When I was a child, we didn’t have videogames available at home. If we wanted to play videogames, we had to go to the arcades. And there weren’t many of them anyway.
So, what’s a kid got to do if he doesn’t like sports? Well, sit down in the park and make cool drawings.
You might not think so much of it today, but in those times, knowing how to make cool drawings was something that really made you popular in school. Everybody knew you for that and you always had requests. It was up to you to do them or not, of course, as it was very unlikely that someone would pay you for them.
I guess it would be strange to picture right now, but it was the equivalent of a Picasso Fonzi, I’d say. Only, instead of snapping your fingers and make the jukebox play music, you’d take out one of your cool drawings and make others laugh or be impressed.
Now, what were considered really cool drawings would change from person to person and even from grade to grade. For example, in my grade there was a guy who used to make drawings with demons. But these demons were different, they would use sweatshirts or jeans or Bermuda shorts, and they would do normal activities, like study or play soccer. We considered them cool drawings because they were funny and original. Imagine a teacher being afraid of a demon presenting an exam or a demon walking his dog at the park. In addition, they were very well done; with tons of details and following drawing techniques.
I like to think that I did cool drawings as well. They weren’t nearly as good as the cool drawings of demons, but they were amusing and my friends loved them. I did them in the form of comic panels and they told stories about me and my friends as well as jokes or pranks on our teachers. They were mostly stickmen, so they wouldn’t make anyone laugh unless he or she knew the people in them. With the years, I polished my style a bit, but it was always too simple, so I had to rely on the story or in jokes to make cool drawings.
In fact, I think the most important thing in cool drawings is the idea behind it, and how it makes you connect with something. I think that’s the reason why I like my favorite cartoons, like Dilbert, The Far Side, and The Simpsons.
When I was in school, I liked having the rebel label. I though it made me look cool and attractive. I loved to skip classes, play pranks on others and the like. Oh, and I also loved demon drawings.
I’m not sure why, maybe because it meant some sort of rebellion, or because the forbidden theme appealed to me, but I loved them. I even tried to make some in art class, but my teacher was very clear that this was not an acceptable subject in her class. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to make her sent me to the principal’s office, or to detention. Although one time she did discuss it with my mother.
That was a scary experience (for me). I thought my mother would never find out. She’s a catholic woman and I knew she wouldn’t approve at all.
It all happened one time when we were shopping for groceries. I was with my mother, helping her push the cart, when my art teacher came from behind and said “hello Pat, how do you do?”
I was so startled and caught off guard that I didn’t manage to say a thing. Before I knew it, my teacher turned to my mother and said “Oh, and you must be Pat’s mother. May I have a word with you? I’d like to discuss Pat’s demon drawings in art class. They are a bit disturbing, to say the least.”
“Demon drawings?” said my mother. “I didn’t know that Pat made demon drawings, much less in class. Is this true Pat?”
“Well, I, ah…, they look like demon drawings, I guess, but they’re not…, ah. It’s difficult to explain” I said. I couldn’t tell if I was angry at my teacher for telling my mother about my demon drawings or scared of my mother finding out about them.
“Don’t worry,” said my mother to the teacher. “I’ll see to it that Pat doesn’t make demon drawings in art class anymore,” she pointed to me “or anywhere else for that matter, young man.”
Well, she made her threat good, when we got home, I got a good belt spanking that I didn’t forget for a while. Back in those times, it was acceptable to do that kind of punishment for children (I guess today’s children are luckier). It wasn’t that my mother resorted to that often, but I guess she felt the occasion called for such a measure.
Anyway, that was the end of my career making demon drawings, which I guess I would have outgrown by myself anyway.
