150 doodles

Easy Doodles to Draw When Bored in Class

One doodle per press, with how many ruled lines tall to make it and how many minutes it takes.

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Pretzel knot with overs and unders2 lines, 3 minutes. A fat looped line that crosses itself three times. Break the under line at each crossing.

Next step More tiny objects and planner icons

All 150 doodles

Pattern fills 30

Brick wall with a few bricks shaded 4 lines, 4 minutes. Stagger the uprights from row to row, then hatch every fifth brick with slanted lines.
Bubbles packed tight, no two the same size 4 lines, 4 minutes. Big circles first, then smaller ones in the gaps until no space is left. A tiny shine on each.
Checkerboard that bulges in the middle 6 lines, 8 minutes. Draw the grid lines as curves bowing away from the centre, then fill alternate squares.
Cobblestones laid in fans 4 lines, 6 minutes. Draw overlapping arcs like fish scales, large. Then pave each arc with rows of small rounded stones.
Coin circles overlapping into petals 4 lines, 5 minutes. Draw round a coin in a row, starting each circle at the middle of the last. Shade the overlaps.
Contour map of an imaginary hill 4 lines, 5 minutes. A wobbly ring for the summit, then bigger rings round it. Bunch the rings where the hill is steep.
Cracked dry mud, plates inside plates 4 lines, 4 minutes. Wandering lines that meet in Y junctions, never crossings. Add finer cracks inside the big plates.

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Pattern fills, continued

Dots that thin out like falling snow 4 lines, 2 minutes. Pack dots tight along the bottom edge and let them thin toward the top. No lines at all.
Feather barbs fanning off a centre line 3 lines, 3 minutes. One curved spine, then close slanted strokes off both sides. Leave a gap or two where barbs part.
Fish scales climbing up a box 4 lines, 3 minutes. Rows of small U shapes, each row sitting in the gaps of the row below. Start at the bottom.
Honeycomb spreading from one hexagon 4 lines, 5 minutes. Draw one hexagon, then let each new one share a wall. Six neighbours fit round the first.
Jigsaw pieces locking together 4 lines, 6 minutes. A loose grid, then one knob on every shared edge, pointing in or out. No two pieces match.
Knitted rows of tiny V shapes 3 lines, 4 minutes. Columns of small V shapes, each sitting inside the one below. Keep them even and it reads as wool.
Leaf veins seen very close up 4 lines, 5 minutes. One main vein, side veins off it, then a net of tiny cells between. Stop when it looks like lace.
Maze with no way in 4 lines, 6 minutes. Right-angle paths one pen width apart that never cross. Keep turning until the box is full.
Paisley teardrops nested three deep 4 lines, 6 minutes. A teardrop with a curled tip, two more inside it, a dot in the middle. Turn each new one a bit.
Pebbles with the gaps inked solid 4 lines, 5 minutes. Rounded blobs that nearly touch. Fill the gaps between them with ink and the pebbles pop forward.
Plaid from thick and thin lines 4 lines, 5 minutes. Two thick bands and two thin lines each way. Darken the squares where thick crosses thick.
Raindrop ripples that overlap 4 lines, 3 minutes. Three or four sets of rings. Where a new set meets an older one, stop and let the old one win.
Spider web stretched across a corner 3 lines, 3 minutes. Five spokes out of the corner, then sagging curves strung between them, closer near the corner.
Squares inside squares inside squares 3 lines, 3 minutes. A grid of boxes, each holding a smaller box and a smaller one again. Fill the very centre solid.
Stripes that turn in every tile 4 lines, 5 minutes. Divide the box into squares. Hatch each one with parallel lines and turn the direction each time.
Swirls that hook into each other 4 lines, 4 minutes. A curl, then a second curl growing from its back. Keep hooking on until the box is full.
Tally marks filling a whole box 3 lines, 2 minutes. Four uprights and a slash, over and over in tidy rows. It counts nothing and looks very busy.
Tiny stars on a solid black night 4 lines, 6 minutes. Outline the stars first, then ink everything else black. Slow, and oddly calming.
Triangle split into smaller triangles 4 lines, 5 minutes. Join the middles of the three sides to make four triangles. Repeat inside each corner one.
Tunnel of shrinking rectangles 4 lines, 5 minutes. Nest rectangles toward a point that is off centre, then fill every other band solid.
Wood grain flowing round two knots 4 lines, 4 minutes. Two small ovals for knots. Long wavy lines flow past and bend round them without crossing.
Woven strips going over and under 4 lines, 6 minutes. Pairs of lines crossing pairs of lines. At each crossing rub out one pair, taking turns.
Zigzags stacked like a knitted jumper 3 lines, 3 minutes. One zigzag across the box, then copy it underneath again and again. Thicken every third row.

