Shapes And Kid Power

I've always enjoyed drawing. When kids my age were still discovering shapes, I was drawing whole scenes. First time I realized I was pretty good at sketching was in the first grade. I drew a ninja fighting a T-Rex. It was reminiscent of something from the middle ages. Flat, no perspective, no depth, but you could tell it was a ninja fighting a dinosaur. Funny thing is when you are the best drawer in your grade school class; you become a celebrity of sorts. Kids start to hover over you while you draw your masterpieces. Classmates start to request more dinosaurs, knights fighting dragons, Luke Skywalker, and football players. My fan base consisted of mostly boys.

It wasn't until the second grade that I bothered to draw a girl. She was a teacher's aid and three grades older and cost me two demerits in Mrs. Brown's class. Mrs. Brown was nice enough, but would not stand for students drawing during class. Of course, she caught me scribbling Brandy's portrait and that cost me my recess. To her credit, she allowed me to keep my picture and oddly, my reputation as a grade school rebel only flourished.

As a teenager, my illustrating talent hit its Renaissance. I learned shading, perspective, musculature, and hands. Hands were always the hardest to draw. I even began to draw small circles in the eyes to give the illusion of light reflection. I was quite proud of myself I must confess. Being a comic book collector inspired me to start my own comic series. I never finished one but I had a lot of first acts to my name.

I recall art class was extremely competitive in high school. There was a field of competitors now. But I still had more tricks up my sleeve then the rest of the bunch. Painting was not my thing and I soon bowed out of that circle. I was riding pretty high in those days. My teachers would even give props when they walked by my desk. They didn't mind that I wasn't working on their assignments. It was like having diplomatic immunity. But alas, the glory days had to end sometime.

My older brother's best friend came over the house for the first time to play a board game. I never said my drawing popularity carried over into my personal life. He was about five years older then me and had a lot more in his portfolio. He showed my brother and I some of his character sketches. I was blown away. The realism, the proportion, the sheer imagination was light years ahead on me. I spent years trying to draw like him. He was gracious enough to teach me what he knew but you can't teach personal style.

My last few months in high school were marked by a slow dis-interest in art. I drifted towards photography and when I enrolled in college, I was quick to learn as much about cameras as I could. Though I eventually graduated with a degree in photography, when I crack open the old art portfolio, I'm struck by the promise. It's a great lesson in self-belief and persistence. If I had a little more professional input when I was in grade and middle school, I think I could have withstood the anxiety of influence I suffered in high school. It only take a small bit of encouragement to keep a dream alive throughout a lifetime.

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