Doodle 122 - Interactive Friday Masks

WooHoo! The weekend is here and that means I get to be home, clean, decorate, watch movies, FINALLY visit the post office to send a drawing out (hey I haven't forgotten I just have been out of town so much) and draw!

Since we haven't had an interactive Friday for a while I thought I would do something relatively easy (I say that now, just watch as it gets complicated lol).

The theme for this weekend will be animals... and masks. I am trying to exercise shape variation and letting myself take more chances with my drawings, sometimes I get restricted by trying to make everything as proportionate or at least proportionate to reality as I can, this really makes me miss a lot of design opportunities that could create very fun and cool characters.

So, I will draw as many masks as I can, and there is a fun twist, once I do all the masks and variations I can I will pick the masks I like best and make 10 artist trading cards to giveaway on the days counting down to Christmas.

To denmonstrate what I am trying to do, here is a fast exercise I did today while thinking of a jaguar:

Jaguar mask variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Ok everybody, I am counting on you!

Doodle 121 - It's beginning to look a lot like...

A reindeer!

Andrei brought out all our Christmas decor and we are set to go crazy prepping the house for the holidays this weekend.

I am very excited, we have amassed quite a collection of misc holiday decor over several years of going to the after-christmas sales. Our neighbors have already decked their balconies/windows and I am up for the challenge.

Today I got another piece for my decor, a solid wooden reindeer... and then I also liked a metal one that had very pretty lines and design, yes, I do hoard holiday decor, it is a problem... I might need a sponsor when I go to this year's after Christmas sales LOL

Anyway, since I had reindeer on the brain, I drew this:

Reindeer - graphite and brush pen on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

Since I'll be home this weekend we will have an interactive Friday tomorrow, so look forward to it... or else! LOL I keed, anyway it should be fun.

Doodle 120 - Sailor Mars

I am not sure when my love for anime started, maybe because it happened before I started to have defined memories.

I remember watching the Japanese adaptations for Heidi along with anime like Mazinger Z, Candy Candy, Robotech and my mom loved Astroboy before I even existed.

You could say my Otaku side was very well established by the time Sailor Moon started to appear on my TV set back at Spain.

Sailor Moon would come on in a morning cartoon block, my mom had forbidden us to turn the TV on before lunch time on school days and with good reason, we would never get ready on time otherwise.

Because of this, both my brother and I were masters of VCR programming and had a bunch of tapes designated to keep our favorite shows. We watched Sailor Moon together after school and we cried uncontrollably during one of the finales... and later we cracked up due to a cheesy commercial featuring a tap dancing chicken that had been taped by mistake at the end of the episode... ah yeah, my mom thought we had lost it because we were sobbing and laughing at the same time.

Anyway, one of my favorite characters from Sailor Moon was Rei Hino AKA Sailor Mars, I also loved Sailor Mercury, but Rei was my favorite.

I don't know why, but today I ended up reminiscing and drawing Rei:

Sailor Mars - graphite and mechanical pencil on sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

Doodle 119 - The Mermaid's Call

Man, we had an awesome break, we spent Thanksgiving with great friends, went Christmas tree shopping, cuddled by their fire place, ran amok during the Black Friday sales, scored some sweet deals, helped decorate and finished the holiday by visiting Disney World and even managed to catch up with an awesome friend.

All in all, I laughed, talked and had so much fun that my voice is feeling hoarse. I love the holidays because it is the best excuse to hang with my favorite peeps.

Also we saw NPH at Epcot's Candlelight Processional, and it was well... legen -wait for it- dary! His sign-off after the show was done summed it all up: "If this didn't put you on the holiday spirit... well then... you are dead to me!" ROFL

So yeah, now I am all set to decorate our home and enjoy the holidays some more.

We were on the road most of the day today, but I whipped out a doodle as I rested on the couch... the cats were boarded this time, their pet resort is very cool and the vet techs there rock, so now they are all spoiled and demand even more attention than usual, so drawing with a cat on my lap while another tried to knead me was a challenge, but here goes:

The Mermaid's Call - Graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

Now I better get ready for work, I am sure my office has been insane and the team has been going full throttle since Monday, so I better get rest and be psyched up for it!

Doodle 118 - Epcot

Today we are at Epcot waiting to see NPH during the Candlelight Processional. I did some quick sketches observing fellow park guests.

