My in class sketch of Thomas riding a snail. Thomas is a cartoon created by artist and art teacher Richard Cameron Morneau. He was an excellent teacher and he made the class fun and engaging.

The adventures of Thomas the mouse : my entry into the world of sketch / art and watercolour painting

I was learning to sketch and draw on my own since 2018 off and on. It is fascinating to look back at my past sketchbooks and see the progression of my art improving and refining itself. I decided in the summer of 2023 that I wanted more formal training and scoured online and found a virtual online drawing class offered thru my local art supply store at a reasonable price. The class was only offered in french which was fine with me and I thought well I can brush up on my language skills at the same time.

I remember feeling a bit apprehensive prior to class. I didn’t know if cameras were expected to be on and whether we were required to show our work. I’m not sure why I was so anxious it was an informal virtual class. I suppose I was self-conscious of my art skills at the time. I had nothing to fear since only the instructor’s video and audio was on while the rest the participants were logged in with chat feature enabled only. I heaved sigh a relief — so we can follow along at our own pace and we weren’t expected to talk — even better!

Richard our instructor was funny and engaging right from the start. He introduced himself. I remember being completely fascinated by him because he like most people in the entertainment industry had to pivot when the pandemic hit. He is a Cirque de Soleil performer and was left without a job when Covid came along. He then started offering drawing classes and doing other kinds of work to pay the bills. His web site is www.richardcm.com . You can see illustrations of Thomas and his other cartoons on his site. Fascinating dude and a jack of all trades truly.

I added the sketch I did of Thomas the mouse riding a snail to this article. Our instructor methodically went over how to draw shapes and create volumes with shading and hatching techniques. He was adamant that we use a ballpoint pen for the sketch exercise. My mind immediately protested — no way I can’t do that! I’ll mess up! His approach is that in order to gain more confidence with drawing — we need to commit to what we put to paper and trust that it will come thru as expected and if not …no biggie — it’s just a sketch after all just work over it until you get the desired result. He simply wanted us to get accustomed to the shapes and forms required as well as where the shading will need to be placed once we start working on the final product which is the watercolor medium.

I had so much fun learning and chatting over zoom with the instructor and other participants. This sketch came to mind as I was unboxing (I recently moved into my new place) and only now got around to unboxing my art supplies/sketchbooks. This sketch of Thomas the mouse was a fond memory and it gave me a huge confidence boost in my drawing abilities and sense of accomplishment. I went to Richard’s web site tonight and read his brief description of Thomas.

La souris aventurière qui se lance dans les plus grande aventures. Malgré les moyens qu’elle emploie, elle aura toujours le courage de découvrir le monde dans toute sa splendeur. Même si la vie lui amène des embuches, elle cherchera toujours le chemin la guidant vers la découverte du nouveau et la richesse de la diversité.

English translation:

The adventurous mouse who sets out on the greatest adventures. Despite the means she uses, she will always have the courage to explore the world in all its splendor. Even if life brings her obstacles, she will always seek the path that leads her to the discovery of the new and the richness of diversity.

Almost as if the universe was trying to give me a sign. ❤ Merci Richard et Thomas.