Little Monster

For our prompt of “Monster” today, I knew I would never be able to sketch a scary one, so I made up a little baby one. I imagined my monster to be part cat and part monkey with giant anime eyes, a colorful lizard tail and matching horns, replete with candy corn toes. And, of course, this little one would be an artist, because we were all artists at this tender age. Best of all, we were all masters. And, every little piece of art we created was pure perfection and ready to show the world immediately upon completion. Okay, the world most often consisted of simply mom or dad, but that was more than enough of an audience to feel a true sense of pride. I’ve no idea if monsters have refrigerators, but if they do, I’m sure this little one hopes this masterpiece will soon be hanging there. And, each day, when I show up with a little sketch, I still feel pretty much the same way.

This month, I’ve had a lot of fun handing the pen and paint brush over to my inner child and letting him make whatever he likes. In turn, it’s been a rather wild month of perfectly random things. Many of which, I’ve never even attempted previously or ever expected to appear here, so I’ve been having a blast. What I’ve found is that beyond that instant pride I always felt as a child when it came to my art, there was something more. I can’t say that it was bravery or courage back then, because I wasn’t afraid to try. But as I grew older, those pesky fears would crop up and so attempting to draw and paint suddenly required a touch of courage after all. I suddenly wasn’t sure that I could do what I had done so easily when I was very young. Sure, maybe my work lacked the finesse of someone older, but it was full of happiness and heart. My own mother still has a few of these drawings in a box somewhere and one day I’ll look at them again.

For today, it’s enough to just channel that little master inside and try the new things that scare me a bit. I’ve never drawn a monster before, after all. Many times, that fear of failure that holds me back is quite personal. I have a vision in my mind and I really want it to appear on paper as I imagined it. This has actually never happened. Not once has the picture I had in my mind truly appeared on paper in that form. Instead, it’s a mix of what I thought I wanted and what wanted to come out. While this was frustrating at first, I rather adore the process now. It’s quite exciting to find out what bits and pieces will finally come out and how they’ll all assemble themselves on paper. Just like when I was young, I simply have an idea, not a plan. That makes creating much more free and fun. So, each day when I sit down to sketch, I don’t worry about what comes out, I just look inward, and I’m excited that it’s once again time to paint, just me and my little monster.

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Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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