Who Are You Again?

Hi!  Welcome back!  To me, mostly.  I've been deep in the throes of starting my new career over these past two months, to the point where I actually took about a month off from the 365 project just to stay functional.  But today is the day I get back to it, and to celebrate that, I wanted to share what I did from 04/22/18-05/19/18 (which is when I accepted things would need to be put on hiatus).  I took pictures of pages rather than individual pieces, in an attempt to actually get this whole thing done today, so commentary will be shorter than usual (although, obviously, the entirety of the post will be somewhat longer).

Greenbreathing.

I spent several days trying to capture the way that being in the woods brings me peace.  There's a poem in the left image, and here's how it goes:

Steps slow and burdened/Searching for the way I’ve lost/I pace the leaf floor

Following the path/Dark and light and dark again/Deep into the wild

The weight of sorrow/Pressing on my lungs: exhaled/Gathered up by Them

The Ancient Ones, still/Breathing with me in silence/Lifting my burden

From poison to life/In the space between heartbeats/They transmute my pain

Out and in and out/The one becomes the other/The other the one

My balance restored/Light and dark and light again/I find my way home

Sweet Things

I'm super into The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.  You should be, too.  And then I found a pretty pittie who had wandered away from her home, and she was so sweet I called her Dulcinea.  Happy ending: she was reunited with her family after I took her to the Humane Society.  Also Happy Ending: I painted her without drawing first.  Progress!

Unfinished Business

I love what I've got going here, with my maenad and her satyrs, but I spent several days on it and it refused to progress.  I'll probably come back to it, someday.

Blue

I finished the first sketchbook on the last day of April.  I'd been reading a book that dealt with whales (Deep Wizardry) and it inspired my doodling that day (and I quoted it up there in the upper right corner).  (The lyrics in the lower left corner are from a song by Young Summer called "Waves That Rolled You Under", and I highly recommend you go listen to it right now.)

X Factor

Just a little green study of Madame X, because I was still working on painting without drawing first.

Jackalope Got Me Down will be the name of my first album.

More paintings without drawing, with limited success.  The Jackalope thing is because for some reason TLG took it into his head that anytime he fell down it was appropriate to say, "Jackalope got me down!" We have no idea where he picked that up from, but obviously we find the idea of blaming things on random jackalope attacks hilarious.

Damn good appetizer

Not much to say about these, except that I put a million layers into that cherry tomato and I think it looks awesome.  Also, the quote "He's my Wade and I'm keeping him!" is from the last time I played DnD (waaaay too long ago, now), and my character Severan sort of accidentally picked up an NPC squire and basically he's the Podrick to her Brienne now.  I'll hear no arguments.

Rainspheres (as opposed to bows) over the Grand Canyon, and also some Geese.

Red lips and purple ties.

Feet silhouetted in the pool at night, Super Professional Face.

These are all from my trip to Tempe at the beginning of May, where I had maybe five minutes each night to sketch something out before I dropped into bed, exhausted.

Love Undying

This last one, you'll notice, has a whole lot of dates next to it, and no color whatsoever.  That's because after nearly a week of making incremental progress, and feeling super stressed out about it, I realized that I needed to give myself a break.  So I did.  Which brings us to today, and this blog entry.  And once I finish this blog entry,  I'll start laying in some colors.  So stay tuned, Gentle Readers, and thanks for sticking with me for this long.

Battle Steed

Look you guys, I've wanted a rhinoceros as a Battle Steed for literally 15 years.  I have a character I used to draw, creatively named Barbarian Princess, and her battle steed is a rhino, and I'm just saying that this has been on my Wish List since college, ya'll.

Needless to say, there was a certain scene in Black Panther that had me shrieking with giddy fangirl joy.

Lines last night, color tonight.

In the past I've drawn Battle Rhinos with war paint, but never with any sort of armor, so that was kind of fun to do.  Also, I could not find reference photos for that scene, so I worked with the impressions I could glean from a very short clip on YouTube, and a whole lot of Artistic License.  I like it!

Last Unicorn Spread

The last time I got on here (a little over a week ago) I shared a painting I'd done of the Lady Amalthea, and mused that I might do a related drawing the next night.  Well, a dear friend of mine requested that I make good on said musing, so I now present to you the results of my endeavors from Sunday the 18th through Friday the 23rd:

Click to Embiggen- or just keeps scrolling...

It's kind of cool to have an entire two-pages in my sketchbook devoted to one subject.  I may try that again in the future.  In fact, I know I will.  Anyway...

Here are close-ups on The Bull...

It was fun to experiment with the background on this one.

...and The Unicorn...

I didn't get QUITE the mother-of-pearl effect I was going for with the horn, but OH WELL.

It's been a huge relief to let myself work on single images across several days (one or two nights for linework, and then more for colors) rather than churn out finished sketches every day- I'm 100% going to keep this up as I'm studying for my various licenses (which means through May) and I may keep it up for the rest of the year... we'll see...  It gives me breathing room to do more intricate things, which you will see evidence of in my next post (of a piece that I've worked on for four days straight,  now).  It's bringing these things into a weird place that can't be called "sketch" anymore, but also isn't truly "finished piece", either- but that's alright; I've always loved the in-between-y spaces.  And, honestly, it's making for a super-fun sketchbook.

Jenny O Does Maui

Okay, right off the bat I need to admit that I am not going to do a post for every day I was gone; I am going to cluster them all into one loooong post.  Which is to say, this post.  Because Momma's gotta sleep, ya'll.  Plus I still need to do updates for "post-Hawaii"...  those might happen tomorrow... anyway...

01.21.18:

It was a 12+ hour travel day.  I did a very quick ink sketch on the plane.  It's not worth sharing, so I won't (no wait I lied: you can see a bit of it in the corner of the photo below).

01.22.18:

The view from our lanai

I don't normally enjoy landscapes, but this one?  This was an absolute delight to paint: sitting in the warm air, smelling the plumeria, listening to a variety of birds chatter, and watching whales spout their little hearts out.  And the nice thing about painting a scene rather than photographing it is that you can automatically edit out things like telephone wires and cars.  Winning.

01.23.18:

A quickly sketched impression.

Did I say a variety of birds?  I should have used a capital V: Variety.  Hell, maybe even all-caps VARIETY.  So many beautiful birds.  Pretty sure that if I spent more time in Hawaii I'd turn into a bird-watcher, I was that charmed.  I splashed down the color for this little guy, and then added some questionable line work later:

The surrounding splotches were me demonstrating things for the niblings.

01.24.18

Love that color combo.

I managed to make it into the ocean every day except the last day (more on that later), so it shouldn't really be surprising that I also spent some time trying to capture it with my brush.

01.25.18

There's even more experimentation over the rest of the page.

I tried to capture some of the brilliant sunset effect, with considerably less luck.  I need to circle back around to this eventually, but it's really had to capture both vivid color and the bleeding effect.  Challenge!

01.26.18

This is the day we drove the Road to Hana.  It was amazing.  I swam in so many bodies of water!  Hah!

The first place we stopped at was Twin Falls, and I snapped a photo of Malachi that I then sketch-painted once we were back at the condo:

I mean it's not bad, per se, but I craved more definition.

It just wasn't doing it for me, tho', so I added in some line work to the foreground, and now I like it much better.

Those roots were too cool not to define.

01.27.18

SUPER king-ish!

I had a story seed plant itself in my brain this day, but I wasn't in a position to write, so I painted one of the characters, instead.  He's the High King.  And he's totes gonna' die.  Sorry High King.  Don't worry: your baby sister will avenge you.  Probably.

01.28.18

The day started out promising, with Nathan and I heading down to the beach at 0700 for our snorkeling date while his sister watched TLG.  But instead we had a date that consisted of me spraining my right ankle on an ocean-hidden rock and ripping open my left shin (on the same rock!  Talent!) and then driving to get pain killers, hydrogen peroxide, and so many bandages.  ::sigh::  I spent the rest of the day with it propped up, reading my book.  I did not sketch, I did not paint.  I feel zero guilt over this.

01.29.18

I had hoped to swim the morning before we left, but the previous day's adventures ruled that right the hell out.  Damn it.  Anyway, Sunday was another 12+ hour travel day, made extra miserable by my inability to carry things or really walk at all (thank goodness for airport wheelchairs!)  I didn't even manage a sketch.  Again: zero guilt felt.

I do, however, have paintings for the past three days, but they're going to have to wait until tomorrow, because Bedtimes, she is a'callin'.

Snake

I give this one a resounding meh.  By which I mean, I need to revisit Snakes, because they are worthy of so much more... it started out somewhat promising and then just... muddied its way into meh.

Meh, I say.

Part of it is that I need more time to work, maybe add in some hatching... but there is no time, because bed.  Onward, ever onward!

Toad Son Study

I decided just to do a little tiny painting today, to practice my patience-with-drying.  And I'm pleased to report that I did manage to summon enough patience to do multiple layers of color, although by the end I wanted to pull my freaking hair out.  Someday I may achieve the advanced position of Gracious Patience, but that day is not today, no sirree.

Two colors laid down: a flat wash (yay flat wash!) of palest yellow, followed by pale ocher.

By far my favorite stage, with five layers in various areas.  Probably  definitely should have stopped here.  ::sigh::

Things were out of control by this point, but what was I going to do?  I HAD COMMITTED TO SCREWING MYSELF OVER.

And then when I decided things were looking questionable enough that the only thing that might salvage the situation was some really nice inking, I lost my damn mind and decided, rather than inking this 1"x2" painting with my sensible .005 micron pen, to instead try using my new travel water brush because why would I use a tool I'm well-versed with when I could struggle with one I haven't mastered yet?  Ha ha hah, oh Rationality, why do you even try?

::sigh::  I chose... poorly.

Even still, staring at what resulted, a part of my brain whispered, "No no, it's cool- just... just go back in with some dramatic black shadows!" but I told that part of my brain to shut up, that we were getting out while the getting still retained some trace element of imagined dignity.  And I did.

Yay learning!

(It will be entertaining to look back over these a year from now, and laugh at my progress... I hope...)

We Go By the Will of the Black Rabbit

Richard Adams was an old friend that I never met, and I regret that I never sent him a thank-you note for all he did for me.

Azrael's Children

It's getting to be That Time of the Month Again:

Nathan gave me the Highest Praise on the special one in the corner: "I'd put that on a Trapper Keeper"

Still(ed) Life by Krumps

There can be beauty in death.  Sometimes I wonder if that's why the gods made blood so red.

Night Wings at Morning

Hello Dramen

On the Harlyquin Glorybower (in Autumn)

dark wings land
on the gnarled branch
of a half-dead tree
proprietary

i admire the way
his black gloss
is stippled by white
artistic

i imagine paint
flicked from the tip
of a flexing brush
careless

a new arrival
interrupts my thoughts
wings invisible
zephyric

quick brown kisses
for the bright pink buds
zipping in and out
earnest

i watch her flit
torn between delight
and sympathy
rueful

she'll find no nourishment there
they're seed pods
dressed up in sister's petals
masquerading

alone once more
my freckled friend hops
from one branch to the next
curious

his hauteur
shrugged off in an instant
turned to fluff
content

Jiggins!

Inspired by Neeps's love affair with Chicken TV, I give you the next illustration:

("Jiggins" because last night, when I told my Katie what I was drawing, that's what she thought I said.  Confused hilarity ensued.)

The Consequences of Chicken TV

One of the afternoons at Lara's house, Neeps and I went outside to pass the time playing in sweet-shaded clover, and watching "chicken tv".

Reality entertainment at its finest

Neeps was absolutely fascinated by the plump little birds, but I didn't realize just how enamored he must have been until this evening, when he revealed that he has added soft little "bok bok"s to his vocabulary.  My darling little naturalist.

I, of course, started making the sounds back at him, which filled him with absolute delight.  And then I added a loud, "BKOK!" to the end, and he just freaking lost it.  Gales of shrieking baby laughter, like to the point where he was gasping for breath.  I've never felt like a more clever comedienne in my life.

Little Love

When we saw the banners outside the museum trumpeting the mammoth display, I was not expecting this.

Bones, perhaps.  Dioramas, certainly, and artists' renditions.  Many thousands of interesting and educational words, of course.  But not this.  Not her.

I've read about her, of course- the perfectly preserved baby mammoth discovered in Russia almost a decade ago- but it's different from seeing her in the desiccated flesh.  Different, too, now that I'm a mother, with my own baby sleeping soundly against my chest.

My eyes prick with tears as I press my fingers to the glass that encases her.  I cannot help it.  She's almost as big as I am, but all I can think of is her mother, unable to rescue her.  Elephants grieve: it stands to reason that mammoths did, as well.  My brain begins to spin out a story to comfort my heart.

***

My daughter enters the world in a spray of blood beneath a deadly sharp tusk moon.  I wonder, fearful, if this means she will be a warrior for our people, destined to die in battle- but when the Oldest Aunties come they shake their heads at my trepidation.

Not this one.  She is meant to be a great teacher of many peoples, and she will remain when all the rest of our descendants have turned to dust.

What better could a mother wish for her child?  An important destiny twined with a long life.  I nurse my daughter and dream of her bright future.

The moon is dark when my daughter leaves this world, pulled down, down into the mud that is darker still.  There is nothing I or any of the Aunties can do to aid her, but I cry out in rage and anguish, hoping that the strength of my love can somehow bring her back to me.

But death has no fear of love.

You have lied to me!

I am screaming.  I should not scream at the Oldest Aunties- I should show them respect in all things, lest I be shown my place.

But love has no fear of death.

You told me my daughter would outlive us all!  That she would be a great teacher!  But she did not live long enough to see her second full moon- what good are your portents, your signs, if they cannot prevent the death of an innocent?  Why should we follow powerless liars?

I am not struck down.  They are mournful.  They try to comfort me.  They have lost mothers, sisters, daughters of their own, they know grief and they forgive me my sacrilege.

I wish they would strike me down.

We did not lie.  Not understanding a truth does not make it a falsehood.  There is more to this world than what we may know, and your daughter has gone to fulfill her destiny.

Drama Llama and the Alpacalypse

So this happened at the Farmer's Market today:

Redheads FTW

Also this:

Bushy Beards!

What can we say?  We love us some local celebrities.

Right Honorable Order of the Pinto Bear

There tends to be a lot of in-joking during games*, and yesterday's was no exception.  Many references were made to the dreaded "pinto bear", although naturally we never actually encountered one.  At least, not during our little adventure.  Who's to say my character (a scholar by trade) didn't circle back around later to do some in-depth study?

***

The Pinto Bear
(as thoroughly observed by Ionee)

The mature pinto-bear stands a good seven feet at the shoulder, and weights upwards of 1500 lbs.  As if their massive size were not advantage enough, this curiously speckled species is also equipped with retractable claws, a proto-thumb, and a rather fascinating ability to belch forth noxious gas.  The gas is not typically fatal, but will render an enemy (or prey) unconscious long enough for the pinto-bear to devour it.  If, however, the subject manages to survive being gassed, it appears as though the result is a temporary increase of intelligence.  Further study of potential medical-applications recommended.

Pinto-bears require a great deal of territory to keep themselves fed, and tend to be solitary- except during the spring and summer months, when it's not uncommon to find them living in small family groups, generally consisting of a mated pair and their cubs (2-3 is a typical whelping).  Mothers stay with their cubs for at least two years, and appear to go into season once every decade or so.  No one knows for certain the true lifespan of a pinto-bear, but given how rarely they mate, it seems safe to surmise that they live upwards of three centuries.

Their pelts are highly valued, being of a surprisingly soft texture which repels water and insulates efficiently.  The base color is a warm, almost pink-ish buff, with the spots ranging in color from burnt sienna to a brownish-black.

One last item of note, which this researcher was not able to verify: there are tales of particularly enraged pinto-bears exploding- literally, exploding into flame.  This researcher is not certain what, exactly, the benefit of such an ability would be (except perhaps as a last-ditch effort to protect offspring) nor how anyone would have survived such an event so as to tell about it.  Perhaps it is merely a part of their life cycle?  Again- further study is highly recommended.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?!

*(don't even get me started on the crotch goblins)

Jack, Wrangle, and the Star Stuff (Unfinished)

Here is a bit from the next installment of what I've been referring to as my "Books for Mortal Children" series, which started with the Rainbow Bridge story.  This one is being written for my friends who maybe don't want to teach an expectation of an afterlife, because they aren't so sure they themselves believe in it.  To them I say (/literally said): I don't know that I believe in an afterlife.  But I believe in stories."

***

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jack.  Jack had a best friend named Wrangle, and the two of them loved playing together- almost as much as they loved one another, which is to say, quit a bit indeed.

One day Jack said to Wrangle, "What game will be play today, Wrangle?" and Wrangle said, "Today were are going to build things, Jack.”

“Okay, Wrangle!” said Jack.  “Let me get my blocks!”

“Actually, Jack,” said Wrangle.  “I would like to use my blocks today, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all, Wrangle!” said Jack.  “We’ve never built anything with your blocks before.”

“Well,” said Wrangle, “That’s because my blocks are very special. In fact, they’re not shaped like your blocks at all, you see?” and Wrangle held out a box marked “Building Blocks”.  When Jack looked in the blocks he saw that it was true- Wrangle’s blocks were different from his.  In fact, they looked a bit like-

“Stars!” said Jack.  “They glitter just like stars!”

“Yes, they do,” said Wrangle.  “That’s why I call them my star stuff.”

“What can we build with star stuff, Wrangle?” asked Jack.

“Whatever we can dream of, Jack,” said Wrangle.

“Let’s build a castle!” said Jack, and they did.  It was a big, beautiful castle, and Jack was very proud of it, but after a while he said,

“Let’s build something else, Wrangle.”

“Okay, Jack,” said Wrangle.  “Let’s build… a space station!”

“Yes,” said Jack, “I would like to build a space station!”  And he turned to the box marked, “Building Blocks”, but it was empty.  “Oh no, Wrangle!” he said, “There’s no more star stuff!”

“That’s okay, Jack,” said Wrangle.  “We can just take the castle apart, and use the star stuff to build the space station.”

And they did.

In fact, they built many things that day, not just a castle and a space station.  They took the space station apart and used the star stuff to build a mountain.  They took the mountain apart and used the star stuff to build a tree.  They took the tree apart and built a dragon that lived in the deepest part of the ocean.  They built a whole herd of elephants, and a playground, and even a giant pillow big enough for the both of them to rest on.  Sometimes Jack wished they had enough star stuff to keep something and build the next thing, but there just wasn’t- and wishing wouldn’t make it so.

***

It's not quite done yet, obviously.  I'm still hashing out the last little bit, but I feel like I should have it pretty soon.

("Soon" being a very relative term these days, of course.)

The Fox's Inner Fire

I have some wonderful friends who own a wonderful bookstore, and every once in a while they provide me with wonderful things for Neeps, because apparently I did something really good in a past life since stars know I haven't done anything to earn it in this one.

Today I came home to a hefty package that contained lots of fun books, and also the most perfect nightlight ever for a rainbow nebula fox nursery!

So perfect.

Granted it is currently in the bathroom, because I need to do a little rearranging to fit it into his room, but soon...

Doodling a Dane

Trying to figure out how to draw a Great Dane:

Little girls are much easier.

(you know, just in case I need to maybe illustrate a children's book...)

Vera, Delilah, and the Rainbow Bridge

(for my son, so that when the day comes, he will maybe understand just a little)

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Vera.  Vera had a best friend named Delilah, and the two of them loved to go on adventures together- almost as much as they loved one another, which is to say, quit a bit indeed.

One day Vera said to Delilah, "What sort of adventure are we going to have today, Delilah?" and Delilah said, "I do not feel like adventuring today, Vera."

"What do you feel today, Delilah?" asked Vera.

"I feel very tired, Vera.  And of course I feel love that I love you."

"That's okay, Delilah," said Vera.  "We can just sit quietly together, because I feel that I love you, too, and that's enough adventure for me."

The next day, Vera said to Delilah, "What sort of adventure are we going to have today, Delilah?" and Delilah said, "I'm afraid I am still very tired, Vera.  I think I am sick."

Vera threw her arms around Delilah and said, "That's okay, Delilah.  We will sit quietly together for as long as it takes for you to get better."

And that's what they did for a long time, but Delilah never seemed to feel any better.  Then the day came when Delilah said, "Vera, I think I am ready for another adventure, but I need your help."

"Oh Delilah!" said Vera.  "You know I will help you any way I can.  That's what best friends are for!  What sort of adventure are we going to have?"

"We must find the Rainbow Bridge," said Delilah, "and I must cross over it."

"What's on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge?" asked Vera, for she thought it sounded like a magical adventure, indeed.

"New adventures," said Delilah, "and old friends, and many other wonderful things.  And most importantly, once I cross the Rainbow Bridge, I won't be sick anymore."

"Well that sounds like the perfect adventure for today, Delilah.  Here, lean on me and we'll get started."

Delilah did lean on Vera, and although Delilah was very heavy, Vera never once complained- although she did have to take breaks to rest.  This is because although she loved Delilah very, very much, she was only a little girl, and no one- not even the strongest grownup- can be leaned on all the time.  But eventually the two of them found their way to the foot of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Oh my!" said Vera.  "It's even more beautiful than I imagined- but it's so very long that I can't see the other side!  How long will it take us to cross it, Delilah?"

"You cannot cross it, Vera," said Delilah, "Because it's not your time yet.  But I will cross it very swiftly indeed, once I am on it."

"What?" said Vera.  "What do you mean it's not my time?  How will you cross if you do not have me to lean on?  How will you get back?"

"That is the magic of the Rainbow Bridge," said Delilah.  "Once it is your time, the Bridge itself will give you the strength you need to cross over.  But Vera, you must understand- once I have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I cannot cross back.  I will be on the other side forever."

"Oh no!" said Vera, "I don't want you to go, Delilah!  What good are adventures without you?" and she began to cry.

"Don't cry, Vera.  I love you so much that I will stay if you really want me to," said Delilah, but her voice was sad, and Vera could see how tired she still was.  And Vera remembered what Delilah had told her, about how she would not be sick once she crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and Vera knew she could not ask her friend to stay.

"You said there are old friends on the other side?" Vera asked, wiping her eyes.

"Oh yes," said Delilah.  "Friends I have not seen in many years.  I have missed them since they crossed the Rainbow Bridge, just as you will miss me."

"But they're waiting for you?" asked Vera.

"Oh yes," said Delilah, "Just as I will wait for you."

"And you'll have new adventures together?"

"Oh yes," said Delilah.  "And I will tell them stories about the adventures I had with you, and they will like that."

"And, and will you tell me stories about the adventures you have with them, once it is my time?" asked Vera.

"Oh yes," said Delilah.  "But you must have new adventures so that you can tell me stories, too."

"I will!" said Vera.  "I will have as many wonderful adventures as I can, so that I can tell you many, many wonderful stories once it's my time!"

"I will like that," said Delilah, and gave her friend a kiss.  "I love you very much, Vera."

"I love you very much, Delilah," said Vera, and threw her arms around her best friend one last time.  Then she kissed Delilah on her brow, and stood back to watch as Delilah stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge.

Vera kept right on watching as Delilah stood up straighter than she had for a very long time, and began to walk with a lighter step.  And soon Delilah was running joyfully, faster and faster towards the unseen end, and Vera suddenly realized how much her friend must have been hurting, and she knew she had been right to let her go.

Soon Delilah was out of sight, and Vera had herself a good cry, because even tho' she knew Delilah crossing the Rainbow Bridge had been the right thing, it still hurt to say goodbye to her friend.  And once she was done crying, she splashed some cold water on her face, and turned for home, because she knew her mother and father would be worried if she stayed gone too long.  And she also knew she must get a good night's rest, for tomorrow would bring a new adventure, and she must be ready for it.

Buddies