365 Day Challenge: February

Round about the beginning of February I was doing my daily sketch when I discovered a really, really incredibly ghastly thing. . . . there was only ONE blank page left in my sketchbook!!! . . . . . No, seriously, this is a really bad thing for an artist, it's like looking in the fridge and realizing you don't have any food. (Okay, so maybe that example is a bit extreme)
So, being in such dire circumstances I went into complete and utter panic mode. What was I going to do?! This was a serious issue, we live hours away from any art store and, I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a paper snob. (Meaning I'll walk down the sketchbook aisles, ignoring the specifics printed on the covers, instead fingering all the different types of paper, turning up my nose at anything that doesn't pass the touch test, and anything available where I live would only get a disgusted sniff.)
Thankfully I was able to find a small, travel sized sketchbook to use until we made a trek to the nearest Big City, which happened to be a couple days later. Yay!

Image from searching Google Image

Another fun surprise was that the Art Store we went to was having a sale. Buy one, get one Free!

I do actually use this brand of sketchbook; I'm no expert or anything, but I like the feel of this paper and it suits my needs just fine. (The only thing I don't like so much is that it doesn't seem to erase as cleanly as I would like, but I run into that anyway so I think it might be pressure issues.)

I was so happy!

No doubt another stack will have to be purchased before the end of the year, but until then I have acquired enough blank paper to last me a couple months. . . .now, if I can just keep up with ideas. . . . .

Conductor Watching

Hi Everyone, sorry we've been so sporadic about posting lately.

Not sure when we'll get back on a more regular schedule, but until then, check out this video below. Not only is the song itself fun, but we got such a kick out of watching the conductor!

Serving Notice

Dear “They”,

I don’t quite know where you earned your popularity, or where you went to school that you know so much, or how it got to be that you are the last word on fashion, theology, art, money, responsibility, etc.  Without anybody noticing, you somehow managed to worm your way into a role of authority in my life, shaping my opinions and guiding my choices as a loving parent would.  For most of my life I thought you really cared about me, that you wanted what was best for me.  I’m not so sure anymore.  I began to suspect that your acceptance is given only as long as I do as you wish, hold your opinions as my own, behave as you deemed appropriate.  And do you know what, “They”?  I don’t really like being a puppet.  And I’m tired enough of your manipulation tactics, that I am taking drastic measures.

Consider yourself to have been served notice: I am not willing to play your game anymore.  It isn’t that I can’t be friends with you anymore, or that I don’t want to see you ever again, though I will be severely limiting our interaction from now on.  The time has come for me to leave your overbearing influence and live the life God has given me according to His terms, not yours.

I suppose I am partly to blame for this break-up since it was my choice that allowed you this unhealthy balance of power.  I was so caught up in the drive to “abstain from all appearance of evil”*  that I took all the Good Guidelines you provided and stopped thinking for myself.  Worst, I took your word for it instead of going back to God’s Word and seeing what He said.  Your Good Guidelines settled and became Standards, and I passed judgment on others accordingly.  The choices I made were Good ones, but they were made with your approval in mind. 

During our long acquaintance I’ve observed you closely.  I’ve seen you pass clear condemnation without so much as uttering a word, with your polite smile still firmly glued in place: your eyes would go a little cold and your smile would get a little hard, and somehow the temperature would drop several degrees because You Didn’t Approve.  And I didn’t want that disapproval aimed at me.  Maybe the choice someone made wasn’t a good one – maybe it was unquestionably bad.  But basing your disapproval on your Standards isn’t helpful.  Your Standards might just line up with God’s Word, but because condemnation is based on your opinion it isn’t going to change things.  To put it bluntly: it isn’t your job to change hearts – that is the Holy Spirit’s job.  Don’t be angry with me for saying so.  I watched you for a long time and learned quite well – I can silently condemn with the best of Them.  I know in minute detail, right down to the slightly raised eyebrow, what your reaction would be if you found out I read that book; watched that movie; tried on that dress; or liked that song – because at some point or other, I have delivered the same disapprobation with artful finesse.  I am not without guilt.

God has been working on my heart, and I’m slowly learning that I need to be listening to Him for direction, not you.  I need to live my life in such a way that the world asks, “What makes you so different?” instead of what church denomination I belong to.  I need to write what I believe out loud instead of worrying about offending someone – namely you, “Them”.  I need to be willing to admit I’m not perfect and I make mistakes, that I’m still learning.  I need to be open to gentle correction when someone who loves me pulls me aside and says, “I’m really concerned about you.  Have you thought about how this choice of yours is affecting your Heavenly Father’s reputation?”

