How do I make myself look older? I literally asked myself this question this morning as I was trying to draw a portrait of myself for the profile photo on Medium.
I’ve decided to write some longer pieces on that platform and repost some from the archive here of patcoakley.com, as well as artofthediet.com, on there rather than post everything here. But, after reading the article I wrote 5 years ago, I better invest in an editor.
All of this behind-the-scenes chess-playing is taking place as I decelerate from postings on social media like Facebook and Instagram. I decided to post on platforms where I have more control of content and how it is used.
At any rate, I wrote one article five years ago on Medium and that was it. I’m still deciding what topic or archive post will accompany this new profile art but this is, for sure, the only time I have ever asked the question, “How can I look older?” since I was 12 years old.
The larger question is also why do I want to keep trying to draw and paint. Yes, I have an artistic bent but never was it manifest in drawing or painting. And, I mean never. When I would do painting with 3-4-year-olds, they always thought my drawings were great until they reached the age of reason and they would say in a totally surprised way, “Pappy, that’s not very good.”
So, no matter the result of the day before, I try to start each day sketching from a portrait of an artist I really like thinking if I try to follow the lines of a master, I might pick something up.
Why? I saw an ad for Yo Yo Ma this morning who is doing “A Master Class” and he said that although he has been playing the cello for 60+ years he realizes by now he can play the cello correctly but each day he asks himself, “Am I trying to play right or am I trying to find something?” So, that’s sorta my answer, too. I’m just trying to find something even though, unlike Yo You Ma, I can’t do it correctly and probably never will. I think this applies to all of my creative endeavors, although I am more technically competent in some other areas.
This week my master is “Egon Schiele”. An Austrian painter who died at 28, was an acolyte of Gustav Klim. This guy kills me for some reason. I don’t try to analyze why. I just love his drawings. Once you see his work, you recognize other drawings, at least his portraits, instantly.
Right now, I have to learn how to draw age spots, wrinkles, sagging skin.
Maybe, I’ll just pretend that my anti-aging cream is really, really working.
Where is a winking emoji when I need it?
