Friday, September 22, 2017

Celebrate The Small Things - September 22, 2017

 


This week I finished laying out 211 pages of fairly detailed thumbnails for my graphic novel. I am so glad to be done with that! The last seven pages were tough. It was like being in the desert and seeing a mirage. You crawl toward it, but it seems to get farther away.

I scanned all the pages in and thought, now what? I debated whether or not to draw the final roughs digitally or by hand. Drawing digitally is so painstaking, but if I can master it, it would make the process faster. I don't think I'll get used to it anytime this year, so I've decided to hand-draw the whole book. I'll color it and maybe do the lettering and word bubbles digitally. All of the people who make comics that I admire draw their comics traditionally with ink and paper, so I don't feel as bad about not going completely digital.

The art store that I frequent just ended their big sale a couple of weeks ago. Just my luck. That always happens to me. During the sale, I don't need anything, but as soon as it ends, I need something.

I went to Blick Art Supply this morning because they had a buy-one-get-one free sale on their Strathmore drawing pads. I had to rush because the only parking spot I could find was a 15 min. metered one. I like to browse art stores, but this got me to hurry up. When I got there, the sale didn't apply to the particular paper I needed. Bubble burst. They didn't have half of the other stuff I needed. It was just as well because I had to get back to my car.

Since Michael's was nearby, I went there and found almost all of the stuff I needed. They even had a BOGO deal on canvases which I had to get anyway since my cousin wants me to paint vintage style Hawaiian paintings for her house.

I had to buy the Winsor & Newton Series 7 size 2 brush on Amazon which was actually cheaper than if Blick actually had the items in stock.

Overall, even though it seemed like I had bad luck, it actually was pretty good. The 15 min. parking got me to hurry up so I was able to pick my kids up from school on time. It was a minimum day for them, so if I had stayed any longer, I might've been late. I did save money in the end.

I started reading Recipe by Lucy Knisley. It's about her life growing up with parents who cook gourmet food. Her parents and their friends consist of chefs, caterers, and food critics. When she was in preschool and had a birthday, instead of the standard cupcakes that kids bring, her mom brought a blowtorch and made crème brûlée. How lucky is that? She drew out recipes in this book of some of the things she ate. It makes you hungry.

Here's a quick sketch I did of my kids at a Japanese restaurant:



Have a good weekend!
Check out the blogs below for your reading pleasure and please visit our hosts' blogs:
Lexa Cain: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
L.G. Keltner http://lgkeltner.blogspot.co.uk/
Tonja Drecker http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/
1.Lexa Cain2.Fiction and Film
3.Writing Off the Edge4.Kidbits
5.TheCyborgMom6.Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
7.Intentional Insights with S. Kelley Harrell8.Constantine
9.My Miracle Life10.Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams
11.Lara Lacombe12.TF Walsh
13.Life, Yoga and Other Adventures14.Suzanne Furness
15.Elizabeth Seckman16.Avalon
17.My Baffling Brain18.Planet Kimberly
19.Shah Wharton20.Victorian Scribbles
21.Tanya Miranda22.Ann - A Friend of Jesus 2013
23.Special Teaching At Pempi's Palace24.Square Pegs
25.Patricia's Place26.Anne Higa
27.My Antimatter Life28.Bouquet of Books
29.Lightravellerkate30.Curious As A Cathy
31.Glennie's Random Ramblings32.In My Own Words
33.Tamara Narayan, Author34.My Creatively Random Life
35.Yvonne Ventresca36.On Becoming a Writer
37.Decadent Kane38.Stacy Uncorked
39.Sharon Himsl--Shells, Tales & Sails40.Cloud Nine Girl
41.Our Simple Life42.Our Prime Years
43.Allison Bruning

Friday, September 15, 2017

Celebrate The Small Things - September 15, 2017

 

This week I'm celebrating a printer that actually works! My mom gave us her old printer that she wasn't sure even worked. I bought cartridges for it, but it wasn't printing color. After about an hour of failed attempts, I was able to find a print driver online that worked. I printed out something for my son's project and was amazed that it actually printed out in color! Technology is great when it works. I was proud of myself for that one.







