Save the Frogs

So I've been working on a project for several weeks now.  It's an art contest entry for the annual Save the Frogs! Contest.  I found the contest while looking for some art competitions online.  I have special affinity for frogs, have since I was a kid.  I used to catch frogs in the creek near my home and I remember the day I was lucky enough to find a humongous bull frog hiding in a bush in my front yard.

With my affinity for frogs and art, I couldn't resist, and decided I'd enter.  I don't know if I'm allowed to share my entry yet, but at some point I definitely will.  I can tell you a bit about the piece though - I've drawn a bunch of frogs in the grass and depicted an image of what happens after it rains.  I can remember many a rainy nights when there were miniature frogs hopping all over the yard and the road.

Save the Frogs! is a non-profit organization looking to prevent the mass extinction of amphibian populations.  The annual art contest encourages artists to be creative and the art is used to spread awareness of the issue.  Last year, the organization received more than 9000 art entries from more than 60 countries.  Anyone of any age can participate.  The contest runs from January to October 15 each year.  This contest is great for adults, students, kids looking for a fun project, and even entire classes have participated in the past.  I had a lot of fun creating my entry, and I encourage anyone who likes art to let their inner artist shine for a good cause.  You can find out all the details and view the artwork previously submitted at Savethefrogs.com/art.  Good Luck!

What Inspires You?

by Dayna Winters.

Today's art prompt suggested I draw or write an image about what inspires me.  I went with the use of a graphite pencil to sketch out the image, and later colored it with colored pencils.  I wanted to depict mother nature with flowers all through her long flowing hair, but I also wanted to give her an extra fantastical appearance, since my art is inspired by fantasy, myth, and nature.

I thought it would be cool if she were blowing dandelion pappi ( the little wispy things that blow in the wind and children make wishes with, and and yes, I had to look it up...winks).  As I was drawing, I decided to make the pappi form the word "inspire."  I think the idea worked out well, since the word "inspire" is derived from the Latin inspirare meaning blow into or breathe. 

Drawing Your Favorite Brand

by Dayna Winters.

Today's art prompt in the October 31 Day Art Journal Challenge was to incorporate the label of one of my favorite brands into a piece of art.  I chose to draw of Opium perfume.  It's a fragrance I have loved for many years! I incorporated a few other items to make the sketch more interesting...a picture of  an antique, handheld mirror, and a few beautiful vintage perfume bottles.  I decided to use graphite pencil for the drawing and leave the image in black and white.

The bottle to the left side of the drawing reminded me of a bottle my grandmother had - or at least it was something similar.  I remember the metal meshwork at the bottom of the bottle and the unusual shape/design.  I had a great time using the new blending sticks/stumps I picked up - they are made of tightly wrapped paper and they make blending the graphite into a smooth design extremely easy to do.  

Before I was relying on an old eraser or my fingers to blend the lines and shading.  They come in a multi-pack of 10 with different sizes, lengths, widths, and tips.  You can see a larger image of the blending sticks below.  The blending stumps do a far better job.  I got them for relatively little expense and highly recommend them.  I'm using Loew-Cornell Blending Stumps and Tortillons made of tightly wrapped soft paper felt.  You can get them in a 10 pack for just under $6.00.

Art Journaling - The Creation of the Silver Lady

"Silver Lady," by Dayna Winters.

There's been a lot of talk and communication about the Blood Moon in October.  A recent art journal prompt suggested I "create the moon," in a work of art.  I decided I wanted to draw an image of the moon with a feminine appearance.  I've heard some of my friends say that it is not very often you see the moon as feminine - a lot of time the moon is depicted as male.  I originally started the piece with colored pencils.  I got a chance to pick up some blending stumps and I liked how they worked in terms of blending and minimizing the grainy-look pencils sometimes leave behind.  

When I had the basic image done however, I thought long and hard about doing the background with paint.  I decided to go with the urge.  I mixed a dark blue with some black to make it even darker - I wanted to emulate the look of deep space and a darkened sky.  As I worked the paint around the moon image I drew, I just went with it, not worrying about whether or not I went over the lines.  I spread paint into the image as well, to give the image a more unified appearance with the dark space around it.  I took white paint while the dark blue paint was still wet, and I ran circles around the moon's body to give the illusion of light.  The stars in the background were easily created with white, pink, and light blue paint splatters.  I finished the piece off by adding a little black glitter paint to the eye, mouth, and outer light ring. This was my first real attempt at creating anything with mixed media.

