Illustration

Daily Drawing #141, A Furry Friend

| Whitt’s End Art


While I don’t think it is my forte I love drawing animals. There is something comforting about rendering a likeness of a furry friend.  My fascination with animals started as a child and was partly fueled by my first girl friend who had a red fox as a pet. They kept it in a huge pen on their property and you could actually go in the pen and interact with the fox.

Family trips to my sister’s farm in West Virginia also brought me into contact with many farm animals some of whom were a little ornery like the roosters. Those birds hold a grudge and  will fly at your head when they get mad at you. Nighttime in our neighborhood also brought out lots of raccoons like the one pictured in my drawing entitled, “Raccoon and the Yellow Flower.”

As I grew older and still to this day I have a fascination with animals and as I said they will appear in many of my drawings, especially dogs and cats.I hope you have enjoyed my artwork up until now. Until tomorrow remember we all need to have a little joy in our live, let it be drawing furry friends, or more importantly having the joy of knowing Jesus in your heart.

 

 

Daily Drawing #140, Life is a Landscape

| Whitt’s End Art

When I survey the landscape of my life I see may empty places I could have filled opportunities not fulfilled. Well enough of the waning philosophic. The drawing today is entitled, “The Mostly Barren Landscape.” It is a study piece for something I plan today later in acrylics. I hope to put the piece on as an extra offering sometime in the future.

While I usually try to write some kind of inspirational epitaph based on situations in my life this time it is a little tougher. You see my landscape (life) has never happened the way I envisioned. I thought when I was a teenager the rough times would be all behind me, back beyond the trees. I was wrong. There are many decisions I have made which I’ve wished I could unmake or get a redo. None of them have been major choice just ones where a second opinion or some advice from others would have been helpful.

So all I can say to anyone reading this is to not go it alone. If you’re in the process of some decision, big or small, first pray about the decision and then seek out wise council. You’ll be glad you did later. Also there will be less crabgrass and weeds growing in the landscape of your life.

Daily Art #137 Pika, Pika, Pika Shoo

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The drawing prompt today was to draw a living thing be it an animal or plant. I usually lean to drawing cats which on another blog I am up to cat drawing #24. I also draw a lot of faces so I didn’t want to go in that direction. In searching for something to draw I found an article about how China is killing of the Pikas. I clicked on the link and to my surprise I found a Pika is a real animal. I sketched one and created my drawing, “The Little Pika is Going Shoo.”

When my son was growing up he watched Pokemon episodes and also collected the toys. One of my favorite characters was the little yellow creature known as Pikachu. The only word he spoke was “Pika” even when he was animated. No pun intended. I was amazed to learn the students at the school where I work still watch Pokemon. I had thought it fizzed out years ago. I guess Pokemon is not a true fad because it seems to have staying power.

There are times in life we get caught up in the fad of the moment. Need I mention Pet Rocks, Cabbage Patch Kids or Beanie Babies. Sadly for some becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is a fad. They rush in whole heartily like people do with fads but somewhere along the line things change and the luster of the moment wears off. This is when they turn away and lay their supposed live for Jesus on the fad shelf.

The problem with many is they don’t realize when you walk with Jesus there is no promise of a joy filled and rosy life. I have found in my own life that things seemed to get harder. It is not easy to stand up against opposition for what you believe. Maybe this is the reason people walk away from their faith. I don’t know. All I know is that that true faith in Jesus is not a fad it is a relationship which is built on love and faith.

Doodle #132, A Cup of Warmth to Start the Day

| Whitt’s End Art


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 #131, 3 Reasons to Reflect on Your Reflection

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Each day I get up for work and look in the mirror. I stand there for a few minutes and reflect on my reflection. No I am not going off the deep end. It is just that I ponder about who I am to other people. I know they see me and know my appearance but can they see me for who I really am…a follower of Jesus Christ who is supposed to exemplify his love and caring in this world. It is with these thoughts i have come up with 3 reasons to reflect on your reflection. Not a refection like in a mirror or a puddle like my drawing, “Seeing Yourself in the Water,” but a pondering of how others see you.

  1. People see your ways. No matter how much we feel like we live in isolation someone is always watching our movements. This is especially true of those who claim to be a person of faith. Do one thing out of character and people will be all over the misdeed questioning the validity of your reflection.
  2. People hear you words. Part of your reflection is what you say. As the saying goes, “if you’re going to talk the talk you need to walk the walk,” or as the Bible says, “Let you yes be yes and your no be no.”
  3. People follow your lead. What we say and what we do leads to the third part of your reflection. People will not follow what you claim, they will follow what they see. A hypocrite is a person who claims or preaches one thing but does the opposite of what they tell you, you should be doing.

