Nine-year-old kid with doodle obsession gets hired to draw on a restaurant's walls

Joseph Whale used to get in trouble for drawing on walls, but now he's getting paid for it. At 9 years old, Joseph has gone from doodling on his homework to being commissioned to decorate a restaurant wall with his artwork.

Joseph has an obsession with doodling, something many of us do when bored in class or meetings. But he's has taken it to a whole new level. With support from his parents, who recognized his artistic abilities, Joseph Whale is now known as The Doodle Boy. He's a professional doodler, and he isn't even out of elementary school yet.

Joseph has notebook upon notebook filled with adorable doodles like the one above. According to his dad Greg, who spoke with Bored Panda, Joseph has always loved drawing and "was added to the Gifted register in primary school aged four." His doodles might be simple, but there is something so bold and confident and expressive about them. There is no doubt that Joseph's doodling skills are far beyond most people's.

When his parents realized what a stunning artistic ability their son had, they sent Joseph to an after-school drawing class. It was there that Joseph practiced and honed his doodle work even more. "It's actually quite annoying," Greg told Metro. "He's better than me at most things."

Joseph's art teacher, Kerry, was impressed with his work right away. When she first met Joe, "he was a bit frustrated at school because he couldn't doodle as much as he wanted to and had been asked to stop," she told Metro. "I asked his parents for some of his work to assess his level and could not believe what I was looking at. We moved him into an older class straight away."

She continues, "His work is very exact and immaculate. It's very balanced. He goes straight to ink and creates perfect work straight from the start, no practicing beforehand." A few weeks into classes, she asked if she could post Joe's amazing doodle work on Instagram to show off his skills. 

His artwork was immediately noticed by the staff at Number 4 restaurant in Shrewsbury, UK. They invited him to decorate an entire wall of their dining room with his original doodles. Joseph eagerly accepted the opportunity—who wouldn't want permission to draw on a wall?

Greg told Bored Panda, "Joe spent about 12 hours illustrating the wall." That's a lot of concentration for a little kid! But it didn't all happen in one day. Greg would drive Joe to the restaurant after school each day to work on the wall. "Joe loves doodling and we're so proud of everything he's achieving," Greg told Metro. "The fact that a completely independent business has asked our 9-year-old son to do a professional piece of work for them is incredible."

According to Greg, Joseph was getting so frustrated in school because he couldn't do as much art as he wanted. He would get in trouble for doodling on the classroom whiteboard. Now, not only has he been commissioned by a trendy restaurant to doodle on their wall, but his abilities are nurtured in an after-school class where he's totally supported.

At his art program, Bloom, he has his own wall where he can doodle and create as he wishes. Joe mostly loves drawing little monsters and creatures, and we have a feeling his doodle career is just getting started.

Joseph, AKA The Doodle Boy, now has a website where you can go to see his work. Greg not only wants to share his son's work but also wants to let this be a lesson for parents who have kids with different interests. He told Bored Panda, "I would advise parents to encourage their children to always follow their passion and dreams — research local workshops or groups within your local community."

This article was originally published on November 4, 2019. It has since been updated.