Doodling goes digital with Doodle.ly

Who would've guessed that drawing would become a social media sensation? We've talked about popular apps like Draw Something and What Should I Draw. And now I'm having fun exploring a new-- and free--app on the market that can hopefully take my doodling talent beyond little flowers, 3D cubes and stick-figure animals. (Yes, that is the extent to which I can doodle). A cute website called Doodle.ly can appease my doodling urges and keep my pages clean. Dubbed a "social sketchpad," Doodle.ly combines doodling with a social aspect. You create a doodle using the various virtual writing implements offered and sketch to your heart's content. When you're finished, you can upload to Facebook and Twitter. (No Pinterest yet, sorry.)

Check out what a Doodlely user drew on the app after Steve Jobs announced his retirement. Pretty amazing, huh?


There's also a complementary Doodlely mobile app that lets you get your doodle on, whenever and wherever you want. Weekly contests offer inspiration with prompts like draw "a fat chef" or "an angry pirate" - definitely beyond the scope of my doodling talents. If you participate in the contest, you (or your kid) can draw something and submit it to the community and let the doodling accolades flood in. But if the contest isn't your thing, the mobile app is still a fun way to get creative somewhere besides the corners of phone bills and margins of notepads. -Jeana
Doodlely mobile app is available for free from iTunes.