Mara Sultan and Darcy Novello, both of the Lancaster Arts Hotel, show off the scrapbook of doodles left behind by their guests. The "share your doodles" challenge gives the guests the opportunity to release their inner artist and be a part of the scrapbook displayed in the lobby of the hotel.
This is one of many doodles left by guests and compiled in a scrapbook at Lancaster Arts Hotel.
This is one of many doodles left by guests and compiled in a scrapbook at Lancaster Arts Hotel.
This sketch of a dog is one of many doodles left by guests and compiled in a scrapbook at Lancaster Arts Hotel.
This sketch of a horse is one of many doodles left by guests and compiled in a scrapbook at Lancaster Arts Hotel.
This sketch of a room is one of many doodles left by guests and compiled in a scrapbook at Lancaster Arts Hotel.
Doodling can say a lot about a person. Some people do it mindlessly, others do it with thought and purpose.
This is evident from the scrapbook displayed in the lobby of the Lancaster Arts Hotel, 300 Harrisburg Pike.
Last month, the hotel management began to encourage its guests to "share their doodles." A 9-by-13-inch sketch pad and two No. 2 pencils now grace each guest room with instructions for guests to share their doodles, if they wish.
The instructions prompt guests to "let their artist loose," be creative and leave it behind for others to enjoy.
"We now have more than 80 pieces of art from our guests," general manager Darcy Novello said. "We love seeing what they create. It's just been wonderful."
It's a way to encourage Lancaster Arts Hotel guests to get involved with the arts they are surrounded with when staying at the hotel.
"We wanted to keep the arts alive in the guests," Novello said. The "doodles" represent a range of artistic talents and showcase art from children through adult and subjects from squiggles to detailed drawings.
Eyes seem to be a popular thing to doodle. The many pages graced with all different types of eyes are a testament to that.
"You have to wonder why they drew what they did," Novello said. "Some of them obviously put their heart and time into it."
Sketches of the hotel's rooms, the view and decor were also inspiration for many of the guests.
There have been only a few pieces that have not been able to be displayed because they were not "guest-friendly," according to Novello.
There is even an "artist of the week" whose work gets placed in a special frame and displayed at the hotel's front desk. Staff members, who are not trained art professionals, according to Novello, pick the featured art every week.
"It's amazing when you see how talented people are," said Mara Sultan, director of marketing at the hotel.
"I have not drawn in years, but enjoyed the challenge. Many thanks," one guest wrote on a Post-It note attached to a pencil drawing of roses in a vase.
Jonnette Reisling, in town on business from Hagerstown, Maryland, was so excited about the opportunity to sketch that she called her husband to share the experience with him.
"I had just checked in and was getting situated and saw the pad," Reisling said. "I immediately got comfortable and found it a great way to settle into my stay and unwind after traveling."
Although the instructions clearly state that each piece of art should be anonymous and unsigned, many of the pages in the scrapbook are graced with the guest's initials.
"I guess that's just showing there is an artist in each of us," Novello said.
Doodle meanings:
• Flowers = gentle personality, love of nature or wistfulness
• Wandering lines = aimlessness
• Purposeful lines = unease
• Rhythmical arabesques = coquettish distractions
• Eyes = a wish to be desirable
• Lips = frustrated desire
• Walls = a sense of restriction
Source: www.about.com
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