Convincing

Sometimes I find it hard to choose a painting or drawing project because I can't make a decision. I don't know if it is a lack of inspiration, or motivation, or having too many choices. Sometimes I'm trying to be too serious or building up too many expectations as to how good I want something to turn out.

Then one day something drops into your lap (or post/letter box) that grabs your attention and gets the creative and fun juices flowing.

Such a day occurred for me when a promotional clothing booklet was posted to my house. I'd never heard of the company before and didn't think their style suited my beach life in southern California but I liked the book.

Inside were pictures of a model against a plain background.

I instantly knew I wanted to do something with this book but what? I kept it near and would think about it at odd moments during the days that followed.

Then I decided that the plain background was the perfect backdrop for scenes of my own invention.

This first picture was done quickly without much thought. But then I tried to match the background to an impression I felt the clothes gave off. So had there been a background what kind would the company have used?

The dress below reminded me a little of school wear.

The next two seemed to fit a snowy environment.

As you can see, the drawings are quick and quite crude in parts. I can draw very well but this exercise is not about 'proving' I can draw. It is about being creative, having fun, and doing something a little different from my usual artwork. Who knows but that it will spark an idea for something else in the future.

You don't have to have fabulous drawing skills to play in this way. Or even if you do, it is still fun to see what scenes you can create. If you don't want to draw you might cut out pictures of models in magazines and find new backgrounds to place them against creating a new 'story' than the one the magazine had originally intended.

Note: the paper in this book is not very absorbent. If I have to close the book before the ink is dry I put a plain piece of paper in that page to stop the ink from marking the opposite page.