So Ungrateful.! Why did I bother?

We're coming up on Christmas Vacation and I'm excited about having a little extra free time.  Maybe I'll get to work on a more personal creative project.


In the meantime, I'm continuing to sketch my sermon notes at church.  This last Sunday was a little different because the text really came together for me in a single visual.  I'd had a few sketches and notes about Deuteronomy 32:15+, but when I came home I found that a particular character kept popping into my head rather urgently.  The result is below...

Normally, my notes are what they are and don't change much from the original sketches if I revisit them at home.  However, even though this character demanded to be brought into existance, you can probably tell that he has little to no appreciation for his creator.  He's probably annoyed with how long it took me to finish (not too long, really) in spite of the fact that I took great care in expressing every detail.


For clarification, feel free to look up the verses. Note that Jeshurun is a reference to Israel in a time that they "grew fat" from the provisions from God yet had an attitude of "scornful esteem" - rolling of the eyes, so to speak, like an impertinent child.  The translation of Jeshurun as "The Upright One" I thought was a striking constrast to the the countenance of the character (which, I think, is a key point to those verses).


Overall, it was a fun drawing to do - artisitically speaking, I think I've come a long way in rendering the figure, body language and expression.

Summer's Over...and So Much To Do!

We'll be starting our school year on Monday (earlier than usual) and I haven't finished the mural.  I'm grateful for the homeowners who have been able to work with my childcare schedule - if I had to have Lindy with me when I painted, then I would be guaranteed some "murals" on our wall at home.  How do you explain to a 2 year old that it's OK for mommy to paint on a wall, but not her?

"Trouble" and Friend

Anyway, it's coming along nicely, but I'm not ready for the big reveal.  And, with school, soccer games, and all of the activities that go along with fall, it'll be a little while yet.  Another thing I won't get to that I hoped I would is a redraw of some nature themed works for a show at a nearby gallery in September.  I don't think I'll make their September 5th deadline...maybe next time.

But, I have continued to sketch Sunday morning services, so I thought I'd share a recent installment.  No time for color.  But, I really enjoy the process and the challenge of having to represent an idea quickly.  Some weeks are more visually successful than others, but it certainly keeps me on my toes!

Found the Colored Pencils

Easter Vaction and I finally dug through a couple boxes for my colored pencils.

These guys were a quick 2 minute doodle done a while back that I added some color to.

I doodled the picture on the left first and had no plans to do anything else. However, I do need to do some studies that show one particular character in different moods or actions. This isn't for the portfolio or anything, but it's good practice. I wanted to make sure I could recreate the same character from a different angle. I think I duplicated her shape and features well enough. But, I need to take a look at some other artists and see how they handle hair in this medium. I'm not a big fan of how I did it here.

Illustration Friday - "Packed"

Unbelievable! I actually had a few minutes last night, so I thought I'd just play around with the theme. The word "packed" made me think of going places with kids...and all of the "stuff" that goes along with them. I ended up doing something that I actually liked!



Of course, it's only a pencil sketch - no color, no polish. But, that's one of the things I like about it - I didn't take the time to get all fussy about it. So, here it is - as is. I call it "Goin' to Grandma's."