My Drawing Journey

MY STORY

Today I am an artist for Hasbro, but I have been drawing since I can remember. Don’t stop reading yet though! In this post I am going to tell you a little bit about my earliest drawing memories and some of the milestones that got me to where I am today. I am going to tell you about my firm belief that anyone can draw. I think it appeals to the scientific mind as well as the creative and that covers just about everyone I can imagine. But enough of the intro, let’s get into it.

The furthest back I can remember drawing was probably age 5. I don’t think I really remember drawing but I have the drawing and I have probably been told enough stories about it that I have created a memory for it. I remember it was scarcely more than a stick figure. The body was a rectangle, the face was a smiley sticker, and the fingers would make you think that I was drawing Edward Scissorhands. It was not very good. My Mom however praised me for my beautiful work and put it in my memory book. I will hopefully share that with you later. It really isn’t anything impressive.

I remember people always told me I was good at drawing. It was something that I took pride in even though I didn’t really have many people to compare myself to. Nobody in my family really drew except for my older brother who would do pencil reproductions of album covers and such. I thought his stuff was so cool.

I am a middle child. Number 5 of 10 kids. I think art was my way to stand out in a world of crowds and loud voices. I took to writing and art because I didn’t have to demand attention right then to have them noticed. I would quietly draw a picture or write a story and when the time was right I would be recognized for them. I guess you could say that it was my way of yelling. If any of you know me I probably have the quietest voice you’ve ever heard.

In art classes I always worked extra hard to make sure I was doing well. I can’t say I was the best. There was usually someone in every class that did better than I did, but the teachers knew I cared so they gave me extra attention and really praised my work.

I remember I heard about a contest when I was about 12 or 13. It was to win a Nintendo Gamecube. Paper Mario was going to be released soon and they were doing a contest where you drew a picture of Mario, folded him into an airplane, and mailed him in. I did it on a whim because it sounded easy and I drew Nintendo characters a lot anyway. I ended up getting 2^nd place in the contest which got me the game…but I still didn’t have a Gamecube. Haha although the winning was useless to me I can’t tell you how good it felt to win. I think it was around that time that I decided for sure that whatever I did I would be an artist.

 WHY I STILL DRAW

Art for me has always been about self-expression. I have never been great at commanding people’s attention, but when something that I drew makes people stop and look, I feel like I have made a difference and touched someone else’s life.

Anyone can learn to draw. I firmly believe that. I had a professor in College that would always say that learning to draw is simply learning to see. Drawing is a process of seeing the world and how it really looks. It is looking past all the tricks of the mind and learning how to use those same tricks on other people. It is really a work of science with a dash of artistic expression. If you think you just aren't the drawing type then stop looking at what other people do, and draw something! There are literally no rules when it comes to art, just look at Picasso!

This video is one of my favorites! 

WHY DRAWING CLASS FOR KIDS?

So how does this all relate to Drawing Class for Kids? I want to give that to kids. I want every kid to know that what they have deep inside them, whether or not the art is that good, is important and deserves to be seen. I want to give young artists that chance to see that their art is worth something and that somebody wants to see it. I find kid’s art some of the most inspiring because it is so unique and original. I try not to tell kids what to draw but help them explore how to express their art confidently. Eventually I hope I can offer art competitions where kids can see that their art can be valuable. I hope I can help kids. Art was always there for me and didn’t care if I was angry or sad. It didn’t care if I had a favorite color or if it looked like what was in front of me. It wasn’t a photograph and it was happy to be imperfect. I want to give that to other people. I am as flawed as my art and I have learned that it isn’t a problem because all of us are in process of becoming something great.