Doodle 117 - People Watching

We are at Disney Hollywood Studios tonight. I forgot my room key, so as I wait for Andrei I did some people watching and sketching.

I am so happy the parks have wi-fi now!

These sketches were done in 3 to 5 minutes... People move a lot!

Doodle - 116 Hot Air Balooning and Dancer Cone of Shame

More excitement today, we helped our friends decorate for Christmas. At several points we spoke about getting a "cone of shame" for their dog and somehow I ended up with a mental picture of Dancer the reindeer wearing one so he won't mess with a scrape, which was a result of reindeer games gone wrong.

After that I just randomly drew a dog piloting a hot air baloon. Yup, my brain is a weird place.

Doodle 115 - Panda Zipline and a Battle

Did everybody survive the turkey and sales?

We had a ball yesterday, made new friends at the sales lines and laughed non stop for 3 solid hours.

The crowds got quite crazy at points though, one of my friends witnessed a guy flying over boxes to land on the video game display, the same guy later got in line with Andrei and regaled him with the tale of how he threw himself onto the crowd and emerged victorious.

We got what we needed and made it home safe and sound.

Today we went to the chrismas tree farm, Andrei went zip lining with our friends, I told them I would, but I probably look like a panda just hanging there awkwardly LOL.

And now you know why I drew what I did today.

Doodle 114 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Presently I am in line for thanksgiving deals, we had a great time with friends and we are still hanging out here.

I spent part of the day playing with my friend's kids and we drew hand turkeys, so that's my doodle for the day :).

If you are in the US, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday!

Doodle 113 - Wolf and hostess

We are on the road, this means I ended up having to draw and post from the car again.

The holiday traffic isn't too terrible so far, but it is hard to keep a steady hand and take photos to post LOL.

I drew a random girl with her wolf friend and a hostess with unusual tastes for the thanksgiving holiday... And that's her pet octopus lending some tentacles serving the punch.

Doodle 112 - Work, gravity and things in between

First, a short movie review.

I just finished watching The Descendants, when it was out on movie theaters I had decided I wanted to see it, but when I go to the movies I mostly aim for fluff and films that allow me to escape. I don't really like to see dramas on the big screen, maybe because they are just... "larger" and can easily suck you in.

So today it came on TV while we were eating dinner, and all I have is one word: "Brilliant"

The Descendants

I am very critical of writing in movies that seek to depict human emotions during times of hardship, sometimes writers make their characters overly sensitive, make them explode in every direction to show hurt, sadness or anger, but from personal experience, sometimes the deepest hurts are the ones that bubble below the surface, they burn deep and don't erupt, because one is so hurt, so angry, that if the emotions actually get out people can easily loose their minds.

If you haven't watched it yet I highly recommend it, it is beautifully written and acted and I was very pleasantly surprised.

And now, for today's doodles.

Working Late Into The Night - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

A girl decides to make a quilt working day and night with the hopes that, once the quilt is done her wish might come true.

"I'm going down the rabbit hole... I might be late for dinner" - Graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 5 mins.

I don't know, I just felt like drawing something fast I guess, lol and finally:

"Haha! Yeah, science is fun ladies, now, can we please turn the anti-gravity off? I am trying to have some tea here!" - Graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

I guess it isn't all harmony when your roomates are brilliant kinda-crazy scientists.

Doodle 111 - Fairy Tales

I wanted to finish my winter trading cards today, but for some reason my mind wanted to draw something else, so I opened my notebook and started doodling.

At first I wasn't sure what I wanted to draw, but I soon decided it had to be this:

The Little Mermaid's Last Farewell - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mns.

 I was maybe 12 when I saw the Disney's version of the Little Mermaid, before that I had grown up knowing only the original Hans Christian Andersen version. In it, the Little Mermaid gives away her tongue to the Sea Witch in order to become human, be with the prince she fell in love with and gain an immortal soul. She looses her family and home in the process and discovers that each step she takes on her human legs tortures her with incredible pain.

Despite it all she seems to be gaining the prince's heart, until he eventually falls in love with the princess of a neighboring country. The sisters of the Little Mermaid try to save her by exchanging their hair for an enchanted knife from the Sea Witch. If the Little Mermaid kills the prince and lets his blood touch her legs she would be back to being a mermaid and be saved from simply disappearing.

The poor girl can't bring herself to kill the prince, so she throws herself overboard and turns into sea foam.

It is a very sad tale of love found and eventually lost, and somehow I always loved this version much better.

