I saw Noel Fielding creating a picture the other day on Grayson Perry’s TV programme about art in lockdown.

I’ve always thought the Mighty Boosh look was really great fun, and seeing the energy and colour that Noel put into his pictures made me feel really happy so I thought I’d have a go at creating some images in his style, using my three year old’s felt tip pens and some scrap paper.

He said two particularly interesting things – firstly that he wants to use big exaggerated movements and not be all small and fiddly, which is how you often think of drawing. I could certainly benefit by trying this a bit more, although with these exercises I found I kept forgetting.

He also said that he wanted his art to make it feel like he was in the room. I don’t think anyone would care much if I was in the room with them, so I tried to make people feel like if they were in a room of these pictures they would feel the presence of Noel, which would be much more fun.

Unforunately I didn’t capture his soul either – I’m not sure if I have ever consciously tried to emulate someone else’s style in the past, but it’s really interesting how much my hand and eye resist it, and are determined to force my art back to something that is more me. I don’t know whether this is disappointing, reassuring, or both.

Anyway, I like Noel’s freewheeling anarchic imagination. I love the fun and freedom in his art, but I do think this somewhat masks a much deeper sensitivity and intelligence and profundity. All in all, it’s not really me, but I can’t help but feel that the world might be a happier place if we all tried to be a bit more Noel.