Another in my series of churches. This one the Little Red Church is done on a 6 x 9 inch Strathmore drawing pad in soft pastels and color pencils. I like creating scenes with small church because they remind me that the church is much more than a building it is the people inside the building leaving through the doors in order to do God’s work in the world.
I used to love to draw landscapes. Then I stopped. I started to focus on not her for self art. Only recently have I returned to my landscape roots. This offering, “House On The Hill,” was created on a 6 x 9 piece of Strathmore drawing paper using soft pastels and Prisma color pencils. Life to me is sometimes like this picture we ha e habits we try to stop but sooner or later we return to them. It is only through the power of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit that we can truly be free. The key however is to trust which means letting go and focusing on God.
Every so often I am drawn to create a piece of what I call fashion doodle art. I pick a pose, then choose dress color and style then create the drawing. Today’s drawing is the end result this time. To create this one I used Prisma Color Pencils on a 9×11 old book page.
I come from the state of West Virginia where I am quite familiar with these little buildings. Why I decided to paint one…who knows but you may see more paintings. I created the doodle using soft pastel and color pencil on a 6 x 9 piece of drawing paper. I tried to think of a small devotional to go with the picture but nothing came to mind so,I hope you like the picture.
I decided to try the same flower one way and then I recolored the picture and changed it into the second painting. The yellow one is the second rendering. Both drawings were done on 6×9 white drawing paper using soft pastels and color pencil. Today is Memorial Day which is not a day for only picnics, partying and parades but a day to remember our freedom comes at the expense of the brave.
An artist has a peculiar view of the world because we see everything from the end of a pencil or brush. Our world is one made up of angles, relationships and color combinations. An artist’s world can be realistic or abstract depending on what mood we are in when creating a piece of art. So why do we love the view from the end of the pencil? Here are three reasons, for me at least.
1. The view from the end of the pencil is one of curiosity. Can I as an artist create a likeness simply by placing down a few lines or a few brushstrokes? I for one love to see a work in progress seeking to satisfy my curiosity. Is the drawing being created turning out the way I want? I need my curiosity sated so I move on.
2. The view from the end of a pencil is a challenge. As an artist I study a picture in order to seek and learn as much about it’s structure as possible. Then the challenge begins. I add more and more lines. Time passes. I don’t realize how much, but I press on. Soon in front of me is a likeness. I glance from picture to drawing to see if the challenge was well met.
3. The view from the end of the pencil is comforting. As I have written before, art is a mind quieting and soul fulfilling process. When you are drawing the world around you seems to melt away. Also as you place each stroke on the paper it leads to moments of learning and growth as your skills continue to grow. Opening your mind to art also helps you to see the deeper aspects of other subjects because your view from the end of the pencil is one of study.
So in the end my friends art on, art on because life is so much more when you view it from the end of a pencil.
One day my son sent me a picture of some churches someone had painted on some wood. I have not done much in the way of using wood as a canvas so I decide to some on 6×9 white drawing paper. This is the second one I have done in soft pastel and colored pencil. I like these small churches because most of the ones i would see in visits in my home state of West Virginia were small churches. Now I know however the church is like any other house it is not a home until the family moves in and makes it a welcoming place.
This illustration entitled “Little Red Dress” is the latest in a series I am doing. The drawing is done in color pencil and pen on an 8×11 old book page. I enjoy doing these fashion illustrations because…well I don’t know why I enjoy them. I just do. In life we don’ t always need to explain every move we make. There are times we are led by God and when we look back we think to ourselves, “Why did I do that? It was so out of my comfort zone.” But you see the only way we can grow in faith and knowledge is by going outside of our comfort zone and I guess that is why I like these drawing because they help me grow as an artist. So step out in faith today. It may be uncomfortable at first but it will help you grow as a Christian.
Life is all about friendships. We were created to be social beings. The drawing is a 9×12 done in pastel and color pencil on white paper. The drawing depicts two friends one pouring her heart out while the other one listens. This is why we need friends. So we have someone to come alongside us in good times and bad.
