Hey :)

Hey guys!

I really really REALLY am alive still! Very much so.

I've moved to Nashville and I work with toddlers just waiting for the day I am go to art school. I don't have internet and my job keeps me exhausted- but that's ok, because I am making money and getting established in a growing artsy area with lovely lovely roommates.

So things are good. I have pictures of some art projects, etc, to post, but I don't have my camera with me at the moment.

So working hard with no internet plus 2 months of bronchitis equals not much blog updating. But I just got a lovely little message/comment that encouraged me very very much, so I am telling you that I am well, and in a sense, much closer to any dreams of some kind of art career.

I am also learning Japanese when I can find the resources (limited internet makes that challenging as well.) No, seriously, I am serious about this.

Anyways, I DO think of and miss you guys and this blog and networking and all that. But wonderful things are happening in my life, and I am sure that it is going to lead somewhere in the end.

God bless you guys!

Still Here, Still Fighting

... Don't worry your pretty little faces, I am still here. I have been out of town, had my life put on hold by a stomach flu, etc. I am thiiiisss close to going to my local university to get my bachelors of fine art with a concentration in graphic design, and maybe a minor in creative writing. I have been emailing and calling and emailing about financial aid, a living situation, etc. So far I have next to no answers, but I have hope! I am so so close! No, this school is not my IDEAL art school, but at this point I think being strong means taking what I can get, and if it weren't for the fact that I may have to commute an hour one way everyday at first, I would be very happy. With my health issues, I know that's gonna be tough, but I don't really know how to give up on this, so, I will keep fighting.
      I just wish I could keep up with this blog in the mean time. I am trying my best to draw in-between all this madness, but I am not producing much that's worthy to put on here, to be perfectly honest. Mostly anatomy tutorials and gesture drawings, etc.
    But if you only knew! I have classes coming up soon! Classes! As in, I will have something to work on! Something to make me feel like I am making progress! I have been kind of stuck at home with health issues for two years now, feeling like I am getting nowhere. But, this lil artist still loves her art, and she isn't beaten yet. She has this foolish tendency to be obnoxious enough to have the audacity to keep going.
     Oh, yes, I get frustrated with the seemingly impossible task of finding money and a job and a living situation, but I can't help but hope that it's all getting very close now. Something is coming. Even if it takes its time arriving, whatever it is, I will always be here, and I am always looking for a way to do what I believe I should.
    I am so excited! Wish me luck, and of course, pray for me as I pray for you. You must be the most patient followers, and I do appreciate you. Very much.

P.S.
      Oh, and I am working on a story for Mouse and Dragon, and maybe Spider (Mouse is a kind of regular on my blog, when I actually blog, for those of you who don't know. Dragon and Spider aren't so much, but I love dragons, so, there you have it.) I have always thought they needed a story, and proper names, so now I am slowly slowly fabricating a world for them. I have no idea when it will be done, but if anything, I hope to finish something that I can at least illustrate a few scenes from someday.  

P.P.S.
        For a bit of added inspiration, here is an amazing speech given by Neil Gaiman on the making of art. Especially if you are an artist of some sort, click on this link. Keep making good art, no matter what.

Updates, and Ink and Fairydust

I thought I would let you know the results of those tests I kept talking about- I have carpal tunnel and nerve damage in both hands and elbows. Excellent news for an artist right? Oh well. Thankfully, my left hand is the worst, which is good because I am right handed. Will my right hand get worse? Probably. It's already given me issues for a long time, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. God has taken care of me thus far- I don't see any reason to doubt Him now.

Also, the next Ink & Fairydust is out! Featuring a lovely cover by Mary MacArthur. There are a couple drawings inside done by yours truly that I have already posted on this blog.

I have a crazy month art-wise ahead of me. I have another commission, my Arthouse Sketchbook Project, and the next issue of Ink & Fairydust to illustrate before the end of the month. I work best under pressure, so in some ways I am excited, just as long as I get it done in the end! Time for the montage music.

I hope you all are having a blessed Good Friday, one of my favorite days of the year, and that you have a lovely Easter!

God bless and happy Easter!

Just so You Know...

        I am alive. But not so well. Thus so much.... inactivity. I have my own health difficulties, someone else in the family is sick, I am still wrestling with school issues, etc- so, not much priority has been given to blogging, unfortunately. Or drawing, which I hate like I hate very few things. I am actually having difficulty with my hands, which is NOT ideal for an artist. So, if you could say a little prayer for that, that would be amazing. So far it's mostly my left hand, which is good for a right-hander like me, but if the right hand gets bad, well, I suppose I'll deal with that if and when it comes.
      I hope you are having a good Lent. I think I have. I never really know for sure, for better or worse.

God bless! 

'When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly.'
-St. Sebastian Valfre

‎"The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man." -Fyodor Dostoevsky

Men say the sun was darkened: yet I had
Thought it beat brightly, even on—Calvary:
And He that hung upon the Torturing Tree
Heard all the crickets singing, and was glad.
          -GK Chesterton

I Don't Know If You Noticed...

But I changed the title of the blog for a while, to see what I thought of it. Well, while the point of the blog may not be for me to post a drawing EVERY day, I did miss my old title. Besides, it matches the header image.

If you missed what I am talking about, well, maybe that's for the better. You didn't get to witness my indecisive tendencies in person.

Updates Updates

Well, in addition to my anatomy/drawing lessons from Drawing Tutorials Online...

Quick sketch of form light on a cast. Isn't that cool! No, I had NO idea about such lighting techniques before.

.... I have also added these two little activities:

I am illustrating for this lovely magazine for young ladies.

And I am participating in this little project.

Am I crazy? With that last one definitely- I haven't finished a story since I was 8 at least. Hopefully I have moved beyond stories about wild ponies who run victoriously in the Kentucky Derby.

Steampunk Contest

Go here and vote for me! Vote for "Practically Perfect," or my steampunk Mary Poppins. It's the best, as it were.... Win me some art school money! God bless you!

P.S. I was just informed that you may have to register and give out your email address... I apologize. What treachery!

More Exciting News!

I was just accepted into the Catholic Illustrators Guild! I feel so.... grown up? Proficient? Blessed? Dexterous? Obliged? Affected? In need of nibbling nourishment? Indeed!
    In short, I was rather beatific at the news this morning when I checked my e-owls.
And yes, I am taking liberties with this post to practice my vocabulary with my mac dictionary. I looked up most of those words....
(anyone catch the Harry Potter reference?)
  And, ahem, a random quote I just received from a friend. 

“Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast….Of course, slowness is bad. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.” 
― Miyamoto Musashi


 If you recall, I posted a quote by him for my first post. He makes me laugh. So, as my friend said, when you are accused of not being busy enough, just calmly mention that you are a master of strategy. 
   Oddly enough, I think I like Mr. Musashi because he reminds me of Jane Austen. He can make a point or insult you to your face, but you will have to pay attention to catch the subtleties. People like them can get away with insults, and get away with style. 


Interesting how one can jump from one subject to another, is it not?


Happy remainder of Hobbit Week.

Gallery Page Update

My Gallery page has been updated- it now has my favorite and most popular works (at least, as far as I've been able to tell). I thought perhaps it might be more convenient than having people leave the website to see a sample or two.