After drawing that I decided I needed to draw something else since I have been slacking a bit lately.

I came up with a quick doodle:

The Captive Maid - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

I decided to come up with a story to explain this, and it goes sort of like this:

In an ancient kingdom there lived a powerful wizard, he served the queen and king of a prosperous and beautiful land. He was immortal and at one time had been wise and magnanimous.

After many centuries of living alone he had actually taken a wife, only to see her age and die while he remained young and healthy. Finally the loneliness had driven him mad, but he didn't let anybody notice this flaw.

One day he fell in love with a young and pretty maid from the castle. She was poor and with no family close by. After much deliberation he devised an enchantment that would make it so he could keep the young maid within his mind. After all nobody would miss her since she wasn't a princess or lady in waiting.

"This way she can always be with me, she won't die and I'll never be alone" he thought.

And so, one cold winter night he cast the spell over the sleeping maid who had never really noticed that the wizard had taken a liking to her. 

Time was different within her prison, and at first she was scared, lost and hopeless. Soon though, she began to figure out where she was, how to communicate with the wizard and slowly her strong will and intelligence allowed her to take some control of the wizard's own mind and movements.

She could peer out of his eyes into the world, study enchantments from books as he slept (she had learned to read at an early age), and finally, one day figured a way to escape.

That's all I have for now, maybe I'll figure out how it ends.

Doodle 110 - Oh Sundays

And here we are, at the end of another weekend, it's ok though, I only have a 3 day workweek before the thanksgiving break, truly I am looking forward to it like crazy!

I made a quick sketch today, and I am happy to say I am feeling much better, so hopefully the 3 days at the office will go without much insanity.

Healer - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox. 5 mins

Doodle 109 - Sleepy

Just 2 doodles for today, I ended up feeling a bit under the weather, so hopefully tomorrow I'll get more stuff done.

The sleepy ride home - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 5 mins.

Flower Queen - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

Doodle 108 - More Artist Trading Cards

Today I kept working on the trading card set I have to finish soon. I have had quite a crazy week at work, so I am really excited for the weekend, I'll finally have time to go to the post office, send some stuff out, get my Christmas card list started and clean house... because I am going to need a rescue team to get us out if we don't get things under control soon... yeah, if I skip any doodles, someone contact the authorities because we are probably buried under things that need to be laundered or recycled lol.

This Friday I won't have an interactive theme so I can get my trading cards done, chores and start on my vynilmation project before the holidays rain upon us.

But don't worry, I'll make it up to you guys with a surprise right in time for the holidays.

And without further ado, here are my doodles for today:

More Winter Animals! - non-photo blue pencil, micron pen, prismacolor pencils on cold press watercolor paper cards.

Doodle 107 - Winter Drawings

One of the new things I have decided to do as part of my year-long project is drawing artist's trading cards.

I have known about them for many, many years, I thought of doing some while in college, but between work and school I decided I had more than enough on my plate.

Finally, I joined a group of designers and artists that does "doodle swaps" on a general basis. This time I jumped at the opportunity and now I have to start working on my set of cards if I want to send them out on time.

I figured my theme would be "Winter", today I did my first 3 cards, they are not finished, mostly because I want to keep them a surprise for my fellow swap participants until they get them in the mail:

Winter Doodle Cards - non-photo blue pencil, micron pen and prismacolor pencils on cold press watercolor artist trading cards. Aprox 40 mins.

These were a lot of fun to draw, I might have found a new giveaway type of item that would allow me to spread the love more. The cards are just 2.5'' x 3.5'', so they are kind of cute.

Doodle 106 - Titania's lady in waiting

Today was rough, some days are better than others, today it wasn't one of the better ones.

You see, we were trying to adopt a rescue shiba inu, unfortunately for us the apartment managers decided that, even though we used to have 3 cats at one point, we weren't allowed to have more than 2 pets at a time anymore, no matter if we have been loyal and pretty much model tenants for over 6 years.

I understand rules are rules, and I am a rule follower, still, it made me very sad to have to write a letter to the rescue group and tell them I will not be able to bring a pup home for the holidays to give it a forever family. I actually felt like crying at work when Andrei let me know the apartment folks were budging, but that's life.

I guess we just need to move to a house so that we can have all the pets we want, yes?

Still, like always, I am lucky, Andrei tried his best to make me smile, and of all the people in the world, he'd be the one to manage to make feel better without a doubt.

