I like to do the following exercise:

1. Make two dots, one above the other, approximately an inch apart.
2. Connect the dots using a scribble. Any sort of scribble will do, but try to use some rounded scribbles instead of making it look like a polygraph.
3. Draw whatever you see. I like to do faces, and did faces in this practice. You do not need to limit yourself though. If you see something else, draw it up!

This gets your mind thinking more creatively. The more often you do it, the better you get, just like doing curls with weights. This gets your mind thinking outside the box and seeing things that you did not see before. It may come slowly, but it is a worthy time consumer, if you are interested in drawing and want to get better. Here is a video of me drawing up some faces using this method:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjgf NvYOqWo&feature=player_profilepage

Here is the end results:

http://www.yellowbouncyball.com/?p=
288

Sometimes, a friend and I will fill up pages with scribbles and swap them, drawing whatever comes to mind. You can make scribbles in any way. It does not have to be in a vertical line. You can do it however. Just embrace the randomness and make it your own master piece.

Woot! I finally finished. There are a lot of awesome submissions already- I hope I have a chance to be in the final 12. Jouste has an awesome submission as always! *(Although I think his last years piece was better) - There are also several other pieces that look great. I will be dissapointed it mine doesent get in considering how much time I have invested into it- but then again at the same time It is the first time I enter this thing and Id understand. Thanks to all who have looked at my submission and reviewed or voted- especially the 5 ant 10 givers ;) If you haven't seen it TAKE A LOOK! link! Good luck to all who submitted and to the Judges. This has been a fun contest.

Yellowbouncyball
Marcus Hadlock

I am working on a submission for the calendar contest and its taking a looooong time :)

Time for another Giveaway! I have not done one for a while as things have been crazy! I am excited about this give-away, however, and hope others get excited about it too.

Brazier & Co. is a Toy Company in the UK. They contacted me and wanted to use some of my characters in their logo. I then helped them produce the logo below:
They where recently contracted by Sony to create a load of Sackboy figures from the popular game "Little Big Planet". My friend Mark Brazier sent me a few Sack Boy figures out of gratitude for the work I did on his logo.

I am now pleased to give away 3 of these figures (and 2 keychains) for this months giveaway. To enter the give-away competition all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post ( http://adailydoodle.blogspot.com/2010/
01/little-big-planet-give-away.html ), and shoot me an e-mail letting me know that you left a comment. I NEED the e-mail so I have a way to contact you if you are one of the five winners. Shoot me an e-mail so I can then reply to it to get your address and send you your sack-boy prize!

If you don't think you need or would enjoy a sack-boy figure, please tell some of your friends that you know that might! They are pretty rad!

In the comment I would like you to answer one of the following questions:

1. How can I make ADailyDoodle better?
2. What do you like about ADailyDoodle?
3. How does ADailyDoodle make you feel?

You have until the end of the month, January 31'st to post your comment. I will be selecting the best answers as the 3 winners. I also have 2 Little Big Planet Keychains I will give away for the 2 funniest most bizarre answers. So you have 5 chances of winning.

Recap:

How to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post -->
(http://adailydoodle.blogspot.com/2010 /01/little-big-planet-give-away.html)
answering one of the following questions:

# How can I make ADailyDoodle better?
# What do you like about ADailyDoodle?
# How does ADailyDoodle make you feel?

2. Send me a quick email with the subject "Sack Boy Giveaway" and simply write "I left a comment" (Or something to that effect) in the body of the e-mail.
E-mails go to yellowbouncyball[at]gmail.com

What can I win?
You have 3 chances to win a sack-boy figure for the best answer, and 2 chances to win for the most bizarre / funny answer.

What is the deadline?
You have until January 31'st to enter the contest.

Who can enter?
Anybody and everybody! Tell your friends, your kids, your kids friends and your friends kids!

To keep myself creative whilst maintaining a full time job and being a husband/father I created a blog called "ADailyDoodle" on which I post a new doodle every day. http://adailydoodle.blogspot.com/ (Or ADailyDoodle.com)

It is also an attempt to brighten every-body's day that works in a cubicle or on a computer all day like I do. a 1 minute break to smile or laugh at a wacky doodle. I invite you all to come take a look and participate by commenting on the blog. Every month I do a give-away that starts the first friday of the month. Check it out!