Doodles

Warning! The Road Ahead May be Rough, Doodle #86

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Life is often referred to as a journey or a long road we travel on from birth to death. Today’s prompt was the word “rough” which got me to think the road we travel on is seldom smooth and straight. It is more like the roads in PA where I live rough and full of potholes. When we are young, if we are blessed, there are not to many potholes we have to avoid, maybe our choice of a college, a significant other.

As we age and life starts to overtake us the road can become a little rougher to travel and the pot holes can become much larger. The key for me in filing in all those pot holes is putting my faith in God and trusting Him to lead me around or over the potholes. Life after all should not be about just surviving each day being cranky it should be about living.

 

Cats are Cool Creatures, Doodle #85

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but I seem to have a fondness for drawing and doodling cats. The reason is I think cats are the coolest creatures. Like the Fonz in the old Happy Days show cats do things on their own terms. When my son was still at home and had his cat in my house I was often reminded of how much a cat runs the show.

On the other hand cats can also be loving and affectionate. They will curl up next to you on the couch, walk on you in the middle of the night and meow like crazy until you show them some love in return.

My doodle today is “Ode to Cat People.” I hope you enjoy the drawing.

View in the Window, Doodle #82

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Today’s prompt was the word transparency. I settled on the offered doodle “View in the Window,” because a commercial reminded me of one of my former cat’s favorite pastimes, looking out of the window. I often wondered what fascinating sights out the window kept the cat there for hours at a time.

I am also reminded of the number of times I have looked out through the same window at my neighbors going about there daily business wondering about their lives. In the old days when I was a child up to my young adult years neighbors hung around with each other, talking over the concerns of life or just sharing a little laughter. It seems times have changed.

I have talked to many people like me who do not share much time with their neighbors or don’t even know the least little bit about them. Perhaps it is time to step out from behind our windows and get out there and talk to the neighbors.

The Joy of it All, Doodle #81

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Joy can be found in many places in life. I find joy in creating art like today’s offering, “Lollipop Flowers” which is a silly drawing meant to create a smile.  However the most joy I get in life is helping others.I am an Ed Assistant in a urban school district. At this point in my life it is not the ideal job to have looking towards retirement but I love helping the students in my class.

It brings great joy to my heart when I help just one of my students learn something new. In life

Life Goes Floating By, Doodle #80

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When I was a kid the girl I hung with from down the street and I would spend a lot of time just lying in the grass watching the clouds floating through the sky. As we were laying there we always tried to attribute the shape of a cloud to a certain person or thing. I miss those simple days when life and the clouds seemed to float by at a snails pace.

I have discovered the older you get life and the clouds appear to float by as if driven by a swift wind. There is little time left in each day to lie around looking at the clouds trying to discover the hidden treasures in each shape. I also have a confession to make.  I still try to draw what Carla Sonheim calls Imaginary Animals where you look at a cloud, cracks in the sidewalk, stains or anything else and create an animal drawing. They are fun to do and infuse your creative juices with some new vigor.

I think as you grow older you need to hold onto your youthful attitude it will keep you feeling younger. The idea is to take the time to once again slow down the floating of life, enjoying the ride more by experiencing all life has to offer.

Spring Into Something Renewed, Doodle #79

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Today is the first day of Spring. A time when all things are renewed. The flowers start blooming, the grass starts growing (ugh) and the trees start to come to life. Spring is also a time when thoughts start turning towards the summer season. Spring for me means the start of America’s favorite pastime, baseball, which is the inspiration for today’s doodle, “The Pitcher.” Football

I don’t know why I like baseball so much. Football and hockey appeal to me more because of my adult ADD with all the action packed into each game. Still there is something about baseball that causes me to anticipate the start of a new season. Maybe it is the crack of the bat and the runner trying to beat the ball to first base. It could be the anticipation of the next pitch or just the fact you can wear shorts and a t-shirt to the games. Of course there is always the taste of ballpark food.

As a follower of Jesus I sometimes find the past creeping into my thought process. Past failures and short comings keep me anchored to the past. I also use past failures as an excuse to not trying to move forward in my life. Baseball season is a reminder to me that sometimes in life we have to start over. We have to put our failures and setbacks behind us and try something new like a year long art challenge. As I grow older I plan to keep moving forward. I may fail but I will just dust myself off and keep going.

Watch the Mood Set, Doodle # 76

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In my opinion art is both subjective and objective. Our main objective in creating our art is trying insure the subjective piece of art will invoke a response in the observers of our pieces. Part of the response is what kind of mood your piece invokes. Is your painting a lighthearted piece with a lot of vibrant colors and a lot of movement or is it a brooding piece done in monochromatic colors or layout. This is why it is important as artists to watch the mood set of your artwork.

As an artist I try to create colorful, upbeat or corny pieces of art because I feel they set a happy mood with their content. Today’s doodle a mixed media, collage illustration of some flowers simply entitled, “A Bunch of Flowers.”

In life just like in art we set the tone of each day by our mood. If we are bubbly and upbeat around others they will respond to us in a kind manner. However if we choose to treat others in a brooding and defiant mood, well you can guess what is going to happen.

I know we all have bad days but I set in my mind years ago to be upbeat each day no matter the circumstance of my life.  I always try treat others in a kind and inviting way each and every day. Believe me there we times during my dealings with my cancer treatment that I wanted to bite people’s heads off not because of what they did but because of the anger inside about the disease. I had to step back and take a deep breath, say a prayer asking God to still my angry words and move on. Paul says in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

 

The Pattern in Life, Doodle #75

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As an artist the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear the word pattern, today’s prompt, is a zentangle. As a football fan who is in the midst of NFL free agency and roots for a team in need of wide receivers my mind of course went to a wide out.

A wide out or wide receiver makes their by catching the ball thrown to them by the quarterback. A good wide out can find a way to gt free from the defender and catch the ball. A bad wide out, well he doesn’t have a very good pass to catch ratio. What does all this have to do with you? Maybe not a lot but it does offer us an analogy for being and artist as well as in our living our daily lives.

As an artist we must be a good wide out who avoids all the defenders (internal and external distractions to creating our art). These distractions come from many sources, critics, well meaning friends as well as other sources. The key to avoiding the defenders is to keep on moving forward with our art by practicing, practicing, practicing even when every ounce of our being is telling us to just give up.

In life we elude the defenders by doing as Paul says in Philippians 3:14, “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”There are always going to be obstacles in life, the key to reaching a goal is learning how to go through the obstacles and come out the other side stronger and more knowledgeable.  I hope you enjoy today’s doodle a zentangle of a cat entitled “Tangled Cat.”

Motion Settled Down, Doodle #74

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The prompt for today is to draw motion. Well on the surface it sounds like a simple challenge after all motion is everywhere. Look around you cars speeding down the highway, people running to and from. We are a nation on the move, at times to much on the move. There is an old adage, “Stop and smell the roses.”

I’ve often wondered where the saying comes from but no matter the meaning is obvious. We all need to take the time to stop what we’re doing and sit back and enjoy life. When was the last time you did nothing? If you’re like me I don’t like to sit still. I always feel like I have to be doing something but every so often I feel the need to stop and sit back and enjoy the moment or moments. Some of my past enjoyments include watching my kids create their own little worlds from nothing, watching the ocean roll and the people rollick in the surf and sitting on my grandma’s porch and watching the world around.

The main point of this whole ramble is the fact that God created all there is for our benefit and it is high time we take the time to enjoy the world in which we live. So strap on some head phones, go to your local park (if you’re an artist take along your drawing pad) and enjoy some time alone or with family. Oh yeah, I hope you enjoy today’s doodle “Motion Settled Down,”