062: On Drawing for fun
Waiting to ask the expert.
Kids are experts on drawing for fun, and then the grow up. And most stop drawing altogether, and those who keep drawing dream of making money from their drawing. So while they are still drawing, it’s not something they do for fun.
Today at Create-O-Clock, (that’s early enough in the day where no one expects you to be awake and therefore you have virtually zero responsibility)I started picking out a new limited colour palette.
It wasn’t for any particular purpose that I could tell other than perhaps some experiments, then I just kept going with it and had fun doing so. It was an amazing feeling getting caught up in the fun of drawing. There is a way if feels that I’m not able to articulate just yet.
My kid is not yet two and she’s already an expert at drawing for fun. I think the trick is the enthusiasm and virtually no though of what the result needs to be. I can’t wait till she grows up a bit so she can teach me more about how to draw for fun. But in the meantime I’m going to try to practice on my own. The feeling is worth it.
If you want to try to get the feeling for yourself could try feel if for yourself! Here’s a template and a prompt.
It’s got some space for drawing and some colours to choose from. In procreate or some other drawing software you could play around in this template and trying the colors and see where that gets you, then simply delete the layer and keep working on your drawing till you’re happy. Or you could print it out and draw on that and stick it in your journal. Or you could draw on a blank piece of paper.
If you share it online you can use the hashtag #dyslexicdinosaur , ps how do you feel about sharing your drawings online? I’d suggest sharing in in a substack thread, but I don’t know if anyone would want to do that..
Above is the drawing prompt with all the rules spelt out. I hope you’ll try it even if you’re not an artist, actually especially if you’re not an artist.
Dyslexia is a set of common traits in people who’s brains are physically wired a little differently than the average. I wouldn’t want to get all high and mighty to say that that makes Dyslexics above average, but it does make them different, and it does give them a greater aptitude to skills that are considered ‘creative’.
So you could think of the drawing prompt to read ‘Creative Dinosaur’.
Love the "Create-O-Clock" concept. I definitely treasure that time, too, and now I have a name for it. Thanks, Adam!
And the drawing template! Perfect for me to use practice making bad art. And sometimes I *do* post online.