Confession: I am a blogaholic. It all started three years ago in college when I first found a few fashion blogs after reading Teen Vogue. (Don’t knock it. I love that magazine.) After reading one blog, finding another, and another, and falling down the rabbit hole that is the internet, I sit here now behind my Macbook writing from the depths of that webby black hole. While my addiction to blogs is time consuming and the only cure to blogaholism is a little snip snip to the wireless router, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The best thing about my blog addiction (and my job) is that I have become a bit of a Google search ninja. There are times where I hit a Google wall, though, and I do get stumped. Doodling on photos is a perfect example– I have been trying to figure out how to virtually doodle for a couple months! I tried different search queries, advanced search queries… “how to draw on pictures”, “how to doodle on photos”, “draw in paint on photos with tablet”… I got nothing! I even commented on a few blogs I love and asked them, “How in the heck do you doodle that cool stuff on your pictures?” Still nothing. So, I asked our graphic designer at work. And she told me. 🙂 (Although in retrospect, any self-respecting person who knows how to doodle on photos is probably some sort of a graphic designer and they would never call it, “doodling on photos.”) Ha.

This is all you need! A graphic tablet and the little pen that goes with it. I actually got my graphic tablet from Amazon for $30! I really, really love it. The first day I had the tablet, I was using it in programs like Gimp and Pixlr but the brushes were not smooth and it looked like I did something with my mouse in MS Paint. Blech. I was *this close* to returning the tablet because I thought it was no good, when I read Monica’s recommendation on the program Pixelmator. (She has the cutest picture doodles on her blog. :))

**UPDATE: I recently upgraded to this Bamboo tablet , I loved the cheap little doodle pad that I bought, but I decided to buy a better tablet because I used my other pad ALL the time. 🙂 Although the Bamboo tablet is more expensive, I prefer it to the cheaper one. It is less finicky and it makes writing on photos a lot easier. 🙂

THIS PROGRAM IS AMAZING. It is the closest thing I’ve ever come to Photoshop. It is only 30$ as well– the brushes are smooth, the filters are great, and I love the control that you can have over the image. If you’re a beginner who has had a little bit of experience with Photoshop but don’t want to shell out the cash for the real deal, this program is what you want.

So just to recap:

What you need to doodle on photos:

♥Pixelmator Mac only, unfortunately. 🙁

♥Graphic Tablet

*Update– you can use other programs for a PC to doodle on photos, I should have mentioned this. I am sure Photoshop would be incredible, I just didn’t note it above because I haven’t tried it with PS yet. 🙂 This is just what I used. (Thanks Michelle!) 🙂

That’s it! Then you can do cool stuff like this. 🙂 The pen just acts like a mouse and you can do whatever you’d like.



Doodle on NYC.



Doodle on a globe.



Doodle on your dog.

I also use this for work. 🙂 (Click if you actually want to know how to braid a scarf.)

**Unfortunately the doodle pad does not correct bad handwriting if you already have that. 😉

Good luck!

PS: Hilarious thing that Sarah told me at work on Friday. Did you know that every month, 74,000 people search in Google, “Where are my glasses?”

Hahahahaha I have told that to probably 10 people this weekend and it still never gets old. 😉