This young lady likes to dress up for Christmas with flowers in her hair. The illustration was created using soft pastels on sheet of 9×12 maroon paper.
daily drawing
An Accidental Artist
I have very limited art training. The sum total of my formal training being a few classes at the local community college. I am what I call an accidental artist. I stumbled into it because I wanted to be a cartoonist like Charles Schulz. I started drawing my own cartoons based on a cat I used to have.
I then moved on to silly cartoons panels. I even got to the point where I would send my cartoons out, yes send them out, to the big agencies. Most just sent back the standard, “Don’t call us we’ll call you,” letter.
A little while later I took a class on pastels. I loved and still love the ease of use of soft pastels. Now oil pastels are a little more difficult to use but I love the brilliance of the colors. Today I have branched out to all mediums.
What is the point of this whole ramble? Just this, do not devalue you artistic ability just because you’re what I call an accidental artist. Someone who just for the shear joy…creates. An artist is an artist.
1001 Drawings #324, Noticing the Little Things
I think in life we spend so much time looking and tending to the big things that we forget to spend some time looking for and enjoying the little things which are all around. You know the small things which God has sprinkled all around His creation. Things like the soft orange glow of a sunrise or sunset, a soft breeze blowing through the trees or the way a small child lights up at Christmas time. The little things are all around us so take the time to enjoy them.
Daily Drawing #260, The Patterns of Life
We live life in a straight line but we seem destined to repeat certain patterns in life as our parents. Not the same life per say but we seem to pick up certain traits and mannerisms as our parents. Thus goes the patterns of life, I used to think people were wrong about what I just wrote but the older I get the more I feel like and act like my parents or I find myself saying, “Man my mom/dad used to do that or say that.” So be careful what patterns on to your children because at a certain they will start mimicking what you do and so on down the line.
Daily Drawing #257, New Hairdo, New Attitude
Sometimes one small change in life can give you a whole new perspective. Like a new hairdo or this drawing challenge i am on this year. I started out thinking I wanted to create my own masterpieces but somewhere along the way I combined along the way my attitude changed I found I liked being an illustration artist more. Maybe you are caught in some funk now and need a change. You know even Christians can get caught up in a funk. Maybe it is time to make a change like volunteer at a food bank or start a home Bible study. The key is to find a way to get out of your funk.
Daily Drawing #254, Another Chibi Offering
What can be said about this one? Well two things. First this is one of my few attempts at playing with markers and this is my second endeavor at drawing a Chibi. I hope you like it.
Daily Drawing #252, Seeings Things With Both Eyes
I was born blind in one eye. I am not telling you this because I am seeking pity. No I say this only because all my life I have learned to live with my disability. I didn’t even know I had I a disability until the someone in a state office told me. Due to my lack of full eyesight I can only pay attention to certain things. My wife is always stopping me from running into people because I have no peripheral vision on my right side. I also have no depth perception so am hindered when it comes to playing sports like baseball. Still with all this going on I have had a productive life. Because of my minor disability I have learned to respect and admire anyone who strives to not look at their disability as a hindrance but as a one more stone to be cross than other people in order to achieve all they want to achieve. I want people reading this to know that people with disabilities are still people.
Daily Drawing #251, In Times of Trouble Take A Knee
One thing I learned as a child was self-sufficiency. You see my parents split up when I was young and being the youngest child meant all my siblings had married and moved out. I loved and still love my mom and I know she tried her best to help me deal with things but she didn’t understand the comings and goings of many of my situations. So real early in my life I had to figure things out for myself. As I grew I learned not to ask for help. I tried to do everything on my own. When I gave my life to serving God I still struggled with trying to do everything on my own. Believe me, I got myself into a lot of jams financially with which I’m still dealing. I have learned from all my missteps God is there waiting for me to get on my knees and ask Him for help. So don’t be stubborn ask God in prayer He will be always be there.
Daily Drawing #250, Some Things Just Don’t Go Together
Anyone who has ever tried to wash a cat knows in most cases cats and water don’t go together. The same is true of many things including the world and followers of Jesus. The Bible says, “Be in the world but not of the world.” What this means is that we are not supposed spend our lives consumed by worldly things like greed and over consumption. Instead we are to set ourselves apart from the world living as examples of a, “the truth, the life and the way.”
