Quick on the draw
As a kid at school in the UK, there were few things more fun than doodling.
Jody Houton
Monday 9 July 2012, 08:57AM
Whether it was love hearts, planes or the weird-looking guy with a drooping nose peering over a wall (declaring ‘Jody woz ‘ere’), there was little that was more relaxing and enjoyable than drawing.
When the schooldays came to a sad end, for myself, and most of us I suspect, so too did those happy doodling times.
A reason for this is that as adults we rarely have the guilt-free time of doing something as inconsequential as drawing a cat with a tongue hanging ever so slightly out to the left.
Another reason of course is that in this increasingly technological age, we use keyboards more than paper and pens.
Thank goodness then that Bangkok-based artist Elsie Evans, the Summer Family Festival artist in resident at Laguna, is offering adults and children alike the opportunity to rekindle that passion and fun.
Regardless of whether you’re at beginner or a more advanced level, aspiring Picassos or Stan Lees pay just B1,000. This entitles them to a 2.5 hour lesson from 2.30pm to 5pm (lessons are on daily) and full use of materials and colours. You can also take your ‘work of art’ home with you.
Elsie believes that everyone can draw. “ My job as a teacher is to identify which strength each student has, whether it is texture, detail, design or creating more abstract work,” she says.
She also believes that everyone can benefit from doodling and drawing. “It’s good for everyone as it teaches you to express yourself without getting into trouble. It’s especially good for troubled kids.”
Resisting the urge to draw a huge smiley face with a sticky-out tongue, Elsie urges me to observe the arrangement of fruit and stimuli in front of me, and select a portion to draw.
The first step to creating The Phuket News’ masterpiece was familiarising myself with the feel of charcoal in my hand, and experimenting with different strokes.
Once I had gained a little more confidence I committed my vision to paper. I worked on what I saw as the foreground of the image first, then on the background.
Using two pieces of right angle card, I framed what I saw as the most interesting part. Selecting a black canvas, I then drew that image. The final stage was to mix the colours and then paint it.
So what exactly did I draw? I ended up choosing the pineapple as my muse, which turned out pretty well – though in my heart I still wanted to doodle a weird-looking guy peering over a wall.
