A Helping Hand
Nov. 2nd, 2019 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fuzzyredMy second prompt fill! This story uses the same characters as "Hugs, Bob Ross, and Ice Cream", though they should both stand alone, and can be read in any order. I once again broke 1,000 words! Go me!
As an aside, if you think I put the wrong rating on any of my stories, or miss a warning, please let me know and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Title:A Helping Hand
Prompt: Sketch/Draw
Word Count: 1,356
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Sandy helps Gem improve her drawing skills.
A Helping Hand
Gen was sitting at her dining room table, sketch pad in front of her, with her laptop off to the left and her phone off to the right. She was trying to draw... something. The problem was, she didn’t have much natural skill, and she could never quite remember how things looked to draw them from memory.
Today she had decided to try to draw a wolf and some tress, but nothing was coming out right, The wolf was always misproportioned, and if she tried to draw deciduous trees, they were either the circle trees from grade school, or odd, branchy things with tiny leaves.
She tried looking up examples online, but she could never get hers to look the same, or even close! Looking for step-by-step instructions barely made a difference; she still had an awful time trying to get the proportions right.
Dropping her pencil in frustration, she picked up her cell phone and went into the kitchen to grab a snack. As she waited for the soup to be done in the microwave, she texted her best friend.
--Sandyyyy, why can’t I draw a wolf?--
Gen knew she was being whiny but she couldn’t help it. Not being able to do something always made her frustrated, and she was hungry.
By the time she was halfway done her soup, she was feeling much better, and she had a response.
--Did you look for a “how to” page? Or something simpler to draw?--
Gen huffed and ate another bite of soup before responding.
--Yes and yes. None of the “how to”s make sense, and I can’t even draw trees!--
A moment later, she sent another text.
--Help, please? I wanna do this but I don’t even know where to start.--
--Alright, let me see what I can do. You know I’m not the most artistic either. And Gen, remember art doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. You don’t have to be perfect to be awesome.--
Reading the message made her smile. Sandy always seemed to know just what to say to calm her down and reassure her when she was stressing out.
--Thanks Sandy, I’ll keep that in mind. :) *hug*--
Later that evening, as Gen was relaxing on her couch and reading, she got a text from Sandy.
--So, I talked to my friends and Brad said he teaches beginner’s art classes on Friday nights. It’s a six week cycle, with the first five lessons being independent, and the sixth putting them altogether. Class two is next week, do you want to go?--
Gen took a moment to check her calendar. Today was Saturday and she had nothing planned for next week yet, other than work.
--What time is it at? And will you go with me?--
She was interested in seeing if having a real teacher would help, but was reluctant to go alone; new people could be scary and overwhelming.
Sandy’s reply came quickly.
--The class is at 7pm, about an hour long, all supplies are provided, and it’s held at the main public library branch. Of course I’ll go with you. Maybe it will help my skills too. :)--
--That sounds great. Thanks for looking into it for me Sandy.--
--No problem Gen. See you Friday. :)--
Gen leaned back against the couch and sighed happily. She sure was lucky to have such a good friend.
***************************
By the time Friday came around, Gen was ready for a break, and looking forward to trying the art class. She and Sandy had agreed to meet up for dinner, then go to the class together. She showered quickly after work, then changed into jeans and a teal t-shirt, casual but still fun. That done, Gen got a few quick chores done before heading to her favourite sandwich place to meet her friend.
She and Sandy both loved the little restaurant because it had a variety of different sandwiches and sides, from very light and healthy, to heavy and filling, providing lots of choices, no matter what you were in the mood for. She went with a grilled chicken sandwich on a kaiser roll with a poutine for her side, while Sandy ordered a vegetarian sub on and herb and cheese bread, with a Greek salad as his side.
As they ate, they chatted about their week, Gen mostly telling stories about the idiocy at work and Sandy mostly sharing how his studies were going. Soon enough, they finished their meal and headed to the library.
The main branch was close to the downtown area for easy access, and big enough that it had two floors, with all kinds of spaces for reading, working, finding different books, and holding classes. The size, and thoughtful layout, meant that it was possible to hold a class like Brad’s without disturbing those who wanted quiet.
