Too Old For Silly Stories?

Yes I was that girl... while everyone else played on the playground, I sat in the corner and read a book.

Now when I say read a book, that didn't quite mean I was a bookworm and read all these high level books above my grade level. No....in fact I was quite average when it came to reading, but I would spend hours and hours in a bookstore just browsing through all the books thinking of how magical they were. Books were another way of escaping the class bullies.They opened up a door to imagination! I felt that I could truly be me and not worry about what the rest of the world would think. I had my own little world filled with monsters... which usually resembled some of my malicious enemies and I had the so called 'Prince' that would save me from the highest tower which usually meant my crush in second grade.You see... this is what my childhood was like... creating my own stories that would take me to another place. I know it sounds kinda childish- well that's because it was. 

We were all once kids with imaginations... life seemed like a better place. For some reason we were able to be happy in the worst of situations. And it was because every time a fire breathing dragon came our way... we were able to fight it off with our super strength power, we got from drinking a potion we stole from the local evil scientist. What happened to our imagination? Did we grow too old for silly stories? Life would be a whole lot easier if we were to look at life in a child's perspective. The whole reason why I want to continue being an illustrator for children's books, is too bring life to stories and give children that imagination world I once had as a child. I want them to enjoy a world full of endless joy. And I believe just one simple illustration could make a child's day... and since this is a Thanksgiving post...I would like to thank my little brother- Iggy, for reminding me each and everyday to live life easy and as a child would. Being happy with whatever God puts in your life! He's fearless to discover new things and is more than ready to add new adventures to his life. 

I love you Iggy!

Rainy Days

We've all had those times when we just felt as if we're alone in this great big world. Whether it was
because no one would listen or because no one cared... 

We try to figure out why things happen the way they do. We end up thinking it's all our fault and we are the problem. So what do we do? We become someone different. Someone we're not. For a moment the world seems to love us again and we think we're happy... but are we really?  Is this what we really wanted? ....no it's not and never will be. Truth is, we weren't meant for this world. But God put us here for a reason and maybe that reason was to change the world- not become it. The world gives us rain clouds that discourages our dreams and tells us we weren't meant to become the very best. There's only a handful of people that will see the true beauty in us. Not everyone was meant to recognize it, but it's up to us to follow who we were designed to be. Will you follow the crowd or stand out and bring forth color to the world? In the midst of trial... what will you do? Will you let the rain wash away your dreams? Stay true to who you are and never change for someone else. You were meant to shine, don't let the world tell you otherwise.

"Rain clouds aren't there to make us grey, they're there to make us a little brighter."

                                                                                                         ~Hunter Rose

Inspiration, Motivation, Advice?

Here's another request I got from a few people... What inspires me to do my art?
A lot of things inspire me. So much I could say everything. :-) But the one thing that inspires me most is life itself. I have my own little things that motivate me, like I want to bring happiness to the world through my art or that it just makes me happy and I know that's where God is calling me to be.
I always think, what's a life without color? Just imagine a world without art -I think I would die! The thing is, art is everywhere. You can't run away from it, no matter how far you run and that's what I love most about it- it will always be there even when other people can't see it.

Now that's basically what inspires me now you gotta find out what inspires you. Everyone's different, it's like trying to discover who you are. :-)

Here's some common problems people tell me they have,
Either they can't draw because they just have no idea what to draw or they can draw but they get stuck and never end up finishing it.

Here's some advice on how to get rid of that obnoxious wall...
1.) There is no such thing as, 'There's nothing to draw.' - You have the whole universe you can draw, it's just a matter of starting with something small.
2.) When you get stuck, put your unfinished drawing in a folder and ground yourself from it for a whole week, don't even peek at it. Once the week has passed, dig up that folder and take a look at your drawing. I guarantee you will discover the missing link to finishing your drawing.


One last thing... always, always discover new ways to create art. Never stick to one thing, because how would you ever know what you're good at? It's like using Crayola crayons all your life and being too afraid to pick up a paint brush! -Yikes!

And speaking of trying new things here's a little story I hope motivates you the next time your unsure to try new things...

About a year ago I had to paint a canvas 27 x 38. I never painted on canvas in my life before and I was commissioned to paint a forest. In my head I had no idea how I was going to paint this forest. So I had to do my research and look at different paintings of forests.
My first attempt wasn't working to well so I had to start all over. My second attempt I got the wrong color - by this point it was around 11 pm at night and it was due the next morning. I was determined to get it done, so I did a little more research and I came across some paintings these amazing artist did. Each and everyone of them had their own way of doing it. I watched them do it and although I never tried doing this technique in my life, I decided to take a risk and go for it. I didn't care that only the 'professional' artists did this technique, all I did was say to myself, 'I can paint that!' So I went back to my canvas and at this moment it was my third attempt and

as I started to paint I had no worries... I felt like I was in heaven! No kidding, it was amazing. Everything around me seemed to disappear and it was only me and that canvas. I was seriously glued! And before you knew it, I finished it! It was 3am in the morning! Believe it or not but I wish that feeling of a bit of heaven hadn't ended there. I looked at the master piece and my breath was taken away. I stood there for about 15 minutes just staring at it. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was! I knew I hadn't done it alone! It had to be God Himself. It now hangs on my bedroom wall waiting to find it's home. Every morning I wake up and see that painting and just stare at it, even though I'm the one who painted it I still wonder what it means.

Now it's your turn! Happy drawing! ;-)

What medium do I use for my Art???

A few people have asked me what medium I use or what type of tools I use to create my artwork. So here's the insider!

For most of my art I end up using three different mediums; pencil, ink, and color-whether it be paint, markers or colored pencils.

But I always do a sketch so I know what i'm drawing and how I want it to look like. For sketching you don't need any special pencil- just a regular number 2 pencil- how easy is that?!

And after the sketching sometimes (okay most times) I like to out line my sketch with a black pen. This took experience, due to the fact that you have to watch out which pens you use. Some inks don't mix well with water color or markers- but if your using colored pencils, any pens should be fine. But if you're not, you will get a big muddy mess! Yikes!

The pens I use are called Copic inking pens. These work really well when it comes to using markers or any water based media. You can get them at any Hobby Lobby or Michael's craft store. This pack I got is around $15. It has 4 different size nibs which makes it easy if you want your out line thick or thin. (after I outline in pen I take an eraser and erase all the pencil sketching so that it wont mix in with my colors.)


Now lately I've been using Copic Sketch markers. Which are really really expensive markers not everyone can afford- I was lucky enough to get a hold of them. They are two sided alcohol based markers with a fine tip nib and a super brush. They come in over 300 colors. What makes these markers different from regular markers you'd get at Walmart, is that they are blending markers, meaning that you can work with them and blend the colors together. The way I think of them is that they are like watercolor paint inside a marker. I highly recommend these markers only if you have the money. The only problem is since they are blending markers, your going to have to get a whole set in order for it to work (different shades of colors plus the colorless blender marker for it to blend well.)

Since not everyone can get a hold of Copic Sketch markers I suggest you start off small and work your way up. I started off with water color paint and then acrylic paint. I believe these are the most fun to work with. Not only are they the cheapest but they are the easiest to create  new colors with. Markers can't create a new color by mixing colors together. Now when your using acrylic, you don't need to go over your sketch with ink due to the fact the paint is too thick for you to be able to see what's underneath it. (when using watercolor it's okay to outline with ink.)

Another easy and cheap medium is colored pencils! I absolutely love them! You can take them anywhere with you. I only have one little problem with colored pencils. When using them, you can never make your artwork a bold color.  It always looks like it has a washed out effect- but some people have different opinions so go with whatever pleases you. :-)

I don't advice using crayons... I know that's what you were trained to use in kindergarten but let's just face it... Crayola crayons... they aren't that pretty on paper... speaking of paper... when using these mediums there are certain types of paper you have to use. So make sure you use the right ones!

Well that's it! Happy drawing! ;-)




Here's a list of the media I used for the artwork I have for sale;

*Little Red Riding Hood - #2 pencil, copic inking pens, copic sketch markers, black colored pencils

*Under the Sea - #2 pencil, copic inking pens, copic sketch markers, glitter gel pens(from Walmart)

*Standing Still - #2 pencil, 8B pencil, 6B pencil

*Serenity - #2 pencil, copic inking pens, copic sketch markers, glitter gel pens

*Misty Forest - acrylic and water color paint


If you have any questions please post in the comments! Thank you!

Your Day Is Just A Painting...

We all have our so called bad days when we just know that we woke up on the wrong side of the bed. All we want to do is either go back to sleep or wish the day could start over. Whether it was because you just couldn't make your hair stay the way you wanted or because your little brother finished off the rest of the cereal before you got down stairs. We can all agree we don't always end up having a good day but what I realized, is that even though my day starts off bad, I still have to finish it and it's just like an unfinished painting... It may look bad at first but how do you know that in the end it wont be beautiful? One of my mottos, "Never ever give up on an unfinished drawing because you will never know the end results." I take this and not only do I use it when I'm doing my art-  I use it every time I think my day has turned out bad. We can't be to quick to judge our day, who knows what God has in store for you.
So the next time your hair doesn't look it's best, throw on a cute hat. And when your brother eats all the cereal before you go down stairs?- Grab an apple and start munching. It's funny how these little simple things determine how our days turn out to be, in reality... your day is just a painting waiting to become a master piece. - Live life to the fullest, be happy, and smile. ;-)

Who's the Big Bad Wolf?

We never know what could be lurking right behind us, that would stop us from completing our journey.  It could be anyone at anytime. It even could be the people we trust most. The people we least expected.  We can't see them coming because they are in disguised as something good, but little do we know underneath their disguise is indeed a wolf.
But have we really looked to see who that wolf might be? It's you. We often beat ourselves up saying things like, 'I'm not beautiful enough.' or  'I will never be smart.' We are indeed the 'bad guy.'
Every time we push ourselves down with insults we get nowhere into finishing our journey. We get stuck thinking we can no longer complete it because we are not good enough, but in reality we can... we are better than we think we are. We need to stop comparing ourselves with everyone else, because we were all made differently. We aren't supposed to be the same as everyone. Each of us is walking down a road with different purposes but each and every individual person is important. Everyone has something great to accomplish, everyone has a beautiful plan set before them- sure there will be rocks in the road but that shouldn't be a problem if you know how beautiful you are, how much you're loved, how much you're worth, how much you could change someone's life with just a smile.