Flip a pancake, an egg or a doodle!
Flip Doodle is the game of random word doodle mash-ups. You can play the game solo or with friends too. Either way, you’ll stretch your creative powers and imagine all kinds of nonsensical fun.
Freebies! Download the original Flip Doodle print-and-play PDFs:
Design notes
At first, I created Flip Doodle as a solo game to help me explore new ideas. Turns out parents, teachers and other artists like games too! So I’ve produced four Flip Doodle PDF print-and-play sets. Each has a different theme and I’ve shared them for download here on my site.
Inception: April 2020
Status: Released
Elements: Drawing Prompts, Gamification
Let’s be clear: if you can draw a stick person you can doodle! As a regular practice, doodling promotes idea generation, creative problem-solving and most importantly fun. When we’re having fun there’s no telling where creative ideas will take us. To new personal expressions, new products or even new business opportunities.
Made for
Everyday artists and creative pros – For me, doodling is mostly about discovery. Wandering. Exploring. I think most doodlers do so for fun, but sometimes we want to take things to another level. Flip Doodle helps unlock new possibilities for people who like to draw, no matter how much or for what purpose, business or personal.
Discerning parents – Promoting creativity within children is something most parents would agree is important. But what if creativity could be a source of entertainment? Sure, Flip Doodle gives parents something fun to share with their children. But the real joy comes in seeing a child focus on their creations for hours. Hours they’ll spend away from intrusive ads, marketing spin and toxic online culture.
Teachers and professors – In talking with educators, they tell me they’re looking to encourage conversations about creativity and enable collaboration between students. Flip Doodle is informal, comical and customizable fun. And it’s easily carried and shareable!
How it works
Flip Doodle is a game about playing with ideas. Artists of all ages combine words we all know into imaginative doodles. Challenge yourself and friends to invent the most weird, detailed or nonsensical creations. Along the way, you’re sure to encounter all sorts of laughs and possibilities to use your doodles in new ways.
Each Flip Doodle set is a PDF print-and-play download. Pages include cards to cut out and some suggestions for play. There’s no limit to how many players you can have, so the more the better.
Setup is easy. Once the cards are cut out, mix them up and place them face down on the table. Word cards have two words on them. When you draw two or more of these cards, choose at least two upright facing words. Create a doodle using those two words in the concept, such as Ramen + Cat.
Doodling facts
There’s no “right” way to doodle. One of my favorite artists Marion Deuchars says: “Stop attempting to make more realism in your drawing. Drawing is the absence of fear. Draw with no inhibitions and all your imagination.”
They say the Nike Swoosh logo started as a doodle on a napkin. Not all of us will own a big shoe company, but that’s the power of a doodle. Small things can become grand things.
Stick figures are doodles! Some of my friends say: “I can only draw stick figures.” I always respond with: “Hey, that’s doodling!”
Everything’s more fun with doodles. Drawing your own RPG characters. Making maps can make a story come to life. And giving doodles as gifts always = more smiles.
It’s all experimentation. When we view creativity as experimenting, it takes all of the stress and weight off of us. There’s no reason to be “realistic” with doodles. Make a line and see where it takes you!
Practice makes better.
