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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I wanted to mention Will Terry in my blog today.  I had gotten his name from a fellow illustrator friend who said that they had taken his online course about drawing digitally.  SO, I checked it out.  Now, I have always drawn "manually"... you know, with my hands and typical drawing tools.  ie - pencils, brushes, pastels and more.  BUT, for the past few months, I have been having MAJOR eye problems and have not been able to see at all.

My husband had bought me and Ipad for my birthday about a month before the eye problems.  I used it to play games and to check my facebook while I sat in the living room with him and watched t.v. in the evenings.  I had been getting up during an occassional commercial to do it.  haha.  He kept saying that he bought it for me to draw on but I really didn't know what to do.

I had downloaded some free drawing apps and purchased a few.  SO, then I started playing around and kind of liked it.  A little bit after getting the apps is when I happened on to Will Terry  http://willterry.blogspot.com/ and FolioAcademy.  http://folioacademy.com/ 

I purchased the online video "Painting on the iPad".  It has been really great.  I don't actually have the same app that Will Terry used in the video but I still found it extremely helpful and when I get a chance will be getting the app that he used.  I am still dealing with eye problems so I'm not getting things done as quick as I would like.

Anyway, just wanted to say that for all of you out there who want to learn how to draw or paint, you really need to check out the FolioAcademy.  There is TONS of videos !!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

SO,  I have just signed up for PiBoIdMo.  Picture Book Idea Month!


As the website says:
"The concept is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. You don’t have to write a manuscript (but you can if the mood strikes). You don’t need potential best-seller ideas.
You might think of a clever title. Or a name for a character. Or just a silly thing like “purple polka-dot pony.” The object is to heighten your picture-book-idea-generating senses. Ideas may build upon other ideas and your list of potential stories will grow stronger as the days pass."

http://taralazar.com/piboidmo/

I can't wait... this is going to be exciting !!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

I attended my first sketchcrawl last Saturday.  A small group from the Houston SCBWI and the Urban Sketchers group met at the Discovery Green.   Urban Sketchers posted the group photo here on their blog .  http://urbansketchers-texas.blogspot.com/

I was a little rusty as I hadn't actually "manually" drawn in a while due to eye problems for the last two months.  Warped Corneas !!  Long story but I have not been able to see to even walk through the house much less draw.  For a month, I was basically confined to the couch in the dark.  The light made things harder on me.  I couldn't see the t.v. , computer or distinguish from things to be able to walk through the house.

I did discover my new IPad which my husband had bought me the month before.  All I had been using it for was games.  On the IPad, I could make things bigger to see.  And I was able to see if things had "outlines" .. such as games !!!  That kept me busy for a few weeks.  Then, bored, I started looking at apps in the app store.  Found a few art apps and downloaded them.  I discovered that I could draw on my IPad.  So, that kept me busy for a while.

After two months of not being able to see, I can proudly say that things are better.  I can see now !!  The doctor still wants to "tweak" a few things, but I think I am back in the game now !!

Check out the photos from the sketchcrawl !!









Friday, October 19, 2012

SO, I've spent the last few hours cutting and pasting my facebook "likes" from my personal facebook into a message to my artist facebook. There were 45 likes. Doesn't seem like that much until you've had to go through and "unlike" them, click on them to get the link to copy / paste to a message to send to the other facebook page. THEN click on those likes, go back to the message and like another. Yep, was a job .... seemed like more than 45. BUT, the job is done. Professional facebook profile created. Just wished I could have used my art name "Artistic Expressions" because this facebook name is too close to my other name. Oh well !! No world is perfect !!

 

Here is the link to my facebook if anyone wants to "friend me".
facebook.com/expressionsbyfelicia?ref=tn_tnmn#!/expressionsbyfelicia

Thursday, October 18, 2012

ok...  two posts in one day ??  This just HAS to be a good day.  Well, it is !!

GREAT NEWS !!! I CAN SEE !!! The doctor still has to tweak things a bit, but I can see WITH contacts and WITHOUT reader glasses to go with my contacts (which I still couldn't see clearly with)

Today's contact was only suppossed to be for distance. Put it in and it was blurry and I'm thinking....... geez !! BUT, as I sat in the chair waiting and looking around. I discovered ...... THAT I COULD SEE !! It took me a few minutes to figure this out though. haha.

Currently, my left is close up vision and my right is distance. He said that I would do better with right as close up and left as distance. BUT, before he does that, he is going to try me with BIO FOCAL contacts. So, he ordered those. Said it would take some adjustment to get used to wearing them .. about a week. I asked what the advantage was. He said IF I these worked for me that my vision would be a lot crisper. So, I said...... heck yea !! BUT, as of now, I can see to read, see the computer.

I celebrated by buying me some clay at Hobby Lobby. I'm going to do some sculptures of a new little character that I've been working on with my IPad. The boy is in leg braces and I need him sitting in a wagon so.. figured sculpting him would help to draw him. :)

I AM PRAISING GOD TODAY !! Not only the news with my eyes, but my daughter's car hydroplaned on the exit ramp last night. She stayed clear headed enough to steer away from the signs and the edge so she wouldn't go over the edge and come to a stop out of the road.. then to wait until cars passed to get back in the traffic. My life is good !!
Ok....  so I go get the hard contact for my left eye today.  Hopefully, this is the final stages of a two month ordeal.  My doctor is hoping that this will fit so he can get my distance vision corrected.  THEN in a few weeks, he can deal with my up close vision. 

I'm so anxious because I'm so behind on my artwork.  I'm not sure if I can catch up on this self impossed deadline that I have set for myself. 

At a SCBWI meeting, I found out that although my artwork is very nice that it doesn't fit the qualifications for an "illustrator's portfolio".  SO, I need to redo my portfolio from scratch.  My goal is to have this done by the Houston's SCBWI conference in April.  I need a minimum of 10 pieces.  I have NONE ready !!! 

Anyway ...  the goal that I have for my blog is to add other artist's blogs. IF YOU ARE READING THIS and have a blog, please let me know.  I don't know how to add them just yet, but that's what I want to do.  What is the protocol for adding someone's blog ?  Do you need their permission ??  Just wondering how all that works.  :)

Thanks

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

SO much has happened since I started this blog.  My husband's brother, my brother and my aunt died.  Found out that my corneas in both eyes are warped.  It took a month to just be able to see to walk across the floor.  Then another more months to heal.  At this point, I am maybe nearing the end of this struggle.  Since this happened, I haven't been able to draw by hand.  Although, I've been working on my Ipad.  At least that keeps me creative, but has derailed me from my previous goals.  Which is to have a great portfolio for a children's illustrator's conference in April 2013.  I am really WAY behind.  AND I'm starting to stress.

To add to the mix, my husband had an accident with his hand which resulted in surgery.  From that, he had to have his blood work done and found out that he is diabetic with really high cholesterol.  And he is having another surgery in a few weeks for a large cyst on his neck.  There have been other stressful things that have happened on top of these things but just too complicated to go into here.

On a positive note.  I just attended my first "sketchcrawl".  This is a world wide event where people just meet up with each other and go draw for the day.  I had a lot of fun and met the "Urban Sketchers" which is another awesome group that is all over.  I just joined their group and can now proudly say that I am an URBAN SKETCHER.  !!
Although there have been a lot of bad things happening within my life, I need to take this time to praise God for keeping me sane through this and giving me strength.  ALSO for being with my daughter last night as she hydroplaned going down an exit ramp.  She was able to stay clear headed and make good decisions to enable her to come away safely.  God was with her in that car .. put his hands over hers on that wheel and kept her clear headed.  PRAISE GOD !!!