Sunday 21 February 2010

My Willpower Sucks

I broke my resolution for Lent during a family party yesterday - damn my lack of concentration and Cludeo. So what did I give up? Green pens. You'd think any fool (myself included) would be able to keep to that. There I was, smug me with a box full of coloured pens. I gave one adult nephew a yellow pen and the other teenage nephew a pink one, because aunts must do these annoying things - job requirement, and then I chose a delicious (note, I didn't eat or lick the pen) green pen for myself. Doh!

During said party for small people, I discovered (okay, I already knew) that my drawing skills are those of a 5 year old. My niece decided we'd draw identical picturess and she would copy mine, and she did and you'd be hard pushed to tell which was drawn by the five year old, though I may have just edged her. When she turns six though, I'm stuffed. Oh, how I remember 1982 so well. For some inexplicable reason, in the first part of that wonderful year a switch flicked on in my brain and I could draw, well copy other peoples pictures (not tracing :D) quite well. I remember seeing everything as a series of lines and I just needed to put them all in the right place and yay, a not too shabby picture. And then someone flicked the switch back off...

17 comments:

Mary Rajotte said...

Sounds like a story to me. The Curious Case of the Line Coordinator :)

I can't draw either. But I make a mean watercolour ;)

Kara McElhinny said...

Don't think you should be too hard on yourself. Green pens are VERY enticing! :D

Cate Gardner said...

Mary, now I'm more sad... :( See unhappy face. I thought I could do watercolours until I realised, I couldn't. :D

True, Hinny.

Alan W. Davidson said...

I can't draw either...and I'm a draftsman. Sad but true. When you said you gave up green pens for Lent, I thought you had written green peas.

Anthony Rapino said...

You should post your picture. :-)

Just curious, why give up green pens?

Fox Lee said...

I'm partial to a nice black sharpie, myself ; )

Simon said...

Green is indeed a very cool colour. But you're willpower's better than mine, anyway. I've given up giving things up for Lent. ;)

K.C. Shaw said...

Green ink is not my favorite. I'd send you this green pen that's sitting unused and lonely in my pen cup, but I hear you've given them up for Lent. :)

Aaron Polson said...

Green is usually my choice for editing (both my own schtuff and students' papers). It's so positive, in a way. ;)

Katey said...

I used to be good at drawing too, now it's just pathetic. My uncles told me not to stop or it would go away. Don't use it, we lose it :/


But green pens, hell. Who can resist?

Rich said...

Yep Katey's right. I went to Art College, but since I concentrated on writing, my drawing skills have gone way down.

Maybe you should start a round-the-blogs post of everyone's drawing efforts!

Rich

Andrea Allison said...

I can't even draw a straight line without the aid of a ruler and I took an art class in high school. Although, I did grow a fondness for pastels. My brother is the one with the talent for sketching.

Kimbra Kasch said...

But you're a good aunt and that's more important. :)

Carrie Harris said...

Well, you're one step ahead of me. I've NEVER been able to draw. At all.

Jamie Eyberg said...

Yep, I can't draw either. As far as green pens go I don't know how you can resist their colored goodness.

Cate Gardner said...

Alan, I gave those up in 1974 and never went back.

Antony, why not is my answer.

Natalie, I haven't succumbed to a sharpie...yet.

Simon, at least you're succeeding.

Kate, you just went down the list.

Aaron, you just went up the list.

Katey, I probably never really had it in the first place but I'll pass on the info to my neice.

Rich, now there's an idea.

Andrea, same here. My brother was a genius at art when he was a kid.

Kim, most of the time. ;)

Carrie, bet you could draw a zombie if you tried.

Jamie, I couldn't. :(

Barry Napier said...

I was actually quite god at drawing at one time. The someone flipped my Drawing switch to off and I have never turned it back on...