I tried the one-meal-a-day diet this week that mainly consisted of vegetables. It lasted three days, but I'm calling it a week. On the fourth day, I added Jalapeño sauce to my veggies. A couple of hours later, I had a stomach ache and it wasn't hunger pangs. I think it was the hot sauce burning my stomach. I ended up eating a salmon burger. My stomach ache went away and so did that diet. I did lose a pound or two of weight and my belt went down to the last notch, so that's what I'm celebrating.




This week I learned to use a Japanese/Chinese ink stone and ink stick. My uncle was cleaning his house and wanted to get rid of them, so he gave them to me. I tried using them before, but the ink was watered down. I thought it was defective or cheap. Good ol' YouTube taught me how to grind the ink stick properly. Yay! It's tedious and I didn't get any good drawings out of it, but that's beside the point. I discovered that all of my Chinese brushes are crappy except for one which is decent. I'm going to have to give it another go after I'm done with my graphic novel layouts.

I spilled some of the dirty ink water on my desk which almost ruined a day's work of drawings for my graphic novel. Geez! That was stupid! It was against my better judgment to test out the ink on the same desk I use to draw my GN, but I did it anyway because I was too lazy to move. Laziness does not pay.

This week I listened to some of NPR's "I Built This" podcasts. Those are great! They interview very successful people about how they became billionaires. It's inspiring! I highly recommend listening to those. They are free from the iTunes store. I put some on my husband's phone so he could listen to them on the way to work this morning. He doesn't like extra stuff on his phone and resists the podcasts I suggest, but he called me before he got to work very excited about what he heard. It lit a fire under him and now he has great plans for projects.

My youngest son tested for green belt in Kyokushin Karate last night and did well. He didn't train for a year because of a broken foot, so this test was long overdue for him.

My mother came over today, brought food, washed my dishes, and told me some good stories about the things that happened with some terrible neighbors we had when I was a kid. I really should write about those neighbors some day. They are responsible for tormenting, ruining, and ending lives of several people in our neighborhood. I'm not sure how to approach the subject, though. Maybe in fictional comic book form without naming names.

Here's a drawing to leave you with that I drew in my sketchbook:


I hope you had a good, productive week.

Have a good weekend!
Check out the blogs below for your reading pleasure and please visit our hosts' blogs:
Lexa Cain: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
L.G. Keltner http://lgkeltner.blogspot.co.uk/
Tonja Drecker http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/
 
Lexa has been sick and hasn't been online since June! I'm very worried about her and hope she makes a full recovery. Please send prayers or good thoughts/vibes her way.
 
1.Lexa Cain2.Fiction and Film
3.Writing Off the Edge4.Kidbits
5.TheCyborgMom6.Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
7.Intentional Insights with S. Kelley Harrell8.Constantine
9.My Miracle Life10.Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams
11.Lara Lacombe12.TF Walsh
13.Life, Yoga and Other Adventures14.Suzanne Furness
15.Elizabeth Seckman16.Avalon
17.My Baffling Brain18.Planet Kimberly
19.Shah Wharton20.Victorian Scribbles
21.Tanya Miranda22.Ann - A Friend of Jesus 2013
23.Special Teaching At Pempi's Palace24.Square Pegs
25.Patricia's Place26.Anne Higa
27.My Antimatter Life28.Bouquet of Books
29.Lightravellerkate30.Curious As A Cathy
31.Glennie's Random Ramblings32.In My Own Words
33.Tamara Narayan, Author34.My Creatively Random Life
35.Yvonne Ventresca36.On Becoming a Writer
37.Decadent Kane38.Stacy Uncorked
39.Sharon Himsl--Shells, Tales & Sails40.Cloud Nine Girl
41.Our Simple Life42.Our Prime Years
43.Allison Bruning

Friday, September 8, 2017

Celebrate The Small Things - September 8, 2017

 


My son who hates reading chapter books finally likes the book I chose for him to read for his reading log! Yay! Every so often I would ask him, "Do you like the book so far?" His answer would be, "No. It's boring." At the end of chapter 8, I asked the question again. To my surprise, he said, "Yeah. It's pretty good." What, what, what? Hallelujah! He actually likes Ender's Game! I didn't realize there were a few bad words in it, but at this point I don't care. It's not like he doesn't hear those words out and about. Especially at school, I'm sure.

