Today marks the 100th rendering in my drawing a day for a year challenge. Those 100 days sure went by quickly. That’s like the length of summer vacation when I was a kid! 100 days back then seemed like an ETERNITY (and an incredibly blissful one at that). That’s the one thing I miss about school: the 3 months when we didn’t have to go. Now it’s just a few bats of an eyelash (and 100 drawings) and POOF – there goes 100 days.
I used to draw a lot when I was a kid. A LOT. Then around 7th grade the guitar sauntered into my life and immediately took over the creative wheel. I still drew but not nearly as often. I did drawings for the school newspaper (The RAIDER REVIEW) and always looked forward to art hour. Art was the only class I knew I had an A or B in when report card time rolled around. That and band. The rest of my grades lurked down in the C- (if I was lucky), D, F, and I territories. I remember getting some U’s for a while there, too (not sure if they still issue those, but U was for Unsatisfactory).
I never cared about my grades and it certainly showed. Guitar and drawing were what I liked doing so that’s pretty much all I did. In 7th grade I passed a math quiz solely because of a drawing of a Necker cube I did on it (google “Necker cubes” if you’re not familiar, they’re awesome). I think I got something like 8 out of 10 questions wrong but Tom Selleck lookalike Mr. Morzinski gave me enough credit to pass because he liked my drawing. Sweet. I was voted most artistic in my senior class which I didn’t think much of at the time – honestly there were a couple of others I thought were way more deserving of that title. Outside of Mr. Lundgren’s art class I wasn’t even really drawing much at that point. Maybe we can do a Class of 91 “Most Artistic” vote recount some day. I didn’t have senior pictures taken, it seemed like a hokey waste of money (and still does). The “Most Artistic” photo in the yearbook was technically my senior picture. If I recall correctly the photographer had me pose by an easel which was funny because I do not enjoy making art on vertical surfaces. I didn’t say anything, I was just happy to get out of class to have the picture taken. Thank you, classmates!
High school ended. Full time jobs and computers came along. Drawing and I went our separate ways and caught up with one another in passing every 6 months or so.
***Time warp to lots and lots of years later***
Say eh-lo to my leetle friend.
Enter the sketchbook my bro Chuck bought for me when he came to visit us in Brooklyn a couple of years ago. It took about a year of looking at it and hating the fact that other than the first 2 pages of unfinished drawings it was empty. Eventually I started doodling in it and getting that “we’re getting the band back together, man!” kind of feeling. Drawing and I were on regular speaking terms again. A few months ago the Instagram drawing-a-day idea reared it’s head as motivation to get myself drawing at least once a day for 10 or so minutes. My sketch book is almost full now. It’s a good feeling. Before that I was lucky if I drew once a month.
The Instagram drawings didn’t have any intent or premeditation behind them other than to make a few lines and then try and turn it into something. That has since changed. I’ve always been a punny kind of guy and the subjects have slowly but Shirley and naturally gravitated toward word play. With bad puns and word mangling being the source of inspiration there’s no shortage of material. I’m constantly typing ideas into the Notes app in my phone. As each drawing goes by I’m gradually putting more and more time and love into them (when time and my A.D.D. allows for it, that is).
The one rule that I’m adhering to for whatever reason is that all of the drawings have to be in ink and freehand. Sometimes I really want to start with a pencil outline but that feels like I would be cheating on myself. I love (and hate) when a line gets out of line and I have to somehow try and correct it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Such is life. I recently invested in a set of good illustrating markers with varying tip widths which helps out a lot. Now when I want to do some shading I’m not at the risk of accidentally pressing too hard and making thick black lines. These drawings are by no means perfect masterpieces, nor are they meant to be. All I care about is that I’m having fun while I’m making them. If I’m not having fun and enjoying myself while being creative, what’s the point?
It will be interesting to see where the next 100 go. Here’s to the 100th drawing and the next 265. Woooohooo!
100th droring: James Taylor Swift
