January '13 Sketches

Not gonna' lie, I did most of these in church.

sincerely,
me

Character Design: Broken Robot

If you've been checking in on my doodle tumblr (which you can do via a link on the side of this page), you may recall seeing this guy. 

 Everyone, meet Broken Robot! Yes, it's not a very original name, but I'm not sure if he has any other yet, so that's what I've been calling him. I was writing in my prayer journal about what it means to be broken one night and this character just popped into my head. I took me several tries to get him just right, as you can tell from the pictures below. 

I'm just starting to figure out what his story is, which is very exciting for me! I'll keep you posted on how that develops, but for now, I wanted to be sure you all had a chance to meet my new friend. ^_^

sincerely,
me

Also, I made some changes to how the blog looks. What do you think? I'm pretty happy with it!

The Ever Changing World

Last week, last Friday to be exact, Dresden, one of my very best friends gave birth to her first child. (Even typing that feels weird.) She and her husband Dan decided to keep the gender a secret till the baby arrived, so everyone was kept guessing right up to when Calvin Christopher showed up. I've had a week now to adjust to this news, but it still feels so strange.

In general, I'm fairly indifferent to babies. Don't get me wrong, they're great, but I'm definitely more drawn to small, fluffy animals. However, all of that changes when the baby belongs to one of your closest friends. Suddenly, I am awed by this new, little person who has entered the world. Suddenly, my friend has become the mother to a son! I feel like I'm entering a new stage of life and I'm not even the one with the baby!

The world has shifted under my feet and I am still trying to adjust. Change is always a bit unnerving, especially when it pushes you further into adulthood. I pretty sure that I'll never actually become a real grown-up, but somehow that doesn't excuse me from going through all the grown-up things. Still, I'm doing my best to flow with whatever season life decides I've arrived at. It may just take some time.

sincerely,
me

P. S. If this post comes out disjointed and ramblish, I blame it on being sick. In fact, I should probably be sleeping right now.

Today is cold.

Just sayin'.

Pomegranate Still Life

Remember the painting sneak peek I showed off last Tuesday? Well, here's the finished product, as promised. I think it turned out rather well. Lisa, my mother-in-law was very pleased, which officially qualifies it as a success. 

sincerely,
me

Sneak peek

Just wanted to share a few detail shots of a painting I've been working on for my mother-in-law's birthday. It still needs some work, but I have till Sunday, so it shouldn't be too bad. Hopefully, I'll be posting the final product next Tuesday. 

sincerely,

me

TOMS

So, I don't talk that much about clothes and stuff, but........................

I got my first two pairs of TOMS a few days ago!!

When I first heard about TOMS, I figured they were just another overpriced, hipster shoe. Then I did some research about the company and found out that they're actually really cool. In addition to their charitable purpose, to provide a pair of shoes for a child in need for every pair they sell, TOMS shoes also pays their overseas workers fair wages. Plus, their shoes are SUPER comfy; a win-win-win situation!

I'm still in the process of breaking mine in, but I can already tell I'm going to love them; having an article of clothing that conforms perfectly to your body is the best thing ever! I may never buy another type of shoe again.

sincerely,
me

On going art projects. And Post 100!!!

In addition to a ton of short terms projects, I also have a few long term art goals for this year, one of which is my Doodle Project. My goal is to draw a (nearly) daily doodle for all of 2013! So far, I've done pretty well; I only missed two days last weekend. I've also created a tumblr account to document my progress. Check it out here http://bethanylizette.tumblr.com/ or at the link on the sidebar at the bottom of my blog page.

I'm also working on a 52 Self-Portrait challenge and I will share some of the results periodically.

Also, guess what!?! This is my 100th post!! I have to admit, I can't believe I made it this far. I mean, it took me long enough to get here, but the fact that I'm still plugging away at this blog is impressive in and of itself. Thank you so much to everyone who has ever read, commented or encouraged me. Cookies and chai all around!!!

sincerely,
me

Nov-Dec '12 sketches

Here are some final '12 sketches.

I've been doing a lot of "character studies" lately. This guy is Tomatoe Head(yes, the misspelling is intentional). I based him off of a those cloth, sewing tomatoes you stick pins in.

This guy is Zorvoth, a character from a story that's still in process.

We all have moments like this. 

Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. 

Well, now that's taken care of. Onward to 2013!!

sincerely,

me

A few thoughts about this new year.

Well, here we are again; another year ahead of us. If you recall, last January I was highly optimistic about 2012. I had goals and plans and ambitions. This time around, I find myself feeling a little less enthusiastic. Don't get me wrong, I still have loads of challenging/probably impossible goals and plans, but I'm a bit wary of the months ahead.

This may be due to all the "difficulties" I stumbled across in 2012; discouraging art prospects, various family members going to the hospital and my own battles with anxiety and panic. I also feel very aware of my own faults and short comings, especially when it comes to this blog. I start things which die part way through. I struggle with comments and social interactions. I go for weeks without blogging because I don't know what to say or feel guilty about boring you all with my life.

In the midst of these discouragements, I am starting to see improvement in little things. I've gotten better at integrating yoga into my life. My sketching is growing in new ways. My gaming skills have improved. (I'm playing Twilight Princess with only minimal help from Jon!) In addition to this progress, I've also learned a few things from my past experiences.

1. Adding/Improving things slowly is ok. Baby steps are more long term than "change your life in a week" plans.

2. Structure is important. Having some way to organize my creative, chaotic nature helps me be more productive.

3. Starting small is good. (This kind of ties in with the first point.) Doing little things repeatedly is less daunting than trying to tackle giant expectations.

4. Being intentional. Everything, even the stuff that seems "easy", requires effort. This especially applies to blogging. A lot of the blogs I read seem so effortless, but I've realized those bloggers put a ton of time and planning into their post and content.

5. Find something the works for you. Everyone functions differently and that's ok. Figure out a system that helps you excel.

6. Lastly, (and this one is the most sappy) be yourself. You shine the brightest when you are the person you were made to be.

So, with these things in mind, I'm venturing forth into this year. No matter what happens, it's bound to be an adventure.

sincerely,
me