005: Drawing + Writing

Pilot Eps Jan 27, 2020

This includes:

Some recently-unearthed artifacts
An excerpt from Lynda Barry's book "Making Comics"

Part I: Creative Artifacts

I've always enjoyed drawing.

Exhibit A: Mid-late 1990s.

My thoughts:

Look how happy this guy is!
I wonder what I was making...

My grandmother found some other pieces I'd given her a while back. I scanned them in (w/ minor editing) below.

Exhibit B: Jousting

drawing of a jousting knight on horseback — 1996

My late knights phase: Weapons, armor, castles with drawbridges, shark moats and portculli. Myths and medieval dragons etc.

Exhibit C: Extreme sports

Great pecs (wow). Stoked, dude 🏄

Exhibit D: Greek myths

drawing of a trojan horse being pulled towards a castle — ~ 1997

Note:

I'd eventually like to do a Greek myths episode 💡

Q: When you see artifacts from your childhood, can you teleport back to those moments in time?

Do you remember what you were thinking/feeling?

Part II: Drawing and Writing

You should read Lynda Barry's book "Making Comics".

It is excellent.

Some of her insights:

Drawing and thinking are connected
Drawing comes from the body
You don't simply reflect the world with your hand - drawing tells you how you see and think

As Barry puts it:

There was a time when drawing and writing were not separated for you. In fact, our ability to write could only come from our willingness and inclination to draw. In the beginning of our writing and reading lives, we drew the letters of our name. The motions each requires hadn't become automatic yet. There was a lot of variability of shape, order and orientation. The letters were characters, and when certain characters got together in a certain order, they spelled your name."

She speaks about teaching art to students of different ages. Her grad students? Anxious, self-conscious and miserable.

Her pre-schoolers? Creative, experimental and wildly enthusiastic.

It's great to remember the wisdom we had as kids.

Update
Try this interactive drawing series: