I think reading is fundamental. In fact it is how I’ve learned quite a bit about art among other topics. It is also immensely important to read your Bible. God gave us His word not so we can leave it on a table but because he wants us to read it, understand it by the help of the Holy Spirit and take what we learn to heart so we may emulate the word of God in our lives. So read.
I delved once again into the fantasy realm for today’s drawing, “Feel Fair-ly Safe to Get Your Toes Wet.” I know a long title for such a simple drawing but there is a reason. In life and in faith we hold ourselves back many times because we are afraid to dip our toes into the water or put another way, “Start something we are unsure we are qualified or able to do.” Remember God however has different plans for our lives. He wants us to jump headfirst into water by putting our faith and trust in Him to help us succeed. Proverbs 3:6 says, “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” If God is capable of straightening out our meandering walk then He is also most capable of helping us accomplish what we deem to be improbable. Pray for God to help you get your toes wet in something new today.
Remember all the times as a kid when we played in puddles. The rain pouring down around us as we splashed and splashed about until we were soaked. Puddles were my inspiration for my doodle, “Boy In the Puddle,” Looking back I still don’t understand the fascination with kicking and splashing in the water but it was fun at the time. Today, I am not a playing in the water kind of person, that is my wife. My wife loves the beach. Me, however I love the thrifts shops at the beach and the gathering of family.
Puddles in rain storms no longer hold the fascination for me as they did when I was a child. Like the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:11 as we get older we, ” put the ways of childhood behind.” Which is a little sad because in order to feel young mentally we need to hold onto part of our childhood
I look back on those times dancing in the puddles with fondness. Thinking back to those days makes me realize it was not really the puddles which were fun it was spending time with my friends. The joy came from time well spent. The same is true today. Friends and fellowship with them is still needed in life to make it more enjoyable. A life spent alone is an empty life. We were designed to spend time with each other. Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man (or woman) sharpens another.” So spend some time this week with family and friends doing something fun and childlike you’ll all be better off. Till the next doodle.
Today’s prompt was the word transparency. I settled on the offered doodle “View in the Window,” because a commercial reminded me of one of my former cat’s favorite pastimes, looking out of the window. I often wondered what fascinating sights out the window kept the cat there for hours at a time.
I am also reminded of the number of times I have looked out through the same window at my neighbors going about there daily business wondering about their lives. In the old days when I was a child up to my young adult years neighbors hung around with each other, talking over the concerns of life or just sharing a little laughter. It seems times have changed.
I have talked to many people like me who do not share much time with their neighbors or don’t even know the least little bit about them. Perhaps it is time to step out from behind our windows and get out there and talk to the neighbors.
I must admit as an artist there are times I struggle with the details. I find that I am more creative and more satisfied creating quick sketches with a little color added to make the picture pop. Today’s doodle, “The Sunflower,” is a little more detailed than I usually create. In the back of my mind I would love to be a more detailed artist and have tried various books in order to learn. The problem with books however is books do not give you the feedback you need when you’re trying to improve your art work. If anyone wants to be my tutor I would be glad for the help.
What does this ramble mean? The answer is this. When it comes to living your life whether you’re a person of faith or not it is hard to learn what you need on your own. it is also hard to learn what you need from just a book even when the book is filled with pictures. In the end what we all need is for someone who is more learned than we are to come along side of us to help us learn what we need to know.
As an artist if there are any low cost or free art classes you can take, make sure you take them. It is in these kind of classes I learned I could draw more than just simple cartoons. If you are a believer attend a church where you have access to men and woman of faith who you can go to in order to help you understand the Bible more clearly.
There are times when you sit down to create something for a prompt and your mind goes blank. This was one of those times even though the prompt was faces, something I draw all the time. The problem was I didn’t want to draw just another face. Instead I chose to take two faces from an old book, give them a body and create something different. The end result entitled “Makeup Mishap” is not a finished piece but a whimsical piece destined for future revisions.
In today’s daily challenge the goal was to create a piece of art with the theme centered around bugs. I decided to try my hand at my version of Chinese brush painting. I cheated however and used watercolor pencils. Today’s offering is entitled “Dragonfly.” I can’t believe this is my 50th drawing.
The challenge for today offered up a side of eggs. I started out doing a couple of eggs sunny side up but saw a picture of a chicken looking quizzically at it’s eggs sitting in a basket. My picture entitled “Chicken and the Eggs,” takes a lighthearted looked at a chicken waiting for the eggs to hatch.
As an artist I love to venture into new areas. One of those new areas is collage. I haven’t done many of them but I like assembling the various aspects of a collage and then painting over them with acrylics or pen. The challenge for today was to create a picture of a plant. I chose to do a orchid like flower over a collage of old newsprint and other paper assemblages. The piece is entitled “Red Orchid” and is the first of many more of these types of pictures I hope to create.
The Ugly Artist 