Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!

This is it, the final day of the year, and the door opens on the final year of the decade! Holy smokes, where does the time go?!?!?

Hope you all have a happy and prosperous 2019! Let's make this brand-spanking-new year the best it can possibly be! Tally-ho!

Merry Christmas!

And so another Christmas has gone, every bit as quickly as it had come. You probably heard this a million times by now, mates, but I hope it was a good one for you.

It was definitely nice for me. Simple, but nice.

Same time next year?

Christmas Art

Another Christmas has (almost) arrived! Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating last Christmas; 2018 has really flown, man.

One of my special holiday traditions (besides watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I have done this very evening, and listening to "100 Hours of Christmas" and eating a truckload of chocolate candy) is participating in online "Secret Santa" events. Since I love art, and I have lots of time and very little money on my hands (work hasn't really improved, I regret to say), this is perfect for me.

Luckily, in these events, no one cares how well you can (or can't) draw. The only rule is that you have to spend honest time and care on it, and of course, try to finish it as soon as possible. After all, if you expect someone to give you something, it's only fair you give something in exchange. And I know what it's like to not have someone else keep their end of the bargain; the worst part is when they don't bother to give you an explanation or an apology. It's like they disappear into thin air.

Well, I finished my last entry tonight, and I think they all turned out great, if I do say so myself!

Merry Christmas (Eve), mates!

 (This was a bonus for someone who didn't get their gift last year.)

(This was also a bonus piece, and due to time constraints, I decided to speed it up by drawing and coloring by hand, though I still took time to polish the whole thing digitally. Incidentally, the person wanted mixed media anyhow!)

P.S. Just for the record, this is what I have received in exchange; I love seeing my characters in other artists' unique styles!

End of November and NaNoWriMo

Another NaNoWriMo tucked under my belt! That was a lot of fun, and a lot of work.

Will I do this again in 2019? You bet, and I'm going to do the next year, and the next, and quite possibly the next! As of now, I think it's safe to say that I shall be a NaNo participant for as long as humanly possible.

After all, there's no age limit whatsoever, and anything that helps you refine your craft can't steer you wrong.

In other news: Fare thee well, November of 2018, and welcome, December of 2018! Only one month left in the year...ho-o-o-oly nutcrackers, Batman!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hard to believe another Thanksgiving has already come and gone. It seems that holidays take forever to get here, and then just like that, they're over. Well, they are good while they last, and who says family, friends, good food, nice gifts, giving thanks, and overall love should be limited to just a few days in the year?

My Thanksgiving this year was pretty low-key, but I kind of prefer it that way. Fancy parties are nice, but it's also nice to take it easy at home, surrounded by family and good food. I got the day off from work (my hours have been bumped up this week, so things are starting to look up for me...I hope), and my older sister did join us for dessert, bringing some of her kids with her; my niece is spending the night with us. (Lizzie is always looking for an opportunity for a sleepover.)

We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on my laptop, and of course I helped Mom out with the preparations for dinner. I'm usually in charge of cutting the vegetables, and yesterday, I took part in cutting the grapes for our famous cranberry salad; Mom had bought grapes with seeds by mistake, so I spent at least an hour cutting the grapes and gently scraping out the seeds, one grape half at a time. It was actually kind of relaxing (and oddly fun, like that gross fascination you get from picking a scab or popping a pimple or pulling a blackhead), and I played music on my phone for entertainment, although I had to give my hands a good wash afterwards.

Fun fact: I only learned to like my family's cranberry salad when I was a teenager. As a little kid, the fluffy pink stuff didn't appeal to me at all, but when I finally tried it, I realized it wasn't half-bad.

When the meal was ready, I was more than ready to tuck in. The food was excellent and I reached that perfect level of fullness. I even supplied the beverage; my work had a pre-Thanksgiving potluck, and one of my contributions was a liter of soda, but since nobody touched it, I decided to take it home.

We're not big fans of pumpkin pie; I tried it a few times but never developed a taste for it. So for Thanksgiving dessert, we usually have Jello or cake. This year, we decided: let them eat cake! I decorated it myself, and it tasted every bit as good as it looked.

The rest of the day was low-key. As I said, my sister and some of her kids joined us for the dessert, and we watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. For me, it's not Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas until I've seen the "Peanuts" special at least once.

That's about all I have to say for this blog. So, one last time for the road: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

NaNoWriMo 2018 - Mission Accomplished!

I did it!!!!

Okay, so my novel still needs a TON of work. All of my novels do, for that matter...but tonight, I won National Novel Writing Month for the fifth year in a row!

Book of Mormon Progress - 1 Nephi (9-17)

I've been reading about Nephi's troubles in the wilderness, from the breaking of his bow to his goal to build a ship (that's the part I'm on now), and the sheer grief he gets from his brothers through it all.

I always felt bad for Nephi due to how nasty Laman and Lemuel always were to him. It's easy to resent Laman and Lemuel to no end, but are we much different from them? Sure, we may not threaten our little brothers' lives on an almost daily basis (dark joke), but how are we when times get hard? 

How quick are we to complain and how slow to remember the Lord? 

I've actually been going through a rough patch myself lately. Work has been less than ideal, and I've been trying to find a new job with no luck thus far. Besides that, I've been feeling insecure about the fact that I'm 30 years old and don't have much to show for it. I'm not married, I have no kids, I'm not dating, I have a college degree but a load of college debt as well, I can't drive, I don't have anything published (or anything that's anywhere near ready to publish), I have very few friends (a couple of them have even cut ties with me recently), and I often wonder if anyone really notices or needs me, if I'm really good for anything. Even in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I feel like little more than excessive baggage. Of course, I have no cause to question the Church itself, but now and then I question the contribution I make.

