Paracosm

When I flipped the page in the sketchbook, I was met with another blank, empty page. There was no sign of life down there at all. The landscape was adequate and could sustain sufficient growth but the two-sided, white, blank canvas needed creation. This is my first attempt at using a pen, all the lines are done with a black, fine-tip. Little room for error. Add a 24 pack of Crayola’s, a straight-edge and a No. 2 pencil, this happens:

In the beginning... It was blank.

The Lines arrived first. They came in sections and they came in quick, criss-crossing through and around eachother, three sets spanning vertically and another three horizontal, covering all four sides of the region. Quick to follow were the others, Round’s and the Blocks settled down quickly whereas other settlers were hesitant.

As all the newly created inhabitants began familiarizing themselves with their surroundings, something was still missing. The remaining shapes were darkened with pen; square ones, tall ones, some with points and some without. Not until the pen was resting on the canvas, did I realize what was missing. It’s lacking color, everything’s in black and white down there. Boring. This canvas needs Crayola:

As development increased and shapes continued to multiply, there was never any tension or disagreements. Never was a portion of property fought over. In fact, The opposite happened. As shapes continued claiming property, even more colors arrived and rather than be hostile toward one another, as space was consumed, they complimented eachother.

Once the Lines began showing their colors, I realized they had the choice to continue onto the other pages, freely, as do all the shapes because there isn’t any borders down there. Just to reassure myself neglecting borders is a good idea, I arranged some pencils around the edge to simulate one. As they took their positions bordering all four sides, what they ultimately formed was a wall. It was unanimous, both borders and walls are excessive and distracting.

Thanks for following along! The finish piece is the one you saw when you clicked on this post. Or just scroll up.

Update: All the different colored shapes occupying the Paracosm continue to live harmoniously.
Well, at least It makes sense on paper.