As they approached the area set aside from the class, Gen stopped to stare at the ten or so people already gathered, all with their supplies already laid out. She tugged on Sandy’s sleeve and whispered, “I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe we should go.”
Sandy pulled her into a quick hug, and then stepped back to look at her. “You can do this. The worst that happens is you make a mistake, or decide you don’t like the class. You can always start over, or keep your work for your eyes only. And if you really don’t like the class, we don;t have to come back, and we can always leave early.”
Gen just stared at him for a moment. “We can really leave if I don’t like it? And I don’t have to show anyone my work?”
“Yes really. We can leave any time you want, and you don’t have to show anyone your work, even me.”
Gen took a deep breath. “Ok, let’s do this.”
They both walked forward, found two spaces together, and started gathering supplies. Not long after, Brad introduced himself, giving the topic of the class and making sure everyone had the right supplies.
“For those of you who are new this week, my name is Brad. I have a Business major, and a minor in Visual Arts. Yes, that is an odd combination, but it suits me just fine. Today we’re going to be working on perspective, and all you need is a pad, a pencil and an eraser. There are extra supplies if anyone wants to experiment with different utensils, such as pens or different hardnesses of lead.”
Gen sat back in her seat and let Brad’s voice wash over her. He was easy to listen to and made a point of letting them know they could ask as many questions as needed. He was also good at explaining things in different ways and keeping the class interesting.
By the end of the lesson, Gen had several pages she was keeping for herself, and one she felt like sharing. She slid the image of a cabin and a wolf with mountains in the background towards Sandy and spoke.
“I know it’s not perfect, but it actually looks decent. And I think maybe... I want to come back? I’m pretty sure I heard him say next week’s topic is on proportions.”
Sandy looked at her picture, then showed her his. “Yours is oodles better than any of mine, and I know how hard you worked on making that picture turn out how you wanted it to. I’m glad you liked the class. I’m good to come back next week, if you want to.”
Gen collected their supplies, returning them to the bin and thanking Brad, before walking back to Sandy and giving him a hug. “Thanks for coming with me. Do you want to head back to my place and watch a movie?”
Sandy returned the hug, then started leading the way out of the library. “A movie sounds great. Humour or romance?”
As they debated what kind of movie to watch, Gen found herself thinking once again how lucky she was to have a friend like Sandy.
As an aside, if you think I put the wrong rating on any of my stories, or miss a warning, please let me know and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Title:A Helping Hand
Prompt: Sketch/Draw
Word Count: 1,356
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Sandy helps Gem improve her drawing skills.
A Helping Hand
Gen was sitting at her dining room table, sketch pad in front of her, with her laptop off to the left and her phone off to the right. She was trying to draw... something. The problem was, she didn’t have much natural skill, and she could never quite remember how things looked to draw them from memory.
Today she had decided to try to draw a wolf and some tress, but nothing was coming out right, The wolf was always misproportioned, and if she tried to draw deciduous trees, they were either the circle trees from grade school, or odd, branchy things with tiny leaves.
She tried looking up examples online, but she could never get hers to look the same, or even close! Looking for step-by-step instructions barely made a difference; she still had an awful time trying to get the proportions right.
Dropping her pencil in frustration, she picked up her cell phone and went into the kitchen to grab a snack. As she waited for the soup to be done in the microwave, she texted her best friend.
--Sandyyyy, why can’t I draw a wolf?--
Gen knew she was being whiny but she couldn’t help it. Not being able to do something always made her frustrated, and she was hungry.
By the time she was halfway done her soup, she was feeling much better, and she had a response.
--Did you look for a “how to” page? Or something simpler to draw?--
Gen huffed and ate another bite of soup before responding.
--Yes and yes. None of the “how to”s make sense, and I can’t even draw trees!--
A moment later, she sent another text.
--Help, please? I wanna do this but I don’t even know where to start.--
--Alright, let me see what I can do. You know I’m not the most artistic either. And Gen, remember art doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. You don’t have to be perfect to be awesome.--
Reading the message made her smile. Sandy always seemed to know just what to say to calm her down and reassure her when she was stressing out.
--Thanks Sandy, I’ll keep that in mind. :) *hug*--
Later that evening, as Gen was relaxing on her couch and reading, she got a text from Sandy.
