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Writer's pictureTim Jenkins

A Little Bit Of GUMption

Updated: Jul 21, 2020

It's another joke - I had a tooth removed and now I have a hole in my gum. It's funny 'cos I taste blood when I accidentally lick it.

That's not funny is it?

What was the word....horrible. It's horrible.


Anyhoo, this is an art blog and we are here to discuss artness.


Pull my finger...
Behold the artness!!!

It's in the palm of your hand...


I am a little bit scattershot with these blogs you may have noticed; after aiming to write one a week I end up doing one every few weeks.

It can't be helped, I'm a little busy and this blog is something that can take a surprising amount of time.

Not that it's not important to spend that time writing them, it's just sleep and actual arting tend to take priority.

Please note that I wrote 'arting' and not 'farting' and that you misread it. I did not mistype it the first time. This is not a blog about flatulence.



Man about to destroy his sense of smell
Shortly he will regret sniffing the air like that...

Anyway, part of the problem is that these blogs are something where I would rather write about something than just babble on about nonsense as an excuse to show you whatever art I've recently made up.


If a bear farts in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, can he blame the tree?
The irony is not lost on me.

And I'll be honest, I feel a bit weird when I talk about art because who am I to tell you about it?

I have my own beliefs and methods and motivations and I can see no reason why any of you would be interested in that. But I need a blog so you're stuck with it I'm afraid.

Today I will be talking about something - it's in the palm of your hand.


In a galaxy far far away there is a disturbance in the force.  A stinky disturbance
Luke Skywalker is as baffled as you are...

It's literally in the palm of your hand if like many people (3 to be exact, 1 of them me) you're reading this on a mobile phone.

But less literally, I mean art.


"I Wish I Could Draw"


I am reasonably sure every single artist has at least once heard this phrase uttered in their presence, or some variant of it. I wish I could write, paint, sculpt, juggle, cut hair nice, cook edible food, write words without having to then explain what they are because of my awful handwriting (don't judge me!) etc. That kind of thing.


And while I can't speak for every artist I know, my answer is almost word for word exactly the same;


"It Just Takes Practice"


I mean, it's actually a little more complicated, you need to hunt down techniques and all the little technical little bits and pieces that can help you to really succeed. What pens, paper, paint etc that exist and do what or how to do.

But that basic skill is based in repetition and gradual deliberate improvement.

I can guarantee that virtually every artist you have ever met has years of being just godawful to get where they are now.


Wolverine's superior sense of smell caught a whiff of the incoming horror...
Or marginally less awful as most artists would describe it

It's not a magic trick, or some weird alchemic talent (though like any skill there are people who pick it up quicker). It's literally hard work.

I think that's why artists, in my experience, tend to have much more respect for each other than maybe a layperson. Writers and musicians etc included in that. Any art form you choose really.

Not that your average non artsy person doesn't respect the skill on show (though sometimes...) it's just that artists in any form have been there. A nice drawing to one person is the pinnacle of years of hard work to another.


I'm meandering a little.


As the odour travelled it left devastation in it's wake.
I guess I'm just a little stumped

Anyhoo, what I'm getting to is gumption.

That awful joke in the title.

I know it's tenuous, don't bring any attention to it and nobody will notice.

What it takes to be an artist is gumption, persistence, a drive to keep going even when everything you do is just plain awful.

So when someone says "I wish I could draw" or "I wish I could paint" or anything like that, then literally all they have to do is follow through.


She can smell it...why can't you?
You're making you're own fart jokes now aren't you...

If you want to be good at drawing or painting or writing you just have to do it. And do it badly.

Again and again and again.

And you might find yourself drawing something that you're really not proud of.


The stink made her eyes water
They were simpler times...

But with time and dedication you will get better.



You were expecting a fart joke weren't you?
And you just might draw something decent

You'll get there eventually. You might have bad days, good days, days where you just can't face it.

But if you just hold onto that ambition, that desire to be capable; you will succeed.


The smell literally knocked him out.
It's exhausting, I know

Is that enough do you think?


Does that count as a blog entry?



Some people laugh when they hear you let rip
Hell yes!

Thank goodness for that...


Until the next time...


erm...


...bye?



Though that could just be the smell knocking her out...
She's sad you missed the fart jokes hidden in the alt text of each picture.

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