Month: June 2018

Doodling Childhood Imaginary Friends with DoodleAddicts

Posted on by mcdoodle

This month, we partnered with Doodle Addicts on a fun and quirky Drawing Challenge! One that challenged artists to take a walk down memory lane, and illustrate their childhood imaginary friends.

Why Doodle?

We are on the same page as Doodle Addicts when it comes to celebrating our incessant need to doodle! Other than the obvious benefit of it being an outlet for everyday creativity, research suggests that there are also additional perks to doodling, like helping you stay focused, relieving stress, understanding new concepts more quickly, and helping you explore new ideas.

So the only question is, why not Doodle?

Never too old for Imaginary Friends

The artists’ submissions were a breath of fresh air! A lot of them were quirky, cleverly illustrated, and oozing with talent. It was hard for us to pick our favourites, but here are a few that really stood out to us, and some of which reminded us of our own imaginary friends:

  • By Federico

    From the Artist: “I found a picture of me as a kid talking to my hand. I had forgotten my hand had a voice and a personality. Maybe there were several imaginary friends that inhabited my hands at one point. In this picture I’m trying to give them some fur and feathers. I wish I remembered their names.”

    Why we like it: “I love his memory of talking to his hands as a kid and the idea that his hands took on all new characters in his mind.” – Kelley

  • by Pilar Moreno

    From the Artist: Punky

    Why we like it: “He looks like he likes long walks on the beach.” – Faraz

  • by Sydney Anne Bellair

    From the Artist: “This creature has green moss growing out of its back and stick-like antlers extruding out of its head to improve its camouflage in the woods. Not only is my imaginary friend cute and cuddly but it is also agile and stealthy. The shiny scales that cover the lower half of its body provide protection to the creature. Overall, this imaginary friend is amazing in every way.”

    Why we like it: “I love animals and mythical creatures and have always considered pets to be like friends, each with their own unique personality. Just like this cool cat!” – Kira

  • by Joey Gao

    From the Artist: “My imaginary friend as a kid was a monster that travelled from telephone pole to telephone pole, and it always dangled the moon in front of me.”

    Why we like it: “This monster brings some light into the darkness.” – Faraz

  • by Adriane Skinner

    From the Artist: “This is Thumb Shark. I doodled him on my phone at a difficult former in a moment of frustration and despair, my cousin named him, and he took on a life of his own from there. He does everything with me, from assembling IKEA furniture to snorkeling to writing a thesis. He is eternally curious and definitely not a morning shark.”

    Why we like it: “I love Thumb Shark’s personality, and can totally relate to not being a morning shark!” – Apple

  • by Jesse Norman Bergstrom

    From the Artist: “Our treehouses and forts were always the place our imaginations ran wild. Lucky for this one her treehouse is more than willing to run off with her!”

    Why we like it: “I could personally identify with the artist’s fondness for treehouses and forts.” – Kelley

  • by Anna

    From the Artist: “This is my childhood friend, JellyGlo. She always would float around my room in the dark to help me get over my fears of the dark. She’s my best pal, and always will be.”

    Why we like it: “Cuteness aside, I loved the contrast between the electric blue of the Jellyfish and the inky surroundings, giving the feeling of a magical creature illuminating the depths of the ocean.” – Daniel

  • by Simon Wells

    From the Artist: “As a child, I’d read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and a brooding, Goth like Juliet became my imaginary friend. She would sit on a swing and be my muse.”

    Why we like it: “I wonder how her love story ends…” – Kira

  • by Lala

    From the Artist: “Every kid loves sweets and Midnight is no exception. Midnight is a donut grabbin’, candy eating, cookie snatching kitten that flies through the kitchen in the wee hours of the night to gather all the treats your mother said you just couldn’t have.”

    Why we like it: “Cookies and Cats! Some of the best things in life.” – Apple

Which submission is your favourite?

See All

Doodle your creative magic

Doodling can happen anywhere, anytime, as long as you have a pen (or a 3Doodler). You can Doodle anything from cartoons, abstract shapes, words, to patterns. Feeling nostalgic for your childhood imaginary friend? We say let your inner child run free and Doodle away!

Keep an eye out for our announcement of the winning submissions, coming soon…

Learning how to learn with 3Doodler Learning Packs

Posted on by mcdoodle

Recently we had the opportunity to interview Oletha Walker of JFK Elementary School, and Blair Cochran of Melrose High School, both of whom use the 3Doodler Learning Packs in their classrooms.

Upon first glance, Oletha and Blair’s classrooms are quite different. Oletha Walker is a charismatic Challenge Resource and Project learning teacher of a young and dynamic group of students from grades 3-5. Her class is all about getting messy and having fun while learning. Blair Cochran is an outstanding high school Science teacher, with an ambitious group of students who are passionate about the subject. He leads his students to delve deeper into a topic, to ensure they truly understand it. Despite their differences, they have one thing is common: both classrooms enjoy hands-on learning experiences.

Visualizing concepts in 3D with Oletha’s class

Oletha is a strong believer in the benefits of hands-on learning to help engage both the left and right side of the brain. She believes it encourages trial and error, embracing and learning from mistakes, and trying again.

