HOLLYWOOD actor Johnny Depp has been in court in the United States as his $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife continues, but it's what he has been doing in the courtroom as the case unfolds that managed to detract from the heavy headlines for a spell - doodling.

 

Doodles?

A video of Pirates of the Caribbean star, Depp, taken during the defamation trial in the courtroom in Virginia, went viral on social media showing the 58-year-old doodling. He was seen drawing with pink and purple marker pens and sharing the artwork with his lawyer, having arrived at court with a sketchbook close to him that had the phrase ‘Built To Last' featuring a drawing of a green figure wearing a crown on its head on the cover.

 

The court case is serious stuff?

He is suing his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, over an article she wrote in The Washington Post discussing domestic abuse, with the case taking place in Virginia because the printing presses of the newspaper are there.

 

But for a time…?

The doodle drew headlines as, although the term - which first appeared in the early 17th century to describe a ‘simpleton’ - may initially bring youngsters and toddlers to mind, there may be more to it than apparent mindless scribbling.

 

Such as?

Although produced in idle moments, professional handwriting analyst, Ruth Rostron, says doodles can reveal thoughts and personality traits, as well as easing stress - such as a court battle perhaps. In an article written as an introduction to the book ‘National Doodle Day – Celebrating five years of Celebrity Doodling’ published by Epilepsy Action and The Neurofibromatosis Association, she said: “Doodling helps relieve boredom and frustration and the urge to doodle gets stronger as stress levels rise,” she says. “Doodling is like a safety valve that allows pressure to be dispelled in a playful and creative way.”

 

So you can interpret them?

Experts believe that, as in dreams, issues that preoccupy us can appear in doodles symbolically. Ms Rostron says: “Doodles are like fragments of a map that shows how someone’s mind works.”

 

What was Depp’s doodle of?

An artist known for his contemporary images of figures from popular culture, the doodles seemed to be of colourful figures.

 

We all do it?

Famous doodlers down through history include Leonardo da Vinci, Queen Victoria, Claude Monet, Ernest Hemingway and Charlie Chaplin. Some of their efforts were compiled into a book, ‘Scrawl: An A to Z of Famous Doodles’, while another book, ‘Presidential Doodles: Two Centuries of Scribbles, Scratches, Squiggles & Scrawls from the Oval Office’ features the doodles of Presidents Hoover, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan.

 

Now?

A doodle of a London bus by Boris Johnson raised £1000 for charity in the summer of 2019, while doodles made by former US President Barack Obama - including some self-portraits - on WhiteHouse stationery fetched $11,000 at auction in 2017.

 

And the ‘Google Doodle’?

The Google Doodle is part of pop culture now, with the temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages on the internet intended to honour special days, events, achievements and notable historical figures.