Comfort

When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

-Psalm 94:18-19

Psalm 94 is full of comforting verses; line after line of encouragement. These two verses specifically have been a blessing and have helped me.

Last Month

As I said I would post some drawings from last month and one from before that, here is what I got. Next month I will get around to posting pictures from this month...

I've kinda been waiting for color on this guy-Shaun White as the Vancouver Olympics guy. That was February.

This one above is the drawing for my spring break, which consisted of fun times with the bros and friends and many crazy games of ball tag.

And this guy...your guess is as good as mine...I drew him in my math book. Picking that heavy book up was kind of a pain.

Those drawings pretty much some up last month, fun times followed by a ton of catch up school work.

As I said a little earlier, and this is a little of a disappointment for those of who check my blog somewhat regularly, all two of you, I have kind of been waiting to draw/post until I have figured out how to use Photoshop and can color my drawings. I kinda' need someone to teach me how to use it. I believe it is time to get out of the old days of black and white and move into the new age, the color age, similar to the 1860s. It is too bad it has taken me this long to get the idea...color is the way of the future.

You know, this whole Photoshop usage stuff reminds me of a story:

Once upon a time in the middle ages (somewhat like the days before the 1860s), there was a young boy named Bart. Bart lived in a small village with his family, and like most homesteads in the middle ages, his house was made of sticks and straw just like all the other houses in the village (note: his house was not made from pig one and two). Bart loved weapons, remember that now.

One day his grandfather came for a visit, bringing along many wagons that had tarps draping over their contents. After Bart and his father helped his grandfather get the wagons in, his grandfather gave his grandson a present. It was the latest catalog from the Med-Evil Times that was trying to sell the latest in good attributes and big time weaponry. "You may choose one to be your own, but," his grandfather told Bart, "you must make the choice wisely."

"Wow," Bart answered, "One of my own!" After one quick glance at the first page, he made up his mind, "That one," he said.

"That one?" his grandfather said lifting his brow, "you don't take your time deciding, do you?"

The "one" was a randomly combusting bow and arrow combo. "You don't even know how to use it," his grandfather continued as he flipped to a page on good attributes.

"No," he replied, not look at the catalog any longer.

His grandfather looked into his eyes, "Perhaps before you purchase that one, you first learn how to use it. There is nothing more important than knowledge and wisdom."

"Yeah sure gramps," Bart said, "get the arrow man."

"You sure you don't want knowledge to learn how to use it?"

"Grandfather, you said whichever one I chose..."

With that his grandfather reached under the tarp and pulled out the arrow that would light itself on fire. Bart's grandfather handed him the weapon. The boy could hardly believe this was happening, it was the first real weapon he was going to be allowed to hold. Bart snatched the bow and the arrow, slit the arrow on the bow, and launched it into the air. As the arrow traveled it caught itself on fire and landed right on top of his own home. The sticks and straw didn't hold up too well against the flame from the arrow. As Bart watched his home be destroyed, the bow randomly combusted and burned his hands. By the time Bart looked up from his own troubles, he saw half the town was burning down. The boy turned to his grandpa who he thought was standing right next to him, but he was uncovering the wagons, revealing that all the many wagons were filled with jugs of water. Bart's family and friends were saved by the grandfather's Y2K scare size amount of water which he brought in the wagons.

"If I had asked for something else this never would have happened!" He exclaimed and his grandfather looked pleased, "I knew I should have asked for the spike ball and chain from the catalog!"

"Perhaps instead if you would have asked for knowledge," his grandfather answered, "none of this would have happened."

"Oh yeah," Bart answered, "I wish I had some now."

His grandfather took him by the hand to the last wagon, "You're gaining wisdom my grandson, now gain some knowledge." He reached down into the wagon and pulled out the Med-Evil Bow and Arrow Manuel. "You can still like weapons," he continued, "you just have to know how to use them."

Ya, so that is exactly like what Photoshop is like. Since I don't want to run into something I don't know how to do and burn up the town, I am waiting to post until I have knowledge about Photoshop. So that is why I haven't been posting as often.

Exceptions

Here fellows is the most masterful piece of art you have ever seen...and it can take the place of last month's complete lack of art. April Fools! Well, at least to the first half. If you opened your eyes today, or didn't and just saw the back of your eyelids, you saw the greatest art of all-God's art. No April fools joke in that.

Well another not April fools joke was yesterday in Spanish class. Apparently each of us were supposed to bring photos of ourselves as kids to class. In my exceptional Spanish to English translation skills I heard that it was due on a Wednesday, apparently I must have paraphrased and got my weeks mixed up. Yeah my skills are "exceptional." Anyway, I did realize once I sat down that something was awry...or at least once I saw everyone in class had pictures of themselves as kids. "That was today?" I asked myself, wondering how I had messed that up. Just then I remembered that my teacher said that if we didn't bring a photo, the only exception was we would have to draw a picture of ourselves. Still confused about my language skills, I debated how I was going to draw myself. Thankfully the guy who sits behind me also had exceptional translating abilities and gave me a great idea. "Yeah, I'm just going to draw a stick figure or something," he said. Later when the teacher came by and asked in Spanish if I had a picture, I translated this one a little better and said, "Un dibujo." I grabbed a piece of paper while the people I was supposed to talk with about the photos looked on and with my exceptional three second drawing skills. "Add some hair," said one of the people, "and some teeth." We were supposed to have other people in some of the photos were were supposed to bring. So, I drew my brother, or my cousin...or my uncle? Stick figures don't have exceptionally outstanding features.

And that is the true story of the "exceptional" art above. April Fools! Ok, most of it was true. Obviously my skills are a joke, but I don't get to say April Fools very often. It is such a great holiday when you think about it. A whole day devoted to pulling pranks on each other. Man! I wish April came around more often. April Fools! I wish summer came around more often, and that isn't a joke.

Hopefully I will be posting some old drawings that were forgotten about from the end of February and all of March. There were not very many exciting things that happened last month. April Fools! ...Guess you will have to wait and see...or hear...or read...

Many random things, enjoy

I have noticed that recently I haven't had any good long rants recently about stuff I barely know anything about. So, I thought I would draw your attention to my renaissance post which I just so happened to remember over the weekend. I call that one the renaissance drawing because that is when I totally tried to just copy Shane Lewis and abuse his talents, I mean use his talents to make them my own style. Or at least watch what he does and learn from his knowledge.

It is interesting how much copying someone helps improve one's style. I remember I would hide my drawings from my younger siblings so they wouldn't steal all my brilliant ideas. Now I just tell them to look at Shane's blog. I show them my stuff now, but only because they don't want to copy me anymore...now that they can look at his blog. If there wasn't some real pride issues going on in my heart before, I'm sure that they are there now. Lol (which really means: looks of laughter).

I have been thinking about putting labels on my blog. That way you can see just how many times Superman and my characters from Farm City have shown up. Tagging my pre-renaissance ignorance, and my post-enlightenment era (after saw Daniel Torres' and Shane Lewis' blogs) art.

Hey, it turns out I did get a nice long post after all! Oh yeah, there is an "at" missing in the third box-second word bubble in the comic strip.

Don't "hide" the love.

-That joke is spot on if I don't say so my self. Wow, there are a lot of terrible Valentines Day puns that could follow this drawing, especially since I drew cheetahs. Haha, oh man, it is sad that I didn't think of that until after I started drawing it...

I was working on drawings for the Love Lion, but Shane beat me to it. So I had to think of other jungle cat love puns to draw.

Yes, that little zebra is a baby one. I guess the adult zebras got away. Its mama will probably be crying for months, but she will get over it, maybe. Happy Valentines day.

The Cast

I realized that I haven't really had any drawings that have all the main characters in them and their personalities. With the exception of Moody (the cow) this is pretty much what they are like. From left to right, Jake, Ralph, Fleas, Moody, Giblets, and Jazz.

I drew this while watching the Super Bowl, so that is why they are so vague about who they are voting for. Haha, what? They know how to do it... haha. Which is absolutely nothing like how was I was yesterday...while watching the game... I was voting for the Saints the whole time.

Since I have been working on this comic, I have seen a little bit of myself in each character-"For better or for worse," I guess, (which is a different comic strip altogether). Which is maybe why I drew them a little vague about the teams, I mean enthusiastic about the Saints' win! Yay! Haha...

Wow, two posts in one week! I'm on fire!

100

Little kids are great. I love them. Though it may surprise a few of you, but I even

used to be one! I didn't really have any art skill back then, well, not that I have any now, but I do now know some little kids who astound me with their talents. I have been a beneficiary of these kids' works, and I love what I have received.

This one above was given me by Natalie Turbedsky...she assured me this was a horse. I know you wanted color Daniel, what do you think of that? ((There is a glitch with my blog so I can't get these words to become un-underlined.))

"Or a football playing king in space."-Spongebob. Well, close...I guess it is a football playing pirate in space. He's in space, I presume, with the blue sky and red ground. It also looks like his sword has cut through the ground, but his other hand most certainly has a football in it. Good thing I got this one on here before the Super bowl.

This one was drawn by my good buddy, John Fisher. John is faithful in that on a weekly basis he reminds me that he is the dread pirate, Davey Jones. I remember when I used to pretend to be characters from movies, aka doppelganger week.

Thanks Natalie and Davey Jones for your amazing art work!!

Well, pretty soon one of you will have to come over and show me how to operate Adobe Photoshop, because it is on the way. Once I learn how to use it, it won't just be other people's drawings that are in color on this blog... It has only taken me two years and three months!

Post #: 100.