With the 3Doodler Start Learning Pack, Oletha’s students are able to put their thoughts into something that’s visual and tangible.

This is not new to them, as Oletha’s classroom is equipped with a traditional 3D printer – which sounds very cool. In practice however, Oletha found herself having to sit next to the printer to keep the students away from it due to its heat warnings. Her students could only standby and wait for a single print to be shared with the whole class.

“The 3Doodler frees up time” – Oletha

"This little tool is a game changer. I have seen students that usually have low motivation come to life when they have this tool in their hands. It does not matter what their learning abilities are, anyone can successfully use this tool."-Oletha Share

Ever since introducing the 3Doodler to her class, every student has access to their own tool and is able to quickly and easily create their own item. There is no concern over anyone being injured, because the pens’ tips don’t reach high temperatures. Now Oletha has the freedom to circle around the class, guiding, monitoring, and giving feedback. More of her lesson plans can be accomplished because the students are able to work quickly and analyze and revise their designs before class time is over, as there is no downtime waiting for the printer to complete the layering. “As we all know, there is never enough time in one class to accomplish all that you would want,” Oletha commented.

Design, Build, Modify

In one of her classes, Oletha’s students were tasked with designing their own aquaponics system that could be used in someone’s apartment. Traditionally, a lesson like this would be limited to drawings, but with the 3Doodler, this lesson went to a whole new dimension. Her students were able to demonstrate their ideas more accurately with their 3D designs, make needed modifications, and build discourse around what they were designing.

What’s next?

For the next school year, Oletha is excited to have the entire school reimagine their town. Each person will imagine a futuristic version of their town and then create a model using the 3Doodler. This will be displayed so visitors to the school can see how the students envision their town to become.

Exploring and testing new learnings in Blair’s class

A typical lesson in Blair’s class goes like this: the class discusses the new topic for 10 minutes, then actively explores that topic further (which can take on a bunch of different formats), followed by some reading up and videos to strengthen their understanding of it. Blair likes to break down the topics into bite-sized chunks so the students can focus on a single understanding and how it is linked to other ideas.

What Blair’s students love the most about using the 3Doodler is the ability to physically create what they have pictured in their mind. When it comes to exploring a new topic, the students are able to ‘sketch’ their understanding of it and test it out. Moreover, Blair appreciates how easy the students have found this tool is to use.

"There was very little start up time. All my students were using the pens successfully within a couple of minutes."-Blair Share

Connecting the dots

During a lesson on circuits, students used the 3Doodler to create 3D models of voltage in a circuit. Blair has found that students typically struggle conceptually with this unit. What Blair has done for years is draw the circuit and have the students draw the 3D images of the voltage. With the 3Doodler, the students were able to physically create these plots instead. “I believe that the ability to create these models gave the students a new way to access the concept, and thus provided more students a pathway to learning,” Blair commented.

What’s next?

For the next school year, Blair is looking forward to incorporating the 3Doodler Learning Packs into the school’s MakerSpace and more of his classroom units.

Interested in our EDU Learning Packs?

Learn More

We want to say a huge thank you to both Oletha and Blair, for graciously welcoming our team into their classes. We had such a great time and were overjoyed to see the students using the 3Doodler and having fun with it.

5 Beach 3D Pen Craft Projects Your Family Will Love!

Posted on by mcdoodle

Sun’s out, fun’s out! Nothing beats a sunny day at the beach with your family and friends. We’re adding to the fun with these 3D pen beach craft projects, designed to help you decorate, fix, and create your very own beach essentials. Some of these projects are perfect for capturing those terrific summer memories, and can be displayed in your home all year round.

  • 3d pen designed sand mold figurines
  • 3d pen designed sand mold figurines
  • 3d pen designed sand mold figurines

1. Beach Sand Molds

This project is simple enough for kids to do themselves, but adults are welcome to challenge themselves with more detailed designs too.

Print out this stencil or draw your own (think emojis, monsters, unicorns). Doodle over it, adding ridges along the outlines to create finer details.

Take them to the beach and make the most unique prints in the whole beach!

Download Stencil

Materials:
Tips:

  • Press your finger on the Start plastic as you Doodle, for a smoother and faster finish.

  • After filling in the design, create a protruding ridge by Doodling along the lines a few times.

  • 3d pen designed sunglasses strap fashion
  • 3d pen designed sunglasses strap fashion
  • 3d pen designed sunglasses strap fashion

2. Sunglasses Strap

Never lose your sunglasses again with this super practical and stylish DIY project.

What’s great about this project is that you can design your strap to suit your style, so whether you prefer black and chic, or playfully colorful, the choice is yours.

Watch our Video Tutorial and follow through step by step to make your own.

Watch Tutorial


Materials:
Tips:

  • 3d pen designed fashion pins tutorial
  • 3d pen designed fashion pins tutorial
  • 3d pen designed fashion pins tutorial

3. Summer Vibe Pins

Deck out your favourite beach bags, hat and clothes with these summery Pinterest-worthy Pins!

