Artist Joe Whale used to get in trouble for doodling in class, until a local restaurant let him cover an entire wall with his artwork … and the internet took notice. He traces his unlikely beginning to a bigger story: your imagination is a muscle, and it weakens when you hand it off to AI. Through a live doodling demo, he shows in real time what it looks like to let a thought become a drawing, one line at a time. (Recorded at Play@TED on May 14, 2026)
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@놔루토
August 30, 2026 at 11:02 am
HE IS SO SMART
@youthislie
August 30, 2026 at 11:04 am
Xd
@KarthikeyaAsrams
August 30, 2026 at 11:15 am
Somehow this is calming me
@doubleuenbeeeh
August 30, 2026 at 11:17 am
Very first lines “I couldn’t stop” “I stopped”
@ofAwxen
August 30, 2026 at 6:02 pm
Hasan Piker shocked his dog, he can’t stop
@harrypearle9781
August 30, 2026 at 12:53 pm
MESSAGING? How about trying to DOODLE to convey specific MESSAGES or LESSONS, too?
================================================================ Smart Art ? TNX
@andyjulia
August 30, 2026 at 1:23 pm
Nicely done young man!
I used to doodle like this when I was a teenager while hanging out in my bedroom or talking on the phone. I need to get back to being creative.
@StrictlyPerformative
August 30, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Doodling is safe—AI can’t generate art on a bathroom stall.
@AlbanAwan
August 30, 2026 at 7:41 pm
…yet
@RitaRi-Taki
August 30, 2026 at 3:34 pm
I never stop my pupils from doodling, I give them extra sheets of paper if they need to keep doodling. I have referred to this young man, as the doodle boy to my pupils and hoped to inspire them. Well done doodle boy ❤❤❤
@tedwitus
August 30, 2026 at 6:31 pm
He sounds very much like “Hi Ren”. Another misunderstood creative genius.
@katchrist_
August 30, 2026 at 6:57 pm
I doodle at work 🎉 i’ve made some pretty unique art
@justiceforall2673
August 30, 2026 at 7:32 pm
Interesting artwork the skateboard he drew looked like a car with a smile to me.🤔🧐
@FMFvideos
August 30, 2026 at 7:36 pm
That’s the biggest pen I’ve ever seen.
@08_nguyentanat31
August 31, 2026 at 1:35 am
They’re Grog Squeezer pens, mate. Those pens are normally used to draw on larger spaces like murals and canvases; that’s why they’re so big. The only problem with Grog Squeezers, I would say, is their strong smell; that means you have to do it in an open space or outdoors for safety issues 😁
@08_nguyentanat31
August 31, 2026 at 1:49 am
I first heard of Joe Whale (we often call him the Doodle Boy) back in late 2019 with that Number 4 Restaurant wall in Shrewsbury, and since then, he has come such a long way in his career. It’s crazy that by this point, he’s already partnered with some of the biggest brands in the world, done major projects, published his own book series, and even opened his own exhibitions. Keep doodling, young man; your future is wide open, and it is as bright as it can be 😁
@DivaFoster-t7n
August 31, 2026 at 3:18 am
DAMNNNNN ITS THAT BOY YEAHH I KNOW HIM
@butterscotch-2424
August 31, 2026 at 3:50 am
❤