He did not have money to spend on art supplies so he had to save for weeks to buy paper and pencils. He could not buy watercolors, so he had to scrape paint off of walls, or leave matchbooks with water soluble paints in hot water to make his own paints. Cajal's poor upbringing taught him to be resourceful and how to use his knowledge to make things for himself.

             His father however, would not allow him to pursue such idle and useless practices. Justo Cajal did not see art as worthwhile and would not allow his son to pursue it. Ramon Cajal would not give up art that easily. He continued to draw; now it had to be in secret because his father would not allow him to draw in the house. Cajal was a man who was committed to his work through his entire life. He began a large color scale including watercolors of a specific shade, and then a drawing containing that color. He spent a large part of a year completing this work. This great undertaking led him into many troublesome adventures.

             Cajal was a boy, who from a young age was not unknown to mischief. He spent most of his time outside of school with his boyhood friends making trouble in the local village. They would spend their idle time trespassing in local gardens, stealing flowers and fruits, or building contraptions to chase animals. Cajal's natural brilliance led him to be a leader of the group. .

             It may seem funny at first, but Cajal's boyhood mischief was what led him to make his first childhood discovery of significance. As usual he had been in trouble at school, and because he did not respond well to regular punishments, so his strict schoolmasters devised new tortures for him. Cajal's teachers decided that to teach him some manners, they would prevent him from eating throughout the day by locking him in a dark room after school without light until after dinner was over. Although this punishment was severe, Cajal made the best of it.