This isn’t open rebellion, “They”.  I’m not declaring open war on you and your Good Standards, nor am I disregarding *1 Thessalonians 5:22 in an attempt to justify living life the way I want to.  (If I did it would make the previous ten verses obsolete, too.)  I am hereby simply delivering notice that I am done living my life to gain your approbation.

Sincerely,

Irish Rose

YAY!!!!!

    

Our daddy is home!! 

Pretzel sticks, M&M's and BBC dramas were poor substitutes in his absence.

We are SO EXCITED to have him back.  :)

Never Judge a Tire by Its Looks

      Irish Rose: Before we begin, lets give you a little back story to our adventure.  Last year, just about this time, our parents had to make an emergency trip to the Deep South when our grandmother ended up in the hospital: they ended up being away for more than two weeks.  Seventeen days ago, we got a similar call - and thirteen days ago our daddy boarded a flight south.  The last twelve days have been a study in many things - not least of which is how much our dad takes care of us and how much we take him for granted.  We miss him terribly and would be quick to count down days to his return . . . if only we knew when that would be.  In the mean time, it would seem there are some lessons to be learned from unexpected sources . . . . .

 One of which was: Never judge a tire on how it looks.

      Chickadee: Where to start . . . . to break up the monotony of missing dad, mom decided to take us out to lunch yesterday.  (Chinese food - yum!)  When we got home, Irish Rose and I (Chickadee) decided to run get milk before it got dark.

      We had just pulled onto the road leading out of town when Irish Rose asked, "Do you know what this light means?" pointing to a small orange light on the dash.  The combination of tiny arrows, something that looked like parenthesis and a little squiggle didn't make much sense to me.

  "No."  I get the manual out and start looking for it, finally found it: Tire Pressure.  (IR: Tires have their own warning light on the dash board?) OK, so we figured we'd check it when we stopped since we were almost there anyway.

    Just looking at the tires I would have said it would have been one of the ones on the right side of the vehicle because they had a little bulge to them.  But nooooo, it was the left back one which looked perfectly normal, as tires go.  While I got milk Irish Rose called Daddy and asked what we should do.

      IR: I knew he couldn't come and get us, or instantly fix things as much as I would have liked.  But I felt better knowing I could ask him what to do instead of having to figure it out myself.

   C: Dad said if it was a slow leak it should get us to town but it if was a fast leak to ask some one there to look at it.  I checked the pressure again before I climbed back in the van and Irish Rose decided it was behaving like a slow leak.  So we headed back hoping it would get us at least to town.  It did and we stopped at the gas station.

     IR: Neither one of us had ever put air in a tire before, which at my age (don't ask!) is probably laughable (C: No, not really).  I can put gas in the van, although dad usually does that; I can check the oil if I have to, but dad usually does that too; I know how to plug the silly thing in when it is -40.  I have a general idea of how to fill a tire, but no actual experience.  Fortunately, it seems like everybody knows and likes our dad.  I figured if it came right down to it, I could walk into the gas station and announce, "We're The Dad's daughters, and we need help!"  Not really sure how the damsels-in-distress scenario would work out, but I was fairly certain dad's good name would produce help of some kind.

      C: Between the two of us we figured it out. (In my opinion far easier to do than filling up with gas - IR: while my opinion is that pressurized air is just plain scary.)  We got home just fine and thought that was the end of the adventure.

      IR: Little did we know . . .

  Thursday Chickadee re-checked the tire pressure before errands in town were to be run.  We'd lost enough air that mum decided to call dad and see what he wanted us to do. 

     He called the garage and they told him we could bring it in and they'd look at it.  So Sharpi and I went to work, then picked Mom up when she dropped off the van.  The mechanic said it needed a new tire.

A few hours later Mom and Irish Rose go to pick up the van.  They weren't home two minutes when the phone rang and Mom answered it.  Hanging up, both she and Irish Rose left again.

WHAAAAAA?!

      IR: Dad had called to find out what the mechanic said - and after hearing what the problem was he promptly sent us back to have the rest of the tires changed.  When the first tire had been changed we were given a basic lesson in The Structure of The Modern Tire.  The mechanic patiently explained that tires have layers ("Cake!  Cakes have layers - everybody loves cake" . . . . . . *ahem* - sorry): there is the tread, and then a layer of wires, and then the third layer that I can't remember.  We had worn every last bit of tread off the tire and were down to the wire bit.  For someone who doesn't know anything about tires, even I knew that was not good.  (C: And I couldn't understand why there are wires in a tire?)

