This is drawing interest...

As you read this, there are many people at this very moment in a class, office meeting, at their desk or elsewhere doodling on a page. Many of us do it. It's a release, it's soothing, it's creative. There's just something about holding a pencil or pen and moving it over paper that we love.

Writing instrument aficionados will be familiar with the specific scratching sound that a nib or graphite makes as it grazes the page. These tiny, specific characteristics of drawing can fill us with such contentment, peace and joy.

Anyone can draw. It's a personal form of expression that you can pursue for the sheer joy of experience, in addition to its results. This is perhaps what people call doodling: drawing without judgment or thinking. You may be focused on something else and find your hand moving. You have no concern about technical proficiency or whether the resulting image will be deemed frame-worthy or not. It's a tactile activity.

While simple, black and white doodles and sketches have mass appeal, so do coloured drawings. Sometimes colour is significant to what we're drawing. And sometimes we simply want colour for colours' sake. Experimenting with variations of a particular colour by pressing lightly and firmly on a pencil crayon, can be our aim in itself. So can trying out colour combinations and layering hues upon one another. Drawing is often thought to mean drawing a shape or form, but sometimes laying down colour itself, without regard to form, can be a fun exercise.

For colourful pen and ink drawings, fountain pens and dip pens are often used. These provide us with the greatest freedom of choice when it comes to colour. Switching ink colours is easy to do and there are many more ink choices for fountain pens and dip pens than for ballpoint or rollerball models. If there's a particular mood you want to capture or celebrate an event, using coloured ink is definitely the way to go.

Drawing is often portrayed as a solitary activity, and it certainly can be. However, it's also fun to draw with others. You can engage another to sit as your model if you're drawing a portrait or sketch, or you can both enjoy drawing together. It's also a great activity to include in social settings. If drawings go well, great! If not, chances are high you may delight in laughter with your friends. Check out our Reverie section for a prime example.

We hope this issue has inspired you to spend a few minutes doodling or drawing this week. You never know what creative ideas it may unlock!