005: Drawing + Writing

This post includes:

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

Part I: Creative Artifacts

I've always enjoyed drawing.

My thoughts, today :

• Look how happy this guy is!
• That is a very fresh turtleneck
• 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) recently.

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

Great pecs (wow). Stoked, dude 🏄

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

Do you remember what you were thinking/feeling back then?

Part II: Drawing and Writing

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

She's a genius. It's excellent.

Some of her key 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 she 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 has often spoken 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 all had as kids!

Update
An interactive drawing series :

047: Art for Amateurs

Seven short sketching prompts. No experience required!

The Fire JarJeremy Finch

ps
Someone replied to "Diverge Converge" with an analogy:

Throw all the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. Then make some sauce and meatballs.

Evocative 🍝

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