how I started making 'art'...

Did a bit of art in school and wasn't particularly good, apart from the odd pencil drawing of a celery! Got a little Daler Rowney watercolour set a few years later (see photo) and an Alwyn Crawshaw book about watercolour painting and started practicing... enjoyed this a lot until I happened to create a picture of a stream with trees which looked really good. After that I tried to recreate my (lucky) piece of good art and couldn't. I did a few rubbish pieces and gave up.

I didn't know this at the time, but this happens to loads of people who try things out and somehow manage to achieve something special - it's almost impossible to recreate without lots of practice and experimenting which wastes good paper and leaves you feeling dissatisfied with your attempts. The blank page starts to become quite imposing and you give up.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this? waffling on like an idiot! It's because I believe everyone has an ability to create art. I think it's something that's in us.... that's always been in us since we were children and picked up a crayon, all the way back to neanderthal times when cavemen (and cavewomen) painted on the walls of caves things that mattered to them, or things they respected or gave them a sense of wonder. Have a look on the internet at Lascaux cave art from 20,000 years ago... it's incredible! - very expressive, them French!

There just seems to be a need when we get a piece of charcoal or a pencil or chalk in our hands to make marks. I think this creativity is deep rooted within us and is good for our wellbeing and our souls! It somehow just gets knocked out of us because our attempts might not be what other people 'like' or consider 'valuable'... or 'what sells'.

I want to show you that ANYONE can create art and express themselves. I've got no talent, seriously, I just experiment loads and take joy in the (Bob Ross) 'happy accidents!'. I'm hoping you'll join me on this creative journey as I'm about to post a whole load of art which you can download and doodle/fill with colour using an art program or print up and do old skool with pens and stuff you have to hand. If you were planning on using an art program I would recommend 'Sketchbook Pro', 'Infinite Painter' or possibly the greatest of them all - 'Concepts'. Even the free versions of each of them have got incredible potential.

Once you've created your artwork you can send it to me using SteveSmith@inkypleasures.com and I'll publish them in a new section called 'Gallery'. It's going to be great, just gotta get things on the go - just never seems to be enough time in the day! Keep checking back in as it'll be happening soon. It's a good time to be alive eh?

Steve out.