When I put the painting away to dry, I had the image tilted a bit.  When I went back to check on it later, an interesting thing had happened...the glitter paint in the eye had bled and dripped down, forming a single teardrop falling from the moon's eye!  I thought it looked amazing and decided to keep it!  My son pointed out that I had painted the blue moon and the moon was not only visually blue, but emotionally blue too.  I titled this piece: "Silver Lady," and the signed original is for sale.  I'll be making the picture available in the form of reprints as well.

Art Journaling - Drawing Something With Wings

The sixth prompt for the art challenge I'm participating in suggested I draw something with wings.  Usually I would have whipped up a fairy as I love drawing and painting them, but I wanted to do something a little different this time.  I found a depiction of a jeweled Egyptian Scarab and decided to draw it.  I like what the scarab symbolizes - rebirth, creative forces, eternity, cycling, and it's a solar symbol.  

In the body of the scarab, I used really tight vertical lines and a variety of different colors to make a interesting visual effect. I used the same technique in the reddish-orange disc symbolizing the sun.  To make golden edges, I used yellow colored pencils and then blended in a tan/light brown color.

Art Journaling - Exploring New Techniques

I enjoy art journal prompts - they challenge you to see things differently, to be creative, and to come up with innovative means for meeting the challenge.  For instance, the fifth prompt in the current challenge I'm participating in suggested sketching something that contained horizontal lines.  After reflecting on this a bit, I thought bumble bees might be an ideal image to incorporate into the sketch as their black and yellow coloring create horizontal stripes naturally. I added a few sunflowers and began to fill in the piece with colored pencils.  As I did, I wondered what it would be like if I was to make the entire image in horizontal lines.  I tried it in a small area and thought the end result looked neat.  

So I continued to do it through the entire image!  I like the result and hope to use the technique in future works.  I would have liked if the lines were tighter and straighter, and I'll go for this effect the next time I try it.

Update on Projects in the Works

In a post a while back I mentioned some really adorable pre-cut wood pieces.  I finally had an opportunity to finish a couple of them.  I am part of an Inspiration Tribe featuring a small group of women who seek to inspire on another. Each month I share a monthly mailing where we share some artwork with the other.  I took two precut wood pieces, a ladybug and a butterfly, and painted them with acrylics.  I then felted the back of them, added some magnets, and Wah la!  Handmade magnets.  It would definitely be a easy project if you want to do something for a daytime project with your kids.  

Precut pieces and magnets.

Here's a picture of the pieces in progress.  The wood cut owls and the flower are not quite finished yet.  I've got to get a bit of free time to polish them off.

Handmade wooden magnets in progress.

The finished magnets are large.  I added two magnets to the back of each to ensure stability.  You can use tacky glue or a glue gun to adhere the felt to the back of the magnet.  If you're going to make these and felt the back, I suggest you get a fabric pencil for tracing the precut wood shape onto the felt.  It will definitely lead to easier cutting.  

I remained true to the traditional colors of the lady bug and monarch butterfly, for the most part, but if you  wanted to, you can let your imagination run wild and paint them any color you desire.  The finished ladybug and butterful look like this:

Completed Ladybug and Butterfly Magnets.

I sent the two magnets to my friend, and later found out it was exactly what she needed.  The ladybug is a symbol of luck and the butterfly a symbol of transformation.  I hope they bring her many smiles in the future. In turn, last month I got a lovely piece of artwork from my friend:

 

The piece reminds me to be kind to myself and to view myself as a friend would, but I was also cautioned to keep a firm grasp on my own perspective too.  The owl piece is absolutely adorable!  I had wanted to brag about it earlier, but am just getting the chance to do so now.  I love the piece especially because of its portability and its downright adorableness!  I look forward to our monthly mailings - it's nice to get positive things in the mail on a monthly basis!

Art Journal Prompt 4 - What Color is Your Rainbow?

The fourth prompt for the October 31 Day Art Journal Challenge encouraged me to choose my favorite color and create a rainbow of it with all the various shades the color could produce.  Anyone who knows me well will tell you that red is one of my favorite colors.  I made up a rainbow arch featuring degrees of red with everything from pink, to salmon, to fuschia, to red, to orange.  I then found the perfect poem relating to rainbows entitled "My Dream of Iris," by Mark R Slaughter.  Iris is the goddess of rainbows as well as a messenger of the gods.  The last stanza in the poem is my absolute favorite, so I put in right inside the arch of the red rainbow I created.  It is a plea to Iris and reads:

"Take us on your wing to new endeavours -

Show that nothing in the ethers tempers you!

And every time you render us a rainbow,

See it fires a lust for zest anew!"

The art prompts are really ideal for people of all ages, and you might find some of them great for a family project.  You might even want to suggest them to your kids if they are looking for something to do on a rainy day.  You can find the prompts at Nicci.ca.

Art Journal Challenge Prompt 2 and 3

For the second prompt in the October Art Journal Challenge, I was encouraged to write about one of my favorite memories.  I remember flying kites with my kids when they were younger, and made a simple, colorful sketch to reflect that fact:

 Then, for prompt 3, I was encouraged to draw something related to what I would consider my life's theme song.  Humorously enough, I figured I'd choose the song "Witchy Woman," by the Eagles.  I added a variety of symbols to the image including a pentacle, goddess symbol, god symbol, a conical hat, and Hecate's Circle.  I then had a little bit of fun playing with color and scribbling in rainbow colors!   The sketch actually worked out thematically since it's October and the Season of the Witch too (smiles).

Then, in some free time, I sketched a picture of my son Michael holding his ferret.  The sketch came out pretty good, although I still think I'm truncating some of my images. In the meantime, back on the farm, I've got a couple of projects going and I'm pacing myself to get them done.  There will be more on those projects in future blogs. :)

"Mikey," by Dayna Winters.

Working With Some Color

My husband was kind enough to take me to the craft shop the other day, and he, knowing full well my passion for art, picked up a set of 36 Coloursoft Pencils (And you gotta love a guy who really appreciates the things you're passionate about ya know?).  I had never worked with them before, but heard they were good and I wanted to try them out.  I've worked with less expensive colored pencils in the past, and they always made pictures look really grainy with large sections of missing color or undesired gaps.  I was amazed at how beautifully the Prismcolor pencils worked and I gotta say, I'm hooked.  I love them!  I have a feeling I'll be using them a lot more in the future. (wink).  

The first image I drew with the pencils is Marilyn Monroe.  Now, when I did this drawing, and the one that followed, for the first time, I did not create an outline first.  Instead, I worked purely with color in small sections and literally built up the picture slowly.  Admittedly, the first couple of attempts failed miserably, but three times a charm - I figured  out how to make it work and I am extremely happy with the outcome.

"Marilyn Monroe," by Dayna Winters.

After completing the drawing of Monroe, the next day I decided to try drawing Lucille Ball.  I love how the pencils really make her hair color stand out in the drawing, and I found that the pencils make blending colors quite easy.  I'm eager to use the pencils again, and I have a few projects that lie ahead.  ;)

"Lucille Ball," by Dayna Winters.

Conclusion of 29Faces

I am saddened that the 29 Faces Challenge is over until February.  I had so much fun doing the drawings, challenging myself, and meeting other artists.  So, I've decided to jump right into another challenge - The 31 Day Art Journal Challenge, where you get a prompt a day and you create whatever the prompt suggests! I found a spiral sketch book I had laying around and chose to make it my journal for the challenge.  I designed an art journal cover page to get started:

"Art Journal Cover Page," by Dayna Winters.

 For day one, the prompt "Day After Day," was offered - The prompt suggested that if I could have whatever design I wanted on a mailbox with whatever materials I wanted to use, that I should sketch my ideal mailbox design.  At first, I had no idea what kind of design I was going to come up with - then I found a gorgeous tribal tattoo online that I really liked and the image got my ideas flowing.  So, I ended up sketching a mailbox with an owl in a mosaic design!

"Day After Day," Prompt 1 - 31 Day Art Journal Challenge.

