THE only thing I miss about the office, apart from my beloved colleagues (I mean it, sort of, well, a bit, oh, let’s crack on), is the stationery cupboard. There may be higher pleasures to be had than rummaging among the Post-it notes and pens but not many. Then again, I don’t get out much. None of us do.
It was while having a rake one day that I came across a sketchpad. A proper block of thick, creamy paper, wire-bound and hard-backed. I had no idea who used such a thing. Going by the thick coating of dust it had obviously been there a while. I asked the colleague in charge of the stationery cupboard/treasure trove if I could have it and I’m pretty sure she said yes.
It sat on my desk for months. I had a vague notion of writing a feature about starting to draw again. It’s something I loved to do years ago but gave up because, frankly, I was terrible.
But there was never the time and after a while the sketchpad acquired another coating of dust.
Fast forward some time later, we’re in lockdown, I’m bored out of my tiny mind, and there are programmes on the telly about taking up art. Grayson Perry hosts an art club on Channel 4 on Mondays, and BBC4 this week had Life Drawing Live! Who can resist a programme with an exclamation mark in the title?
Chief tutor on the latter was the Scots artist Lachlan Goudie. “If you want to join all you need is a 2B pencil, some charcoal, some paper and an eraser,” he said in the trailer. “Go on, you might unleash your inner Michelangelo!” Nothing like having ambition.
Tuesday arrived. After a declaration from the continuity announcer that viewers could “expect some nudity” (why do you think half of them are here, mate?), the session began.
There were three amateur artists in the studio with presenter Josie d’Arby and Goudie, and others dialling in virtually. Everybody had an easel. Suddenly my prized sketchbook seemed rather pathetic.
But I gave it a go as we were given one model after another to sketch, and it was fun, for a while. Conclusions: I can’t do legs, so anyone I draw in future will need to be a mermaid or have a blanket covering their pins; two hours is far too long for a live show; and finally, I’m still rubbish.
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