As you can see looking in the mirror and pondering over your reflection is not all about just seeing how old you look these days. It is about making sure what your reflecting to others is what us truly in your heart.

3 Reasons to Art; A Brief Overview

| Whitt’s End Art

I have delved into creating art for most of life. The reasons I started to create art are various. Here are three.

  1. I returned to my love of art over three decades ago. One of the reasons is it helps me to relax. At one point in my life I dealt with anxiety issues. One of my doctors suggested I take up a quiet hobby. I used to doodle so I figured I would try my hand at cartooning. One thing led to another and I started to create more fine art projects. Art still helps me to relax.
  2. The second reason I love to art is the challenge. I am a self taught artist. A lot of what I know comes from books and lately YouTube videos. Trying to become a better artist is not only restful but it also challenging. I also look for drawing projects which are hard for me to draw. This I feel helps me grow as a person as wells as an artist.
  3. The last reason I art is because I love sharing with others what I create. I know I will probably never become rich off of my art but it doesn’t matter. My goal for creating art, other than it relaxing nature and the mental challenge it brings, is to maybe bring a smile to someones face. Art by it’s very nature is a participation media. Artists create so others can see or hear the fruits of our labors.

These are the three maim reasons I create art. Maybe you can add your reasons as comments to this article.

Doodle #130, Takin’ Your Life for a Stroll

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It is a simple law of physics which states, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless something acts on it to stop it.” My wife and I love to go for strolls. At times we walk through our local neighborhood. If it is cold outside we will walk at our local mall. One of our favorite places to walk is out in Amish Country around some of the local landmarks and villages which is the inspiration for today’s doodle, “Strolling among the Shops.”

Life is also a stroll once set in motion will not stop until in reaches the end. There is also no slowing down life, no matter how hard we try. Billions of dollars each year are spent trying to regain a youthful look or lifestyle. My question is why? Since we have no control over time why not regal in fact we are aging?  We could the wisdom and knowledge we have gained over the years to help those who are younger to try and understand how to live their lives more fully. This is what Solomon did for his son and others in the Book of Proverbs.

Wisdom after all is best used when it is shared. So take your life on a stroll and use your past experiences to write a blog, volunteer in your local community or do what I do and create some art and add a few words to each drawing.

Doodle #128, Under an Orange Sunset

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I have lived in the Philly area for many, many years. While there is a lot of places I still love to visit within the city limits, I still don’t like the hustle and bustle of city life. I am a country boy at heart. Not to far out in the country but far enough the traffic is not bad. One thing about the city I like is the city skyline from different observation points. I especially like the view during sunset when the sky has an orange glow.  My doodle, “A Philly Sunset,” is a loose rendering of such a sunset.

When I was a new driver, at seventeen years of age, driving around Philadelphia was something I enjoyed. The city had many more places than the suburbs to frequent, like record stores, concert venues, shopping and much more. If I didn’t want to drive I could hop on the EL or subway and get to places I wanted. I spent many hours of my young life in Philadelphia. Thirty Four years ago I moved away from Philly. I now live about an hour away in the suburbs. I get down to Philly from time to time. It is where my son lives now so my wife and I visit one in a while

The weird thing is, like many things from my youth, Philly has lost it’s youthful luster. I guess it is because may of the places I frequented in my youth are not there anymore. Many of the people I knew are no longer there anymore. The city has changed so much over the years. I guess the old saying is true, “You can never truly go home again.” As a follower of Jesus Christ I am glad the Bible in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” It is good to know that no matter how much I change, the world around me changes, Jesus never changes.

Doodle #127, Don’t be a Wimpy (Sponge)

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Sponge is one of those words that has more than one meaning. it is a sea creature as pictured in my rendering, it is used for household cleaning as well as in a surgical procedure, but it is also a person who borrows stuff without the intent of giving the borrowed item back.

When I first saw sponges was today’s drawing prompt I thought of Wimpy from Popeye the Sailor Man. He is the guy who is famous for the line “I’ll pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Wimpy was always begging for the burger with no intent of ever paying Popeye back.  When I was a kid I knew a lot WImpy like peers. Most of what they borrowed was free rides, “Take me to Philly and I will pay you for gas on Friday when I get paid.” The problem payday Friday never came.

Adulthood has brought it’s share of Wimpys to my life. My problem is I have to learn to say no to people instead of giving to people. The Bible is clear on this subject  Proverb’s 12:24, “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” I have learned that by giving in to the Wimpys of life I am really doing them a disservice. If a person is always given what they ask for they will never learn to work for what they really need. Don’t get me wrong it is good to help someone out when they ask but if they make a habit of it, take stock of the situation and make sure they are not being a Wimpy.

If you don’t know who Wimpy is click here.