Happy New Year!

It's time to say good bye to 2008, It was a good year, a lot happened!
Lets all welcome in 2009, I have high hopes for what the Lord wants to do in 2009.
I just pray that I'm the willing vessel He needs.

Church Notes | The Gift and Burden of Time

Church was wildly appropriate Sunday.

I was praying for direction and what to do and the Lord meet me where I was. Lets take a second to realize what a huge blessing that is when the Lord meets you where you are, the creator of the universe conversing with me... wow. It was such a beautiful and practical answer to my concerns and worries. I just hope I take this lesson to heart, even thought I kind of dropped the ball already. But Christianity is not about dwelling in your slip-ups, but getting back up pressing on and not giving up.

A Holiday Tradition

For nearly 10 years now on Christmas day or Christmas eve I have kept a tradition with my family, what is this tradition I speak of? Well we sculpt the manger scene! Each member of the family gets a little bag of clay with a piece of paper in. The paper has a person or animal from the manger scene written on it. We get 15 to 20 minuets to sculpt our clay, when we are done we read the Christmas story. As each persons figure is read or referred to we place it in the manger.

It is a lot of fun and a great way to incorporate the true reason for the season :)

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!
Or Happy Christmas to all the Brit's!



Despite its commercialism I love Christmas. It is a wonderful time to spend with friends and family, eat a lot of junk food, and enjoy the cold. But most of all it is a wonderful time of year to think on and speak about Christ and his coming into this world. Weather you believe him to be the Son of God or not, he changed this world forever. And his story is a beautiful tragedy. He was born to die so we might truly live. It is extremely humbling, and I pray that when I share about Christ and what he has done for me, and all of us, that that humility is there. I don't want you to believe what I believe or think how I think, I just want everyone to experience the grace and love that I have because of that man.

Church Notes | 3 Wise Gifts

Here are some church notes form Sunday, we are going over an Advent series. This week we went over the three gifts the wise men brought Jesus. I would write more but its Christmas eve and I am at my Aunts house with my family. So I am just a little bit distracted. :P You can just read the notes I wrote out.

Bird Lady

This is a bird lady I designed when I was in High School. Every few years I like to redraw old characters, like the I do with the elemental girls. This Character hasn't really changed too much in design other than the addition of the beak, but I have gotten a little better at drawing her.

Here is a version I drew of her back in 1999, my freshman year in college.

Rain! Rain! Don't go Away!

Come and stay and play all day!!



It's finally cold in Southern California! It has been raining and when I breath I can see my breath. I love the winter and fall. I just wish I were colder than 50°.

Veela

I drew this a while ago, I finally got around to coloring it the other night. It is not exactly what I see in my head when I read about the Veela, but it's close. Except I cant figure out how to make them look birdlike without making them look really stupid. I should research some old drawings and folklore on Harpies.

Qucik mini CC, I think that when a Veela mates with a human, she can only give birth to females. I dunno why, but it makes a lot of sence in my head. As for real Veelas I dunno how they mate and with whom. Maybe there are male Veelas, or a male version of something that is Veela-like but it's own species/race/what-ever all on its own. I DUNNO! :B

Mama Anelli

After reading Beedle the Bard at this really awesome tea house in Brooklyn, we eventually made our way over to the Anelli residence and had a wonderfully yummy and extremely delicious dinner. Melissa's ma made a huge pasta dinner for us with Chicken Parmesan and Salad. We all ate to our hearts content. Then later in the evening I drew Mama Anelli while John asked her questions.



Melissa's mother is such a sweat heart! Whenever I go over there I feel like I am right at home! She would fit right in with my family! Maybe the Portuguese and the Italian have more in common than we realize.

New York! NEW YORK!!

AGAIN! I know! I just got into New York again for the 2nd time with in a Month (3rd time with in 3 months). I am here with my fellow PotterCasters; Melissa, John, and Sue! We just had the best Thai Food in the Continental Untied States, and got to walk around cold and bustling streets of New york with Hot Coffee!



I drew this on the plane over. I took a brief nap when we first boarded but couldn't manage to sleep anymore on the plane, so I watched Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, with Amy Adams (le sigh) and Frances McDormand. It was such a good movie, I really really liked and enjoyed it! It was well worth the 7 dollars I had to pay to watch it, my 3 dollar uncrustable on the other hand, not so much.

Church Notes & Christmas Doodles

For the last few years I do a Christmas illustration in the style of a stained glass window. Here are some preliminary sketches I did during Church on Sunday evening, and in class today.







