Diva's #149 Challenge!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

     Over on The Diva's blog http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com/ she has a 2014 challenge going on and I had the time to finally join!! This is the second challenge I have done so I wanted to have some fun. The rules were that you to have 2014 somewhere in the drawing with Zentangles. So I did that and Pixieyfied it!!  The scanned colors made it a bit wonky, but it was done in a rush so I could have this in on time.

     I hope everyone is doing well. I really need to post here in my blog more often. I have been putting up my photos on my Facebook page.  I have been doing a lot of drawing. I started my Christmas cards back in November and I think everyone that I was able to send to enjoyed them.  I also was asked to do a commission for some very good friends of mine that has me a bit scared! LOL It is a challenge for me but I am pretty sure I can make it turn out nice. Also another friend of mine is interested in me drawing up some Christmas cards for later this year which is really exciting!! Any money I make off of these goes right back into the art fund!! 

     Anyone who knows me, knows that drawing has saved my life. It helps me engage my pea brain with colors and possibilities. I often want to hug my colored pencils and paper because they make me happy. With my chronic pain disorder getting worse the meditative techniques I have picked up from other people's blogs and books have helped me work through and deal with things when they are too hard to bear.  My friends also help me plug along. So this year my plan (not resolution) like last year is to draw more, and share with the world my love for color.

     Oh the picture above, it has about 30-35 colors in it. Can you spot them all?  Have a great day!!

My One Year Extravaganza!!

  Where has the time gone?! A whole year!! What an awesome thing that has been happening in my life with my first year in the journey of learning to draw. I am having a wonderful time and have been learning a great deal about myself and what I can do.

   This is a drawing I did a few months ago for a very dear friend of mine Andy. She has been a catalyst in my life these past four years that I have known her through Facebook. I totally adore her and wanted to draw something special to thank her for all she has done for me. I am quite honored to know that it's hung up in her apartment! It is my first try in drawing something realistically. I learned the coloring through an instructional video on youtube Bergma Studios. I would have never thought to use dark blues with orange to make that look so nice! I spent about 50-60 hours on this one getting the colors just right. I am looking forward to drawing this again. I took the coloring page from the youtube video and drew it.

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My gift to Andy. She did a fabulous job with the mat and frame!

    One thing I like about drawing here in my chair is that I can have the laptop right there too so I can look up and see what I am doing wrong. Space is limited, but with a book it gets clunky. I still use my books all the time though!!

   

A Boy and His Bat

     This one is just me working a bit with clothes, bats, and anime/manga characters. I took what I have learned from Mark Kistler also on having items look 3-d. I cannot stop drawing animals and cute little creatures...it makes me happy.

     One thing I love about the Zentangle method is the calmness I feel while drawing the repeat patterns. I also can sometimes get out of my head with the chronic pain to try to get a hold of how much I let it get to me sometimes. It is hard. When it gets to where I do not go on, I try to surround myself with color.

Gaming Favorites

       I also play video games, those that know me well already know this. I have not really tried to draw them, so I gave it a go with the help of Dragoart.com's tutorials.  Here you see Wall-Nut, Pea Shooter, from Plants VS Zombies, Pikman, Butterfree from Pokemon, Mario and his Mushrooms, and Polterpup from Luigi's Mansion. I hope to be drawing more Pokemon especially.

Birdie and Friends

     Another bird I have seen from how to draw books on Amazon, I have a bunch in my wish list but some of them have previews of the books, or fun drawings just on the covers and I give it a try. I think this one turned out really nice. I like how it came out, I may draw a bigger picture of this!

Hearts and Flowers

     This picture I drew for another dear friend of mine Ginny who is going through a tough time right now. I wanted her to know what her friendship means to me and to also have a reminder when things get so hard that someone cares. I also hope that she can look at this and see new things each time. This one took about 40 hours to draw and get the colors right.

     

Alice In Wonderland Tribute

      This has been an awesome year. I also had someone send me artsy supplies as a surprise, or have gotten them as gifts. I have been asked to draw things for people, it is so super awesome!! I have learned a great deal and cannot wait to see what I will be learning for this coming up year!!

I adore Pokemon!!

     I am truly inspired by all the incredible artists out there! There is one young man in art school with a Deviant Art account named Birdychuart. Birdy's Page! I watched a few times him do a speed drawing and coloring of Bulbasaur Wearing a Venasaur Onesie. I decided to give it a try. I have to say this was one of the hardest drawings I have done. I was so nervous and wanted to do the picture justice. 8 hours later and here it is!

First Attempt

      I know that it needs a ton of work, and the coloring looks horrible. I have to work very hard at getting the same blending that Birdy does. I am thinking it will take a lot of practice. I look forward to the challenge and despite my insecurities, I will keep trying. I hope one day for Birdy to look at my work and be happy that I am trying to draw as well as he does. I just hope he does not think badly of me for drawing something that was originally done by him.

