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.