Let the good times roll

"One of the greatest tragedies in the world is wasted pain."

--Archbishop Fulton Sheen

“Life is such unutterable hell, solely because it is sometimes beautiful. If we could only be miserable all the time, if there could be no such things as love or beauty or faith or hope, if I could be absolutely certain that my love would never be returned: how much more simple life would be. One could plod through the Siberian salt mines of existence without being bothered about happiness. Unfortunately the happiness is there. There is always the chance (about eight hundred and fifty to one) that another heart will come to mine. I can't help hoping, and keeping faith, and loving beauty. Quite frequently I am not so miserable as it would be wise to be.”

--T.H. White

This ACEO is on Arches Arboard, watercolor hot pressed
with watercolor markers, Japanese watercolor, and watercolor crayon

Mad! Gradient

“But that would be putting the clock back,” gasped the Governor. “Have you no idea of progress, of development?”
“I have seen them both in an egg,” said Caspian. “We call it Going bad in Narnia.”

--C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

  For those of you just tuning in, Jessica and I have a weekly theme we do together.

There are many types of gradients, and perhaps if you don't look at this all at once, they are all here.  Except for the fictional kind.  I don't go in for those.

 Japanese watercolor and watercolor crayon
on Canson illustration board (ACEO)

 “Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”
― C.S. Lewis

And this is why

"Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them."

 

-Epictetus 

This is Japanese watercolor and Inktense blocks 

on Arches Artboard watercolor, coldpressed 

Grenada IV

 "I could never at any time understand why there's supposed to be something insolent and intolerant about a man asserting that he has the Truth."
G.K. Chesterton

Inktense blocks, conte crayon
on Canson illustration board

Grenada III

 "A man who thinks hard about any subject for several years is in horrible danger of discovering the truth about it."
G.K. Chesterton

 ACEO, Inktense blocks, conte crayon
on Arches Artboard, hot pressed watercolor

WetCanvas Animal and Wildlife April Challenge

"God can't give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing."

C.S. Lewis

 

I did this ACEO for Wetcanvas' Animal and Wildlife April Challenge

on Canson Montval watercolor rough paper, watercolor

Grenada II

"Thinking is a narrowing process. It leads to what people call dogma."
G.K. Chesterton

Inktense blocks, conte crayon

crescent illustration board, hot press, medium weight

I've been wanting to revisit this--just not in person.  :)

*gasp!*

So I pulled out my oil paint the other day.  No, really I did.

I found this old 12x16 canvas with its drawing on it already, but it's been waiting for a better comp and color scheme because the ref was taken in Georgia and Georgia comps and colors are no good.

So, to work it out I did a little ACEO (on Canson Montval watercolor rough using Japanese watercolor)

And then...I actually got out some oil paint!  Please don't faint.  :)

Mad! Under the Sea

 For those of you just tuning in, Jessica and I have a weekly theme we do together.

This week is water-based.  :D

ACEO, Inktense blocks, Canson Montval Watercolor Rough
(wonderful surface!)

ACEO, watercolor, watercolor crayon, pan pastel
Arches Artboard watercolor hot pressed

More than yourself

 "Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay.  But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."

 ACEO, Japanese watercolor, watercolor crayon
 on Crescent illustration board, hot press, medium weight

 "Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness."

--C.S. Lewis

Because I can't say it better.

"The first and most important thing about any man is his vision, or conception, of the universe....A man's conception of existence is the only important thing. Upon this depends whether he will paint a gorgeous picture or a sad one...Upon a man's conception of existence also depends whether he will paint a sad picture or merely jump over London Bridge."
  --GK Chesterton

Salt flats, ACEO, Japanese watercolor and watercolor crayon on Arches hot pressed watercolor

Mad! Finished

For those of you just tuning in, Jessica and I have a weekly theme we do together.

This week was finished.  I suppose I ought to have finished last week's, but I'm still uncertain about which direction to go or whether to go or if I should do another one or...yeah.  Anyway.

This one was declared finished after I got to six different media with it (not counting the pencil!!), lol.

Illustration board, 8x6, Japanese watercolor, Inktense blocks, Inktense pencils, watercolor crayon, oil pastel, and pan pastels

Markers woulda been nice, too....but it's finished.

Mad! Mascot

For those of you just tuning in, Jessica and I have a weekly theme we do together.

This week I was sneaky and I offered a theme which I really have needed to do.  I admit I had a little secret wish that Jessica would think this was an odd theme, but I doubt she thought that, lol.  She probably knew 'round about what I was doing when I suggested it because she is very insightful.  And even if she didn't, well, she knows I'm weird.

I have had in my mind an idea to come up with a mascot for our school, and I thought this would finally push me to it.

Yay, look at that, it did!

This is a, well, fox.  Though really it's a kitsune.  In Japanese, kitsune just means fox, but they have a lot of myths about foxes, particularly clever foxes with many tails.  You might hear kitsune used in English on occasion to refer to these creatures.

I had, a while ago, decided upon a fox for our mascot...and I'm not really sure when the idea turned into a kitsune, though I suppose that was an obvious and inevitable development.  The four tails (nine is probably the most common number you'll see) was also an obvious choice, what with four kids and all.  :)  I don't think that my painting here is quite done.  It's an 8x10 on illustration board and the paint (Japanese watercolor) keeps lifting, probably because I am not waiting to let it dry.

I am doing a lot of debating whether to keep it just watercolor or to add ink or use something else as well.  So many choices.  I do have other plans for our mascot, as well.  :D

Some Adventure

Today I had to go on a Rescue Operation to save two motorcyclists-who-shall-not-be-named who happened to get stuck in the mud.

Worse things have happened.

It was really and truly stunningly gorgeous out there; at least they didn't get stuck in the rain.

This was out at the Bonneville salt flats, west of Salt Lake.  I've never been out there; it's spectacular.  But what kept going through my head is, man, it's a good thing those pioneers stopped when they did!