Borders, frames and dividers 33

Bunting strung across the top of the page 2 lines, 2 minutes. A drooping curve, then triangles hanging from it. Fill alternate flags with stripes or dots.
Chain of oval links 1 line, 3 minutes. Ovals lying down, then ovals seen edge on between them as thin slots. Alternate all the way along.
Chunky 3D pointer aimed at a heading 2 lines, 2 minutes. A fat block pointer, a copy just behind it, corners joined. Shade the side faces.
Cloud-edged frame round a heading 3 lines, 2 minutes. Go round the words in bumps of different sizes. Flatten the bumps along the bottom.
Corner brackets that turn a note into a sign 2 lines, 2 minutes. An L shape at each corner of the note, doubled, with a tiny diamond where the two strokes meet.
Curly bracket flourish under a heading 1 line, 1 minute. A long brace lying on its side under the title, with a small diamond hanging from its point.
Curly pointer that loops once before it lands 2 lines, 1 minute. One line with a loop in the middle and a small open V at the tip. Good for notes added late.
Cut-here dashed line with tiny scissors 1 line, 2 minutes. Even dashes right across. The scissors are two small loops and a cross, facing along the line.
Divider of three leaves and a dot, repeated 1 line, 2 minutes. Leaf, leaf, leaf, dot, along one line. Tilt the leaves as if they were all blowing the same way.
Film strip frame with sprocket holes 3 lines, 4 minutes. Two long lines, a row of small rounded squares inside each edge, upright bars between the frames.
Frame made of four pencils 6 lines, 5 minutes. A long pencil down each side with the tips meeting at the corners. Hexagon barrel, band, rubber end.
Greek key border in one unbroken line 1 line, 3 minutes. Along, up, back, down, along: a squared hook, repeated. The pen never needs to leave the paper.
Icing dripping down from the top margin 2 lines, 2 minutes. A wavy edge with drips of different lengths, each ending in a round blob. A shine on the long ones.
Joined loops from edge to edge 1 line, 1 minute. A row of the letter e in joined handwriting, never lifting the pen. Aim for loops of equal height.
Paper tape strips holding down a note 2 lines, 2 minutes. A slanted strip over two corners, zigzag torn ends, stripes across it. The note looks stuck on.
Paw print trail wandering along the bottom 1 line, 2 minutes. One bean and four dots per print. Alternate left and right of an invisible line and let it wander.
Picket fence along the bottom of the page 2 lines, 3 minutes. Tall narrow boards with pointed tops, two rails behind them. A tuft of grass at every third post.
Plaited border of three strands 1 line, 4 minutes. A column of overlapping Y shapes turned on its side. Shade one strand all the way along.
Postage stamp frame with a perforated edge 4 lines, 3 minutes. A rectangle edged all round with tiny half circles. Put one word or one small doodle inside.
Quarter mandala tucked into a corner 5 lines, 8 minutes. Quarter rings out from the corner, each filled with one repeated mark: petals, dots, triangles.
Row of tiny mountains with snow caps 1 line, 2 minutes. Overlapping triangles of different heights. A zigzag near each tip leaves the cap white.
Scallop lace along the top margin 1 line, 2 minutes. A row of half circles hanging from a line, a dot under each join and a smaller arc inside each.
Scroll banner with curled ends for the date 2 lines, 3 minutes. A long box with a small roll at each end. Curve the top and bottom edges the same way.
Signpost with three boards aimed at your notes 4 lines, 3 minutes. One post, three boards with one pointed end each, tilted different ways. Wood grain on the boards.
Speech bubble round one important word 3 lines, 1 minute. An oval with a small tail aimed at the margin. Double the outline on one side for weight.
Spiral binding drawn down the margin 8 lines, 3 minutes. A column of small holes with a slanted loop through each. Your flat page becomes a ring-bound pad.
String of fairy lights 2 lines, 3 minutes. A loopy wire with a small bulb hanging at every dip. Shade alternate bulbs.
Sun rays fanning from a page corner 3 lines, 2 minutes. A quarter circle in the corner, then long and short rays taking turns. Rule them or do not.
Ticket stub frame with notched ends 3 lines, 3 minutes. A rectangle with a half-circle bite out of each short side and a dashed tear line near one end.
Twisted rope border 1 line, 3 minutes. A row of slanted S shapes, each tucked behind the next. One short curve inside each gives the twist.
Wave border that curls at each crest 1 line, 2 minutes. Up, over and curl under, then run straight into the next wave. Keep every crest the same height.
Wavy vine with a leaf at every bend 1 line, 3 minutes. One gentle wave, then a leaf on the outside of every bend. A curl of tendril in the gaps.
Zigzag with a dot in every valley 1 line, 1 minute. One even zigzag from edge to edge, then a dot in each dip. Use it to close off a finished topic.

