Little Christ in a Garden

I am alive and painting. I just couldn't show you this painting until just now because it was a commission/surprise graduation gift for My Lovely Friend (click on the link!). Now she has it, so now you can see it:

Little Christ in a Garden

Detail Image

I love this painting. As you can see, I managed to do a ginger-headed, freckled-faced, little Jesus with a mouse and toadstools. I had fun painting this. I was hoping for a fairy tale feel- I don't see why the Christ child wouldn't have loved fairy tales.
      And I think I should let you know that for some reason my carpal tunnel is better lately. I am not sure why, and I don't know how long this good spell will last, but I will take what I can get.
      I just got back from Franciscan University where they sent off the newly graduated class of 2012. If I had stayed at Franciscan longer than 2 years, this would have been my class. I love them so. It was a great blessing to be there with them, through the good and the bad.

‎"WHAT was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world." ~GKC: 'Autobiography.'

“My imagination is a monastery, and I am its monk” -John Keats

When you are describing,
A shape, or sound, or tint;
Don't state the matter plainly,
But put it in a hint;
And learn to look at all things,
With a sort of mental squint.
~Lewis Carroll

Ink & Fairydust: Fairy Tales!

Hello! I am proud to announce and display Ink & Fairydust Magazine (click on the link!). This issue is special to me for 2 reasons: 1) it's about fairy tales and fantasy, which are always the best topics, and 2) because, ahem, well, I illustrated the cover and one of the little fairy drawings inside. This is my first time illustrating something published, so, I am rather excited about it. I am so glad to be a part of such a fun project with such lovely people.

And, of course, we need a quote about the topic. Here is one by Mr. Lewis that I found recently:

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” -C.S. Lewis

Arthouse Sketchbook Project

       As I mentioned before, a loooong time ago when I did regular posts (who am I kidding- I've always been ify on that particular subject) I told you about the Arthouse Sketchbook Project that I started. Below are a few excerpts from what I have done so far:

          When signing up for a sketchbook, you have to chose a topic. Their list of rather vague topics leave lots of wiggle room. I chose, "the secret and how to tell it," for mine, and the title is Childish Things. Yeah, that's going to allow me to draw pretty much whatever I want. Just what the secret is, I don't really know yet, and it so far it hasn't really mattered. I figure it has something to do with imagination, common sense,  childhood, etc. Just think, of course, what Chesterton would say on the matter. 

       I am also TRYING to start painting digitally with my new bamboo tablet and Painter X. It's rather very very difficult, but, I am doing my best to teach myself. 

     Now some quotes on the before mentioned theme:

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” -C.S. Lewis

“Grown up, and that is a terribly hard thing to do. It is much easier to skip it and go from one childhood to another.”-F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Well, one can't get over the habit of being a little girl all at once.”

-L.M. Montgomery

Fairy Sketch and a Fun Project

As you may know (I don't remember if I actually told you or not) I am an illustrator for Ink and Fairydust Magazine, and I recently did this little pen and ink sketch for one of the illustrations.

Recent news? Well, I have a new macbook and I am trying to teach myself some graphic design/digital art basics, and I discovered Doctor Who:

I find both of those things very exciting. Harry Potter and Doctor Who all in one year- what will Mary discover next?
      Also, a friend recently directed my attention to this fun looking project. I am going to try it out I think. Not that I need another project to barely finish, but, I do my best. It's a fact that you just never know what will become of things- even the unfinished ones.
   In the mean time, I continue trying to develop my skills through Drawing Tutorials Online.

God bless! I hope you all have a lovely new year of 2012 (not sure where the following quote came from, but I found it from a friend).

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." - Neil Gaiman

Fairies, Christmas, and the Doctor

 It's been a while since I have posted. I have been busy working everyone's last minute vacation hours at work, trying not to spend all my money on lovely presents for lovely people, trying to do some drawing tutorials here and there, and falling in love with Doctor Who in between.  

    I bought my sister a book of Flower Fairies for Christmas- partly for me, partly for her. I want to practice drawing children's faces, and the faces in this book are adorable. Besides, I've always like the Flower Fairies: they are old fashioned and proper. 

   I am particularly fond of this little guy:

(I am having some difficulty with the formating in blogger lately- thus the reason all my images are in the middle, and not put stylishly on one side or the other. I am sure I must have selected some option that has caused this, or something like that. I hope to fix it soon. This is annoying.)

    Anyway, so there was a Doctor Who Christmas special on, I watched it, and I am officially hooked. At least, to the 11th Doctor. I rather love him rather a lot. I will try to spare you too many quotes and general fandom, but the last thing I can do is promise that the Doctor won't make an appearance now and then. For now, "bow ties are cool." 

    I hope you had a Merry Christmas!

March 7th: Mermaid Nearly Killed

So I got back from an absolutely lovely girly time with my friend over the weekend. I inked in my Little Mermaid picture, and I nearly killed her. Yes, is is a rather darker sad story, but I did not intend for such gloom as this. I do like it, but it's not the completely sweet suffering little mermaid I had pictured. Heh, I think I did FAR too many ink washes, the many layers seemed to get a biiit chalky. But anyway, it's been a year or so since I did a pen and ink, and I do miss it. Hopefully I will keep with it and get back into practice with it.

Again, not what I had planned, but maybe I simply do not have the control over ink to get the result I wanted. She doesn't have the ink black hair and pale skin I wanted. She's not delicate enough. She looks slightly mischievous or threatening than she should.  Heh, I mean, I haven't done this in a year... of course I want it to be PERFECT. What else would a sane person expect? I do like  how that bit of tail fins look....
     By the way, I have just discovered Jeeves and Wooster. Life now has a whole new meaning. I say, I'm rather dashed! Whato whato whato! I say! I feel rather blitheringly tired! Tootle pip!

March 1st: Attaching the Foot to the Invention, and The Rose Elf

I have been reading Andersen's fairy tales lately, and this sketch is from a story called The Rose Elf, which I find tragic, disturbing, and absolutely charming and lovely. I do not want to tell you the story here because I want you to find and discover it for yourself. It is only a few pages long, but so packed with details and suggestions. I LOVE Andersen's work so far! I think that this sketch would look good redone as a pen and ink drawing.... I may just do that, after I tweak the composition a bit.

"And the queen bee hummed in the air and sang of the blossom's revenge and of the rose elf, and of how behind the smallest petal there lives one who can tell and can avenge a wrong." 

Drawing number two is from Structure of Man: Drawing the Human Figure From Your Mind. Look! I am attaching the foot to the Invention! Yes! That means we get to move onto the arms and hands soon! 

Art quote:

"I feel there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." -Vincent Van Gogh....  That right there is why I think that "art for art's sake" does not stand on it's own, more or less. "Only love creates," -St. Maximillian Kolbe.