Pen Wizards Circle Chronicles

Some folk think that drawing is something you’re born with, while some think that is also true of imagination. 

Believe me, even though I’ve been drawing my whole life, regular practise and training is what brought me here. No one is born with ‘true’ innate ability, even if you come from a long family of artists, you still need to learn the basics. Did you know how to walk and talk when you were born? We must learn these things and if our immediate friends and family can’t do that, then just following your own curiosity or passion to learn and experiment is what you rely on. 

I can also think of many, many artists who are technically amazing and super talented, but often I find some-many of them sticking to the same things to create. There are lots of valid reasons for this, but the point I’m making here is that even amongst some of these individuals, some would confess they’re not imaginative, despite their creative marvel. 

Back in 2019 I took a little leap and started the Pen Wizards Illustration Workshop, born from a desire to do something more with my drawing. I wasn’t going to be a self-sufficient or independent artist anytime soon (Still a work in progress). But I was in love with the act of creation, picturing something in my head, then finding a bunch of references for shape, composition, pose, texture or style to mash together, to make something not real a little more real. At least to the point of it being recognisable. 

I wanted to see if I could help others to do the same, I tried introducing people to worldbuilding, drawing simple shapes faster and take part in the classic drawing exercise of Monsters (The one with a page folded in 3, then one person draws the legs, another the body and the last draws the head). During the course of these, I saw full and less full workshops, helping many individuals, including some repeat attendants, to be more comfortable with a pen and paper. 

During the time I wasn’t so sure as to the success or impact that these events had, I questioned the subjects I taught, the techniques and advice I gave. The main issue I believe, upon reflection, was the promise of teaching imagination to attendants. It isn’t a tap you can turn on and off, it seems obvious now, but at the time I hadn’t realised this was something I had practised for a long time, not just drawing but taking things out of my head on putting them onto paper.

Within a couple sessions of talking to some repeat attendants, they had expressed a desire to develop this skill more; to draw from one’s own mind. Some also mentioned that they struggled to do this, they struggled to be ‘imaginative’ or ‘creative’. Well I can now dispel one of those two.

Being creative is just an act of creation, it doesn’t have to be imaginative, an engineer can create from a blueprint, following it to the last instruction, it might not sound imaginative to some, but it is definitely an act of creation or creativity.  

Being imaginative is what I believe, from those asking me during the other workshops, the key ability they were looking for, a series of vivid senses inside one’s own head that inspire and hopefully, compel you to create.

I do realise the dictionary definition of ‘Creativity’ also includes a definition of being imaginative. However I don’t believe putting these two definitions into the same word is helpful to a new learner. It’s ambiguous and confusing and too wide a definition. So I see imagination as the impetus from the mind or external stimuli and creativity as the act of making it so. 

I had always wanted to run these workshops again with the hope that I can, this time, really help people find their imagination, not just practise the basic skills involved.

Then over the pandemic and its lockdowns, before I joined Open Source Arts, I found my own creativity and imagination reach a new height and then a large spell of inactivity came afterwards. I was reminded of these skills, like all others are in flux, correlating with time practising and time not practising. I found myself in a mindset that I struggled a bit more with, but the confidence remained, years of practice, since early childhood wasn’t going away.

I had become an imagining mind not a creating body. What good are idyllic or wild ideas if they aren’t created?

I remembered those doubts I had from the previous workshops, the things I thought that didn’t hit home and the subjects that in hindsight, I thought were of little interest to those attending. This all disappeared as the foggy veil of my own judgement was lifted, when I found the old feedback from them, as well as a message from someone who attended, to see how I was doing and also to mention, how cool they thought the world building was. I thought this person wasn’t interested, but then I remembered they were also a repeat attendant, so my fears got the best of me, only to be proven wrong, not once but twice.

Here is some of the feedback;

‘Fantastic course – learned a lot in a day and feel like I have a lot more confidence in my own drawing. Relaxing atmosphere, and a great group of people.’

‘Enjoyed the workshop very much. Good handouts and well-structured class.’

‘Therapeutic and a release to find some creativity.’

So this was proof of many good things; a good well done, connecting with people, helping them and guiding them. And I will be looking to repeat these steps, all over again. Both in facilitating the workshop and rebuilding my creative skills, the imagination never went away though, it is alway, always, the single thing that pulls me back, the desire to create more, when my imagination overflows, every time.

So these illustration workshops follow the format of teaching the foundations of drawing. Lines, negative space, ratio/proportion, perspective, texture and tone. Once this is finished I hope to move it into a space for imagination, helping people find a way to realise what their mind can achieve. 

This ties into the one goal I didn’t achieve from the last set of workshops, to build or become part of a community of imaginative creatives of illustrators and artists, who are excited by the products of imagination. But there’s still time for that.

I now look towards the act of bringing ‘pen and paper’ creation back into my life, by helping others build up their foundational skills in drawing, starting with drawing lines on Monday the 30th January at 6:30pm. 

It’s time to bring back Pen Wizardry, but as Pen Wizards Circle. To hopefully reflect a growing community. I’ll be on a parallel journey with you.