Pal of Now Then and local illustrator George Law first floated the notion of Doodle Club on Facebook towards the end of 2017 and the hive mind’s response was overwhelmingly in favour of the idea becoming a reality. The project is perfect in its simplicity – folks pop down after work, enjoy a drink, draw and chat, listen to a guest speaker or two, and then hand in their best doodles for inclusion in a zine which will be made available at the following Doodle Club.
So it was with great excitement that we headed to the inaugural event on the 17th of January at Roco Creative Co-op. The event had sold out online with a whopping eighty tickets being snapped up in advance, and the venue was abuzz with jollity. Once we’d acquired a hoppy beverage and bagsied two of the only remaining seats in the Brood Cafe, we got down to the not-so-serious business of doodling. The entry fee for the event had been well-spent on good quality paper and a fantastic array of doodlin’ implements so with colourful Sharpies in hand, we doodled happily for close to two hours. It was sublime, and there was a real sense that all were welcome, from first-time doodlers to professional illustrators and everyone in between.
The evening was further augmented by the inclusion of not one, but two guest speakers, namely Sheffield-based artists Lisa Maltby and Jonny Wan, who were on-hand to chat about all things drawing-related. And to top it all off, George had even had a batch of snazzy DC badges made to officially welcome everyone to Doodle Club. The next event is in the diary for Valentine’s Day and if January is anything to go by the tickets will fly out, so grab yours quick.
You can check out Claire Arman Yau’s video of Wednesday night here.
Words: Felicity Jackson