On top of that, my dad is gone, my relationship with my siblings is less than ideal, and several good people I knew have died, like one of my Institute teachers, and my favorite high school teacher. And it's getting ever harder to maintain the Lord's standards in an ever-growing world of sin.

These days, I find myself fluctuating between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi. On one hand, I ask, "Why me? Why is this happening to me? When will it all end? When will things start looking up for me?"

And on the other hand, I ask Nephi's questions, "What can I learn from this? What will the Lord have me do?"

No doubt Nephi had his struggles despite his remarkable show of faith. Even Lehi's complaining indicates that he had his breaking point, too. Sometimes all we can do is be patient, even if being patient is easier said than done.

It's not a matter of whether the Lord will keep His promises and distribute our rightful rewards. It's all a matter of how well we will endure the wait.

Inktober 2018 - Day 31 - Happy Halloween!

I did it! I actually did it! Three art challenges in one month...I am awesome!!!!!

That sure was fun, but I'm a little glad that it's over. After today, I'm taking a small break from art, blowing off some steam.

So here you are, "Inktober" 31: Slice. Holy Great Pumpkin, Batman!

"Disney Inktober" 31: Halloween. Two of Disney's best-loved characters, perfect for this time of year. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I swear, you'll hear those songs in your head a week after you've seen the movie!

And last but not least, "Fantasytober" 31: Your Own Choice. A few familiar and friendly faces; some of my personal favorites!

One more thing to say, one last picture for the road, before I wrap it up:

Inktober 2018 - Day 30

Thirty entries down; one to go! Almost there! I'm thrilled and a bit sad at the same time.

"Inktober" 30: Jolt. Tallis may not always pay the best attention, but Romulus isn't above teasing his little brother on occasion. And Tallis is known to pull a prank or two on his big brother, so it evens out.

"Disney Inktober" 30: Villain. I was tempted to draw Frollo or Maleficent, or even the Horned King. But after watching "Night on Bald Mountain" with my family the other night (we indulged in a few Disney/Looney Tunes Halloween episodes), I had it!

Surprisingly, Chernabog didn't bother me that much when I was younger. I think it helped that he didn't appear on the screen for too long, and that they kept him silent, meaning there was no scary laugh or ominous voice. Now I find him (and the whole Fantasia segment) rather creepy, and thoroughly awesome at the same time. I think it's safe to say that he trumps all Disney villains because he really is evil incarnate. All the other bad guys are mere toys in his hands.

"Fantasytober" 30: Demon. That's two demons in one day. And I have to say, this one gives me the creeps; he almost looks like a scary clown, and we all know how to respond to scary clowns!

Inktober 2018 - Day 29

Twenty-nine entries down; two to go! Next to the last of the last!

On a side note, I got to work a double shift today. They kind of messed up the schedule, so one girl would have been left all alone in the deli until the closers showed up. So I worked twice as long as I expected, but this means I get paid twice as much, and the MIT (manager in training) was nice enough to buy me lunch. I didn't ask for much: three chicken tenders, half a pound of potato wedges, a Snickers almond bar, and a Dr. Pepper. That way, she didn't have to spend too much on me, and there's only so much I can chow down in 30 minutes anyway. Of course, I thanked her, and she thanked me for being so willing to stay and help out. Flexibility and dependability go a long way in any job!

Now then, "Inktober" 29: Double. I decided to draw Terence and Rhiella (for the first time in ages) with their twin daughters, Rema and Della (short for Remaliah and Delilah).

Although the twins are identical, it's quite easy to tell them apart. For one thing, they wear their hair differently; Rema's hair is almost always braided. For another, Rema is by far the boldest and most assertive of the two. This means she's the leader, and she has little trouble dragging her sister along, although Della learns to put her foot down and think for herself. Of course, Rema means no real harm and she matures as she gets older, but she'll always have a playful streak. While Rema is deeply attached to her mother, she's clearly "Daddy's girl." She shares a special bond with Terence of which Terence himself takes note, and of course he's there for Della in a heartbeat when she needs him.

The twins are the only ones among Terence's immediate children to inherit his blue eyes, but his eyes appear here and there in the generations that follow. Although Reid is a descendant of Terence's son Remus, his eyes match Terence's eyes impeccably.

As you can guess, twins run in the genes of Terence's family as well. I plan to give twin boys to Tracy (Reid's cousin and Romulus's daughter), Alexander and Andrew.

"Disney Inktober" 29: Thomas O'Malley. Abraham DeLacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley, the alley cat from The Aristocats. Easily my most favorite member of the entire movie: best design, best voice, best dialogue, best development.

"Fantasytober" 29: Sea Serpent. Simple, yet cute! I can really do cute when I want to. He'd likely be safe enough to ride, but you might want to bring a scuba tank with you.

Inktober 2018 - Day 28

Twenty-eight entries down; three to go! I'm as surprised as anybody that I'm still going strong after all this artwork. Then again, drawing the picture by hand is the easy part.

Okay, "Inktober" 28: Gift. Pretty simple. Pretty straightforward.

"Disney Inktober" 28: Horses. For this one, I chose Cyril Proudbottom from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. I really like how this turned out!

"Fantasytober" 28: Hippogriff. After drawing several intimidating and vicious creatures, I decided it was time for something more adorable.