Thank you Samantha Dion Baker, RAJ KAUR, Stan!, Bear Edwards, Mr Moke, Kyle Beaudette and the hundreds of others who tuned into my live video with Beth Spencer today!
Some notable quotes from this week’s episode:
“If my book were a baby right now, it’s like a zygote. It’s just been implanted.”
“You don’t have to make drawing your life, but you have to put your life in your drawing.”
“This generation doesn’t really have a Jim Henson. Not even close.”
“I want to be in a studio, but I don’t want to be around people because I need to talk to myself.”
“No kid ever picks up a guitar to become the most hated band in America.” (On Nickelback )
“Be as nice to yourself as your dog is to you.”
Today’s Draw Me Anything kicked off ‘Season Two’ with one of my absolute favourite artists on Substack: Beth Spencer from the Introvert Drawing Club. Beth was one of the first artists I subscribed to back when I was still trying to figure out what any of this was, mostly because she has a no dickhead policy that I find deeply reassuring.
We started (inevitably) by talking about dogs. I’m fresh off a stint drawing at the Westminster Dog Show (where I learned that Bulldogs are just puzzles made of wrinkles), and Beth has been doing her “Be the Artist Your Dog Thinks You Are” series. We agreed that capturing a dog isn’t about anatomy; it’s about capturing their neuroses.
We also went down a Muppet rabbit hole, thanks to a suggestion from Kyle Beaudette in the chat. It turns out Jim Henson used to draw sketches on the pipes in the back rooms of 30 Rock, turning plumbing into characters. It was a reminder that we don’t really have a Jim Henson anymore. We have micro-celebrities and people on Peloton rides, but no one turning pipes into magic.
Beth is currently in the “zygote phase” of writing a new book, which led us to the eternal struggle of finding a place to work. We discussed the dream of Airbnb-ing a stranger’s house just to get some quiet, and I reminisced about Maya Angelou writing in a hotel room with nothing but a bottle of sherry and a deck of cards. (I tried to convince Beth that Roald Dahl’s writing shed was charming, until we got to the part about the goat droppings ).
We wrapped up by talking about tools: specifically, the joy of using cheap crayons from a restaurant or Altoids tins converted into watercolour paintings. It was a good reminder that you don’t need the fancy gear; you just need to put your life into the drawing. (into the line!)