Print out this stencil, or go truly personal by sketching your own designs. Use clear tape to cover over your design, then Doodle on top.

Once the plastic has hardened, peel off your design and attach a pin to the back by Doodling. Your pin game is on point!

Download Stencil


Materials:
Tips:

  • 3d pen seashell doodles 3doodler
  • 3d pen seashell doodles 3doodler
  • 3d pen seashell doodles 3doodler

4. Seashell Doodles

Kids love to bring home seashells of all shapes and sizes. Now you can transform them into adorable creatures or build a whole town to tell a story!

Use the 3Doodler Start Pen to Doodle directly onto the seashell. You can add a head, eyes, legs, skin texture, the only limit is your imagination!

This is a very fun project to do with your kids, and you’ll be surprised by all the creative ideas they come up with.

Materials:
Tips:

  • Gather shells of varying shapes and sizes for a more challenging and interesting collection.

  • 3d pen mask doodles 3doodler fashion tutorial
  • 3d pen mask doodles 3doodler fashion tutorial
  • 3d pen mask doodles 3doodler fashion tutorial

5. Beach Gear Fix-it Hack

Sometimes we forget that the 3Doodler Pen is not just great for Arts & Craft projects, it’s also a fantastic tool for fixing things!

Whether it’s fixing worn and torn sandals, replacing a missing adjustment buckle on your goggles, or filling in a crack of a broken beach shovel, this versatile pen will do the trick.

Materials:
Tips:

  • Be careful which surface you use the pen on, some materials may be dangerous when melted by the tip of the pen.

  • Test out which of our 3Doodler plastics stick best to the surface before you start your fix.

Making your own beach crafts with a 3Doodler Pen? Share your project with us, we’d love to see it!
#whatwillyoucreate

Happy Doodling!back to top image

I Doodle To…

Posted on by mcdoodle

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.” – Pablo Picasso

The 3Doodler community is constantly creating new suns, with inspirational orbits of their own. With the launch of our latest pen, we wanted to take you on a journey around our artists’ universe and share some of the amazing ways you can create.

“I Doodle to Decorate”

– Kira Albarus

In her free time, Kira loves being able to decorate her workspace and apartment to her taste. Kira has Doodled her own set of textured bookends, vases and even geometric animal coasters. She’s always on the look-out for inspiration for her next project!

3D pen art: Three vases with flowers on table
Skeleton holding skull, drawn with black 3D pen

“I Doodle to Play”

– Faraz Warsi

Fact: Doodling is fun! Faraz loves being able to grab a pen and make something that’s simple and quirky, and puts a smile on people’s faces. Whether it’s a whimsical figurine, cute finger puppets, or miniature food pins, there is no limit to what you can create.

“I Doodle to Personalize”

– Erin Song

These days it’s all about personalization. For Erin Song, a young and talented Graphic Designer and Illustrator, the 3Doodler allows her to put per personality into everyday items which are otherwise plain and ubiquitous. Erin also loves seeing her friends gasp and smile when she gives them personalized gifts!

“I Doodle to Make Art”

– Cornelia Kuglmeier

As an Art Teacher, Cornelia Kuglmeier loves being able to use the 3Doodler as a creative medium, both at school and at home. She has never failed to make jaws drop with her variety of artwork, from incredibly-detailed Macro butterflies, ambitious models of world-famous architecture, to her recent experiments with mixed-media blotched ink paintings. The only question is, what will Connie create next?

White dandelion sculpture with black center, 3D pen art.

“I Doodle to Design”

– Patrick Tai

Over the years, a growing number of Fashion Designers have adopted the 3Doodler into their work. Patrick Tai is one of the first users of the original 3Doodler pen back in 2013, when it launched on Kickstarter, and hasn’t stopped creating remarkable runway pieces ever since. For Patrick, the 3Doodler allowed him to make his creative vision possible and have his designs stand out from the crowd – creating textures and concepts that hadn’t previously existed.

“I Doodle to Fix & Hack”

– Maxwell Bogue

Max loves DIY-ing and fixing broken things with the 3Doodler, because it’s so versatile and easy to use. As a guy who loves new tech, he’s got a collection of worn out cables and cracked plastic parts from ruff usage. He can easily touch up and fix these with the 3Doodler in just minutes, as well as augment some of his favorite devices by adding a loop for storing connectors or other accessories.

“I Doodle to Relax”

– Apple Ko

As a homebody, Apple likes to spend quiet weekends at home to unwind. As a crafter, she values any chance she gets to sit down and just Doodle a creation for hours on end. Sometimes, how the end product looks is not as important as simply enjoying the relaxing process of creating itself. Doodling makes her feel calmer, more relaxed, and even happier!

Here’s to making art, doing-it-yourself, always learning, trying, failing, trying again, and above all else… embracing the fun of Doodling.

Whether you’re Doodling a yellow spot, a sun, or an entire universe of your own, our mission is to make sure you have the best creative tools in your hands.

We’re thrilled to introduce the new 3Doodler Create+ 3D Printing Pen, so you can discover, or re-discover, a whole new way to Create, Fix and have fun.

Watch the Video here: