W.I.P. ... I think...?

 I fully admit that while I’ve managed to keep this up for nearly five years, 2020 has finally seen me drop the ball.

Gloriously. 

While it’s been a mess this year, I have still managed to accomplish some writing.  I have also managed to do some artwork, and since I have easier access to that here’s a little art.

BONUS!!!! Here’s a time lapse of the process.

How have you been doing this year? Leave a comment or share something positive that happened this year. 

W.I.P. April Showers -

This time around it's not writing I've been working on. (Well I have been writing, just not as much.)

This week is a little peek at a project I've been working on for a while.

I drew the original piece back in 2014-15ish.

This is a little update using the software PaintToolSai.

What have you been working on this Quarantine time? Leave a comment below and let's be artistic together this week!

Fifth Tuesday! - Random Land!

Right, there are such things as 5th Tuesdays.

As the title suggests I am going to name them Random Land!

(Not to be confused with the YouTuber Justin Scarred, who does a series on theme parks and Disney. If he somehow reads this (which would be awesome and terrifying): I am sorry for any confusion. But it seemed to fit. Also, I love your channel. #disneynerd)

Okay, now that that's out of the way. *coughgowatchhisvideoscough*


For Random Land I will find any weird and random topic to chatter about for a little. Or I'll post a bunch of random images that I've been working on. These will be pencil/pen/marker sets, so don't get too hyped. I'm not a professional artist. I am an amateur who merely loves doing it for fun.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been working at drawing again. Mainly I've taken images and tried to recreate them. The end results are not the same, but they look well enough, to my own eye at least.

Obviously: If you recognize someone/thing I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS. And if you want to sue me, remember: I have nothing. I do this strictly for fun. And practice. (Also, free publicity for you.)


(NOTE: The original images were way too big to post, so I cut them to the "Medium" setting they had. Now they look squat. .... Enjoy regardless.)

Have a fantastic week and see you next month!

WIP - Tangled Work

Here is a little something that I've been working on. It's an old piece of work that I've had for a while.

Using Paint Tool Sai is one of the best investments I've ever had.

I've also started working on a short story; here is a snippet of what's to come.

“We’re going to split into pairs, that way everyone has someone to go with.”

In a few moments everyone had divided, leaving only one out.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late, my alarm didn’t go off.” Mira practically bounced up to the group, “What did I miss?”

She looked at all the couples standing around, smiling. Something was off, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“We split into pairs,” John smiled at her.

“Wait, you split into couples!”

Her stomach dropped a bit. If that was how they ‘split into pairs’, then she was in trouble.

“Wait….”

“You and Erik are park buddies! Have fun!”

They exited, leaving her alone with the tall professor. They eyed each other, each annoyed with the outcome of this unexpected pair off.

“Alright, so we’re, uh, stuck together.”

He rolled his eyes at her.

“Listen, I came to have fun while we’re here, so if you’re going to be surly we can split up and meet back later on. I’m not going to give up having fun at Disney just because you don’t want to enjoy some time off.”

Those are just a few of the things that I'm up to.

Leave a comment, what are you working on right now?

Mandalas - A Soothing Activity

In the past year or so, Adult coloring books have become a huge fad. Not only are they fun to color, but they help you de-stress. It's a relaxing way to unwind from the day. (Patent pending on that last line.)

Who knew that our kindergarten teachers had it right all along - that coloring was the best thing for us?

While I enjoy coloring them, I often find that it becomes boring after a while. Instead of coloring them, I wanted to be the one to draw them. That sounded like more fun. So I did.

Here are a few that I did over the weekend. Some are not exactly mandalas, but more an exercise in how to draw the designs. These inspirations were taken from the internet and various sources, though the final product is 100% originally mine.

If you want to print them out, I would suggest waiting until I can properly scan them into my laptop and make an actual line art.

Here's a bonus picture. I'm working on a project for a friend. This was done entirely in sharpie. On canvas. Enjoy.

What are some of your favorite go-to coloring pages? If you don't like coloring, what is your go-to to relax?

A New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year has had a rocky start off (personally). Though it has greatly improved today.

2017

It should be an excellent new year. There are plenty of opportunities for improvement, change, travel, and learning new things. I am ready for the things ahead of me.

A few things that I've planned for myself - call them a Resolution if you must - I will call them a plan:

1) Finish a complete rough draft of my novel

     This has been a project between myself and another person - whom I'm co-writing it with.

2) Travel

      I know this is what everyone has on their bucket list, but I intend to do more of. There are a few places that I want to go - and I have high intentions of getting a passport soon.

