As a child, I was often given headed paper to draw on. My Dad worked as a self employed builder, and my Mum used this stationary to send business correspondence to clients. The paper was watermarked and the heading read, ‘Alan S. Johns, Building Contractor.’  When I drew on this paper I had the feeling that I was the family business artist in residence. In my mind the headed paper gave my drawings some adult gravitas. I remember whinging one afternoon to my Mum that I didn’t know what to draw, having ostensibly run out of subject matter, but still having the urge to draw. Unfortunately, that afternoon my Mum had also depleted her stocks of motherly drawing themes, so increasingly frustrated, I trudged up to my room and made spontaneous squiggles on Mum and Dad’s paper. 

To my surprise, one of the drawings struck me as accurately resembling the newly elected British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as seen on TV, looking frumpy. Moreover, my chance portrait seemed almost animated due to the energy of the pencil line. I rushed downstairs and showed the drawing to my Mum:

                                                                       Me:  “I’ve done a drawing of Margaret Thatcher, look!                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                       Mum: “I didn’t realize you were a Conservative.”

Now in my 50th year, I can write that there is certainly mileage in this spontaneous chance based approach, but back in 1979, as an 8-year old kid, I just gazed at the image before me and daydreamed about magic.