What is a Scribble Drawing?

Art therapy pioneer, Florence Cane, shared her definition of a scribble drawing in her book first published in 1951, The Artist In Each One of Us . She believed everyone is an artist. By encouraging a person to scribble all over a piece of paper, she found a way to break through people’s creative blocks and fears of making a mistake.

Each time I begin a scribble I head into the unknown of great possibilities. I have no idea what will become of it. As I scribble, my arm and body engage in movement of the lines and paper. The oil pastel flows around the paper with only movement and little thought. It bypasses the conscious thinking of what am I going to do. My body and thoughts are completely absorbed in the scribbling. I then look at the scribble from all angles to see if someone or something would like to come out from within the messy lines. It can be anything that wishes for me to know its presence. As it surfaces I retrace the lines that define my someone or something.

Now I ask it, "Where do you live?" "Are you alone?" "If not who is there?" "Can you tell me about yourself?" "What can I give you?" "What are you here for to teach me?" "Will you talk to me and tell me your story?" It is from that the image is colored in and finished.