3) Finish some art projects

      There are a few that I have on the line. Some that are taking time to get through, but I feel that this could be a great year for finishing things.

4) Read at least 25 books

      Last year I had a challenge set on goodreads.com for 15. I knocked it out of the park with 28. I think 25 this year is a reasonable goal.

What are some of your projects, or resolutions for this year?

Are you ready to knock 2017 out of the park?

Prompt Me

Have you ever sat down to write something - a research paper, a short story, a poem, that one chapter for the novel you're working on - and simply coulnd't the creative juices flowing?

I find that this is the frequent case whenever I get myself down with either pen and papier or on my laptop. All of those ideas that I previously had simply vanished.

There are plenty of things surrounding the internet that can help you with things like this. Chat rooms where writers offer their advice, their methods of beating that brick called 'writer's block'. They have lists and lists of ideas (called prompts) to help you overcome those blocks.

I have complied, collected, contributed, and contained a list of ideas found around the web. Typing it up right now, I find that there is no plausible way for me to not write something each time I sit down.

Here are a few suggestions if you need something to write about:

    1. Synonymous
    2. It Takes Two
    3. Anthro
    4. Lock and Key
    5. Teamwork
    6. Aggravation
    7. Fountain
    8. Fading
    9. Whispers
   10. "Don't Touch Me"


Another beautiful aspect of the internet - there are plenty of Picture Prompts you can use as well. As in - "Write a story about this picture".

Examples:

There are plenty of ways to keep creativity flowing. Sometimes all you have to do is go out into the world, find a place, sit, and write.


Tell me what kind of places, or things, inspire you to write. Where is your favorite writing nook?

Leave a comment!

Exercise

Not the word most people want to hear - but one that is rather vital to the health and upkeep of our physical bodies.

I'm not the first one to be all "Health! Exercise! Running! Kale!"

First of all, I do take care of my health by eating correctly.

Second, I've been doing stretches each and every day - currently I added Zumba (which my hips were not too thrilled with) and Tai Chi.

Thirdly, if I ever start to run there's probably something/one chasing me. My ankles would have a conniption if I ever tried this professionally.

Fourth, um. No offense to Kale lovers, but it's not for everyone. And there are lots of other healthy things that are leafy and green that we can eat.


So - why exercise? What does it have to do with me?

There are two different aspects of Exercise.

      1. The aforementioned Upkeep of the physical body. (I.E.: running, walking, Zumba, etc.)

      2. Mental Exercise


While we need to keep our bodies in fit condition - or even start by doing something little - there is another part of us that we need to keep fit and trim.

The Mind.

As with physical exercising there are plenty of ways that we can keep our minds engaged and active. I've thought of a few for you to try out:

1. Crossword puzzles. This one is rather cliche, but has to be added. I'm terrified of these puzzles because I'm not that well versed in, well, anything that has to do with a crossword. These are a brilliant way to learn new words and new things. (Even if you take a hint from the answer page!)
2. Sudoku. I'll admit, I hate this. I'm not a math oriented person, so when we had to do one for our math class back in high school, I thoroughly hated it. But I got it done. It worked my brain in ways I was unaccustomed too. Perhaps that is why it's a great way to keep up the mind.
3. Free Writing. This can be used for anyone. Pick a topic and just write. Make up a story, do something creating while putting words down. I find that writing helps sooth the mind. It takes things you worry about and gets them out.
4. Music. This one's a no-brainer (heh, get it?). Learning to play an instrument (at any age) is going to be difficult, but the benefits far exceed their limits. Music is an ingetral part of our lives. Everywhere we go there's some sort of music. Learning to play any instrument helps keep your brain focused. It also teaches math skills (which I never seemed to get because math just didn't work for me).
5. Art. Tangling is the new art that has everyone up and buying adult coloring books. While it's soothing and calming for the mind to sit and color, creating a new piece is another way to exercise our minds. By creating something only you can see, you are unlocking a new part of the mind. Try it. See what you come up with.

I know that most of these are "arty" related, anything you can think of can be an exercise for the mind.

Take a walk, bring along a notebook and write down the things you see. See if you can identify the trees, the flowers or the animals around you.

Sit in a cafe, listen to the gentle thrum of life.

The only thing that's preventing you from exercising of any kind, is you. Take it from a girl who's not a fan of the word or deed. Once you're up and moving, it's hard to go back and settle in one place.

(If you do try any of the ideas above, feel free to post pictures in the comments below.)