A deeper look into what Sam Cox aka Mr. Doodle depicts as a “living artwork”

Sam Cox, also known as "Mr. Doodle," is a world-famous illustrator from Kent known for his mix of characters and loose black-and-white scribbles. He is reported to be one of the world’s most successful artists under the age of 40, with a recent work of his selling for just under one million dollars. Crafting murals, street art, and art installations in a genre of "Graffiti Spaghetti" that twists and tangles over everything in its path was what made him the original artist that he is today— A true doodle addict, spending his days with a marker pen in-hand, turning the world into his canvas.

Mr. Doodle's style of art is essentially represented in his name: it is readable, unassuming, and whimsical. The 28-year-old artist's expansive, interconnected pieces have gained popularity over the past years, moving from Instagram explore pages to auction houses and beyond.

His work has been displayed all over the world, from apartment walls to prestigious clients like Cass Art, Adidas, and MTV, collaborating with brand names that are engrossed with what he calls his “growing drawing virus”.

“I want my work to consume as much of the planet as it can”

Cox's artwork can be interpreted in a variety of ways, whether it be through black-and-white mazes, cartoon hieroglyphs, or an expanding web of squiggles and smiles. However, drawing is primarily an escape for the artist. The artist outlines how his works are built as accumulations of movement and form without any predetermined direction—an uncorking of the unconscious, a free flow of hand to paper that permits pure expression.

In a recent interview with Artsy, he explained, “doodling requires you to free your mind from stressful or crowded thoughts. It is like meditation for me, and that’s why I love it. I don’t know how the final image will look until it’s complete. It’s a journey each time, and I am taking a walk through the drawing and discovering new things all the time.”

Mr. Doodle: The backstory

The artist behind the character describes that during his years at the University of West England in Bristol, his illustration classes taught him about narratives and making narrative sequences to create a stronger story and big focus on the work and it was where he had established his alter identity: Mr. Doodle.

When coming up with the backstory of Mr. Doodle, it is said that such a London-based character realized he had what is called OCD – “Obsessive Compulsive Drawing” which ultimately caused him to distribute his distinctive doodle artwork around his hometown and ultimately the entire world. In the end, he made a deal with the "Anti-Doodle Squad" to leave Earth and spend his days in the "Paper Galaxy," a region of the outer galaxy that is all white. It was here that he first coined the pseudonym "Mr. Doodle." His evil twin brother, who was envious of his brother's abilities, built a doodling machine to produce drawings in the meantime, back on Earth.

Then Mr. Doodle is exiled from the "Paper Galaxy" by his twin brother, who also sends him back to Earth for attempting to rule the globe with his drawings. And that's where we are right now: Mr. Doodle exchanging sketches in search of a means to return to the "Paper Galaxy".

Since then, he has been meticulously crafting this persona and honing his world. Cox is best renowned for his expansive, detailed drawings on a variety of surfaces, including walls, clothing, pianos, appliances, and even cars. Cox frequently creates his pieces for live audiences, and this meditative quality of the artist's process contributes just as much to the attraction of his work as the finished product. In many ways, the artist’s transformation into Mr. Doodle serves as an escape in a similar way to the drawing itself.

“When I was young, maybe about 16 years old, I realized that doodling was just kind of taking over my life. I started drawing on my parents’ furniture and everything around me. I wanted my doodles to take over everything. So, I just became obsessed with it in the best way possible. And it’s been like a happy obsession ever since really.”

- Cox in conversation with NBC News

The Doodle Residence 

At the young age of 28, the British artist finally fulfilled his childhood fantasy by doodling on every surface of his home, spending three years creating the kaleidoscopic, one-of-a-kind household artwork he now shares with his wife Alena, also known as Mrs. Doodle, a fellow artist who regularly adds color to his creations.

The six-bedroom neo-Georgian mansion was reportedly purchased for $1.5 million in the year 2019, looking just as ordinary and bland as any other brand-new home with completely bare walls. He has since then worked on transforming every last surface in his home with doodles.

Spray paint has been used on the house’s outside, while the inside illustrations are done in acrylic paint and marker pen. Cox shared on social media that the entire project took around 238 gallons of white paint, 401 cans of black spray paint for the outside or exterior of the house, 286 bottles of black drawing paint for the home’s interior, and 2,296 pen nibs.

He appeared on BBC Breakfast, showing the public what his definition of creating a living artwork looked like. Nothing is spared. Everything outside and inside the house is covered in black-and-white squiggles, a riot of video games, and comic-book-inspired cutesy characters. This includes culinary utensils covered in doodles, like a toaster, pots, pans, and a bread container. The bath and toilet in the bathroom have both been completely drawn on.

“This has been my dream since I was 18. It’s the longest project I’ve done. I wanted to say I’d done it all myself.”