Tastes of Culture

Painting and drawing freely is something everyone does, probably without realizing it at the time. I think that you will find that we all are guilty of doodling, on pads, invoices, serviettes, particularly while we are on the telephone. Often when we are half listening to what is being said.

You might say we are a nation of born scribblers. It is just something we all do, naturally and without thinking. It starts off small and then gets elaborated on. We do this from a tender age and this is a perfectly normal. So basically anybody, in theory, should be able to draw without consciousness, we are exercising our imagination and creativity.

This is your starting point. You can develop this in many ways, it could be drawing boxes, flowers, or maybe different geometric shapes. Guess what? Next you are filling your doodle in with darker and lighter patches which really are creating light and shade on a small scale.

I love watching very young children draw, seeing how they perceive things in their little minds. Mummy and Daddy are not always impressed with how they are portrayed. However it is generally taken in good part. Next up they ask you to draw all kinds, cats, dogs, horses etc. and then the fun starts!

However they just love poster paints and playing with them. Thank heavens for the felt tip pens. They manage to steer their little fingers around these quite skilfully. Handy too, is the fact that they also come in different thickness’s and many are also non toxic. So useful for so many things.

Moreover they tend to paint everything in sight including themselves. So the lesson here to be remembered is to watch out for your walls.

They delight filling in colouring books with their wax crayons. I am sure that they must sometimes find it quite hard with their tiny little fingers too using chalks on a little slate or child’s blackboard.

We all need inspiration from somewhere. People watching is a favorite hobby of mine and I practice it wherever I go. I find people fascinating from all walks of life. They can be young, old or just toddling. It is so easy to do and is free. You only have to use your eyes and watch what is going on around you. Just take a look in most public places you will always find something of interest.

Obviously writers do exactly the same thing, storing it in their minds for possible use at a later time. Yes, people have a fatal fascination for us, old or young, how they move and react to given situations. Many times we see the connection at the later date. Somehow it has made a marked impression on you and remained there for future use.

Maybe you still have carried an image with you that you have spotted somewhere, this can now be your personal subject. Who knows what the picture might be that you now want to portray. But now this is your chance.

So jump in with both feet firmly on the ground. Do not be deterred by anyone or anything. See what can be achieved with plenty of determination. Above all live a little, have your fun. Don’t be a person who says I can’t!