What to draw, what to draw?
“...images cascading through my mind...”
Stuck in the mud. That's how I felt. figures and images cascading through my mind but no outlet for me to express what I was seeing inside my head. I had to release the creative beast. But how?
Drawing, that's how. From childhood to mid-adulthood I drew. Wild things. Then I stopped!
Over the years I continued to sketch and doodle throughout work books, study books and even my phone. But it wasn’t anything of structure or real creativity. More born out of boredom, stuck in a place of zero vibrance and animation. Or so that’s how I felt.
Every few months I would attend galleries and exhibitions of varying artistic flare. Sculptured exhibits, paintings of new and upcoming artist photography and design exhibits. It was all inspiring to see what people were getting up to in their own respective creative fields.
“...maintaining the roaring fires hot as h, e double hockey sticks,”
This was keeping my own internal artist stoking the fires of the forge. Hot sweaty and beastly. He was in there maintaining the roaring fires hot as h, e double hockey sticks, awaiting the moment he was commissioned to produce a work of art to be proud of – Heads up, it never technically came.
Each interaction with an artist or exhibition was making the fires rage more and more, I needed something to inspire me to take my own leap. However, there was a level of fear and apprehension that was holding me back. I hadn’t realised it, but there came a time when I had to sit back and really look at what was preventing me from acting and acting right away.
I was drawing faces, hands, mugs and other stuff I felt didn’t really inspire confidence in myself or encourage me to look back at them. Learning to draw again was a pain and I had no idea what the remedy was. 'I know, I’ll draw fruits… everyone loves looking at badly drawn pictures of fruits. I’m sure of it.' I couldn't even convince myself of this.
This went on for months, I saw improvement in the speed at which I could produce diabolical images of barely recognisable humans and other organics, but I couldn’t stop. They were boring and dull pieces of art that I wouldn’t wipe my art…ists brush with. But it was a beginning.
Then I started my book, The Inevitable Threesome. This was the catalyst I needed which spanned over a two year period.
Viola! A reason to draw!
So it begins, pen to paper baby.
“...inspiration from the words that were flowing from my mind...”
This, this was what I needed. A collaboration of my own skills that meant I could write poetry and put my artistic creativity to the test. I didn’t need to go gung ho with what I was drawing, but I was given inspiration from the words that were flowing from my mind in the form of poetic stories.
As I began to write, there were visuals that formed in my head that I new I simply had to manifest into a physical form. Out came the drawing pens and book; I was ready.
I specifically wanted anything that I drew to have a rough, ready and sketchy look. Not too much time spent on any one piece, but it needed to also be visually clear and appealing to anyone that might see it.
The reason I didn’t want TOO much time spent? I knew I was seriously rusty and I couldn’t allow for perfectionism to rear its ugly head and prevent me from finishing each piece. So I drew and drew with the aim of finishing promptly and being happy with the outcome.
“My fingers would throb painfully and my brain would pound viciously.”
I forgot how tiring it can be to draw. Both mentally and physically. My fingers would throb painfully and my brain would pound viciously. All so intensely sometimes it was like a rhythmic drumbeat shared between them both. Regularly I would have to take breaks, walk, exercise and do something completely different before returning to the pen and paper. Soon enough we became the best of friends. Pen, paper and fingers, they were all in sync, more vitality, rhythm and flow when working together than I had seen since in my late teens/early twenties when I stopped drawing for fun.
Success! I was seeing the results and I was pleasantly surprised. What I most had difficulty with was converting visual imagery into one that my hands could actually produce. Reason being, I was drawing pictures that often were purely conceptual and/or a mix of fantastical, but would also include elements that were true to life. The hand eye coordination wasn’t quite up to scratch, but the willingness to produce work I would be happy to show to others grew stronger with each stroke of the pen.
This was it, the symbiotic relationship between this trio was growing. Pen, paper and fingers. And I loved it!
Enter the artist in the forge of artistic flames and heat
As I progressed with the poetry for my first book, The Inevitable Threesome, I could see more imagery begin to reveal itself from the words and therefore give me opportunity to draw develop. I had many ideas and I was grateful for the flow of imagination I was being flooded with, nevertheless I had to focus and narrow my thoughts, to ensure I was illustrating these words in the best possible way. One that I though could resonate with the reader. I had decided that although the images would accompany the poems I had written, I wanted them to also be standalone pieces that could be enjoyed by themselves and have their own interpretations.
The forger was fired up and as time went on, in a matter of months I was able to create pieces in a fraction of the time it previously took me when I was learning to draw again.
I always had a natural talent for drawing, painting and clay, but as the age old adage goes ‘use it or lose it’. I had left my drawing skills to be dormant for so long that I felt like I was in a place of infancy with my ability to draw an image, especially one that represented what I saw in my minds eye.
The flames were raging and the artists forge was being put to use. I felt the heat of creativity and it was coursing violently through my veins. Using both pen and pencil, I have been able to create some works of art that I am comfortable and excited to share with the world, either in my first book of poetry or as separate pieces. Since I’ve started back on this creative journey, I have gradually been building up my repertoire of skills again.
Looking forward to exploring new and currently unchartered realms of artistic medium in my adult years. Time to see what comes out from the depths of my belly. The abyss that holds unbelievable fantasy and imagination.
The Journey continues…
There isn’t much more to say other than to climb aboard and ride this plane, train and ship of drawing, writing and whatever else lays ahead in the world of artistic expression.
Next stop, Coloured Pastel Town… final station Paintsvillle. Talk about a place of happiness, wellbeing and zen.
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