Day Seventy Nine

Ah, more snow. I’m cuddled up with a hot cup of cocoa, basking in the warm glow of both my laptop and the TV. (You know, because staring at just one screen is soo 2010) Frequent peeks out the front door have confirmed that it is still snowing, still cold and still winter. (I thought we’d escaped it for a while there, but no such luck.)

Today’s word shocked me. Not because of the word itself, but because of its timing. I spent a while thinking about what exactly, out of the thousands of possibilities, I wanted to create using this word as inspiration.

E-gypt n. A country located in northeast Africa and southwest Asia.

Immediately, of course, “Egypt” brought the recent revolution to mind. Although I do not claim to know every detail, I did follow the revolution as best I could. Although there were many things about this revolution that both inspired and fascinated me, there was one image that struck me most. Beyond the masses of people, the incredible speed of political change and the images of people gathered on and around tanks, there is one image that has stayed vividly in my mind. This image is the hundreds of thousands of people in Tahrir Square stopping to pray. From the moment I saw the first photograph of this, I was amazed by not only the dedication of the Egyptian people but by the beautiful work of art created by a synchronized movement of hundreds of thousands of people. Although I have never put much faith in, well, faith, I am fascinated by this gesture.

So, for today’s piece, I decided to illustrate Egyptians praying in Tahrir Square. It was difficult to get the angle of the bodies correctly but, after a hundred or so, it got a little difficult.

I wish this drawing could have been better; it does not do the incredible feat of the Egyptians justice. Ah well, I’ll get there eventually.

Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Have a great weekend! (Yes, I know it’s only Thursday but I think we deserve to celebrate the coming weekend early.)

Xx

-r

Day Forty Two

It got cold again. Not that I would know; I didn’t actually set foot outside my house today... I drew the line at staying in my pajamas after 2 o’clock, and traded in my sweats for a pair of skinny jeans and the closest available pair of rather festive socks:

I believe I have fallen in love with pastels. For yet another day, I am using them to add dimension to my staple (pen and ink). Today’s word threw me; there are so many possibilities for this word, but I decided to go with a rather sweet and simple take on it.

dir-ty  adj.  Not clean; grimy; indecent; obscene; mean; despicable; lacking in brightness or clarity; relating to excessive radioactive fallout. v. To become or make soiled.

Looking for inspiration, I came across a song I hadn’t heard in a while...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV1rZa9bUxA

I really like their style-that kind of goofy, energetic, crazy sound. Although I may be entirely misinterpreting it, I drew from this song, especially the chorus: “Do you really want to hold my dirty hand?” I liked the idea of a cute little character being more than a little in love. Judging by the insistence in her eyes, it may be unrequited...

I started with the girl, added a big heart behind her, and colored it and her cheeks in with pastel.

I’d added a few lines at her feet and coming up to add “dirtiness”, but used the black and gray pastels to add more to it.

I then added a little yellow to give it an even more childishly grubby feel. Ah, what a sweet thing.

I hope you enjoyed today’s piece! Have a great night and stay warm!

Xx

-r

Day Forty One

Great day today. I shot some cool pictures of the melting ice and snow, ate a good lunch, and learned everything there is to know about art therapy. *sigh*. Wait...it was more of a *SIGHHHHHHHH!!!*. Ahh, there we go.

Now, for today’s word.

san-i-ty  n. The state of being sane.

Of course, drawing a sane person would be no fun. Anyway, how could you know for sure they were sane? Maybe they were super crazy and just super good at hiding it. You would never, ever know. Until they killed you or ate the family pet...then you would probably know.

Well, as you have probably guessed, I drew someone pretty insane. 

As with yesterday’s piece, (although the outcome was extremely different) I used oil pastels to add emotion. I liked the smudged and dirty effect the gray and black pastels gave to this character’s face. I figured if the intense stare didn’t do it, the sagging eyes and striped jumpsuit would clue you in to the fact that this character is a little off.

Hope you enjoy today’s piece!

Stay crazy, people.

Xx

-r

Day Thirty Five

Saying today was cold is like saying getting shot in the knee might sting a little... Deciding to walk to my hair appointment was maybe not the best of ideas, but well worth the touch of frostbite.

couldn't help it...gotta to show it off

Time to curl up a few inches from the space heater and defrost just enough to scrawl a sketch onto a piece of paper. (okay, now I’m just being dramatic) Today’s word made me think of some unwritten social rules, and the almost ridiculous way that people follow them.

dis-tance  n. Separation in time or space; the degree of separation between two points; the space that separates any two specified points in time; the quality or state of being distant; aloofness.

Phew!!

Anyway, it made me think of that awkward hug people give each other when they’re practically strangers. The one where they stand about 3 feet apart and lean in and pat each other on the back... I can’t stand that hug. I mean, if you’re going to hug someone, actually hug them. If you’re not comfortable enough to do that, you shouldn’t be hugging them in the first place...that’s what handshakes are for, people!

Okay, enough ranting about “air hugs”. I decided not to sketch the scene I just described, and instead to go for something sweeter and arguably much more awkward...

 I like that they are leaning so far, they are about to fall.

Hope you are enjoying your read, your night, and your warm house. It’s harsh winter days like this that make me extra grateful for what I have.

Xx

-r