This last one is horrible. LOL I know we are getting into Easter cannon here just a little bit, but Christ didn't decay! He died, but he rose from the dead on the third day. So the skull that was supposed to represent death in general, just came off like Christ's skeleton. Not cool. I have used the skull/death symbolism in the past but it was always a satellite image or used in conjunction with Golgotha. Anywho it's fun to make this types of mistakes, helps ya learn what not to do. :)

Poker @ Jer's

Jeremy Newman, aka J Rock, had me and some friends from my old Church over for another wonderful evening of Poker and Rockband.



I went out early and drew this, but this kept be entertained until the second game. I didn't have the time to draw all of us who were there. Normally when I play I last until second or third place. I was foolish that evening, foolish. :P

Twilight Fanart?

Twilight Fanart?




Yeah that's right everyone the day after Thanksgiving I went with my friend Erica to see Twilight.
Alice struck my fancy, so later that evening I took some time to doodle her. I have never read the books so I dunno how "accurate" this is, but it was fun none the less.

What can i say? I have a thing for quirky redheads.

PC Doodle 174

Hey all here is the last Doodle in the Beedle Bard series for my PotterCast Doodle of the week.
It's the 3 brothers. Which hallow would you choose?




And here is the scan, no color.



I hope you all enjoy.

PC Doodle 173

I had fun with this one. Even though I messed up and put his heart in the wrong side.

True Faced

Today was a monumental. It has got to be one of the hardest thing I have ever done. I am learning to trust the Lord in new ways. I am done striving. I am done trying to fix my own heart. It is out of my hands. I trust you Lord.

Fashioned from shame and pride
cracked with humility and trust

What once took root
now falls away.

A Pictures Worth...

A brief photo guide of my November 2008 trip to the Big Apple!

Saturday

After we got in we rushed right over to the Halloween Party and Wrock concert. After the festivities we went back to Melissa's and made too much guacamole and played with henna.
1 2 3

Sunday

After sleeping in we got this tasty Pizza. :)


That night we had a dance-party to celebrate Melissa's book being published.


It was kind of fun ;)

Monday

After getting Melissa's car towed, I realized what a "No Standing Zone" is. Apparently New York likes to be convoluted in their no-parking signage. Later that night after some of our peoples had to got home the rest of us went ice skating at Rockefeller Center!


It was pretty darn awesome. :)

Tuesday



We woke up and discovered how cool fire escapes are!


Then we went and watched the election results in Rockefeller Center and experienced the madness of Times Square.

Wednesday

Lizzie and I went to central park to explore, get lost, and get soaked.


We even went on the swings!


And found a castle!


Then we made our way over to Columbus Circle for Melissa's reading and book signing.


After that we went to dinner with Melissa's family and took a crazy subway ride home singing every old cartoon and TV show we could think of! So much fun.

Thursday
I slept in waaaaaaay too late and had to say goodbye to more people going home.


Then I got an early dinner with Tricia. She is ubber cools people. She is a Harry Potter nerd too! :D


And then I had a late dinner with Natalie! She too is a fan of Mr. Potter.

Friday

(the cupcake pictured here is from Magnolias on Monday, not Crumbs on Friday. I needed a picture to post, apparently I didn't take any pics on Friday.)
I selpt in late again, and missed out on going to a museum. Then I finished the Jingle Spells 2 artwork. And melissa and I found Crumbs Cupcakes. They were really REALLY good. :)

Saturday

It was time for me to head home. So I woke up, packed up, said my good byes to Melissa, and met Natalie for fancy NYC Brunch at this awesome place called Friend of a Framer.


After brunch we walked in the rain to the A Train.


After a wonderful hour of walking in the rain :D I headed to the airport.
If only I had known my flight would have been delayed 4 times I would have wondered down a few more streets to find that elusive Central Perk.

Like I said below I love New York! I have such a blast and wish and hope I can go back soon. It is so cool! And I dunno if you can tell, but I kinda had a little bit of fun. :)

Silly pose!


Dramatic Steam!


And let us not forget BUNNY PUNCH!

I ♥ NY

New York was a blast! I had so much fun but in light of all that fun I didn't get much drawing done. I did go to Central Park but it was raining, so I didn't get to sit down and draw in the park. To be honest I had so much fun exploring, getting lost, and walking in the rain that I don't think I would have draw given the opportunity.


Alex Carpenter on the Subway.


Lizzie was on the Subway too.


Mista John Noe was there too, aka Strudel.
And A crappy version of Alex >:P


This one of the tree and Asian-Melissa I did at Melissa's reading at the Barnes and Noble in Columbus Circle.

And then I did this last one while my flight was delayed 4 times.


I really do love New York. It's awesome.
I wanna go back and soon.

I'll post some actual pictures from my trip soon. I got some good ones. :)