art

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,”

 

A Strange and Wonderful Feline, Doodle #73

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When I was young I had a lot of cats. Most of my cats were of the grey and brown tabby variety. I also had some whose coats resembled tortoise shells, LaPerms I think they’re called. The variety of cats I owned seemed endless except I don’t think I ever owned a Siamese cat. I still love cats more than I do dogs. Sorry to all those dog people out there.

While I had a lot of cats growing up there is one cat which stands out as my favorite, my Manx. I don’t remember the cat’s name but I do remember the cat had the tortoise shell look with brown around one eye. Why did I like this cat more than the others?  It was that the cat stood out from the others. It had an exotic look which stood out from all the rest. If you don’t know a Manx has no tail but a little stub kind of like a Lynx.

My Manx was a cool looking cat. I don’t know where the cat came from. How I ended up owning the cat or as cat people a cat kind of owns you, but I loved the cat and it’s look. The cat was set apart from the other cats. Thinking back to the Manx it is a reminder to me in my life as a believer of Jesus the Christ I must stand out from others, not because I think I’m better but because of the love I have for others.

As followers of Jesus we must show the love of Jesus to all. Not the ones of we select to give our love to but to all.The Bible says in Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” If you treat others like crap don’t expect them to treat you like a kind person. Cats are interesting creatures they can sense those people who like truthfully like them. I have news for you so can people. So don’t be hypocritical in you love, be truthful in order to be fruitful.

A Sign of Warmth, Doodle #72

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I live in the greater northeast and am looking forward to warm weather returning so I can take my sketchbook and hit the road to make some drawings. Sorry to all you skiers but I have been looking for the first signs spring is on its way like flowers peeking through the soil and the robin’s return. Today my wife saw the first robin this year.Woo who warmth and sunshine are on their way back.

I learned long ago, like the robin is a sign spring is on its way bringing the warmth, people are looking for signs in your life to validates the claims you make about yourself. This is true about your faith as much as many other areas of life. People can spot a fake a mile away.  Proverbs 28:18 says, “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.” While this verse is technically not about being a warm person it is a part of living a life of integrity.

My mother instilled in me a long time ago the need to show warmth to others in everything I say as well being generous in all I do. I may not have a lot of money but I do have a lot I can give. You never know who you touch in life so you must always be who you are not who you feel people want.

 

Not So Shiny After All, Doodle #71

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It might seem odd me to offer up a horse and buggy for a prompt such as shiny but it’s not really. I live near Lancaster, PA so for the last thirty plus years I have my share of the black and grey Amish horse drawn buggy’s. The Amish from what I was told when I first moved to this area do not like shiny objects. There are various reasons why but  leads me to an explanation of today’s  drawing.

Life is made up of two types of people the shiny people and the people like the Amish who try and avoid being shiny people. Shiny people are those who love to flaunt what they have every chance they get. They brag about everything shining their accomplishments in your eyes trying to blind you to what lies beneath.

On the other hand people who are not so shiny do their deeds in the background. They shy away from shining the light on themselves. These are the people who may or may not have a lot themselves but use what they have to benefit others. One of the aspects of the Amish community I love is the fact that when one member of the community is down the others rally around them in order to help them get back on their feet.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 2:3 which reminds me as well as others to, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

A Line at Work, Doodle #67

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Artists look at perspective two ways. The first is using a two dimensional surface to create a three dimensional picture viewed from a particular point in space. The second way an artist uses perspective is by creating pieces of art influenced by an internal point of view (perspective).

Using these two points of perspective an artist is free to create a piece as elaborate or as simple as they would like. Perspective is also a part of life where we see a few line as in my piece “A Line at Work,” and think we know what the whole picture is about. Many times we are wrong. While my doodle is obviously a man… there is still a lot missing like color,depth and where he is working.  What you see is not the whole picture only one little piece.

Since our external view of the world is influenced by our internal perspective we must be careful not to make snap judgments about what we see based on what we think we know.. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:8, “Don’t jump to conclusions-there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.”

So the next time you see something strange don’t judge the situation strictly by what you see. Take the time to find out the truth.

Walking With Courage, Doodle #66

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Courage, The first thing that popped into my head when I saw the prompt was the lion from the Wizard of Oz. The second thing which popped into my head was Cowardly the dog from an old cartoon show. What do both these characters have in common. They both were cowardly but in the face of obstacles they stood tall and did brave acts.

Courage may come in finally standing up to a bully in school. It may come when you walk into a doctor’s office and hear those three life changing words, “You have cancer.” It may come when you face the end of your life. The main point is no matter how much you try and avoid it there are time in your life when you must stand up like a lion, be brave and walk with your head high into the battle even when you want to crawl under a rock and hide.

If you have faith in God the Bible says in Ephesians 6:10 that we can, “Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power.”

I hope you like today’s doodle and my brief ramble.

A Look At Yourself, Doodle #65

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The dictionary defines reflection as

  • 1. the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
  • 2. sending back, throwing back, casting back2. serious thought or consideration:

I chose to do a combination drawing of both. My self portrait is both a reflection as done in a mirror but it also a time for me to think back to earlier days in my life

We all tend to look back at our life and play the what if game. What if I had done this or that, but we can’t “what if” our past lives we must always deal with the “what is” part of life, working through what is happening now. There is no changing the past there is only preparing for the present and the future.

In an art life as well as the rest of life we must not worry about what we did but focus on our new creations and our new days.The Bible says “Forget the former things; Do not dwell on the past,” Isaiah 43:8.

Rope the Night Sky, Doodle #64

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There are times as an artist when you hit a creative wall. When I saw the prompt for today was night  I thought it was going to be easy to be easy to come with a good representation of the prompt.  Boy was I wrong. I went through a number of quick drafts and then tossed them aside.

After all the fuss over the prompt I finally came to one conclusion I was trying to hard to create the perfect drawing. Art is all about spontaneity. The more we try to create the perfect  brush stroke or put down the perfect pen mark the more we stifle our creativity.

While looking for something to inspire me I was redoodling  pictures on my iPad. Today’s offering is one of them. I don’t usually put theses doodle out there but it is a reminder of what we as artists do sometimes “Rope the Sky,” in order to find inspiration for our art.

Old Woman and A Guitar, Doodle #63

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The themes for today’s doodle was something musical. Like all the other es the idea for what to draw is open to inspiration. I came across a free to draw picture on Something to Draw.com of the woman pictured playing her guitar. While the piece  is not a perfect reproduction of the picture it is a reminder to us all that no matter how old you are you are never to old to learn something new.