Open Artistic Exercise

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity liked drawing but she kind of hated drawing in public. It was becoming a problem at Hogwarts, where pretty much everywhere was public. Even her dorm wasn't completely private, though she thankfully didn't have many roommates. But after drawing and painting for most of the break, it was too difficult to keep it just to the dormitory. Vanity was forcing herself to sit in the student lounge and sketch. It wasn't like she was ashamed, but it also wasn't something she loved to share with others. She decided that if anyone had critical commentary, she could just hit them with her sketchbook. Vanity was sitting in one of the best armchairs in the student lounge, feet tucked up on the chair so she could balance her sketchbook against her knees. She was doodling random flowers and faces, trying to get into the mood to make a proper drawing.

 

[Jupiter Ascot]

Jupiter needed to start work on his new comic strips for the Hogwarts Monthly. He was still wandering around trying to find the right inspiration to get in the mood for drawing. He'd walked around outside for a bit, sat on the bleachers at the Quidditch pitch, wandered through the library and now he found himself in the student commons. However, his muse was still playing up and the boy scrunched his nose behind his glasses as he looked around the room. That's when his gaze settled on a slightly younger looking girl with a sketchbook settled on her knees. Instantly, Jupiter was interested, quietly moving over to where she was sitting. "What are you drawing?" He asked with a small smile, showing his own sketchbook as a kind of peace offering. Not that there was much on there at the moment outside some random doodles.

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity hadn't noticed the boy before he spoke to her, and she immediately tensed up at his question. She frowned up at him but then glanced over at the sketchbook he showed her. Oh. He was drawing too. Somehow, that made his question bother her less, though she wasn't sure why, she hesitated for a moment, then showed him a glimpse of her sketchbook, only for a moment. "Just doodling." She said. "Like you." She shrugged, still feeling a little defensive.

 

[Jupiter Ascot]

"Oh, I'm not doodling, these are just from earlier," he was quick to explain. He was trying not to doodle so much, but it was hard when the inspiration just wouldn't come to you no matter how much you tried thinking about it. "I'm trying to find some inspiration for next comic strip. But..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, "The muse for it just won't come to me. Was hoping maybe another artist might be able to help was all." Having artistic block was no fun, especially when there were deadlines.

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity frowned when the boy contradicted her. Maybe she had been wrong, but it would have been polite to pretend she hadn't been. But then he told her he did comic strips, and she tilted her head. "Like, for the paper?" She asked, curiously. "How did you get that job?" Vanity had no real interest in it, but she did wonder how someone nerdy like this got a cool job at the paper like that. "I'm more of a painter myself." She said, shrugging. "And if I had a good idea for you, what would I get for it in return? Since you'd get all the credit." In truth, Vanity had no ideas. But this boy didn't need to know that.

 

[Jupiter Ascot]

Jupiter smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah, that's like, my thing for the paper." He didn't write articles, he was purely in the paper so he could publish his comics. Then she was asking how he got the job and Jupiter frowned. "I just signed up for the paper and asked if I could do comic strips. And they agreed." There hadn't really been a 'position' open or anything. He had come up with it himself. "Er, I guess I'll give you credit for the idea after I draw it?" It was not like he was planning to completely steal any ideas. He just wanted some inspiration to get his own creative juices flowing.

 

[Vanity Mettlestone]

Vanity was intrigued to hear how things had gone for this boy. She had thought the comics would've been in the paper for much longer, what sort of paper didn't have them? But apparently it had been his idea, that made him more impressive in her eyes. She nodded as he told her he'd give her credit. "Okay." She said. "Does it have to be about something Hogwarts related?"