My art teacher once told me that my cartoons weren’t art.
I remember being so envious of one of my friends that she could draw 'proper' people and I couldn't. She'd spend class after class just sketching away a masterpiece of a face whilst I messed around with whatever new medium my art teacher could throw at me. One time she wanted me to do a whole piece about eggs! However, I felt enough is enough and I wanted to draw what I loved to draw - little cartoonish people displaying the emotions of life. I spent ages drawing away my little people, still linked to my broad given theme of music, only to be greeted by a disapproving look. I couldn't keep this in my sketchbook for exam inspection. I must rip it out. The most 'me' part of my sketchbook was discarded and looking back through it now, not a piece resembled my skill and development of the talent I actually liked. What's more we went on a school trip to the Tate Modern in Liverpool and they had all sorts of 'art' there from pieces of toast to a silent disco! It's a hard thing to create art in a confined school environment as it's just up to an examiner's digression on whether your art counts or not.
This paved the way sadly for me to never really say I could do art. Plus I was never a fan of those people showing off their talents and even if I had plucked up the courage to say I could do art, I get quite uncomfortable when someone watches me draw. The type of art I produce is completely different to what I want, as I need a relaxed environment to make as many mistakes as possible to get to the finished product. In a way I'm a bit scared of the transition from pencil to a more permanent material, it can be quite nerve racking! Especially with cards as I may have to start all over again if my pen just slips!
But things have changed now. With a little help from those close to me I started Alf and Florence. The place where my cartoons are welcome. Making the most specific personalised cards is one of the best things ever! So thank you for the opportunity!
Below is an image that inspired me to finally get a blog post out there again! I had this one and another ready to go but didn't finish them! Here's to all the half jobs.
Alex x
