Happy 200th Charles Dickens!

Today is Mr. Dickens 200th birthday! I do so love him! If only I had been aware of this coming.... I could have drawn a bit of something for him. As it is, I only found out about it through Facebook, as I do so many things these days.

Young Charles Dickens

I absolutely love him! I haven't actually finished THAT many of his rather long novels. But none the less, I find his writing to be almost soothing. He creates such characters! Such touching situations.

Who better to discuss Charles Dickens than Chesterton? I happen to have the book Chesterton wrote about Dickens (it was being discarded at the local library. What!? Oh well. At least I have it now), however, I regret to say I have not read it yet. But, I will fix that soon.

‎"The full value of this life can only be got by fighting; the violent take it by storm. And if we have accepted everything we have missed something -- war. This life of ours is a very enjoyable fight, but a very miserable truce." ~GKC: 'Charles Dickens'

I also recommend this link. I am especially fond of that last longer quote in the article, 

it is one of my favorite quotes of all time. 

Here are some quotes by Mr. Dickens himself:

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” 

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” 

“Never close your lips to those whom you have already opened your heart.” 

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” 

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.”

“Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.” 

“Family not only need to consist of merely those whom we share blood, but also for those whom we'd give blood.”

..... I could go on. And on. And on. But, maybe instead of that, you should just read him. 

March 4th, 2011: Andersen's The Little Mermaid Unfinished

Yes, I have been slacking. Well, actually I have been quite busy, just not with drawing. I've discovered that deadlines for scholarships/applications are much sooner than I thought, and so I have been working like crazy on portfolios and essays. But today, even though I was not feeling very well, I did start an ink drawing. I read Andersen's The Little Mermaid, and, of course, I loved it and wanted to draw it. Yes, I am doing lots of fairy tales lately. But I am doing that on purpose, because 1), I have never read them before, and 2), I knew they would be fun to illustrate. So here she is, the Little Mermaid. The story IS NOT like the disney version, as I am sure you can imagine. She is a beautiful, sad, "quiet and thoughtful" creature, who wanted more than anything to acquire an immortal soul(mer-people do not have immortal souls or after lives) by winning the love of a human. She fails, more or less, but do read the story anyway! She is a very heroic mermaid.

I am leaving for the weekend, and so I will probably not finish this until Tuesday. But I do plan to finish this using some ink washes, and maybe a touch of color here or there. For my other plans (as if I have that many) you will just have check later!
       "Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is a supreme creative act." -Charles Dickons

"I always remember to forget those things." Winnie The Pooh