Tree House

Well it's not very detailed, but hey. When I think of a tree house, I think of Swiss Family Robinson. Now THAT is a tree house. I always liked touring the full scale one at Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Mug

I didn't know what to draw so I drew the mug that is sitting nearby. I drink water from it 99% of the time, but since it is a holiday mug, it looks best with something hot and steamy/creamy/frothy inside. I've also eaten cereal out of it. ;)

Snow Lodge

Our intrepid explorer trudges through a snowy forest, hunched against the chill of a seemingly eternal dusk. Ahead, she spies the warm glow of lights from a mountain lodge. She can almost smell the aroma of hot chocolate and spicy apple cider waiting beside a crackling fireplace....

Unicorn Pegasus

Sometimes I like sketches better than finished drawings.

Goin' out for a hike today. I just need to get away from things. One of those emo trips, you know.

Whisp Mountains

Going bike riding. Running late, gotta go!

Donkephant

Haven't done one of these in a while. I figured I would take the Republican and Democratic party mascots and make them work together for once.

I think I hate political discussions, with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. I'm registered as a Republican, but it really just comes down to voting your values. There are Republicans that stand for bad things and there are Democrats that stand for good things. I like to say that I don't want to be associated with either party, but my feathers do get ruffled more when Reps are badmouthed as opposed to Dems. Reps generally stand for things that I believe in. Regardless, I have never been able to justify supporting someone who doesn't stand for life (one issue voter alert!), and, like someone once said, if they can't clearly see the first big letter on the eye chart, what does the rest of it matter. I know civil and religious laws must be kept separate in a world that doesn't believe in absolute morals, but when it comes to voting people into office I've gotta go with pleasing God rather than man. (Speaking of one issue voters, how many people vote for the issue of money, or for more personal selfish freedom?) And that's all I'll say about that. I hate it when guys all sit down and blow two or three hours away "solving" the problems of the nation. I'd rather go listen to women talk about interior design. Better yet, I'd rather listen to kids talk about important things such as their favorite breakfast cereal or what animals they're going to ride in Heaven.

Religion is the same way. Except with religious discussions (which happen more often in my mind than in real life) I sometimes feel that maybe I don't speak up enough. On the one hand, there's speaking in love and not purposely offending others, which I strive for. On the other hand, there's being ashamed of the Gospel, which I sure don't want to do. Staying silent can be a wise decision...if it isn't out of fear. It stinks to have people think you're an idiot for believing in God's truth, but it stinks more to think you covered up the Name that you bear. Take heart, Jesus said; they hated him first.

I hate works-based religions that lead to an eternity of separation from God. But I love people. I think that if I humble myself and obey the Lord in my own life--rather than worrying whether or not I'm living "correctly" as a Christian--then my interactions with everyone else should come naturally. Haven't I said this before...? Hm, reminders are important.

My favorite breakfast cereal...that's a toughie. Probably anything that includes honey-glazed flakes and almond slivers and little dried fruits and granola.

Barnyard Nap

Going paddling today. It's a little on the cool side; more incentive not to roll. :)

Treasure-trove

Today I'm giving a couple of rides to someone I know from my old job, in return for some moolah. I take what I can get!

Cave Ruins

Well, my old pen tablet doesn't work the same on my new computer. It didn't work at all after the initial installation, so I performed an update for Windows 7 and downloaded the latest driver from my tablet's website. Then it worked, but was laggy. Plus, if I held the pen down on the tablet for more than a split second it would bring up a right-click menu. I don't even know why that would be an option unless you're using the pen as a mouse. (There's a specific button on the pen for right-clicking, which I rarely use.) So I fiddled with every option I could and got rid of that annoying feature, and also the lag. Not sure how I accomplished the latter. Now it's pretty good, except there's no pressure sensitivity (grrr!) but I can live with that. It just means every line will be of uniform thickness. If I were a super amazing artist working in an expensive program, it would be a major deal breaker. Also, in Photoshop when I draw quick, short lines it sometimes adds a connecting line in between them. No idea why, and I'm tired of reading forums. I shall draw slower and spam the undo command. The fingers of my right hand stay on ctrl+z the entire time anyway. ;)

Corrugated Community + GOOD NEWS

For a long time I've had the fear that one day I'll end up a homeless bum. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous to a lot of people (including me), but nevertheless it stays at the back of my mind. I even used to fantasize about it when I was feeling really sorry for myself. Like, "What do you think of me now, everyone? I told you I was no good!" Not exactly Philippians 4 material.

I recently lost more money (invested) than I've made in the last two and a half years since quitting my normal job. Way, way more. But then, I haven't made diddly in self-employment. I really wanted that to work, but maybe it's not what is best for me. I wanted it to work because I would be able to hide comfortably at home and not deal with all the pressures I experienced in my former job that made me wish I was dead every other night. But I guess hiding isn't going to get me anywhere. It's just that...sometimes I step out the door and I feel like I haven't made any progress whatsoever, and never will. I feel kinda sick about losing the money, but it's just a temporary value in this world. I can get over it. What's worse is the feeling that I'm incapable of seeking/finding/landing a job like any normal human dude should be able to. If I can't do that then I can never do all the other normal things that dudes do in life. Alright, enough of that. Any more and I'll be praising the devil. This is not a pity post; I'm okay. I just had to get out the bad news before getting to the--

GOOD NEWS!
Last night I finished writing a story I've been working on for a long while.

*crickets*

Okay, so it's not earth-shattering or anything, but to me it's a big deal. One of my goals in life was to finish writing what I considered to be a decent story, and maybe get it published. I don't have much faith in the latter part (although I could self-publish if I absolutely wanted), but just finishing the thing is goal enough for me. I've been working on it for close to three years, even though it's only novella size. I procrastinate and have trouble finishing things of a creative nature if they look too daunting to me.

The story itself is only decent, I'm sure. I'm proud of certain sections, but other sections are embarrassing to look back on and need some help. In fact, it's probably all boring, but I don't care. It's done! There's no major danger, you can see the reveals coming from a mile off, and the romance (oh yes) is sappy and cheesy. The title is My Hero, the Janitor. It's about a maintenance worker at a toy factory who learns, along with all his fellow employees, that their yearly bonus has been replaced by a novelty item this year, despite higher than average revenue for the company. Something smells fishy, and he aims to find out why. Along the way, he must deal with repeated put-downs from an arrogant executive, and work through his fondness for the receptionist at the front desk. Also, it takes place on an island. Because islands make for good stories.

Moonlight

and we all must feel the same
as we look up to a world that never ends
it's hard to think that this is all coincidence
'cause in the darkness we need light to find our way
-That's Why God Made the Moon, John Elefante

Waterfall

Whooooooooshhhhhhhhhhhhh

Spitball Woman

Another ridiculous superhero. She has Post-it notes on her boots for some reason.

Cactus Man

He never really took off as a superhero.

Elisha

This story from 2 Kings chapter 2 is one of those more harsh sounding ones. But I guess you don't mess with a prophet of God.

Serpent Killer

Normally I like snakes, but this one was bad.

Which is Happier?

Cloud City

Zephyropolis.

Stitched Windmill

This is one of those ones that looked better in my head. But I'll give it a C+ for effort.

Swamp

I went for an enchanted look.