Also, I had fun with my team at work (they rock), so all in all things balance themselves.

And if any of you live in Florida and would like to adopt a pup in need, please consider the Shina Inu Rescue of Florida, my dealings with them were wonderful, and they have great dogs available for adoption.

In better news, I was recently featured in a series of posts over at TheNotMom.com a site that celebrates women that are childless either by choice or by chance.

My interview can be read here. It was flattering to be asked for one, and I was as sincere as I could. It is sort of nice to know there are many of us and that we shouldn't feel like we are an anomaly of sorts.

Also, I am still amazed by the ripple effect my re-booting post caused, if you had told me that something I wrote would cause such a stir within so many I probably would have thought you were pulling both my legs.

Finally, here is today's doodle:

Titania's Lady in Waiting - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

She came out of nowhere, but I sort of like her, I drew her as a fairy/gazelle of sorts and thought she would fit in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Doodle 105 - A Brave Evening

Not much to report today, but, can you guess what movie are we watching today?

Yay! The snacks are here! - blue mechanical pencil and graphite on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

As a side note... OMG, where did the year go?! Is anybody else a bit freaked out by the fact that Thanksgiving is just nearly literally around the corner?

Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to it, specially since this year we will be going to the home of awesome friends and having an all American holiday (it is normally just Andrei and I and he never quite celebrated T-Day and I never even knew about T-Day until I moved here, so we kinda lack on that festive tradition), so it should be a blast, and yes we will even indulge in some black Friday shopping, that we can do well, we are awesomesauce at bargain hunting LOL.

Anyway, to all my American readers/friends, good luck with the preparations toward the holiday, are you traveling? Staying at home? Hosting a dinner?

To all my international readers, are we looking forward for the rest of the Holidays coming up in December?

I know one of my neighbours really is... they put up their Christmas decor the moment they took down the Halloween ones, that there is being pro-active... or overachieving ;)

Doodle 104 - And the Winner Is...

And so, the moment we have all been waiting for has arrived!

But first... today's doodles (haha! I am so bad).

Lady J's character description read:
"Name: Roslein
Sex: Female
Age: Mid 30's

General Features: Roslein is really plain to look at. She is neither beautiful nor handsome. Her nose is oddly shaped, her lips too big and her hair very ordinary. But her eyes are very wise and kind, and her face, while begining to wrinkle, is showing the lines of wisdom and humour. Laughter and smile lines rather than frown and care lines.

She dresses simply in flowing pants and shirts, as these are most practical for her work as a gardener. She loves to be outdoors working with plants, and this also gives her the most opportunity to encounter the people of the village she lives in.

Roslein is like a lodestone for people. She draws them in with her warmth, understanding, love and good humour. Love and peace shine out of her. Although she is not beautiful to look at, her inner beauty is luminous and shines out of her almost tangibly. Her inner beauty makes her appear beyond beauty to those who know her. And all who know her love her."

Roslein - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 Roslein sounds like an awesome character.

Next is Marebabe's character:
"Name: Lucy
Sex: F
Age: 72

Lucy is a farm wife, a leader in her community, a real salt-of-the-earth type. She is efficient and organized, cheerful and hospitable. Brought up in a large family, the second of eight children, she learned early to work and do her share to help keep a farm and household running smoothly. She is married to a cattle rancher, and has a grown son and daughter. She is slender and tall with curly hair and glasses, her favorite attire is jeans and a cotton blouse, and she is very fond of pockets. She likes a sweater or jacket with pockets, and in the kitchen she always wears a bib apron with 3 pockets. She milks a cow every morning and evening, she cooks and bakes most everything from scratch – even noodles! – and every summer she puts up the best pickles in the known universe. She loves having family and friends to visit, and in the summers she welcomes her City grandkids and assorted nieces and nephews to stay for a week or so, to experience the easy pace and simple pleasures of life in the country."

Lucy - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

 I gotta say, after spending some time at the fair it was a little easier to draw the cow from memory... also I had forgotten how huge cows are next to people, I see cows every day on my way to work, but they are next to horses so I forget the scale of them... they are huuuuge. LOL

Anyway, now, for the moment you all have been waiting for. Let me say I wish I had a doodle to give away to each of you, your encouragement and visits keep me going, no matter how tired or sad I get, I consider myself immensely lucky to be able to share my journey with you, and since so many of you entered, I have decided to do giveaways more often, maybe every time I hit 50 more drawings and maybe at random to spice things up.

The winner of the first giveaway is.... (oh, the suspense...OK OK! I'll say it):
LeAnn Woodward! (LeAnn, please e-mail me the address where you would like the drawing to go)

I have also added the drawing to my RedBubble shop, it is the least I can do for everybody who participated, also I have made the prices for this piece specially low for the next week, so if you want, you can have your own copy.

Look forward to the next giveaway, if I keep practicing the drawings can only get better, right?

Doodle 103 - Interactive Doodles

Alright, I ended up getting sucked into a work project most of today, so instead of a bunch of drawings I did a bunch of design related stuff, but like always, the doodling must go on!

I picked another 2 random characters to draw, don't worry, I will try to draw more tomorrow.

First charissa said:
"I'd like to tell you about the character my grandmother and I came up with when I was young, that I still remember.
Henrietta is a pink hippopotamus. She is in her peak years (35-45ish), and travels the world looking for adventure. She always wears a green polka-dotted dress, mary-jane patent leather shoes and a string of pearls. Henrietta loves to entertain, throwing lavish tea parties after each of her trips to educate and enthrall her friends with her tales around the world. Everyone loves her kindness, openness and generous spirit, and an invitation to one of her tea parties is the highlight of everyone's day!"

Henrietta - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins

 Henrietta sounds like an awesome character, jetsetter, prim and proper with an unquenchable thirst for adventure!

Next I tried kikimae's character:
Name: Mai Fu Rui
Sex: Male
Age: 64
General features: Fernando is a young, spry 64 year old man. He immigrated from China when he was 20 and misses his homeland, but has nothing to go back to. He owns a flower stand on the side of the road. He has hand painted signs to lure in locals to purchase his flowers. His flowers are always beautiful, and they stay fresh longer than any flower you can find anywhere else. He is kind, generous (he'll usually slip in an extra stem if he knows you), he is always ready with a smile or laugh, and he keeps a jar of candy behind the counter for any kids that come by. He has a gleam in his eye and an aura of mystery that really makes you wonder what it is that makes this man and his flowers so special.

This is a cross between my actual flower seller and my grandfather - hope you have fun drawing him!

Mai Fu Rui - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins

 I drew him re-stocking one of the many flower basket he keeps at his stall, I imagined that, since he is a great florist, he probably talks to all the plants he keeps in order to keep them happy and beautiful.

And now for the giveaway contest, I have all the entries made until 10 p.m. EST today, thanks so much for playing everybody! I can't wait to see who wins.

I will put the names on a randomizer and let you know who is the lucky person tomorrow at about 8:00 p.m. EST.

Doodle 102 - Interactive doodles and the Fair

We went out today after watching the My Little Pony season premiere, yes, I woke up just for the purpose of watching cartoons, because well, it's part of my education... and so much fun!!!

Anyway, after watching ponies, working out and breakfast we went to get an oil change and we decided to hit up the local seasonal fair.

I have been living here in Tallahassee for over a decade (Andrei even longer), but I have never once been to the fair. It happens once a year and mostly everybody in town goes, but I have anxiety issues related to crowds and strange places, so gathering the courage to go to a fair with all the noise, people, etc can be daunting.

I recently started taking meds for my anxiety and I have to say, they really help me, so much so that today I managed to do something that would have reduced me to a shaky blabbering mess not that long ago.

And you know what? It was fun! Plus I got to see tiny goats, the tiny goats make it all worth it to me... I just think they are incredibly cute and hilarious.

Gooooats, goats everywhere.

Alpaca! I petted it... it was soooo soft and fluffy.

Award winning rooster, he had quite the voice.

The sun setting at the fair.

 After so much excitement we came back home so I could decompress from all the human interaction. I was way happier to walk around the cow pens than when we were out in the crowds... which is hilarious because I have been in shoulder to shoulder crowds at Disney World and with not a care in the world... but Disney World is my happy place, so I guess normal crazy rules don't apply.

I sat down and tried to flesh out a couple of character sketches based on two of your random descriptions, first I tried Maple Girl's:

Name: Azalea Woodhouse
Sex: Female
Age: 16 (this time)
General Features: Azalea is a psychic vampire (she takes energy from other people instead of blood) that was captured when she looked like she was in her 30's. To escape she used her ability to completely drain someone of life energy - but that turned her into a child with no memory of who she is or her abilities.

