An old sketch from when I was about 13. I used to do these kinds of things for hours and hours when I was kid. I’d develop lines and squiggles around a word. I found this old one with my name, but I used to put all kinds of words on and go from there. Note the use of purple! I never did get tired of using that color.
I’m thinking back to these now that I am creating a second book of coloring pages. These beginnings bring me comfort. First, I can see how much my art has evolved, how my techniques have changed… and yet, I still see the same style, the same choice of colors, the same movements to create lines and color.
I did countless sketches when I was a kid, countless doodles, and many many pictures just like this one, where I found comfort in the process of allowing my mind to melt into the art. Problems faded, worries dimmed, and just the motion of me moving my arm to an unheard beat remained.
The soothing quality of art to me was not unlike being rocked to sleep. It was calming and comforting, and still is.