Tiny faces, stars and shapes 33

Blob monster from a scribble 2 lines, 2 minutes. Close your eyes and draw a loop. Open them and add two eyes and feet wherever they fit.
Cartoon eyes in six expressions 1 line, 3 minutes. Pairs of ovals with the pupils moved about: up, sideways, crossed, half shut, wide, tiny.
Cloud with a face, raining dashes 2 lines, 2 minutes. Bumps on top, a flat base, two dot eyes. Slanted dashes fall from it in a tidy patch.
Crystal cluster of three shards 2 lines, 3 minutes. Three tall six-sided shards leaning apart. One line down each makes the facet. Shade one side.
Cube from two overlapping squares 2 lines, 1 minute. Draw a square, a second one up and to the right, then join the matching corners.
Cylinder, cone and ball lit from the left 2 lines, 4 minutes. Shade the right side of each with curved hatching and give each a small oval shadow.
Faces made from brackets, dots and dashes 1 line, 2 minutes. Build each face from marks on a keyboard, turned upright and drawn large. Try a whole row.
Five-point star in one stroke 1 line, 1 minute. Five straight lines without lifting the pen: up, down, across, across, home. Rub out the middle.
Flame in three nested teardrops 2 lines, 1 minute. A teardrop with a bent tip, a smaller one inside, a smaller one again. Leave the middle white.
Gem with facet lines 2 lines, 2 minutes. A flat top, slanted shoulders, a long point. Join the corners across the top and down to the tip.
Ghost made from an upside-down U 2 lines, 1 minute. A tall arch with a wavy hem, two oval eyes and nothing else. Friendly by default.
Impossible triangle that loops back on itself 3 lines, 5 minutes. Three L-shaped bars, each passing behind the next. Shade each bar a different tone.
Light bulb beside a good idea 2 lines, 2 minutes. A circle that narrows into a ridged base, a squiggle inside, three short rays above.
Lightning bolt with a drop shadow 2 lines, 1 minute. A jagged Z shape, thick. Copy its right-hand edge slightly to one side and fill the sliver.
Mushroom trio: big, medium and small 2 lines, 2 minutes. A dome on a fat stalk, three times over. Spots on one cap, lines under another, the third plain.
Pipe with three bends and a rim at each end 3 lines, 4 minutes. Two parallel lines that turn corners together. A thin ellipse closes each open end.
Planet with a ring and two moons 2 lines, 2 minutes. A circle with bands across it and a thin tilted ellipse that breaks where it passes behind.
Pretzel knot with overs and unders 2 lines, 3 minutes. A fat looped line that crosses itself three times. Break the under line at each crossing.
Row of boxes, each tipped a little further 2 lines, 3 minutes. Five cubes in a line, as if one were tumbling. Shade the same face on every cube.
Shooting star with a three-line tail 1 line, 1 minute. A small star, then three lines behind it, the middle one longest. Two dots of dust at the end.
Sleeping crescent moon with a star on a thread 2 lines, 2 minutes. Two arcs that meet at the tips, a closed eye on the inner curve, and one star hanging off the top.
Snail grown out of a spiral 1 line, 1 minute. Start the spiral in the centre, run the last turn out into a body, add two stalks with dots on.
Sparkles in three sizes 1 line, 1 minute. Four-point stars with curved-in sides, big, medium and small, plus a few dots. Scatter in threes.
Spiral lolly on a stick 2 lines, 1 minute. A spiral from the centre out, closed into a circle, on one straight stick. Thicken every other turn.
Square, triangle and circle with matching faces 2 lines, 2 minutes. Same sleepy expression on all three. Add stick legs and they become a small queue.
Stacked pebbles, biggest at the bottom 3 lines, 2 minutes. Five flattened ovals balanced in a tower, each a bit off centre. A speck of shade under each.
Staircase of blocks climbing the margin 6 lines, 4 minutes. Stack cubes in steps, each one up and one across. Shade every face that points right.
Star with a fold down each point 2 lines, 2 minutes. Join the centre to every tip and every inner corner. Shade one side of each point.
Ten circle faces, ten moods 1 line, 3 minutes. Two dots and a mouth each. Change only the mouth and eyebrows and see how far that gets you.
Tower of shapes: square, circle, triangle, repeat 4 lines, 3 minutes. Stack them as tall as the margin allows and fill each with a different pattern.
Water drop with a window shine 1 line, 1 minute. A teardrop, a small curved rectangle high on one side, and a short arc along the opposite edge.
Your initial as a 3D block 2 lines, 3 minutes. Block capital, a copy down and to the right, corners joined. Fill the side faces solid.
Your initial as a bubble letter 2 lines, 2 minutes. Draw the letter as a fat sausage outline with no sharp corners. A small shine high on one side.