With a great bout of insomnia last night and some free time a few days back, I had some time to polish off a couple of new sketches too.  I drew a sketch of Pierce Brosnan and one of Bruce Willis.  I think the sketch of Willis is more true to life than the sketch of Brosnan.  I sketched Madonna as well.  I like sketching because it is something I can do, even if I'm on the go, in a waiting room, or just relaxing.  Most times, a draw a little, take a break or two, and return to the drawing later, just so I don't force the issue and become frustrated.

"Bruce Willis," by Dayna Winters.

"Pierce Brosnan," by Dayna Winters.

"Madonna," by Dayna Winters.

Finally, I got the most adorable sketch of one of our pugs - Precious.  As I was taking photos of the dogs, Precious proved shes a big ham by standing in front of the camera and not letting me take pictures of Puggy.  She just had to be in the camera  and kept walking in front of Puggy to prove it!  Anyway, I was waiting to get into an appointment and had a chance to whip up this sketch of her:

"Precious," by Dayna Winters.

A Few More Sketches Done In Some Down Time

"The Maiden," by Dayna Winters.

When it comes time to unwind, I love to sketch and I like challenging myself to try and draw new people, places, or things.  I came across a picture in the public domain of a young lady that reminded me of the maiden aspect of the goddess, so I drew her.  The medium is graphite pencil, although I'm now looking into potentially investing in some prismcolor soft core color pencils so I can render some sketches in color.  In the meantime, I'm still working on an art contest submission and hope to have it finished soon - I've got a lot of paintings on the back burner and so many other projects I want to do too.  The young lady has a ring of flowers on her head and I like the look of deep contemplation she has on her face.  The whole time I was drawing I could here the words, "Mother, Maiden, Crone, Hear the words I intone..." (From the second book I co-authored, "Sacred Objects, Sacred Space."

"Tom Hanks," by Dayna Winters.

Then, I decided to sketch a picture of Tom Hanks (yes, I know...seems kind of random and it really is (wink).  I didn't have too much trouble with the drawing, except for when it came time to draw the chin - It was a challenge to get the chin just right.  Interestingly, I had the same problem with the sketch after that - a depiction of George Clooney. I also struggled with drawing the ears.  I'm definitely in need of some more practice.  Tom Hank's role in The Green Mile, I think, is by far one of my favorites.  I also liked the movies Big, Castaway, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and I can still vaguely remember his role in the TV show Bosom Buddies (yes, I think I just aged myself).

The movies I liked Clooney in include From Dusk till Dawn, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.  I know he played Batman, but in all honesty, my favorite actor in the role of Batman will always be Michael Keaton.  In the drawing, as I mentioned earlier, I had trouble with the shape of the face.  I struggled with drawing the mouth as well, and I think the depiction still needs work.

A Few New Sketches to Share

Today, I've got a couple of sketches to share that are not related to the 29 Faces Challenge I just completed.  I decided to draw a self portrait of myself, and I drew a picture of my mother-in-law's dog.  I am fairly happy with both depictions.

"Self Portrait, Age 5," by Dayna Winters.

First, for the self portrait. I thought it would be fun if, for Throwback Thursday on Facebook, I drew a picture of myself when I was a kid.   I drew a picture based on  my kindergarten school photo.  I'm biting my lip - something a did all the time, along with the nasty habit of chewing my hair (Thank goodness I don't do that anymore!).  I was worried I would have a problem drawing the mouth since I was biting my lip in the picture, but surprisingly, I didn't have any trouble at all.

 When I finished the sketch of myself, which went rather quickly, I then decided to sketch Missy, my mother in law's dog which has passed on.  I thought I might run into a problem when it came time to sketching the fur, since poodles have pretty curly fur, but with the right amount of scribbles and erasing, I managed to make the fur look pretty realistic. I found I only had difficulty when I tried to get the forelegs to look right.  I finally got the picture to look okay. I framed it with a black frame with glass and gave it to my mother-in-law as an impromptu gift.

"Missy," by Dayna Winters.

Face 29 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

Finally, the 29 Faces Challenge draws to a close!  I'm kind of sad in a way, because I had so much fun drawing the different faces this month.  I also got to meet a lot of amazingly talented artists and to make a few new friends in the process.  I know I said it early in some of my posts, but I highly recommend the challenge to all artists.  The challenge is open to people of all ages and skill levels - it's a terrific goal to set for yourself, and it allows you to get in a lot of drawing practice.