  It wasn't that big of a deal while we were living through it, but after the fact it was a little scary.  Since we live at home it is really easy to rely on dad for what we need; and it is easy to forget we need to be talking to God about what is going on, just like we talk to our dad.  The tire was a good reminder to not trust surface appearances; to ask for help; and that God is far more involved in our lives than we are usually aware of.  Between you and me, I'm really glad He is.  

Irish Rose & Chickadee

Sketch #22 and #24

January is almost gone, and with it the first month of my sketching challenge. 

While I have not resorted to using my Prompt Jar yet, I did take a suggestion from a comment here on the blog.

This is Sketch #22
It does look a bit different in real life (because I can't quite figure out how to photograph drawings to the best advantage yet:). I used a #2 pencil for this sketch, as well as a blending stump to smooth all of my different shades together.
Thanks for the suggestion E. I don't do still life very often, so this was a good exercise for me:)

This is Sketch #24

Once again pencil and blending stump. (Pencil is my favorite medium so far, and I am addicted to the blending stump! I get such a kick out of running it over the paper and seeing all the harsh lines melt into one another.)

Originally this was to be of a person descending a flight of stairs, but I scratched that idea and decided to work on just the stairs instead.

Next time I might post one of my pen sketches or a graphic design (that will actually have some color:)

Did I Really Just do That?

What do these items: A blank pad, pencils, sharpener, eraser, a handful of bright, cheerful markers, and a black Sharpie have in common? . . . . . . . .

They are physical proof that I have, actually, gone completely insane.

Okay, I will admit, maybe not any more insane than usual, but sometimes I look at what I've gotten into and wonder, "What in the world was I thinking!"

As if agreeing to write a novel in a month wasn't enough, I've gone and joined another challenge. This one, however, is a bit different. It does not deal with words. It does not last a month. It doesn't hold the worry about writers' block. 

This challenge consists only of the limit of my imagination, the requirement of plenty of blank paper, well sharpened pencils, and a few ideas. . . . . and by few, I mean 365.

How did I get into this? 

Well. . . . therein lies the story. . . . . .

The bleakness of the outdoor world was beginning to grate on her nerves. Winter was long enough as it was, but to have the snow replaced by harsh, glaringly bare, brown landscape somehow seemed colder and more depressing than a blanket of fresh, glimmering snow would have been.

She felt restless, not an unfamiliar feeling, especially during this time of the year. Her family knew when it reached a rather critical point, for she would begin pacing about the house, bearing a forlorn expression.

The year was spreading out before her, fresh and new, and she found herself lacking plans. Finding something to keep her busy during the cold winter months was pretty much of a necessity, but what was that to be?
On the eve of New Years Day, as she was surfing some of her frequently visited websites, her eye was drawn to a particular thing she hadn't noticed before: 365 Sketchbook.  Hmm, intriguing.
Now, the title of the thread was pretty self explanatory, but did she listen to the little voice that was already buzzing with the sheer nervousness of such a large number? Did she stop to consider just how much work it would entail?
No, she didn't. She clicked on the link and was instantly sucked into a new challenge; to sketch a single drawing every day for the ENTIRE year!
Did she hesitate in joining this challenge? Did she stop and consider that that is a whole lot of paper and she is constantly in a state of "Oh no! I'm almost out of paper!!!!"
Nope, she didn't, she plunged right in with a growing excitement and overwhelming enthusiasm. Really, how hard could it be? Just one, simple sketch a day. . . . . .

Two and a half weeks in and the enthusiasm is still there, albeit a little bit dampened by the fact that I didn't actually take time to think about how many different sketches that actually is. I'm doing okay so far, but I know, at some point, the ideas are going to run out. So, to counteract inevitable Artists Block (apparently there is some kind of Block for everything. . .) a jar has been pulled out and set in a central part of the house. That way, when any of my family members (and even friends) have a spare idea for me they can jot it down on a bit of paper and drop it in the jar. When I simply can't think of a single thing to draw I'm going to pull an idea out of there and do it.
(I must tell you though, I've been having a hard time keeping myself from doing that, simply because I am so curious to see what kind of suggestions are in there!)
It is already helping me, in the sense that I'm forcing myself to step out of my very familiar zone and sketch things I'm not terribly comfortable, or good at, as well as showing me that I actually can pull off some fun sketches without a lot of frustration.

If you have any idea's at all please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I'll post them here for you to see! (If you do, please remember they are only sketches, not in-depth drawings, and therefore I'm asking for things that aren't too intricate:)