He came to the realization yesterday that Ender's kind sister, Valentine, reflects the good part of Ender. His evil brother, Peter, is the bad part of Ender. They reflect both sides of Ender's personality. Wow, I was blown away when he said that. I didn't even figure that out myself.

My son has not been doing well in school, but I've been helping him with his homework religiously now and found that he's pretty darn smart. He figured out a couple of math problems yesterday that I couldn't wrap my head around.

My crazy dog, Bumi, is pulling on his leash a lot less on our walks this week which is a small triumph on my part. Usually, he just wants to go after every dog he sees on the sidewalk or hears behind a gate. If people get too close, he gets aggressive. He gets my other dog, Korra, riled up then she starts barking. I don't have the time or money to take him to obedience school. What I've been doing is running with them past houses with dogs. If he starts to dash after them, I tell him, "Let's go!" and we keep running. Maybe it's like running with a pack and he feels like he has to stay with us. Whatever it is, it's working.

There was a guy working on the street lights next to the sidewalk. I thought, Oh crap, I hope he doesn't try to bite this guy. I pulled the leash short and ran the dogs past him. There wasn't much of a struggle which was great.

My husband was burnt out from work last week, so for Labor Day weekend we only went out once to eat and stayed home for the rest of the 3-day weekend. It was great. I didn't have to wear makeup or change into nicer clothes. I got to work on my graphic novel and read. We didn't go to the gym either, so the kids were happy, too. They got more video game time which is what they live for.

I saw Michael Rashid's video about how he eats only once a day. He's a bodybuilder who used to be vegetarian. The dude is massive. He talks about how eating too much taxes the body. It works hard to constantly digest food that end up building toxins in your stomach that make you sick. Interesting theory. He eats baked vegetables, sometimes with salmon and turkey bacon. He drinks a protein drink with bananas and coconut milk, but not every day.

I want to try his baked veggie recipe. That day I had two servings of lettuce with carrots for lunch. I was starving at dinner. He is probably four times my size, so I don't know how he does it. Mind you he eats a lot more veggies than that, but still, it's not a lot. My older son said, "He said the first four days are hard." That's good to know. I'm hoping to buy the veggies this weekend so I can try it out. My husband is skeptical. Michael Rashid said this diet clears your mind. I've heard that people who fast think clearly, too. Interesting. Here's hoping I make it past day one. Ha ha!
We watched Dr. Steven Greer's new movie documentary called Unacknowledged. Wow. He talked about how there are plants at all the major TV networks that are paid by the richest people in the world to steer the public thought. There are a lot of things to ponder on. It made me think about Donald Trump and that maybe he's not such a bad guy after all. We're being duped. We are the sheeple. Russia, North Korea, and China may not be our enemies... Hmm.

Anyway, I don't want to talk politics here. Let's get back to writing! Drawing! Creating!

Here's a thumbnail of a character I want to use for my comics. It's based off of how I looked as a kid, with short crooked bangs and a gap between my teeth. I drew it super quick this week on paper that is probably as old as I am.




Have a good weekend!
Check out the blogs below for your reading pleasure and please visit our hosts' blogs:
Lexa Cain: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
L.G. Keltner http://lgkeltner.blogspot.co.uk/
Tonja Drecker http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/
1.Lexa Cain2.Fiction and Film
3.Writing Off the Edge4.Kidbits
5.TheCyborgMom6.Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
7.Intentional Insights with S. Kelley Harrell8.Constantine
9.My Miracle Life10.Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams
11.Lara Lacombe12.TF Walsh
13.Life, Yoga and Other Adventures14.Suzanne Furness
15.Elizabeth Seckman16.Avalon
17.My Baffling Brain18.Planet Kimberly
19.Shah Wharton20.Victorian Scribbles
21.Tanya Miranda22.Ann - A Friend of Jesus 2013
23.Special Teaching At Pempi's Palace24.Square Pegs
25.Patricia's Place26.Anne Higa
27.My Antimatter Life28.Bouquet of Books
29.Lightravellerkate30.Curious As A Cathy
31.Glennie's Random Ramblings32.In My Own Words
33.Tamara Narayan, Author34.My Creatively Random Life
35.Yvonne Ventresca36.On Becoming a Writer
37.Decadent Kane38.Stacy Uncorked
39.Sharon Himsl--Shells, Tales & Sails40.Cloud Nine Girl
41.Our Simple Life42.Our Prime Years
43.Allison Bruning