She's beautiful with very long white-blond hair, large green eyes, and a pale complexion. She's a bit of a bookworm, and has a thing for Jane Austen novels.

She's painfully shy, so she always looks startled. She's short-ish (5'4") and has just begun attending high school.

(This is a character of mine from a story I'm working on. Hope you don't mind. ^_^)

Azalea Woodhouse quick sketch - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 5 mins.

 I tried to make her look innocent and shy, she is probably holding one of her books close, maybe Pride and Prejudice, she obviously likes books better than people.

Then I tried Anonymous':

Name: Wilson
Sex: Male
Age: 37
Wilson perpetually lives in a half-way house for mentally impaired and has a withered torso. He can't find or get a job, but he acts as a sort of sunbeam for the employees and other participants. During the day, Wilson walks up and down street blocks and tries the handles of parked automobiles he passes. He's not sure why he does this (his doctor will say something about Aussbergers compounded with ...while looking perplexed) but it brings Wilson great joy whenever a car alarm goes off. Wilson wears cast-offs and green gloves.

Wilson - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

I tried the sketch to the left first and then decided to work a bit more on his face on the right.



Tomorrow I am planning on mostly being home, so I'll get more doodles done.

Doodle 101 - Paperman Vynilmation Concept

I am so excited! We have a 3 day weekend here in the US, this means I get more time to draw and create plus more time with Andrei, that's always a plus.

People always comment how quirky it is that we never seem to get tired of each other's company, and to be sincere, even to us it is a thing of wonder.

When we began our relationship we were a world away from each other, we longed to be able to see each other face to face, at the very least be able to hold hands, so when we finally were together you could imagine we became inseparable.

Still, when we are together we are not lovey dovey, so much so that waiters always ask if we are going to pay together and people that don't know us assume we are just great friends, a fact that makes me chuckle every time.

What can I say, I am not into PDA, it comes from being shy I guess, but I somehow like to leave our more lovey side to ourselves.

After what happened all those years ago, we became even more inseparable, so much so that people will always act surprised if we show up to social events without the other and act worried, sort of as if we were missing a limb.

We have lunch together every single day, unless we have meetings or work related delays. Still, I like to spend some time alone, and my drawing time is indeed "me" time, plus sometimes I send Andrei to do the grocery shopping while I, in exchange, clean the house. He doesn't like to be away from me, but I was a loner before I met him and I like my space on time to time.

Plus we keep our work and work functions to ourselves, so you could say, we don't spend every hour of the day together, just an apparent insane amount of time side by side, and yet, it never feels like enough in the end.

I guess that once you have nearly lost the person you love the most in the world you realize that every moment spent together is as precious as any other, even when all you do is sit on the couch reading books.

Well... that was totally unrelated to today's doodle, well a bit unrelated anyway.

I have this large white vynilmation by my desk begging to be painted, at first I was going to try something candy related, then I thought maybe Mary Poppins, but after watching Paperman, I decided there was one thing I wanted to paint, today I sat down and did a quick sketch to start the process:

Paperman vynilmation concept (front) - green, red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins

Paperman vynilmation concept (back) - green, red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins

 Be on the lookout as I work on this project for the next weeks ahead.

Also, remember this Friday's interactive theme, you can see it here.

And lastly, check the giveaway contest, you have until Sunday night to enter, for rules, etc go here.

Doodle 100 - Giveaway!

Wow... my 100th post. I sort of can't quite believe it I have made it this far already, I am pretty sure I am well over the 100th mark for individual doodles as well, and I really haven't doodled this much since I stopped drawing.

I have started to notice that, not only do I enjoy drawing, but also the storytelling that can come from a single frame. Coming up with stories, backgrounds and reasons for a drawing as I go is now part of the fun.

My mind is starting to exercise more and more and my imagination, though still a bit stiffled, is starting to shake its wings and flap about.

The drawing for today will be up for grabs by anybody. It is indeed an original and will come straight out of my notebook:

Gathering Courage and Counsel - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

She is a princess that has been exiled due to a curse set upon her, the curse shows itself in the shape of a ribbon that wraps around her neck and stops her from speaking to any humans. She seeks refuge in an ancient forest that borders her kingdom, it is said that, in a spring, deep within the woods you can find water lilies that house fairies as old as time itself.

These fairies are immensely wise and hold the key to help the princess break the spell she is under.

