No Pencil, Just Ink

In 2019, following a long period of not drawing, I started doodling in my notebook for some random reason. Was this a conscious or unconscious decision? I'm not sure. What I can tell you is that my experience was instinctive, potent as caffeine, while more refreshing than a deep sleep. It felt familiar, as speaking with an old friend from the past, yet I didn’t even realise I had lost contact in the first place.

Another four months went by with no drawing (sadly) until another random yet salient event occurred. A stranger reached out to me, having read a book by Barry Tomlinson called “Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff”, where the author had quoted my name with a call to action to contact him (see excerpt below). 

“One reader who visited the editorial office insisted on drawing me. I thought he had great drawing skill and I often wonder if he made a career out of his artistic ability. If you read this, Phil Mckeith, please let me know!” (Page 164)

I was introduced to Barry in the early 90's after winning a drawing competition on the BBC, so this was a real shot from the blue almost 25 years later.

Nathalie, my wife, purchased the book for Christmas in December (2019), and if I’m honest, I was embarrassed for not realising my potential from the younger me to where I currently am. I had lost my way somehow to the point where I was not even drawing anymore, never mind pursuing a career in art. 

Was this fate, determinism, a glitch from the matrix, or just some random unrelated event? I can’t say, but I did pay close attention to it. That December 2019, I created six pen drawings in my next notebook, dropping the daily to-do lists I was using it for. I reconnected with the love of drawing at the age of 40.

Since 2020, I have continued to draw in pen and ink, posting my journey on Instagram and now TikTok. Only now have I started to consider myself a practising artist (with a whisper). My work is evolving into more and more detail; it’s inefficient, and I don’t use a pencil, so all my mistakes are on show. My subject matter is highly personal and not intended to be commercial, but I’m pleasantly surprised by how many people have connected with my work.

I have come to realise I’m not a goal person, the practice of drawing and being able to see progress is rewarding enough. My only direction of travel is to move towards a working day, spending more time refining my technique while drawing my journey through life.