Uses the ruled lines 30

Abacus beads threaded on five lines 5 lines, 4 minutes. Draw a frame round five ruled lines and thread oval beads on each, pushed to different sides.
Ants marching along a line and down the margin 1 line, 2 minutes. Three dots and six ticks per ant. Follow the ruled line, turn the corner, carry on down the margin.
Balloons tied to a ruled line 4 lines, 3 minutes. Knot each string to the line and let the balloons float to different heights. One has escaped.
Bar chart of your day on a ruled line 4 lines, 3 minutes. One bar per hour, as tall as it felt. Label nothing. Shade the tallest.
Birds sitting on a ruled line 1 line, 2 minutes. The line is a wire. Each bird is a teardrop with a dot eye and a tick beak. One faces the wrong way.
Caterpillar of circles, one line tall 1 line, 2 minutes. A row of circles that just touch two ruled lines. Face on the first, two feet under every other one.
City skyline mirrored in a ruled line 3 lines, 5 minutes. Towers stand on the line in solid outline. Below it, repeat them upside down in broken wavy strokes.
Eyes peeking over a ruled line 1 line, 1 minute. Two half circles resting on the line, pupils looking sideways. Fingers grip the line either side.
Five ruled lines turned into music 5 lines, 3 minutes. Pick five neighbouring lines, add a big swirl at the left, and hang filled ovals with stems on them.
Grass and tiny flowers growing from a line 1 line, 2 minutes. Short flicks upward in clumps, then a few stems with dot flowers. Leave bare patches.
Icicles hanging under a ruled line 1 line, 1 minute. Thin uneven triangles pointing down, a drip falling off one or two. No two the same length.
Ivy climbing the margin line 8 lines, 4 minutes. The printed margin is the stem. Add a leaf on alternate sides every line or so, a curl at the top.
Margin turned into a ruler 8 lines, 3 minutes. A tick at every ruled line, a longer one every fifth, numbered in units you made up.
Pattern sampler, a new fill in every row 6 lines, 8 minutes. Each ruled row is a strip: dots, zigzags, loops, scales, checks. No fill is allowed twice.
Piano keys squeezed between two lines 1 line, 3 minutes. Seven white keys between the lines, then five short black ones on top, leaving two gaps bare.
Railway track between two ruled lines 1 line, 2 minutes. Two neighbouring lines are the rails. Tick sleepers between them and park a small engine at one end.
Rain that stops at a line and splashes 4 lines, 2 minutes. Slanted dashes fall from a cloud and end at one ruled line. A tiny crown of splash at each landing.
Roots below a line, shoots above it 3 lines, 3 minutes. The line is the soil. Stems and leaves go up, and a mirror tangle of forked roots goes down.
Sea waves, one row of curls per ruled line 4 lines, 3 minutes. Treat each ruled line as a water level and run curled crests along it. Make lower rows bigger.
Shelves where every line holds jars and books 5 lines, 6 minutes. Each ruled line is a shelf. Stand small bottles, books, a plant and a clock along them.
Sleeping Zs drifting up through the lines 3 lines, 1 minute. Three capital Zs, each one line higher and a size bigger than the last. Put a curled cat under them.
Snake weaving over and under three lines 3 lines, 3 minutes. A fat wavy body crossing three ruled lines. Rub out the line where the snake passes over it.
Stick figure balancing along a ruled line 2 lines, 2 minutes. Arms out wide, one foot in front of the other, a slight lean. A long pole if you are feeling kind.
Sun sinking into a ruled line 2 lines, 2 minutes. Half a circle sitting on the line, rays above, and short broken dashes below for the reflection.
Swimmer bobbing above a ruled line 1 line, 1 minute. The line is the water. Half a circle for the head, two arm arcs, a few ripples underneath.
Three cats on a line, tails hanging down 2 lines, 3 minutes. Seen from behind: rounded shapes with two ears, sitting on the line. Tails dangle below it.
Tower block where every line is a floor 6 lines, 6 minutes. Two uprights across six ruled lines. Windows on every floor: some lit, one with a plant, one a cat.
Washing pegged along a ruled line 2 lines, 3 minutes. Socks, a shirt and a very long scarf hang from the line on tiny pegs. Let one sock be odd.
Wet paint dripping from every line 3 lines, 2 minutes. Thicken a stretch of each ruled line, then let drips of different lengths run down from it.
Your name in block letters two lines tall 2 lines, 4 minutes. The ruled lines set the top, middle and bottom of every letter, so they all match without a ruler.

