This was once a pen sketch with a little color then I used Procreate to color enhance the drawing and add more color.
The Four Sailboats
Digital Art
Pink Dress
Another in my series of digital scribbles. The desss might not be pink but it’s close.
Day 354, Yahoo Christmas is Here
Another in monthly challenge to learn digital drawing.
Doodle #132, A Cup of Warmth to Start the Day
I am a coffee drinker. Give me a cup of joe with some cream and stevia and I am a happy man. However I have partaken in a macchiato or capuccino now and then like the one in my drawing, “A Cup of Warmth.” For us coffee drinkers a daily cup is not only a caffeine fix but a cup of warmth to start the day.
While coffee may be my warmth each day I also try to make myself a little bit of warmth to others. I work in an inner city school. Each day I come in contact with students, many of whom have lives you wouldn’t believe if I could tell you. Some of the students respond to the warmth others not so much.
I however, choose not let myself take anything personally they may say. It is not because I am anyone special or am immune to biting words. I have just chosen to be a cup of comfort to each person I meet. In school I was bullied because of who I was and how I looked and dressed. I said myself then and there I was not going live my life being someone who differently because of who they are are. When I game my life to Christ it only enhanced my unconditional love for others. So be a cup of comfort to others,
Doodle #124, The Bell Tolls One, Two, Three
Today’s drawing is a doodle of a small town. The centerpiece of the doodle and the town is the bell. In years past towns used bells for all manner of things such as signaling there was a fire, a special event was starting and much more. In some old churches bells were used to signal each hour or the start of church. In the ancients telephones had bells which signified somebody was calling. The list of the uses for bells is a long one however the one bell which used to bring me the most excitement was the ice cream truck bell.
In the summertime a couple times a week my friends and I would anxiously wait to hear the peel of the ice cream truck. The louder it got the closer we knew we were to our favorite treats. The ice cream truck loomed large in our minds as the favorite part of summer. Well maybe hanging out and ice cream.
Now many, many, many years later I still like ice cream but now I have to get it from a store or ice cream shop. The thrill of the bells has faded into just a memory. The future does hold for me one more important bell, the proverbial bell which will call me home to my place in Heaven. The Bible says Jesus went back to prepare a place for me and one day I will reside there.
What Is True Art?
Have you ever looked at a piece of art only to say to yourself, “That is not true art.” I know I have. In fact many times in this drawing challenge I have question the validity of the pictures I am creating. Today I published my 100th doodle and as always I have doubts in my mind about whether they are even good enough to see the light of day. I have been taught as an artist, unless your work is well, great, it is not art.
However I have come to realize through this challenge that art does not have to be a perfect configurations of lines and colors to be considered true art. The key to creating true art is simply learning the basic principles of art such as composition, color to name two and then going about the creation process. The only reason I mention learning the basics is so when you break the rules in creating abstracts and the like you know what rules your are breaking.
So in the end you see true art is not what is true to others it is true to you. I am not a trained artist. I did not go to any fancy art school. I simple took a couple community college art classes and moved on from there. My art may not be earth shattering and not fit into everybody’s tastes but it is the types of art I like to create. It is my true art.
The Empty Nest is Full of Broken Shells, Doodle #94
Today’s prompt is the word, nest. The drawing is entitled, “Girl With Nesting Hair.” I am sitting here writing this wondering when my doodle challenge also turned into a inspirational challenge. Somewhere along the line I decided if I was going to draw something every day I may as well a few words to my posts. Since I am older and on the edge of retirement i guess those words have turned somewhat informative and inspirational.
I am not one when asked who will bot hesitate to talk about my faith and how much Jesus means to me. I am also one who has been through a lit in my life and want to share in case maybe you are going or have went through the same thing and just need a few words of encouragement. My wife and I have been empty nesters since last August. I must admit for me it was more traumatic than my wife. Don’t get me wrong my wife misses our children but my son and I had like interests. We could converse about those interests for long periods of time.
I miss those conversations in fact so much so some of those interests, like super hero movies and shows have lost their luster. I say this because if you’re an empty nester or close to being one I urge you to start to develop new interests with your wife. She will be the one who is also craving for something to do with the rest of her life. Start to travel, go places, do something together but find some way to channel the energy you used to use for raising your children.
April Showers Bring May Flowers, Doodle #93
Today’s prompt was the word, umbrella, which brought to mind an umbrella because of all the April showers. April is traditionally a wet month which waters the ground in order to help the beautiful flowers of May to grow.
In life we also have shower. Those times when life’s problems rain down on us so much we seem overwhelmed by what we are going through. Unfortunately in life we have no umbrella we can open to keep those rainy times away. We have to weather the storm until it passes on by and the sunny sky once more shines through the clouds. I make no apologies for mentioning the fact I am a believer and follower of Jesus. It is one of the reasons I started this blog.
My faith and my trust in Jesus is one reason I can sit here and type these words. In school I had many times of stormy weather, bullying they call it today, which left me with a shell of self esteem. It was not until I turned my life over to Jesus that I was able to have some semblance of a life where I could be me and not be ashamed. I do not tell you this because I am looking for sympathy but because I have been through many storms in my life and have persevered. Even now putting my art work out there for all to see was not something I would have done a few years ago. I hope you like my drawing, “Boy With an Umbrella.”
Every Day Has a Future, Doodle #90
Well it has been three months and I am still rolling along with my doodle challenge. At the start of the challenge I had high ambitions for the future by creating a piece of art every day. Once I started I decided, because of time constraints, to switch to doodle drawings. In the future I plan on going back and redoing some of the doodles into full fledged art which I will re-post. Some of the others I feel are pretty cool as they are and I will reproduce for resale. The rest still will go into my good try but not ready for prime time file.
As an artist getting to the end of any art work is both an exhilarating as well as an oh no experience. The oh no part can come with staring at the future and the start of a new project and wondering where do I go from here. I however am one of those artists which has a number of projects going on at once. I always have a future piece waiting on an easel or drawing board. I chalk it up to my adult ADD but it keeps me from suffering the moments where you sit around staring into space wondering what project to do in the future.
Outside of art, any new start , a job, a relationship, whatever it may be is fraught with future expectations and nervous feelings to control. I learned years ago from a book entitled, “How to Eat an Elephant,” by Bill Hogan, which is actually a financial advice book. any big task or future expectation must be broken down into bite sized pieces. These smaller pieces allow you to get the task done without it seeming so daunting.
When I first started this challenge I panicked because I thought there was no way I could do that many drawings. Then I remember the task was made of 365 smaller tasks one done each day. I could meet the challenge. So in life don’t panic when you have to do something big just brake it down to smaller portions. I have found this also works in art. I hope you like today’s doodle, “Contemplating the Future.”