For the final face in this month's challenge, I decided to draw one of the most iconic faces in the world - the face of Nefertiti.  I actually made a ceramic statue of Nefertiti years back, so it was really fun to revisit her image while working with a different art form.

"Nefertiti," by Dayna Winters.

Below I've included a couple of collages that show all of the faces I completed in the 29 Faces Challenge.  Admittedly, when I decided to participate, I thought, with my health, disability, chronic pain, and fatigue, I would'nt be able to accomplish the goal I was setting.  But I did and I managed to do so by pacing myself and just taking a little bit of time each day to dedicate to art. 

Face 28 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

"Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra," by Dayna Winters.

For today's challenge, I decided to draw Elizabeth Taylor in her role as Cleopatra.  I had little difficulty with the sketch, but have now found that in my struggle to address the issue with right eye emphasis I've been dealing with for the last month, I am now going to the opposite extreme and emphasizing the left eye in this particular depiction.  I also would have liked to have a better photo to work with in order to get the finer details of the headdress just right - the resolution on most photos I found was pretty poor.  Overall, I still think the drawing looks pretty good, and I would love doing a rendition in color in the near future.

Now, behind the scenes, I'm also working on a couple of craft projects, and I am currently painting an art contest submission (more on this later when it is permissible).  In the mean time, keep your fingers and toes crossed for me! (smiling and winking).

Face 27 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

"Kathy Bates," by Dayna Winters.

For face 27, I decided to draw one of my favorite actresses - Kathy Bates.  I think Kathy is an incredibly talented actress and loved her roles in Misery, Dolores Claiborne, and her role in last seasons American Horror Story - Coven.  The drawing session went very smoothly with very little difficulty.  I didn't have the same problems drawing the mouth that I've been having with prior drawing.  I'm pretty satisfied with the sketch, although I think I could have dedicated a bit more time to drawing the hair and detailing her attire.

Face 26 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

So I still want to do a sketch of my son Michael, but I have to dig out our photo album to find the right picture I want to draw.  I may not make it in time for the 29 Faces Challenge, but make no mistake Mikey, I'll be drawing you eventually (wink, wink).  In the meantime, I chose to draw a young depiction of Elvis. I had an affinity for Elvis' music when I was younger and my sister Courtney still does.  This drawing took a lot of redoing - the eyes and lips didn't come out right and I ended up doing a whole lot of erasing and repairs.  I'm happy with the final result though!

Because I have such a struggle with certain facial features, I plan on continuing to draw a lot of faces, even when the challenge concludes.  I also plan on making use of some online drawing and painting tutorials - I'm always eager to learn new techniques and I definitely want to sharpen my skills.

Face 25 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

"Gordon Ramsay," by Dayna Winters.

 For face 25 of the 29 Faces Challenge,  I originally wanted to draw a depiction of Quentin Tarantino, but the drawing came out horrible and it was impossible to repair.  I'm definitely going to give it another go in the future - I think I took on the task when I was just too tired to get fully involved in the production process.

 I choose Chef Gordon Ramsay as my subject.  I enjoy watching shows like Master Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and Hotel Hell.  Ramsey's face has a lot of character, so depicting him in a sketch definitely proved to be a challenge.  I'm pretty happy with the result, although I feel like I made him look a touch older than he actually looks - this was not my intent and I'm not quite sure why the depiction looks a bit age progressed.

The challenge is quickly drawing to a close and I have really had a terrific time drawing faces and learning new techniques during this challenge.  I'm definitely planning to participate in the February 2015 challenge as well.  In the meantime, I'm going to working on an art journal - I'm even considering entering an art journal challenge for the month of October.  This challenge has taught me that I need a lot of practice in certain areas, particularly in drawing the specific facial features like the mouth, ears, and eyes.  I'll be doing some practice art from time to time to further hone my skills.  I've enjoyed drawing faces thus far, and may very well continue doing so.  Sketching various people will allow me to build up my art base and portfolio.  It will also allow me to track my progress over time and to see what kind of positive or negative trends I can identify in my art.

Faces 23 & 24 for the 29 Faces Challenge - September 2014

"Mark and Puggy," by Dayna Winters.

