From My Sketchbook: Eating Fluff

A quick sketch I did that's lightly inspired by Studio Ghibli's movies.

When Words Fail

I’m sitting behind the Christmas tree, surrounded by yellow star like lights and colorful reflective balls. The music drifts up from downstairs in the kitchen faintly, the soundtrack from The Hobbit. The lights are all turned off except the tree and everything is peaceful. 

As a writer, it is frustrating sometimes. A million words and ideas buzz around in your head and they’re all beautiful, but there’s never anything enough to expand upon. I sit at the computer and want to write something; come up with an amazing blog post, a heart rending short story. I want to capture fleeting feelings down onto paper and into words, but they refuse to be tamed. So I sit around and wait for those moments, those rare moments of magical inspiration where all my thoughts line up into one cohesive thought and the words brim over from my mind and through my finger tips. But those moments are very few. It is said the hardest part about being a writer is actually writing; and though I do love to write the words down; when my wonder struck thoughts whir unceasingly and words do not seem sufficient for what I want to convey, then yes, the actual writing is the hardest part. Someone who can consistently turn out beautiful work is the one who can take hold of a single thought at any time and expand upon it; not letting it dance tantalizingly just out of reach. This is probably one of the key things to learn to be a good writer; one that I’m still trying to figure out. Inspiration isn’t what is really lacking though; it’s the inspiration that drives out inspiration, the distractions that flood in from everywhere. But when I do capture what I want to say; when I put into words a feeling that was so elusive and mysteriously beautiful; I get a feeling of contentment, of satisfaction with my work. This feeling is enough to drive me ever on, through all the days when the words don’t seem to want to come and my mind is filled with frustrations because the ideas don’t want to sit still long enough for me to think them through. Being a writer is a very hard and patient trying job; but I wouldn’t want to do anything else, not ever.

The music from downstairs fades, the lights on the tree go dim and the entire world goes black. My mind, it goes black too, and there is nothing left. No words, no busy thoughts of things to do, no anxious worries. Just the heart beat of a trembling, wonder struck soul and this one thing also; the ability to create anything, to write anything. To be, experience, travel and explore… anything. The ideas explode and collide in my mind, a beautiful cacophony of mysteries to be made known. This is what words will do for me; they will help me unravel the mystery of life, in all its endless, breathtaking possibilities.

From My Sketchbook: The Cards

I've always imagined that the dragon in this picture is a fortune teller of some type (hence the crystal ball) and lets the cards that he's holding decide the fate of his victims. The girl here is Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I made this collage by cutting out the two figures from advertisements, then drawing the rest with a pencil around them.
Here is the caption I wrote to go along with this:

"The cards, my dear, are telling me you must die."

From My Sketchbook: O Fire Flower (Inspiration from a Child)

This was an assignment to illustrate and be inspired by a child's writing. My little sister wrote the poem, and I used part of it; making the typography look like a kid wrote it.

"Oh fire flower, you're so beautiful.

You light up the sky."

From My Sketchbook: Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings)

I had been watching the behind the scenes of the Lord of the Rings movies on my portal DVD player when a clip of the ending come on. I decided to pause the video and try to draw this portrait. This was one of the more challenging projects I've taken on so far; faces are always hard subjects, but I actually enjoy drawing them the most.

From My Sketchbook: Small Bird

This drawing that I did is from a lesson in Violet's Devotional Sketchbook. I ended up using it as the cover of a birthday card I made for my dad and now it's framed and hanging up next to another drawing I made for him for Father's day when I was really little (ironically, that one is of a bird as well!)

A Walk in the Mall

The choir, they sound like angels. Standing a story above them in the Mall of America I am halted in my steps as they start one of my favorite songs, the haunting "Once Upon a December" from Anastasia. And I stay, listen till the song is completely over, enchanted by the beautiful voices rising to the high ceiling of the mall. Never have I enjoyed a song more than this one, sung by high school girls in the middle of the busyness of Mall of America. I leave with a smile on my face, spirit lifted. Still I listen as I walk away and they start another song; hear it fade slowly with each step. A little ways on a beautiful water fountain catches my eye; the water is pure blue and running quietly, bubbling over the weathered looking basin. I pause again and watch it, listen to it and I remember the sound of the voices, of the choir singing heavenly, soul haunting lyrics. People walk past and I am oblivious to them in this moment of peace. But the moment quickly passes and I walk on; surrounded by a sea of faces. I look into them all; faces happy and smiling, faces tired and emotionless. My soul flies... God’s beauty can be found everywhere if one only looks. I walk through stores, browse the quiet Barnes and Noble when I need a rest, and smell delicious fragrances in a chocolate shop. Life is sweet, just like the sample of candy I nibble on.

Keep your eyes open and you’ll find the most enchanting things in the most unexpected places. This is what I have found to be true in the Mall of America.