More Special People

I've done a lot of projects for my art classes. But I haven't really loved any of them. I liked most of them well enough, but... it wasn't fun for me. I wasn't feeling it. It was just... work.

I don't think I'm very good at people (as I've said in previous posts), but there is one thing I think I'm good at.
Special people.
My favorite pieces... are of people I love.

Like my sisters (Eliza and Aria)

Myself (I guess)

My father

Eliza

So for my work this month, I wanted to do it again. 

This picture pretty much melted my heart.
But it's a little fuzzy. And... I wanted to try. 

So I started with a sketch. It's not supposed to be detailed like this, it's supposed to come from the paint.

...But I was scared. SO scared. I couldn't trace it, I couldn't project it or cheat. It was just me, trying my best, and hoping that it'd work out.

And it worked out. It was beautiful. I'd done it. And then comes the next worst fear: I knew I'd ruin it if I painted it, as I had done before. But it was already on watercolor paper and... I was going for it. 

Eliza's tan. Melissa is Snow White.

The dress

THE DRESS (and lips, those were a little nerve wracking.)

Fine details freak me out. I've never been really good at them. I never really knew which brushes to use or what to do and it generally just freaks me out. But. This time it worked. And I LOVE Melissa's face.

Speaking about detail work, HER HAIR. I love it. It's great. 

And I've never been this successful with watercolor.

Melissa's hair is pretty great too, but in a different way. Snow White and Cinderella.

That's actually a whole lot of pink, much more than I thought.

You can't really tell the difference in this one (other than her watch), but...

I added white highlights from the flash. 

Melissa's pajama pants.
This is when I REALLY debated doing a background. I didn't want to do the couch. (I didn't think I could make it look good.)  But they looked kind-of weird just floating there. 

So I added a background. I like it well enough, except for Melissa's leg, which now looks totally out of place. 

So I might crop it to here. 

And I'm very proud of it. Sure, it's supposed to be a month-long project, and I finished it in a weekend because for the first time in forever....I was excited about art. I was doing things right. I was making something that mattered. And THAT is why I love this.


Small realization. I haven't done that many pieces of my family. But THREE of them have Eliza in them, and NONE of them are of David (poor kid). Part of this is because I have an irrational fear of drawing males. Maybe I'll fix that. But right now... I am happy.

Just me

I am an open heart and eye

I am a willing ear.

I am a voice which always says
what they want or need to hear.

I am a secret keeper and a giver of relief

I am a shoulder to the people overcome with grief

I am an open mind or an opinionated one

What I am is based on moments and the things that must be done.

I am whatever those I love most need me to be.

But in this state of constant change, can I ever just be me?

January

This is my January work of the week. For the two new babies coming to my family.
(The extended portion of my family, don't get too excited.)

These are the progression pics I said I'd get better at doing.
Technically, the pictures themselves didn't get better (because I took them on my ipod in the dark), but now I'm actually taking them, so I feel better. Though they're not as beautiful as my mom's which you can see here.





It's harder than it looks, and I kept forgetting how to do the stitch. Sometimes things turned up crooked. The stitchs are nowhere near even. But.... I guess it's still cute.

My New Years resolutions.

1) Journal once a week.
Yes?
2) Get a job.
Working on that
3) Practice at least once a week.
3/4 if we're counting personal practice. Yes, if we count rehearsals, yes.
4) Work out (as in, serious "go somewhere and do something" work outs) at least once a week. Small daily exercise.
3/4 if Just Dance counts. 1/2 if it doesn't.
5) Cook new meals... more often. Use cookbooks... more often.
I made a pretty mean pizza the other day.
6) Figure out Facetime

7)  (Repeat goal) Write more often. Something every week (journal doesn't count). A poem, a story, descriptive essay, something. Write a chapter a month on the novel I started last November. As long as applicable.
So far so good.
8) (Repeat goal) Do "Artistic Progressions." Once a month... more follow through on the photo evidence.
Yep.
9) Keep up with old friends. And cousins. And people from home.
Not quite as good as it has been. Not as bad as it could be.
10) Make new friends, don't be afraid to branch out. Get to know people in my classes.
Psychology class looks promising. Other than that, not much.
11) Keep up with my blog.
:D
12) Go to the temple at least 12 times.
Revised goal, once a week (piggybacking on Marissa's goal) so I'm totally getting this one done.
13) Study the scriptures 30 minutes a day. 15 in the morning, 15 at night.
I've been pretty good at that.
learn how to count.
15) Read missionary letters. They aren't doing any good in my inbox.
hide face in shame.
16) Share my testimony, or a little bit of the Gospel more often. Once a week through social media or a personal email, and as often as possible on fast Sunday.
I actually am required to do this for one of my classes. So this one's a shoe in for now.
17) Write an in-depth monthly email/newsletter thing. Send to friends and family.
Ah. I'll work on that tomorrow.
18) Read more. For fun. For facts. For enrichment. The Faults in our Stars, more Jane Austen, a couple of Shakespeare plays, TIME magazine.... just stuff.
Not much progress on that front. It's mostly buzzfeed. But I'm going to finish The Hobbit by the end of February.
19) Be more generous. With my words to others. With my time. With my actions. With my candy hoard....
I shared my pizza.... I think I'm good with this so far.
20) Come up with/complete a scriptural challenge once a week. Write down experiences in a special place.
Ah, you see I totally forgot about that. But now I'm determined to do better.
21) Do more service.
I'm going to sign up for the Y serve tutoring program.
22) Start mission papers and go on a mission.
woah.
23) Support friends who are getting married/going on missions, moving into new stages of life...
BRIDESMAID!!!! I'm totally on-board and over-excited with that. Talking with my friends in relationships.
24) WRITE to missionaries! Especially my cousins. I've never been very good at that.
hide face in shame.
25) Be awesome.
Pshhhh. BORN that way. ;)

How quickly they forget

This week in my Book of Mormon class, we just finished the war chapters. Man, I LOVE the war chapters. There are so many heroes, so many trials, so many lessons to learn. And when they're done, and Captain Moroni dies, we expect things to be better. I mean, after everything that was sacrificed, they should enjoy a period of peace, right?
Wrong.
Turn to Helaman chapter one. Barely a page after Captain Moroni dies (way before his time, I might add) the Nephites have disputations about the newly vacated (twice) judgement seat that quickly lead to a devastating war. And although the phrase wasn't directly used, all I could think was... "How quickly they forget." How quickly they forgot their many blessings and all that was sacrificed for their way of life.

And I guess that got me to thinking. About how quickly things change.

How quickly tears flow and fade.

How quickly decisions are made and forgotten

How quickly the seasons change. The snow melts and the sun shines again.

How quickly friendships are formed and forgotten.

Deadlines come and go.

An entire month passes.

Dorm halls fall and boys move on.

How quickly they forget.

If we don't write it down, how will we remember...
The times when the spirit touched your heart

or the phrase of scripture that resonated within your very soul.

How will you remember the quiet moments when... you knew.

When your heart was full. When you witnessed a miracle. 

How quickly you forget. 

A testimony is like a reputation. Lifetime to build, seconds to destroy. All it takes it the right push, in a moment of weakness.

And yes, we all forget.
But that is why we write the things of our soul.

We read.

We review.

Only then... will we remember.