A while back a family member asked me to draw a sketch of my husband, so I've finally had the opportunity to do so.  And I gotta say, nothing says love like a man and his pug.  So, I drew my husband Mark and our Puggy.  I'm planning to draw our other pug Precious in the future.  I love the way Puggy snuggles up to my husband every night - the two of them look so cute together.  And Puggyman has been my husband's baby boy every since he brought him home.  I actually drew this sketch while standing in the emergency room waiting for my husband to get his sore shoulder looked at - the sketch went rather quickly and it kept me from growing bored while waiting around to be seen. 

"Ray Liotta," by Dayna Winters.

For face 24, I drew one of my favorite actors - Ray Liotta, and of all his movies, it's Goodfellas that's my absolute favorite.  I can watch that movie a million times and never grow bored with it!  When drawing Liotta, I had some difficulty with the shape of the mouth.  The shadowing on the picture is intense, so there was a lot of shading involved in the drawing too.  I am satisfied with sketches 23 and 24.  Looking forward to sharing more!

Learning to Paint Fire With Acrylics

While working on an acrylic painting I found I had trouble with figuring out how to paint fire so it looked realistic.  This is why I love the Internet - there are so many amazing art tutorials and videos online.  I found a really good fire painting tutorial by Tom Flemming.  I definitely plan to try the technique the next time I'm at the easel:

Once I give the fire painting practice a go, I'll post some of my practice work to show you whether or not I was successful or not!  Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Face 21 and 22 for the September 2014 29 Faces Challenge

"Joan Rivers," by Dayna Winters.

 I'm a little bit ahead of myself today so I'm posting two sketches! Today's first subject is Joan Rivers. 

I think I did great when it came to drawing her hands, although I had to fight the urge to make every finger on the hand visible - it's like something in my brain says - five fingers.... you have to see all five fingers!  When, in real life, this is not the case.  I like this particular pose when it comes to images of Joan - she has a soft look.  It's unfortunate that Joan has passed away - the world will miss her comedic talents to be sure.

The second person I chose as a subject happens to be one of my favorite people in the world - my kid sister, Courtney.  

"Courtney, " by Dayna Winters.

Courtney really knows how to live life - she likes to travel, go to parties with her friends, socialize, and she's not afraid to get out on the dance floor and dance!  Despite having Down's Syndrome, my sister has conquered amazing obstacles in her life, and hasn't let anything stop her from living every day to the fullest - I find her incredibly inspiring! So, I dedicate the sketch to her - I hope she likes it when she finally gets a chance to see it. ;)  I love ya kiddo.  (And she hates it when I call her kid) ;).

Face 19 & 20 for the September 2014 29 Faces Challenge

"Jim Carrey," by Dayna Winters.

After running errands yesterday, I was just too tired to post my artwork for the challenge, so now I'm making up for lost time.  I'm sharing my rendition of the comedian/actor Jim Carrey, and the comedian/actor Gabriel Iglesias.  Let me just say I am a huge fan of both.  Carrey has some fantastically funny movies like "The Mask," "Me, Myself, and Irene," "Yes Man," and "Dumb and Dumber," are among my favorites.  I think in his role in "Magic Mike," Iglesias was good too, and I love his stand up routines.

I completed both pieces with graphite pencil.  I had a rather difficult time with the sketch of Carrey - no matter what I did, it just didn't come out right.  I'm not sure if it was my less-than perfect art skills or the photo I used or a combination of the two that cause the problem.  Anyway, I'm not totally happy with the outcome.  I hope to give it another shot in the near future.  I do, however, love the quotation on the Carrey sketch:

"As far as I can tell, it's just about letting the universe know what you want and then working toward it while letting go of how it comes to pass."

The above quote is interesting in light of my difficulties with the Carrey sketch - when I got frustrated, no matter what I did, I couldn't get my vision to come to pass.  I should have let go and returned to it when I wasn't trying to force the issue. There is a definite difference between working toward something and attempting to force things to happen in an effort to meet one's own limited or confined expectations.  Not to mention I really should have known better.  After all, frustration is a real energy block and only breaks the natural flow of positive energies.

"Gabriel Iglesias," by Dayna Winters

On the other hand, I'm really pleased with the way the image of Gabriel Iglesias turned out.  I think I still need to work on sketching the mouth a bit better.  I was pretty surprised by how quickly I managed to draw the Hawaiian shirt.  In fact, I was happy with how quickly I completed the entire sketch.  So for today's lesson: I've learned that once I start struggling with a piece I only make the issues worse - I definitely have to continue to walk away from something for a while and to return to it when I am less frustrated (I just hate loose ends!).

So far, during this challenge I've also learned I have an issue with right eye emphasis in my sketches - even when I try not to do so.  I guess it's going to take more practice to conquer the issue.   I also find myself often truncating the subjects features, while other times, when I'm trying to defy my natural tendency to truncate, I overextend the subject's features instead.  I still need a lot more practice drawing mouths, noses, and ears.  I know, even though not some much during the 29 Faces Challenge, I have some difficulty with hands, fingers, feet, and toes as well.  However, I can say I'm getting more confident with every image I sketch.  I'm hoping that as I keep track of my artwork I'll be able to track the changes in my skills over the course of time.

Small plastic craft skull for a future craft project.

On a different note, a few days back I mentioned picking up some wonderful materials for making crafts  - among the list where some pre-cut wood pieces, seed beads, and a couple of Halloween skulls.  I'm working on a couple of fun projects and ended up investing in some black felt, spray tacky glue, and some more pre-cut wood pieces.  I also picked up a small, plastic skull since the skulls I originally bought were covered in glitter - an issue I thought I could work around for the purposes of my project, but... it didn't work out so hot :).  So..., I save those for another project.  I'll give you more information as the small projects progress!

Face 18 for the September 2014 29 Faces Challenge

"Jim Morrison," by Dayna Winters.

For face 18, I chose Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, for my subject.  All I could think about was the song "Riders on the Storm," as I sketched this drawing. Jim has a sharp, bold jaw and I had a bit of a struggle getting it just right.  In fact, I still think his chin is a little off in the drawing, but other than that I'm very happy with the outcome.  I think I did a relatively good job capturing the piercing look in his eyes (although I notice I'm still having issues with right eye emphasis in all of my drawings - and I have no idea why I keep doing it).  Interestingly enough, I find that I don't even really see the right eye emphasis issue until I photograph the art - it's weird.

I had a lot of fun drawing this piece, and wouldn't mind doing it again in some other medium or a similar medium.

Face 17 for September 2014 29 Faces Challenge

"Oprah Winfrey," by Dayna Winters.

The quote I like the best from today's subject is: "Do the one thing you think you cannot do.  Fail at it.  Try again.  Do better the second time.  The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.  This is your moment. Own it."  The latter quote is from none other than Oprah Winfrey.  I chose this subject because I find her inspiring.  When I have the time, I like to watch her interviews with brilliant and inspirational people.

I had a bit of difficulty when it came to getting the shape of Oprah's face just right, and I also struggled a bit when it came time to draw the mouth and eyes.  Nevertheless, I think I did a fairly good depiction considering this is my first attempt.  I chose graphite pencil for the medium because, for me, it is the easiest medium to work with at the moment.  When I paint something, it takes me far longer to complete the project.  This is probably because of two reasons - I'm way too finicky (and self critical to my own detriment), and I'm relatively new to painting with watercolors and acrylics on paper/canvas.  So for now, as I battle a small stomach bug (Yuck!), fatigue, and my inner critic, I'm sticking to the tried and true medium of pencil.  In February 2015, hopefully I'll be in a better place and able to produce works with more diversity in terms of medium.

Face 16 for 2014 September 29 Faces Challenge

"Robin Williams," by Dayna Winters

Today I chose to draw a graphite sketch of Robin Williams.  I'm moderately satisfied with result, and think it could be better.  I love the quote on the left that reads: "You're only given one little spark of madness.  You musn't lose it."  I loved Robin Williams and his sense of humor.  He will be greatly missed by many.

Today, I also had an opportunity to play with some of the craft materials I got early in the week.  I've been painting a bit, and thinking about the next face for the challenge.  Hopefully, within the next day or two, I'll be ready to show you all what I've been up to creatively speaking! ;)

Health Update - Living with PBC

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com.

As part of my blog, I share ongoing updates with family and friends about my health status.  If you are new to the site, I was recently diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis - an autoimmune disease affecting the liver.  I have a number of pages explaining what the disease is and the consequences of it.  You can find out more information by clicking on either the Health link or PBC link under the categories column on the right hand side of the page.  If you also suffer from primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), I'd love to hear from you.  You can contact me via email, connect with me on Facebook, or leave your comments below.  All comments are moderated so they will not appear right away, but only once I approve them.

Now for how I'm doing health-wise; I think, at least right now, the worst thing about having PBC is the fatigue. Some days I feel pretty good with no fatigue at all.  Other days the fatigue is relatively minor.  Then there are days when the fatigue is absolutely debilitating.   I've discovered if I push myself too hard on days where I feel good, I pay for it several days after the fact, with body aches and severe exhaustion.  Of course, not pushing my limits is against my very nature - I'm stubborn, always have been, always will be.  Right now I am trying to find a healthy balance and one can live with -I want to be able to do as much as I like doing while keeping my levels of exhaustion to a minimum.

I return to the liver specialist in the middle of next week.  I will have to get more blood work done a few days before (and can I tell you I'm beginning to feel like a pin cushion already).  I've been religious about taking the Ursodiol as prescribed, missing the medication only twice due to illness.  I'm hoping the doctor will have some advice about how to handle the fatigue I'm dealing with.  I will soon be participating in a sleep study as well, to see if I have sleep apnea.  If I do, a machine might help in reducing some of the tiredness I feel.

As many of my friends and family members know, I was admitted into the hospital on August 1 for my eighth bout of cellulitis.  This time, I had it on the left side of my face.  I had a CAT Scan of my head done to see if there was any infection, and if so, where.  Incidentally, the CAT Scan revealed a dime sized growth on the left side of my thyroid.  So, now I'm under watch by an endocrinologist.  If there is any change in the growth, I'll require a biopsy.  Of course, the results of the biopsy determines the next step from there.  So that's where I stand presently - I'll be adding future updates as I get them.  

Face 15 for September 2014 29 Faces Challenge

"Stephen King," by Dayna Winters

On day 13, I shared a sketch of Edgar Allan Poe, one of my favorite writers.  Drawing Poe made me think of another horror writer that I am a fan of: Stephen King.  I started reading Stephen King books in my preteens - My first encounter with his work was when I read "The Shining," and then I was hooked.  "The Shining" followed with "Carrie," "Firestarter," and "Christine."  I like some of his newer work too, like "Blaze," (which was really different from his other works," and "Full Dark, No Stars."  As of now, I have "Doctor Sleep," on my Kindle Fire, just waiting for me to read it!  Often times I lack the energy to do so (and that's in no way a reflection on King's work.)  

A friend of mine suggested using audio books and I'm thinking about it, but then I know I would miss the experience of holding a book or device in my hand to read (moreso the book.)  I love the feel and smell of books, and to curl up under a comfy blanket near the woodstove on a cold winter day with a good book is still among the top things I love to do.

The most complex thing I faced when drawing King was the features of his brow and I had to work at getting the eyeglasses just right.  But, the quote by King helped me realize that I really had to stick with a piece and see it through to the end: "You have to be faithful to what you're working on."  In fact, seeing that quote made me return to the sketch of George Carlin for face 14 and complete it, regardless of how I really felt about it. I've found that when I'm working on a sketch or painting, I don't really appreciate the piece until the work progresses and it really begins to come together.  I think when we give up on something before we give it a chance to work, we are selling our abilities short.  I can't tell you how many times I've destroyed a piece of art in progress because I wasn't happy with the result.  Now, I push through the piece and see it through to its completion.  If I like the outcome, that's wonderful, and if I don't like the outcome, I chalk it up to a learning experience and move on to the next project.

I did have one issue to deal with though - if you'll notice a small cluster of dots near King's nose - of course, they don't belong there, but I can't get them to erase.  I'm doing the sketches in a sketch book and the image before it bled through a bit.  I've realized I'm either going to have to put some kind of material between each sketch or I'm going to have to separate all of the images and pull them out of the sketch pad when they are finished.  This way, I don't have to worry about completed pieces smearing or bleeding through onto other drawings.