The Leeds Surrealist Group were bringing a new selection of short films by Michel Zimbacca to the cinema. I asked if I could add a drawing activity to the evening before they began, along the lines of the parlour game that the Surrealists adopted and called Exquisite Corpse. They were not keen for the two events to be too closely linked, as their take on Surrealism is not defined by any particular method or technique, but is more quite simply to do with 'what the Surrealists do'.
Nonetheless, I got their blessing and advertised drawing games in the Star & Shadow brochure. As I have noticed on other occasions, free, open-sounding events do not always bring in many totally new people eager to join in: I think this is because it can be unclear what to expect, what 'entertainment' is being provided. But instead, this event brought in some good old friends, the majority of whom I have already drawn with as part of the Paper Jam Comics Collective.
This group of comics-fans is very used to drawing against the clock, with no judgement about what is quality and no anxiety about getting drawings 'right'. They are perfect for just launching in to some collaborative drawing, in which the pen moves faster than the mind and all you can do is try to keep up with where the picture is going : no planning, no forethought, no chance to be sure of what you are doing. I LOVE drawing like that, and I made a little video which I hope shows the kind of joy that can come out of it.
Click here to watch the video.
Some of us will also be taking part in a 24 hour comics challenge, at the Globe Gallery near the Discovery Museum, from 10am this Saturday. For this reason (and for which the Star & Shadow is donating some of its sofas, which are all donations already from various good and uknown people!) I will not personally be about doing drawing stuff at the cinema this weekend, so I will be excited to see what turns up on the walls at the Baltic party tonight and at the Goat gig!
Nonetheless, I got their blessing and advertised drawing games in the Star & Shadow brochure. As I have noticed on other occasions, free, open-sounding events do not always bring in many totally new people eager to join in: I think this is because it can be unclear what to expect, what 'entertainment' is being provided. But instead, this event brought in some good old friends, the majority of whom I have already drawn with as part of the Paper Jam Comics Collective.
This group of comics-fans is very used to drawing against the clock, with no judgement about what is quality and no anxiety about getting drawings 'right'. They are perfect for just launching in to some collaborative drawing, in which the pen moves faster than the mind and all you can do is try to keep up with where the picture is going : no planning, no forethought, no chance to be sure of what you are doing. I LOVE drawing like that, and I made a little video which I hope shows the kind of joy that can come out of it.
Click here to watch the video.
Some of us will also be taking part in a 24 hour comics challenge, at the Globe Gallery near the Discovery Museum, from 10am this Saturday. For this reason (and for which the Star & Shadow is donating some of its sofas, which are all donations already from various good and uknown people!) I will not personally be about doing drawing stuff at the cinema this weekend, so I will be excited to see what turns up on the walls at the Baltic party tonight and at the Goat gig!
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