Drawing Passe?

[Bob Boze Bell]

November 10, 2009
There was an article in the newspaper the other day about a local cowboy who was put on a strict diet and told to walk 10,000 steps a day. It was for some health TV show and they put a pedometer on his leg and the TV doc would email him and say, "You are only at 8,000, go back outside and get to walking." The cowboy did and he's quite healthy today, etc.

So, this got me to wondering how many steps I'm doing on my daily walk with Peaches (I guessed it was close to 10,000). Well, it turns out, I'm only walking about 2,600 steps. So, I've been walking again at night, but I'm still way below where I need to be if I'm going to be healthy, and I really want to be as healthy as a guy with four stents can be.

Speaking of stents the Executive Director of the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce, Patrick Greene had a heart attack last Wednesday and had a stent put in. He is recovering. You can send a get well email to Patrick at:

[e-mail]

I Can't Believe I Drew It
One of the nicer byproducts on my quest to do 10,000 bad drawings:

Here's an odd offshoot of my quest to do 10,000 bad drawings: I got a call from a local public entity, funded by the city. A nice woman director asked me if I'd teach a class on drawing for kids 6 to 12, two sessions, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one Saturday, $400. Sure. I agreed. Long story short, she calls me back and says, "I'm not too sure this class will fill, the kids are more into jewelry making," and a couple other craft disciplines. I'm butchering the story a bit, but the upshot I got out of it is that kids today aren't real interested in learning to draw since, in their minds, the computer does it for them. Just an observation, not sure it's real, but I have a hunch it's damn close.

“To be an artist you have to know something that’s true.”
—Frida Kahlo

[Abby Goodrich]

I know when I went for my graphic design degree, the school I went to made me take a whole slew of different classes. I had to take drawing, photography, art history and of course the computer classes. At the time I wasn't thrilled, but it did make me appreciate all things art related.

[gus Walker aka the mapinator]

Good for you! I am quite sure a handwritten letter from you is something he will treasure. And i too mostly use block lettering when i write. let’s face it, an email, or even a typewritten letter, is no match for a handwritten, signed one. Even a short, handwritten note carries a personal touch. The person who wrote it physically touched it! In my thinking, it can be a piece of art. Why else would people like autographs or collect them! Why else do we treasure handwritten letters or notes or cards from friends or relatives who have passed on?

[Bob Boze Bell]

Yesterday, I wrote a letter (actually I used block lettering so your argument, Gus, still stands). It was in answer to a long hand letter I got from a cowboy in Clifton, Arizona. He sent me a photo of his dad and his cowboy pards. In fact, I'll post that today so you can all see.

[gus Walker aka the mapinator]

Another lost art is letter writing. Text messaging and email have just about
done in that form of communication. Seems no one anymore even cares about
spelling. Pen pals have given way to text-pals and e-pals. When is the last time
you sat down and wrote someone a legible, coherent letter in longhand?

[Jeff Prechtel]

Welcome to my world...or I guess I should say "our" world Bob.
You wouldn't believe how many people in the Graphics industry can't
or don't care about drawing anymore. They don't teach them that in school anymore..
as part of the course study anyway, as far as I know. My father's maxim to me was and
still is "You can't cover a bad drawing with a good painting!" words to live by. Learn to draw!
is what I tell all young artists that ask me for advice, unfortunately most kids don't seem
to be interested in learning to draw...it's all about the computer. On the otherhand...I just bought a neat as hell book on "Joseph Clement Coll"! Now there was a man who could draw!

[George D Rodriguez]

Unfortunately this is becoming more true as the computer generation lose the talents of yesterday and depend on modern day technology for learning, art, communication, enjoyment, and it seems about everything. As technology increases then manual dextarity decreases. Like the song in "The Year 2121" If man is still alive. Mans progress leaves a lot to be desired.

[Ginny Morgan]

Gosh, I hope you are wrong about the kids not wanting to draw. I recently got back into it and the joy and contentment I get from it cannot be gotten from a computer...