After finding the spring she speaks to the fairies, and they tell her that the curse she suffers from was actually self-imposed. She must gather the courage to return to her kingdom and speak for herself to regain her crown to break the spell.

And now, for the contest. I want as many of you to have a shot at this, so this is what we'll do:

- Comment on this post (1 entry)
- Share the post with this contest on facebook (1 entry)

You can have up to 2 entries! I will give everybody until Sunday at 10:00 p.m. to enter, then I'll select the winner randomnly.

Thanks so much for all your support so far, and even if you don't win the original, I will make the drawing available for purchase at redbubble.

Doodle 099 - Disappearing, a sneak peek and a movie

This whole year is passing by so fast, and my doodle exercise gets a bit easier each day, slowly I am starting to feel a bit more confident on my abilities and drawing is becoming second nature again.

Last year around this time I was getting ready to start classes again, unsure of how things would pan out, still loathing myself for drawing and trying to figure out my internal struggle, from that point until now I am happy to say that, I feel better.

I have been working on the drawing for tomorrow's giveaway. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to draw, I agonized a bit over it to be sincere, and for a moment there I thought I wouldn't be able to come up with something beautiful enough to show you guys my appreciation, but I kept trying, and finally today, I managed to come up with the something.

Before I show you a teensy sneak peak of it, I will share today's doodle:

Disappearing - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

 I am not really sure how to explain it, I guess she is a ghost that dissolves every morning. She never speaks, just waits, for what? Nobody seems to know, but she has an enigmatic and hopeful expression, as if she were sure that, whatever she is waiting for, will eventually arrive.

And now, for the sneak peek:

 I won't give much more away, I just hope you guys like it when you see it. I will leave it as a sketch since that's the spirit I want to carry with this blog, whoever takes it home will be able to notice all my scribbles, retracings, etc, which I think is fun.

And finally, a short movie review.

Yesterday I retreated from the whole U.S. election suspense (I am not good at suspense), and decided to watch something different on Netflix.

Andrei had bookmarked this movie for us to see together, I had so wanted to see it when it was out in theaters, but never got around to it.

Departures, a film by Yôjirô Takita

Departures is a Japanese film that tells the story of an struggling cello player who sees his dreams of being part of an orchestra dashed. This prompts a soul searching journey that takes him back to his rural hometown.

There he accidentally finds himself taking a job in the trade of casketing, which is the art of preparing the dearly departed before they are placed on the casket.

The film is beautifully shot, the actors are very good and the movie itself is incredibly moving, I found myself feeling misty eyed every now and again.

I can say I now know why this film won an academy award in the foreign film category. I really recommend it, but get a box of tissues and a hot cup of tea when you watch.

Doodle 098 - Time For a Break

I was busy running around today, so I had time for one quick doodle.

I really, really wish I had a pet dragon sometimes.

Time For a Break - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine. Aprox 10 mins.

Doodle 097 - Fantasyland

One of the perks of living so close to Disney World is that we can attend special events and previews like the one we were lucky to get into this past weekend.

You had a small taste of what we saw, and as promised, I have more photos to share today, not too many though.

We toured the new "Be Our Guest" restaurant, my indoor photos didn't really turn out, but I have a few of my favorites from the outside theming:

Detail of lampost outside of the Beast's Castle

Mural over the main door for the "Be Our Guest" restaurant.

Gargoyles guarding the door.

The one indoor photo that turned up: (I need a better camera)

Mural inside the "Be Our Guest" restaurant.

 We also had the chance to ride the new Little Mermaid ride, the theming inside it was wonderful, and the ride itself super cute:

"Voyage of The Little Mermaid" - Prince Eric's castle... I want an apartment up there, so-very-badly.

Main entrance for the ride.

Sea slug light fixture inside the line of Ariel's Grotto.

 And finally we stopped by Gaston's Tavern right before eating lunch at "Be Our Guest" restaurant.

Gaston statue.

The man himself.

One of my favorite paintings inside the "Be Our Guest" restaurant.

 The new expansion is amazing, I can truly appreciate all the work that went into it, the attention to detail is breathtaking, you really do feel as if you were inside the movies themselves, if you can ever visit, I'd highly recommend it.

Finally, I did a quick doodle for today:

Priestess - Graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

And as a closing note for the day: I added new pieces on my redbubble store (I added a link on the navigation bar for your convenience), some of you have already placed orders, and for that I want to express how grateful I am for your support, you guys never cease to amaze me.