Full page 24

City of boxes until the page is full Full page, 25 minutes. 3D blocks of every height, packed edge to edge. Shade the same side of every block.
Crowd of circle faces, no two alike Full page, 20 minutes. Overlap the circles so only the front row is whole. Hats, glasses and hair keep them different.
Crystals growing edge to edge Full page, 15 minutes. One triangle, then another sharing a side, then another. Shade every third one as it spreads.
Doodle that grows out of one corner Full page, 20 minutes. One small shape in the corner, then a neighbour touching it, then another. No gaps allowed.
Flat page made to look bumpy Full page, 20 minutes. Dot five spots. Draw lines across the page that arch over each spot. Hills rise out of the paper.
Hand outline filled with bands of pattern Full page, 20 minutes. Trace round your hand, cross it with curved bands, and fill each band with a different pattern.
Invented island mapped in patterns Full page, 25 minutes. A wobbly coast, then regions: dots for sand, ticks for grass, bumps for hills, waves all round.
Jungle made of only three leaf shapes Full page, 20 minutes. Pick a spear, a round leaf and a frond. Repeat them at every size until no paper shows.
Mandala from the centre out, ring by ring Full page, 25 minutes. A dot, a ring of petals, a ring of triangles, a ring of dots. Turn the page as you go round.
Marble run of ramps, funnels and loops Full page, 20 minutes. Start a track at the top and keep it rolling downhill to the bottom. Drop one marble in.
Nine boxes, nine patterns Full page, 25 minutes. Divide the page three by three and give each box one fill. Thicken the frame lines at the end.
One line that wanders the whole page and never crosses Full page, 10 minutes. Start at an edge and keep the pen down. Turn away whenever you get close to a line already drawn.
One word in bubble letters, each letter a new fill Full page, 20 minutes. Fat letters that touch. Stripes in one, dots in the next, scales, checks, bricks.
Orbits round one centre Full page, 15 minutes. A dot in the middle, then tilted ellipses round it, each carrying one planet. Stars in the gaps.
Overlapping leaves with the gaps inked black Full page, 25 minutes. Draw whole leaves first, then leaves tucked behind them. Ink whatever background is left.
Page of circles, a different pattern in each Full page, 25 minutes. Draw round a coin and a bottle cap until the page is crowded, then fill each circle its own way.
Patchwork quilt page Full page, 25 minutes. Squares and triangles pieced together, each patch a different fill. Tiny dashes along every seam.
Roots and branches from a seed in the centre Full page, 15 minutes. Every line forks in two, again and again. Branches go up, roots go down, until both meet an edge.
Scribble with every closed cell filled Full page, 15 minutes. One big looping scribble that crosses itself often. Fill each closed cell with its own pattern.
Snail spiral of tiny icons Full page, 20 minutes. Start in the centre and spiral outward, one small doodle after another, turning the page.
Stained glass page from ruled straight lines Full page, 20 minutes. Rule ten lines edge to edge at odd angles. Fill the shards with hatching that turns in each one.
Tangle of pipes with no loose ends Full page, 20 minutes. Parallel lines that bend at right angles and pass over and under. Every pipe joins another.
White swirls on a page of black Full page, 30 minutes. Draw fat curling ribbons in outline, then ink everything that is not ribbon.
Your first name echoed outward in outlines Full page, 15 minutes. Write it small in the middle. Trace round the whole word, then round that, out to the edge.