--So, I talked to my friends and Brad said he teaches beginner’s art classes on Friday nights. It’s a six week cycle, with the first five lessons being independent, and the sixth putting them altogether. Class two is next week, do you want to go?--
Gen took a moment to check her calendar. Today was Saturday and she had nothing planned for next week yet, other than work.
--What time is it at? And will you go with me?--
She was interested in seeing if having a real teacher would help, but was reluctant to go alone; new people could be scary and overwhelming.
Sandy’s reply came quickly.
--The class is at 7pm, about an hour long, all supplies are provided, and it’s held at the main public library branch. Of course I’ll go with you. Maybe it will help my skills too. :)--
--That sounds great. Thanks for looking into it for me Sandy.--
--No problem Gen. See you Friday. :)--
Gen leaned back against the couch and sighed happily. She sure was lucky to have such a good friend.
***************************
By the time Friday came around, Gen was ready for a break, and looking forward to trying the art class. She and Sandy had agreed to meet up for dinner, then go to the class together. She showered quickly after work, then changed into jeans and a teal t-shirt, casual but still fun. That done, Gen got a few quick chores done before heading to her favourite sandwich place to meet her friend.
She and Sandy both loved the little restaurant because it had a variety of different sandwiches and sides, from very light and healthy, to heavy and filling, providing lots of choices, no matter what you were in the mood for. She went with a grilled chicken sandwich on a kaiser roll with a poutine for her side, while Sandy ordered a vegetarian sub on and herb and cheese bread, with a Greek salad as his side.
As they ate, they chatted about their week, Gen mostly telling stories about the idiocy at work and Sandy mostly sharing how his studies were going. Soon enough, they finished their meal and headed to the library.
The main branch was close to the downtown area for easy access, and big enough that it had two floors, with all kinds of spaces for reading, working, finding different books, and holding classes. The size, and thoughtful layout, meant that it was possible to hold a class like Brad’s without disturbing those who wanted quiet.
As they approached the area set aside from the class, Gen stopped to stare at the ten or so people already gathered, all with their supplies already laid out. She tugged on Sandy’s sleeve and whispered, “I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe we should go.”
Sandy pulled her into a quick hug, and then stepped back to look at her. “You can do this. The worst that happens is you make a mistake, or decide you don’t like the class. You can always start over, or keep your work for your eyes only. And if you really don’t like the class, we don;t have to come back, and we can always leave early.”
Gen just stared at him for a moment. “We can really leave if I don’t like it? And I don’t have to show anyone my work?”
“Yes really. We can leave any time you want, and you don’t have to show anyone your work, even me.”
Gen took a deep breath. “Ok, let’s do this.”
They both walked forward, found two spaces together, and started gathering supplies. Not long after, Brad introduced himself, giving the topic of the class and making sure everyone had the right supplies.
“For those of you who are new this week, my name is Brad. I have a Business major, and a minor in Visual Arts. Yes, that is an odd combination, but it suits me just fine. Today we’re going to be working on perspective, and all you need is a pad, a pencil and an eraser. There are extra supplies if anyone wants to experiment with different utensils, such as pens or different hardnesses of lead.”
Gen sat back in her seat and let Brad’s voice wash over her. He was easy to listen to and made a point of letting them know they could ask as many questions as needed. He was also good at explaining things in different ways and keeping the class interesting.
By the end of the lesson, Gen had several pages she was keeping for herself, and one she felt like sharing. She slid the image of a cabin and a wolf with mountains in the background towards Sandy and spoke.
“I know it’s not perfect, but it actually looks decent. And I think maybe... I want to come back? I’m pretty sure I heard him say next week’s topic is on proportions.”
Sandy looked at her picture, then showed her his. “Yours is oodles better than any of mine, and I know how hard you worked on making that picture turn out how you wanted it to. I’m glad you liked the class. I’m good to come back next week, if you want to.”
Gen collected their supplies, returning them to the bin and thanking Brad, before walking back to Sandy and giving him a hug. “Thanks for coming with me. Do you want to head back to my place and watch a movie?”
Sandy returned the hug, then started leading the way out of the library. “A movie sounds great. Humour or romance?”
As they debated what kind of movie to watch, Gen found herself thinking once again how lucky she was to have a friend like Sandy.
