Drawn into It

Recently, when I asked my sister what she wanted for Christmas, she requested a drawing by me.

This took me by surprise a little because I haven’t drawn anything properly in a very long time. I am rarely without a pen or pencil in hand, so when  I’m not scribbling ideas, I’m usually doodling, but this isn’t really the same thing as drawing as a hobby.

Once upon a time, I loved to draw and paint. I loved art class at high school, and revelled in learning to use a variety of media: pencils, charcoal, Conté sticks, paint, inks. I filled many sketchbooks with my creations. Crafting was another hobby that took up much of my time, and I loved creating handmade gifts for others.

Somewhere along the way I fell out of the habit, and am not really sure why. The urge wasn’t as strong any more, I guess.

When my sister asked for a drawing, I felt a bit nervous. What if the results were rubbish and I couldn’t manage to produce anything gift-worthy?

I soon realised this is just silly, and there’s no good reason not to try. I love having a creative outlet and, quite frankly, any excuse for a visit to an art supplies store is alright with me.

So today I headed to my favourite art shop in town and bought a sketchpad and some pencils. It was hard to resist buying all the paints, papers and coloured inks as well (and half of the grown-up colouring books – so pretty, so enticing!), but my bank balance held me back.

I love new art supplies as much as I love new books and new stationery, so I’m looking forward to having a scribble. Maybe it’ll even become a proper hobby again.