How this list was compiled: Original list written for Draw This Next, September 2026. Sizes and times are our own estimates. Each detail line gives the height in ruled lines of an ordinary notebook and the minutes first, then how to draw it. Checked on 2026-09-18 against Wikipedia: Ruled paper, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruled_paper (common rulings are 7.1 mm and 8.7 mm in the United States and most commonly 8 mm in the United Kingdom, with a printed margin line); Doodle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doodle (a drawing made while attention is otherwise occupied, often found in the margins of school notebooks; in a University of Plymouth study doodlers recalled 7.5 of 16 pieces of information on average against 5.8 for the group that did not doodle); Meander (art), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meander_(art) (the Greek key is a border made from one continuous line); Contour line, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contour_line (close contours mean a steep slope); and Musical keyboard, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_keyboard (seven white and five black keys to the octave). Licence: own work

How it works

Marks, patterns and tiny shapes, not subjects to study: 150 easy doodles to draw when bored in class, at break or on the bus home. Each gives its height in ruled lines and the minutes it takes, so a one-line zigzag and a whole-page mandala are easy to tell apart. They are notebook doodle ideas first: the margin, the corner, the gap under a heading.

Read the full guide

Doodle ideas that use the ruled lines

Lined paper is a ready-made grid, usually 7 to 9 mm between lines. The things to draw on lined paper here treat a line as a wire, a shelf or a water level: birds sit on it, icicles hang under it, a swimmer bobs above it. The small doodle ideas are one or two lines tall, clear of your actual notes.

Borders, frames and zen patterns

The border drawing ideas run along a margin: scallop lace, fairy lights, a Greek key in one unbroken line. The frame drawing ideas go round a heading, such as a postage stamp edge or a ticket stub. For zen doodle ideas press Pattern fills, draw a box four lines tall and repeat one mark until it is full. Fish scales are the calmest.

Keep doodles off work you hand in. They belong on the back pages of a rough book or a scrap sheet.
In class, your teacher's rules come first. The two-minute doodles under In class work just as well at break.
The full page doodle ideas take 10 to 30 minutes, so In class holds none. Save them for a wet lunchtime.

Questions and answers

Does doodling help you concentrate?

It might. In one University of Plymouth study, people who doodled recalled 7.5 of 16 pieces of information on average, against 5.8 for those who did not. The thinking is that a simple repeated mark uses just enough energy to stop a daydream. That argues for patterns, not portraits, and it does not overrule your teacher.

What are the easiest doodles for beginners?

Anything built from one repeated mark. A zigzag with a dot in every valley takes a minute. A cube is two overlapping squares with the corners joined. A five-point star is five straight lines without lifting the pen. For cute or funny, choose that group: ten circle faces, or eyes peeking over a ruled line.

What is the difference between a doodle and a drawing?

A doodle is what your pen does while your attention is somewhere else, so it has to be simple enough to run on its own: loops, scales, stars, boxes. A drawing asks you to look at something. For subjects, such as a penguin in a scarf, see things to draw when bored.