I Asked People To Share Their Hilarious Childhood Beliefs And Then Illustrated Them (11 Pics)
I’m a freelance self-taught illustrator and I work with watercolor and ink. One of the things I love to do through my illustrations is transport people back to their childhood via storytelling.
I asked people on Instagram to share some of their hilarious childhood beliefs and illustrated them for #childhoodweek2020. These beliefs may seem trivial for a grown-up, but for each child in question, it was very much the truth and reality at that point in time.
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“I Believed In Portals. I Always Looked For Places That Could Teleport Me To Himalayas In My House”
I thought the front and back door were portals to the outside world.
While we miss the lack of responsibilities that came with childhood and being blissfully unaware of the absolute wreck that is adulthood, most of us probably don’t miss the weird and debilitating fears we grappled with when we were young.
However, it was such an enjoyable theme—childhood. The challenge was a good way to get people involved and create entertaining content which is amusing yet meaningful. Challenges like these come with prompts which are often fun to draw. They also help you stay consistent and sometimes you draw something outside your comfort zone, and you learn a lot from that.
"I Believed Little People Lived In Our Garden"
Oh no they do! But only for us who still believe with wonder and awe at all of creation. Also, they're reeeeally tiny so science hasn't found em yet!
Load More Replies...“I Believed The TV Had Miniature People Inside”
when you're young everything looks the same.
Load More Replies...When I was three or four, I would peek behind the TV, expecting Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck to come out.
One of my mums friends was on the telly and I watched the power cable because I thought I would be able to see the bump of her going into the telly
I used to think that movies were always done live and every time you watched them, the actors were re-doing the movie.
I was always looking in the 8track insert area for the little band members that played the music.🤦🏻♀️
I painted a lot as a child, but took a long hiatus in between. Drawing again as an adult was extremely frustrating initially. But the more I drew and learnt, the more I gained confidence and realized that it is an enjoyable process. There is so much material out there and speaking to other artists also helped point me in the right direction. One crucial thing this journey has taught me is that instead of comparing myself to someone else, the key is to set little goals for myself and achieve those. I look back after a year at what I’ve drawn and keep challenging myself to do better.
“I Believed If You Swallow Orange Seeds, An Orange Tree Will Grow Inside You”
"I Believed Ice-Cream Was Made From Clouds"
A lot of my illustrations are influenced by stories, books about folklore and folktales, my own life experiences, and those of others. But they carry underlying themes of childhood joy and fascination, things which are simple yet profound, which people can identify themselves with. I also get inspired by little things. A new leaf in spring, the first vegetable to sprout in the garden, the smell of winter, simple stories and narratives, everyday things, books and stories I’ve heard or read as a child, the list is endless.
Colors fascinate me. My earliest memories of myself are drawing/painting. I was always a night owl, dragging my watercolors and pencils from room to room seeing if anyone was awake to keep me company. For every birthday, I asked for a set of watercolors as a present from my parents.
"I Believed There Was A Monster In The Closet"
I was the monster in the closet. I tried to hide there but it never worked.
No I was the monster in the closet and I was there before you moved in and you just put your dresser there and I decided I’ll just want to make a nice cozy room but no now everybody scared of me
Load More Replies...Believed? I KNEW there was a monster. Thankfully my mother always had a spray bottle with 'monster spray' ready (water with a bit of lavender). Two spritzes of the spray and the monsters were out for the night.
I kept asking my mom for chloroform just in case someone broken in
"A Horned Cat That Lived On A Mountain And Everyone Who Laid Eyes On It Fell Down Dead Instantly"
I think this was influenced by a lot of folktales and folklore predominant in the area.
Load More Replies...An archaeologist is gonna find this picture and make some very bold conclusions lol
Oops, didn't see the author's response before posting this :-)
Load More Replies..."I Believed My Teachers Set Up CCTV's Everywhere To Keep Track Of My Whereabouts"
ever i seen a movie of a guy being whached on tv i have been likke that
I can imagine a comedy short where the person gets increasingly aggravated about someone watching him, looking for the cinematic cameras in different shots. "Somebody's watching me. STOP WATCHING ME! Where are you?! Where are you?! STOP IT!"
Load More Replies...I never worried about my teachers, but Santa Claus -- that guy I never trusted!
“I Believed Whistling At Night Called Forth Ugly Scary Witches And Monsters”
I'll probably regret it but I'm going to whistle tonight and see what happens.
Good grief, now I'm thinking of"Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad" by the writer M. R. James. The story's bad enough but the drama with John Hurt still brings me out in a cold sweat.
In my country Vietnam, we believe that whistling at night will attract snakes. So it's a no-no to whistling at night, indoor or outdoor.
It is a common myth in indonesia if you whistle at night it will attract various spirits and ghosts. Especially if you wander in dark alleys or near a cemetery. Since almost everyone here know this there is probably a good reason not to...
"Boogeyman"
Never heard that one until my husband told me they believed that when they were children. I just looked at him.
Really, my mother told us we had to behave or the boogeyman would get us!
Load More Replies...I like the dark monsters that she makes. They just look soft and huggable!
My daughter who is now 14 says there's a man under her bed. She thinks he's nice but he doesn't talk.
This would freak me out....She's 14! There must be something wrong there!
Load More Replies..."If I Don't Sleep By 10 Pm, My Pocket-Money Will Go To The Watchman"
you wan tthem to listin though so you make up cocky lies
Load More Replies...Oh yes. We used to try and outrun it.
Load More Replies...Probably because you associated it with some sinister story you heard or read somewhere :)
Load More Replies...My favorite is if you go to college you’ll graduate and find a high paying job.
I adore these! I used to think that there where tiny glowing jellyfish somewhere in space and that was why there were stars. that was really early on, though, so I learned I was wrong very quickly lol
Thank you. That's a really interesting one.
Load More Replies...I believed that my stuffed animal cat with red eyes was possessed by the devil (I read a book where a possessed child had red eyes. My reading ability was well ahead of my maturity).
And what became of that poor stuffed toy? :)
Load More Replies...Thank you. Will work on posting more.
Load More Replies...I don't even want to see the drawing of what my husband thought "diarrhea of the mouth" was.
Oh yes. We used to try and outrun it.
Load More Replies...Probably because you associated it with some sinister story you heard or read somewhere :)
Load More Replies...My favorite is if you go to college you’ll graduate and find a high paying job.
I adore these! I used to think that there where tiny glowing jellyfish somewhere in space and that was why there were stars. that was really early on, though, so I learned I was wrong very quickly lol
Thank you. That's a really interesting one.
Load More Replies...I believed that my stuffed animal cat with red eyes was possessed by the devil (I read a book where a possessed child had red eyes. My reading ability was well ahead of my maturity).
And what became of that poor stuffed toy? :)
Load More Replies...Thank you. Will work on posting more.
Load More Replies...I don't even want to see the drawing of what my husband thought "diarrhea of the mouth" was.