Friday, September 1, 2017

Celebrate The Small Things - September 1, 2017

 

Wow, I didn't realize it was September already! And Labor Day weekend! What?! August went by so fast that I don't even remember what I did most of the month. With our 104 degree weather, I couldn't tell that Fall was getting closer except that our tree's leaves are turning brown and falling. Oh and that it's starting to get darker sooner.

When we left the dojo last night at 8:00pm, my son was surprised that it was dark yet it was 100 degrees out. I like wearing shorts, but I'm done with this heat. Come on, Autumn!

I took my dogs out for a walk yesterday and the only time it rains the whole week is when we're out. Of course I had no umbrella because there was no rain in the forecast. It stopped raining when we got home. Sweat and rain was dripping into my eyes as I was wiping my dogs down. Beautiful.

But what can I celebrate this week?

Well, yesterday I bumped into my estranged cousin from Hawaii that I haven't seen in years. Her nephew goes to school with my kids so she was picking him up from school. We exchanged hugs and had a nice chat. On my part, it was nice seeing her again.

I miss my old Zumba instructor, Iris. She had the best music and I had been looking for those songs for years. This week, I found them on YouTube! I was so excited! Of course I added them to my at-home Zumba workout today. One is called Chillando Goma by Fulanito. How can you not shake your booty to this? Another one is Ey Macalena by Samba Do Brasil. *Sigh* This makes me miss my old friends from Brazil that I had when I was living in France.

Another thing I am celebrating is Sarah Glidden's graphic novel How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. I was looking for graphic novels to check out from the library and only checked this one out because I heard Sarah Glidden being interviewed on a podcast. I've heard her name tossed around the comics world so I wanted to find out what her books were like. I just started it, but wow, this book is dropping knowledge on me left and right. I like it! No wonder people like her stuff.

I had a bad drawing week, but here's a little doggie to leave you with. I drew this a few months ago while I was practicing drawing dogs.



I hope you had a good week!
Check out the blogs below for your reading pleasure and please visit our hosts' blogs:
Lexa Cain: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
L.G. Keltner http://lgkeltner.blogspot.co.uk/
Tonja Drecker http://tonjadrecker.blogspot.com/
1.Lexa Cain2.Fiction and Film
3.Writing Off the Edge4.Kidbits
5.TheCyborgMom6.Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
7.Intentional Insights with S. Kelley Harrell8.Constantine
9.My Miracle Life10.Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams
11.Lara Lacombe12.TF Walsh
13.Life, Yoga and Other Adventures14.Suzanne Furness
15.Elizabeth Seckman16.Avalon
17.My Baffling Brain18.Planet Kimberly
19.Shah Wharton20.Victorian Scribbles
21.Tanya Miranda22.Ann - A Friend of Jesus 2013
23.Special Teaching At Pempi's Palace24.Square Pegs
25.Patricia's Place26.Anne Higa
27.My Antimatter Life28.Bouquet of Books
29.Lightravellerkate30.Curious As A Cathy
31.Glennie's Random Ramblings32.In My Own Words
33.Tamara Narayan, Author34.My Creatively Random Life
35.Yvonne Ventresca36.On Becoming a Writer
37.Decadent Kane38.Stacy Uncorked
39.Sharon Himsl--Shells, Tales & Sails40.Cloud Nine Girl
41.Our Simple Life42.Our Prime Years
43.Allison Bruning