Scrap Creatures

June Saville, in Australia ("June in Oz") commented on my "Drawing" post with an invitation to contribute to a Microsoft Paint gallery. She's created some images of her own, and posted them along with the challenge for us to try our hands and contribute them for a virtual show. Genie Sea regularly creates paintings using virtual paint, though she is using more sophisticated software. MSPaint is very simple, not even a lot of color choices, and no complex shading tools. Just spray paint, lines, basic shapes, and cut/paste tools. I think the limitations are part of the fun.

So this afternoon I created a little image with my mouse (not shown here). Oldest and I used to call these "scrap creatures." Back when Oldest was about six, we would sit together at the computer and make these. We would scribble all over, spill virtual paint and spray randomly around, then cut and paste and scramble the drawings. We even turned them and flipped them, looking for the tell-tale signs of what they would become. Some we did together, like the one above ("Dog, Cat, Fish"). Others we made with my hand on the mouse, but both of us "seeing" together what emerged, and deciding as a team what to bring out of the background. I haven't thought about them for years, but the method is amazingly like what I do now with real paint. Weird (that I forgot that).

So here are several of the old ones. I sent June the one I created today, for the opening of her virtual show, and I sent her our favorite example of the old ones, too (not shown here - saving it for the show, of course). I am also bemused at seeing how much I was into ultramarine blue back then. That was fifteen years ago, and during my artistic blockage (no real painting or drawing). How little things change...

What about you? Here's a chance to do some drawing, and show it in a crowd of others. It's a bit like singing in the chorus - it's a lot less scary than singing a solo. It doesn't have to be complex or smooth - simple often has more impact. For instance, I like this last one of ours ("Bear and Toad") just as much as the others shown here, though it's a lot simpler.

Check out June's post (link up above) and send her something. What comes out of your mouse hand?