#365Cow - The First 16

Oye! It's January 16th already. Between work, starting the new school semester, a scrapbooking retreat with friends, and foolishly packing my colored pencils away for a week and half - I haven't had a lot of time to post. I'm finally catching up, so here's the first 16 cows, fully colored:

New Year's Cow

The rest are a part of a "Disney Gals" series I started sketching out a few months ago.

Nice to finally get them finished!

#365 Cow - #1

Here's cow #1! My colored pencils are currently packed up with my scrapbooking stuff in preparation for next week's scrap retreat, so you'll have to settle for black and white for now.

365 Cow Challenge

Time to start something I've been wanting to do for a couple of years now: draw one new cow a day for a whole year! 

Why cows? Honestly, they're just kind of my thing. I've been drawing cartoon cows ever since I was in the 6th grade. I have roughly 270 cows sketched/colored to date. I just love cows! I draw them doing all sorts of things and wearing all sorts of 'costumes.' It all started with this guy on the right, Mr. Moo-Moo, my very first cow. You can check out some of my other creations in the COW tab above or on my portfolio site.

Now, for the challenge. 

The 365 Cow Challenge or #365cow

1. Draw one cow a day for a whole year. 

2. No repeats allowed, unless it is to 'freshen up' an old sketch from way back. (In which case I will provide proof of said old sketch.)

3. "Sets" may count for more than one day. 

(i.e., the number of cows in the set = the number of days it counts towards) These are pieces I typically do for Doodle United themes. 

4. Cows that are currently sketched but not fully inked/colored may count once they are completed. (I have a Disney gals themed set half drawn that I started a couple of months ago. It will be massive when I'm done, and by golly, the 30 or so I already sketched out are going to count!)

5. A cow in simple sketch or inked form may count for the day's cow, but I do intend to color them all by the end.

6. Post at least once a week - somewhere: on the blog or on Instagram. (Hopefully this will be once a day, but hey, we all get busy!)

If it sounds like I'm trying to pad my cow counts, I suppose that's partially true. It's more of trying to set myself up for success. I have tried this once in the past and didn't make it very far. The end result will still be the same: 365 NEW cows drawn/inked/colored between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015.

Wish me luck and send me your ideas! I'll need a lot to keep me going! 

You can follow me on Instagram. I'll make sure to tag everything with #365cow.

December Daily Review

Well, I did it. I managed to take a photo every day (sometimes more than one) from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Here's a look at the whole "month." There are a few more pics for some of the days that will be included in my album, but I picked one for each day to go for the calendar look here. More pics of the spruced up album to come later.

December Daily 2014

If you happen to follow me on Instagram (chopstix09), you may have noticed an increase in posts in the last week or so. This is because of how I've decided to do my December Daily this year. I think this will be my 4th attempt at doing December Daily, and hopefully the 2nd time I'll actually finish the whole album. December Daily is a concept developed by Ali Edwards. You can check out her website and awesome work here. Here's how she describes December Daily:

"December Daily® is a December mini-album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. The simple goal is to capture the spirit of December via one story per day."

For me, December Daily is about capturing all things Christmas-related as well as daily happenings for the month. I actually start mine a few days early because I like to include Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

So what's with all the Instagram posts? In an attempt to streamline the process into something I can actually manage while attending school, being an RA, and working, I've decided to utilize one of W R Memory Keepers Instagram albums.(I've been looking for a way to scrap in one of these cute little albums since they came out anyway!) They hold 4"x4" photos. I purchased the light blue one and embellished it with some ribbon, a metal piece and a snowflake sticker.

Here's a look at my cover page:










Wish me luck! Hopefully I'll actually finish this year. Follow me on Instagram if you want to see how I do!
http://instagram.com/chopstix09/

Secret Santa Questionnaire

Just a litte questionnaire for the dorm gals to get our secret Santa event going. I looked at some reference images to draw the Santa, then colored him in Photoshop. Flyer was done in InDesign. 

Carousel Horse

This one was for Doodle United's "Fantastical Horses" theme. Colors are a bit dark on this upload, but you get the idea. Sketched in the sketchbook, then redrawn in Illustrator and colored.

DK in Order - #2: Night Chills

Dean Koontz Book #2 Review 

Title: Night Chills
Publication Year: 1976 
Number of Pages: 367
Opening sentence: The dirt trail was narrow. Drooping boughs of tamarack, spruce, and pine scraped the roof and brushed the side windows of the Land Rover.
Main characters: Paul, Mark & Rya Annendale, Sam & Jenny Edison; Ogden Salsbury, Leonard Dawson, General Ernst Klinger
Basics of the plot: Set in the fall of 1977 in Black River, Maine; 3 men (Salsbury, Dawson, & Ernst) have set up the town as a testing ground for a new subliminal "key-lock" program that essentially allows them to have complete control over anyone they encounter. When Salsbury starts using the program to his own sexual ends and get caught in the act, things quickly spiral out of control. The only five people in the town unaffected by the drug/subliminals (the Annendales & Edisons) soon find themselves having to fight to get out of town alive.
Style: Sci-fi
My review: A very interesting/creepy look into the possibilities with subliminals - and this was written in the 70s! I can't imagine what someone can do with them now. (Even Koontz himself notes that not all of the science in the book is made up). This book moves along at fairly steady pace as it bounces back and forth between the three men setting up the experiment and the present day families in Black River, until their paths all converge. There are themes of trusting loved ones and a very strong theme against using science for one's own gain. I will note that this particular novel is very graphic in several places, as most subliminals use sexual images, and some of Salsbury's encounters are described in detail. Not for younger readers!

Dean Koontz In Order & Book 1

If you've known me long at all, you know that I'm a huge Dean Koontz fan. In fact, I've set about getting all of his fiction novels currently in publication, and I'm getting pretty close to that goal. I've read Koontz enough now that I can see common themes throughout all his work, and I am curious to see how those themes developed over time. 

Here's how it will work:
- I will read/re-read all of Koontz's fiction in the order of publication. I'm not giving myself a time limit to do this - there will be 72 novels total by the end of 2014, and I have other things to do/read.
- I will track things like plot, opening sentences (Koontz has some doozies!), main characters, plot points, and style*; I'll also give my 'mini review' of each book.
*Koontz's books are typically categorized as "cross-genre," but I find many of his novels lean more toward one or two - this is what I'm calling the "Style."

Title: Shattered
Publication Year: 1973
Number of Pages: 289
Opening sentence: Only four blocks from the furnished apartment in Philadelphia, with more than three thousand miles to go before they joined Courtney in San Fransisco, Colin began one of his games.
Main characters:  Alex, Colin, & Courtney Doyle; George Leland
Basics of the plot: Alex and Colin set out on cross-country journey to join Courtney in San Francisco. They soon realize they are being followed by a mysterious maniac (Leland) bent on killing them before they get there. 
Style: Chase/Suspense
My review: This one goes along at a pretty decent pace, with sections of page-turning action. The story is told from both the perspective of Alex (the 'good' guy) and Leland (the 'bad' guy), which is a fairly common technique Koontz uses in his novels. The main theme is overcoming fear to save those that you love. A little more simplistic than some of his later novels, but still a good read. 

Cluedo Cows

Catching up on some posts here - back at the end of August the Doodle United theme was "Cows, Pigs, & Farmy Things." How could I resist that? I started two major new cow projects that week, but only one got finished. (The other one is still growing/in process).

Here are my Cluedo cows, based on my favorite board game.

Trust Fall

When I was a camp counselor, one of my favorite obstacles on our low ropes course was the Trust Fall. If you've never done one before, here's how it works: all but one person in the group face each other and make a 'net' with their arms - palms up, arms alternating next to each other. Then the one person climbs up on a small platform at the head of the group, usually about 5 feet or so off the ground. You turn around backwards, lock you arms across you chest, and scoot so your heels are hanging off the platform. Then comes the trust part - keeping yourself completely straight (if you bend at all, you greatly increase your chances of being dropped), you fall backwards into the waiting arms of your group. Once they catch you, they set you back on your feet, and the next person gets to go. Basically, it's several minutes of nervous anticipation followed by a few seconds of sheer terror followed by a huge rush of relief.

This is my life at the moment. After some complicated in-between years of soul searching and seeking, I've decided to turn my life on its head. I've spent the last 5 years after I graduated from college living in my hometown with my mom, working in the same company, going to the same church, and participating in a local college ministry. It wasn't perfect, and there were certainly days I was unhappy or wanted things to change, but it was safe. I am very much OCD and struggle with anxiety in general, so even when I was unhappy, it wasn't enough to push me to change anything. I don't know when that changed, but I finally decided it was time to do something. So up the platform I climbed.

Over the last few years of participating in a traveling worship team, I discovered I have a love for sign language. I had learned a little bit in the past, but more recently it became a way to share powerful and moving songs in worship. I started signing again because the music I wanted to share didn't have accompaniment tracks, so I couldn't sing it, and some songs don't lend themselves to mime or dance either. I started to wonder what life would be like if I actually decided to learn ASL (American Sign Language) in ernest. That's when God started placing things and people in my life to push me in that direction. I found a friend who knew others who had gone through an ASL program. I discovered references to it in my present life and even when I reminisced about things from childhood. I started taking those first few scary steps up the ladder.

My new home.

So here I am now. I've climbed the ladder, turned around, and leaned back. I enrolled in Vincennes University's ASL program. I quit my decent paying, good insurance providing job, and took a part time retail job 40 minutes away from the school. I said goodbye not just to my parents, but to my church family and my BCM family, including my mentor Roger who has helped walk me through so much of these last 5 years. I packed up a bunch of stuff and moved into a teeny tiny dorm room in an old building that has a lot of issues. I decided to become an RA, a reasonably tall order for an introvert like me. It all feels like falling, and I am trying my best not to try and fight it or freak out too much so that God can catch me and set me on my feet. He's made it clear this is where I'm suppose to be, no matter how many times I doubt it.

"'For I know the plans I have you for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" - Jeremiah 29:11

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Crafting in Secret

Crafting in secret is exciting, fun, and mildly aggravating. I'm the type of person who likes to show things off when I complete them, especially if they turn out well. However, if you are making things that will later become gifts, you can't exactly do that! I've been making gifts and decorations for my best friend Amanda's baby shower, and now that the shower is over, I can finally share what I've been working on! If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen a few of the cryptic pics I posted as a tease. (I had to post something!)

Well, here's what some of those things became:

I found all of the ideas on Pinterest (of course!). Stroller butterflies Click here for the tutorial. 

plush blocks Click here for the tutorial.  A decorated bag for books Click here. a sign for the dog, and a shadow box. 

My favorite thing I made was this adorable plush bunny! It was my first time making a plushie from an actual pattern. It came from the book Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor. Which is an awesome book btw.

So cute!! And here's the one 'making of' pic I couldn't post to social media. 

Let's face it, those are clearly bunny ears!

My mom & I were also in charge of the decorations. 

The streamer 'rain wall' idea I stole from my fabulous friend Kayla Schuler who did a rainbow version at another friends shower. The block centerpieces were my own doing - I folded them using WeRMemory Keeper's Gift Box Punch Board and then cut the letters/borders on my Cricut. The name banner was also cut on the Cricut. The other ideas came from Pinterest. The chandelier is made of a metal ring, clear thread, ribbon, and lots and LOTS of punched butterflies. The alphabet book was a joint effort - mom & I created the blank pages and then the guests at the shower picked a letter to draw a picture for. We will eventually bind them all into a book. It all came together in the end and looked great! It was a labor of love for my best friend Amanda. I can't wait to meet baby Ellie!

God Moments in the Gulf

Our group (left to right): John, Zanosha, Kayla, Sara, Me, Tisa, Gabrielle, and Aubree.

    I just came back from my first-ever mission trip and all I can say is ‘Wow!” It was such a

great trip. I traveled with a group from BCM down to Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, Alabama, to work with a group called ‘Barefoot Believers.’ The week included serving pancake breakfasts to folks in the RV parks, beach outreach (passing out water/salvation bracelets, doing face painting/hair wraps, and walking the beach talking to people), and helping with a low income after school program in Aaronville.

Here’s a quick photo montage of some of the things we did throughout the week:

     While I could go on about all the things we did, the two biggest blessings for me probably weren’t as obvious to everyone else. God used the week to reteach me and remind me of the power of prayer and the blessing of community.

     Before we left, we were asked to find at least 3 prayer partners who would pray for us before and during the trip. We were given a list of things we should ask them to pray for (like safe travels, good health, unity, etc.), but we were also told to include any personal requests they could pray for too. Here are the exact words I sent to my prayer partners almost a month before even leaving for the trip:

My personal needs:

- Emotional/metal strength, and words! I am extremely introverted and I will need to be extroverted and willing to talk/share with people for the entire week.

- Rest/health/preparation. I am working the several nights prior to the trip and after we get back (12 hour night shifts). Pray that I am able to get rest when needed, and be packed/prepared to go on time.

Talk about answered prayer! I was able to get enough rest to keep me going, and even though we woke between 5:00am and 6:00am every morning (which would normally make me a walking zombie), I was alert and ready to go for whatever the day held. There was only one morning where I felt super tired. I might also mention that I was not only packed and ready to go on time, but arrived at the BCM house to find everyone else still waking up/getting ready to go!

As for my mental/emotional strength, it was also a prayer answered in a big way. Nowadays when I spend lots of time around people and am very busy, I feel drained by the time I’m actually able to get some ‘me’ time. I was also nervous about talking to random people - about anything, let alone approaching them and talking about spiritual things. Because of the prayers of my prayer-warriors, neither of those things was really a problem. Oh sure, I didn’t go running enthusiastically up to every person at the beach, or sit down with every person at breakfast and have deep spiritual conversations with all of them, but when I did talk to people I felt (for the most part) at ease. It was not perfect, but it went far smoother than I ever dreamed it could.
     The biggest blessing of all, though, was just having a week to hang out and fellowship with other believers, friends. Working a rotating night shift and being very introverted, it’s incredibly hard for me to develop close relationships with other people. My very closest friend lives hundreds of miles away. I’m also one of those people who tends to believe I can make it on my own; that it’s safer that way. It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve had a normal ‘friend’ relationship with anyone. So the biggest blessing of the trip actually came in all the in-between times, not just serving side by side, but talking in the van, sharing stories over dinner, laughing together, and sharing bits of my life/story (and listening to their stories too). Despite my life being very busy, it’s often a lonely one, and for a week I got to live and breathe and laugh and walk in real relationships with friends. That was the biggest blessing of all.

Christmas Illos

A couple of sketches inspired by our Scripture readings the last two weeks at church. We've been camped out in Luke 2.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." 

- Luke 2:8-20

Christmas Shoeboxes

Some of the OCC boxes collected at BCM.

At our house we follow the rule of no-Christmas-stuff-until-the-day-after-Thanksgiving, but there is one big exception. Operation Christmas Child. click here to read more about it. Basically, you pick a gender/age group (2-4, 5-9, 10-14 & boy or girl) and fill a box with all sorts of things from hygiene items to school supplies to toys. The boxes are then collected and shipped around the world to kids in need. I think this is our 4th or 5th year participating, and we always have lots of fun with it. Mom & I usually go shopping for the boxes together and have fun picking out stuff. I enjoy it because I get to pick out school supplies (some of my favorite things!) and buy toys, which I normally don't get to do because I'm the youngest in my immediate family. There's also the fun challenge of seeing just how much stuff you can get in that one little shoebox!

All the stuff to go in the boxes! I chose to do 2 boxes: one for a boy & one for a girl, both 10-14.

With the help of Pinterest, I made up
a little fishing kit for my 10-14 yr old
boy box.

I put in a custom note for my kids.
Maybe one of them will write me back.
Find a similar template HERE.

This year I found even more ideas of what to put in the boxes thanks to Pinterest - if you search for 'Operation Christmas Child' it comes up with all kinds of stuff. I also ran across this blog Clip with a Purpose that has the motherload of ideas and info about what to put in the boxes, as well as tips for buying stuff year-round (when it's on sale) so you can get even more stuff to put in the boxes! I will definitely be doing that this coming year. Of course it's awesome to know that somewhere the box I pack is going to make some kid's day. This will be the third year I've put special tracking labels on our boxes, and I can't wait to see where they end up this year. Last year our boxes went to the Dem. Republic of Congo, and the year before that they ended up in Ukraine!

If you've never participated in Operation Christmas Child, I encourage you to do it in 2014. It's easy and super fun, and it blesses a child who really needs it!

Ready to go shoeboxes! Where will they end up?!

The Wingfeather Saga Trunk

Board to explain what my trunk was,
since most people wouldn't be familiar
with the theme.

Warning: long post!

Also: Click on the pictures to make them bigger!

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been feverishly working on my trunk decorations and costume for my church's annual Trunk or Treat. As usual, my OCD-crafty-self got somewhat carried away, but the results were, as my friend Jess would say, EPIC. Not to mention a fitting fan art tribute to one of my favorite book series: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. (Peterson is also my favorite musician, but I'll save that story for another post). For several years now I have wanted to do a trunk inspired by the Wingfeather Saga, but I could never figure out how to do it. Turns out I was over thinking it, making it too complicated. So I simplified, and finally came up with something wonderful and doable.

The pic to the left is actual what started the whole idea spinning in my head (aside from loving the books). I always find the fact that Leeli's grandfather Podo carves her a crutch that says "LIZARDKICKER" in book 1 highly amusing. Basically, I wanted to find an excuse to dress up as Leeli so I could walk around with a crutch that said "Lizardkicker." Hence, the need to design a trunk around it! (Trunk or treat is kind of the only legitimate excuse I have left for dressing up in costume.) Though it was one of the last pieces I finished, you can see in the pic that I indeed created the infamous crutch. I used my Cricut to cut the letters out of vinyl, then stuck them on an old crutch we had stowed away in the garage. 

The rest of the idea came from rereading the books and taking copious notes about character and scene details, writing favorite quotes down, and then sketching out my idea in the notebook I use to design all of my trunks. 

Below are my original idea sketches for both the trunk and my Leeli costume: 

There were 3 main components to my trunk: the book poster, the sea dragons, and my costume. I started by using my notes to sketch out some of my favorite scenes, as well as some I thought might be intriguing to someone who had never read the books. I ended up with 11 sketches, plus a couple I had drawn a few months back. I drew in pencil, inked with my trusty sharpie pen, scanned into the computer & cleaned up, and then colored them using my favorite pastel settings in Painter. 

Here are just a few of my favorite sketches (click to make larger):

Left: The Sea Dragons and Nugget the Brave

Right: Janner and Tink opening the door in Anklejelly Manor

 Left: Leeli touching a seadragon

Right: Beneath the Moonbright Heavens (the saddest and most beautiful scene out of the 1st 3 books - I bawl like a baby every time.)

I had my mom print out the sketches, then I glued them onto a giant book poster I made out of matte board and posterboard. Then I added several of my favorite quotes from the books. 

Next came the sea dragons, which I made out of pool noodles, egg cartons, paint, construction paper, and lots of glue (hot glue melts pool noodles by the way!). Then I used my glimmer mist from my scrapbooking supplies to jazz them up. I used bricks and bailing wire to create rigs so that I could pose them in the 'sea' (the inside of my trunk draped in blue sheets). 

Two of the finished dragons:

For my costume, I got my wonderful amazing mom to help me (she is a much better seamstress than I am). She hemmed the sleeves of an old chemise for me, and made a mediaeval Russian style tunic with no pattern and next to no instructions (so I could wear it again the next time BK invites me to a SCA event.) Mom is also a potter, so I showed her the picture of Leeli's whistleharp from the back of one of the books - and she made that out of clay for me too. Like I said, she's amazing. I still have to tinker with it to see if I can get the whistle part to actually play, but it looks almost identical to the picture in the book!

I added a few little flairs of my own - I made a pin of the Annieran seal. I was originally going to use it to pin my cloak, but alas, I ran out of time and the cloak had to go. So I pinned it to my belt instead. I also borrowed a stuffed dog (for Nugget) from some friends and placed it on a stool with the actual books. It's all about the details. 

 

In the end it all came together and looked absolutley fabulous. It took a ton of work and more than a few late nights, but as usual it was just another typical project for me. Once I get going on an idea I don't stop. These books are wonderful, and I hope you'll look into reading them. You can find out more info and get the books at http://wingfeathersaga.com. Nothing more to say than to show off the finished trunk, so here it is:

Sketches from Scripture

Tonight at BCM Rose was talking about John 10:7-10 and Jesus being the gate. It reminded me of a sketch I did a few months back about the same verse when my pastor was preaching on the same set of verses. I've done several sketches over time inspired by scripture, so I thought I'd share some of them. I just finished scanning some that have been in my sketchbooks for a while, and I was surprised just how many there were! Some of them I drew during sermons. *gasp* I never thought I'd do that! One of my professors in college said he always did that and I used to think he was crazy. It's just not something I ever thought I would do - I raised or taught, if you will, that during the sermon you're suppose to sit and listen and do nothing else. I've found, however, that it helps me remember later on the story or the point of the message, which is pretty cool.

So below are a smattering of pencil sketches and fully finished art I've done over the last several years. Hopefully if you click on them the images will get bigger. 

Sometimes they're funny, like these two: 

Left: The whale slurping up Jonah              

Right: In Exodus 32, when Moses comes down from the mountain and Aaron had led the people in making the golden calf. It always sounded to me like Aaron was surprised and the calf just came out of nowhere. "It just . . .poof!"

 

I've tried to illustrate Psalm 23 and John 10 a few times. God as our shepherd. I like my cuddly sheep.

And some other well-known and lesser-known Bible stories:

Top Row: David with his slingshot; Hannah praying; the guy that Jesus healed after his friends lowered his through a roof

Middle: Mary Magdalene on Easter morning (left: at the sight of Jesus, right: telling Peter the news); I can't recall the Scripture for this one, but it's one of the stories where the guys are fishing, Jesus shows up on the beach, and Peter just jumps right out of the boat and swims to shore. I was trying to imagine all the weird looks his buddies must have given him. 

Bottom: Mary and Martha. I tried to capture the look on Mary's content face as she's listening to Jesus.

      

Some that don't necessarily have a 'story' behind them. 

Top: Matthew 6:25-34 (Do not worry); Isaiah 40:27-31 (run and not grow weary, soar on wings like eagles); caterpillar struggling to get out of his cocoon (dealing with troubles)

Middle: the widow who gave her last coin; a candle and a lighthouse from a message on being light

Bottom: from a message about service

    

 

Almost done! 2 more. These are 2 of my favorites: 

Exodus. Take off your shoes, for where you are standing is holy ground. A friend of mine once told me she takes her shoes of during praise & worship because of this verse. I often do the same now.

Inspired by the verses in Isaiah 6 when Isaiah sees the Lord.