much detail you need to go into.
• Gel Pens - I love using the white gel pen to add highlights to really make these doodles pop.
• Fineliners - I used the Sakura Pigma Micron in 0.1 to outline the doodles on this.

Video

Create your title

Sketch out your title to set the stage for this spread. I love to mix a blocky sans serif font with a modern calligraphy style one for some contrast.

Sketch out your doodles

Start your doodles with a light pencil sketch to help you space things out and adjust your proportions before you finalize things with ink. If you have even more ideas or want to do your drawings even bigger, you can make this spread go across two full pages.

Build the form with colour

When you start with colour and work from the inside out, your drawing will have much more depth than if you start with the line, which can often make it look more two dimensional.

The calliographs layer beautifully, so start with the lightest colour and keep building with darker shades and more layers. I always recommend colouring in a way that mimics the form of what you’re drawing - for example, when drawing something round like an apple, use curved strokes rather than straight lines that cut into the shape. Here are two examples of how much of a difference the direction of the lines can make. 

Here, you can see how the lines follow the natural form of the apple, and make it look much more round and 3D.

Here, the lines going straight across the apple flatten it out and make it look much less realistic.

Outline and finishing touches

I prefer the look of using fineliners more sparingly to make key areas pop once you’ve added all of your colour. I like to keep a light hand with the outline rather than a solid, thick line all around - but again, this is just personal preference. If bold lines are your thing, go for it! 

Finally, I love to use the white gel pens to add highlights to key points of the drawings. Let all of the ink dry, then erase any remaining pencil marks.

Printable:

I’ve turned this spread into a colouring sheet - feel free to add your own colours and cut and paste into your own journal!

Click to download now. 

I hope this helped you get into the Thanksgiving (or fall) spirit. If you’d like to see more of my spreads, you can find me on Instagram at @chardangerfield.art. 

Don’t forget to tag @archerandolive, @archerandolive.community, #AOShare and #archerandolive if you recreate this spread on your own. See you next time!