      If Birdy does ever happen to stumble upon this, thank you so much for sharing your talent with the world. I love watching your youtube videos and hope one day to be as talented as you are! Thank you for always inspiring me!!

Spring Spring Spring!!!

     This means BUNNIES!!!  Yay!!  I have been watching tons of youtube videos to learn more about blending and colors, I get so inspired, I have a mega list of things I want to learn how to draw, but they are all so complicated and over my level. I get nervous and full of doubt too. When this happens I try to break down the picture to a few basic shapes and slowly make it into what I am wanting. That is what I did with that dragon.

      I love the rubber stamps! I have always wanted to draw adorable things!! I found one and decided to learn how to draw it and then I added a bit of me all over it!

Spring Bunny!!

      I like to make the frames all wobbly to give it more personality. The eggs in the frame were a happy accident, the ones that are not quite all egg shaped. I am very happy with how this came out. My son says that when he looks at my drawings he feels like he has a cavity. I am glad, that is what I am working hard for. I want to be the best artist I can. I feel like I have learned so much, but I have so much to learn!!
    
       My Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (I call it craps for short!) Has been flaring up quite badly with the warm one day, snow the next. I find that drawing takes my mind off of it. Sometimes I leave my drawings inked and then wait to add the color on bad days. I put so many layers and concentrate so hard while coloring that it does help.  I hope someone might find comfort in my drawings or maybe give it a try to deal with chronic illnesses too!

   There is an artist on youtube that draws Pokemon, really fabulous ones. I am going to be working on one this next week, hopefully I will have something posted soon!!

                                Have a great day!!

22 Years Ago!!

     Today is my son's 22nd birthday! I cannot believe he is this old! Such a fabulous kid too! I am very proud of the young man he is. I also look forward to the man he is becoming. He has been the biggest encourager for me with my love for drawing. I probably would not have even tried if it was not for him. I drew this for him. He was surprised and I think he really liked it. I am really happy with how it turned out. I look forward to drawing more!

My First Dragon

     I have also been watching a lot of coloring technique youtube videos and have frozen the image of a stamp. I then draw it freehand by breaking the picture down in small steps trying not to get overwhelmed and taking it one stroke at a time like Zentangle and also Dragoart.com teaches you to. I have also started to work with odorless mineral spirits to blend my colored pencils and this was the first try with it! The stamp is by C.C Designs. Stamp!! I added the link just in case you want to see it!

Pumpkin Patch!

     The more I learn, the happier I become. I watch a lot of speed drawings, trying to soak up everything I can so one day I can be that good!! I watch some of these 15 year old kids draw such amazing things and wish I had started younger!! I try not to get depressed over that though and focus on the fact that I am drawing things I never thought I would be able to a year ago. I mean that dragon, yeah its a bit misshapen, the coloring could be better, but wow....I drew a dragon!! 

     It's been a hard week, I have been missing my mom, she would have loved to see her grandson grow up and become such a wonderful, giving, young man. I also think I could have gotten her to draw or stamp or something that would have made her happy. She wanted to be artistic but was unsure how to. I would have enjoyed getting her to try stuff, not to mention she would love to see the art I am creating now!

     My son was  born at 3:24 am today. He is the absolute best thing that ever happened to me. I was 21 when I had him, he has taught me so many things, helped me become a better person.

I Am The Diva Challenge #105

   Hello there! Here is my entry for The Diva's use my tangle challenge. The pattern is called "Dansk" by Margaret Bremner, a CZT. (Certified Zentangle Teacher) I had a great deal of fun. It is quite hard for me to do just a picture with tangles lately. The critters beg to make an appearance on paper. I had never used this pattern, and found it quite fun. Ar first, I had no idea where to place it, but then it told me it belonged in the sun. The bee is showing up due to the past bee blimp surprise in a different drawing.

Diva Challenge 105!!

   Dust Bunny was a pattern, I had a hard time with in the beginning. I kept working on it and think it comes out pretty well now, I use it often.

   It has been a rough few weeks. Pain wise, it has been very very bad. I am hoping that I get out of this cycle very soon.


   I hope you enjoy it. I also wish to share my sketch of a quoll. I am quite thrilled with how this turned out and decided to show it early.

Quoll Sketch

 ~Pixiey

Mandala Fun!!

     I spent a bit of money on myself! I bought some mandala stencils to help me not draw circles around bowls or use my ever moving compass of doom. A very good friend of mine bought some and she loved them, I love her art so I sent away!! They came from France which is very cool, my first package from that country! stencils!!  I was so excited and tried them out right away. Genevieve Crabe takes all the work out of these very sturdy stencils. All you need is a pencil and something to draw on, it could be the wall, any flat surface! I chose paper though. I know boring right?! So you just use your pencil and make dots. When you are done all that stops you is your imagination! If you have a hard time figuring out what to do, I suggest using Googlefu and searching Mandala or Zendala.  Here are my first two.

Flower Power

Kitties Are Staring!

Enjoy!