All of my friends know that when I am bored, I draw. I draw on paper, on my hand, on tissues found on the table in restaurants, on place mats, even on my handkerchief – you name it, I’ve probably drawn on it. You’d think that me being so impulsive (i.e., indiscriminate) in where I draw would make me a generally messy person, but I’m not. (Well, not usually) I keep my drawings neat and tidy in drawers in my room, and although they take up about 40% of my storage space (40% for my books, and 20% for clothes and other personal paraphernalia), I don’t like throwing them away. I mean, it takes up a lot of my time, drawing, sketching, scribbling, doodling; it’s a lot of work! So why on earth would I chuck ‘em out?
I still have these old spiral notebooks that my grandmother would get me so that I wouldn’t bother her when she was working. I usually drew little girls with frilly dresses, and their bangs would be a bunch of letter Cs, her mouth would be a letter B turned on its side on top of a letter D. Now I think it’s cute. Of course, my drawings have improved. I was heavily influenced by the anime and manga styles of Japan. From the traditional “shoujo” (girl) style of huge eyes and eye lashes, to the “shonen” style of roughness, I have used up an average of 6 sketchpads per year. My friends used to laugh at the pointy chins, the over-the-top-impossibly-styled hair, and the huge owl-eyes. Due to popular demand, I’ve toned it down, but not enough to completely change it.
Recently, I’ve dipped a bit in the realm of realistic drawing and painting. Inspired by my, uhm, good friend, (*wink wink*) I have been learning to draw more realistic figures. It’s all thanks to him. I saw him paint, draw, the works, and I was blown away. I met him in elementary, and now he’s become so much better at what he does. I’m learning a lot from him, and I’m not as good as him yet, but I’m getting better. Slowly, my style is transforming. I guess this is what happens as time passes. Styles come and go, techniques develop. When I was a kid, I used to draw with anything I could find; from grade 3 to my 1st year in high school, I wouldn’t even write unless I had a Mongol No. 3 pencil; and now, I’ve been more meticulous about the “instruments” I use when I draw (oh how I love my Staedtler 0.5mm Mars micro mechanical pencil, ha ha ha).
Yes, bratty as I am when it comes to these kinds of things, I still try to have fun with whatever I draw. I even go online looking for more things to draw. I’m even interested with typography now. (What a shocker :P) I think it’s amazing how some people can arrange a string of words and make it an artwork. I’m trying to think of new things to do, new styles to take in, new colors and shades just waiting for me to discover them. Ha ha ha.
If I ever become a type of person who some look up to, I only have a few words for them, “Absorb new styles, and make it your own.” I think it’s pretty simple. You find new things, you try to copy them, then you add your own twist to it. (Artistic plagiarism is a no-no for me.)
