Silly toons of our cat, Pixel. He desires snackies all the time. (He gets snacks at 9PM, which is why he’s mad in the one picture.) And of course if he can see the bottom of his bowl it is AUTOMATICALLY EMPTY.
Sleeping Beauty tree technique for artists
Art
I caught this short video on the artist who contributed to the GORGEOUS backgrounds of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty called “Eyvind Earle – The backgrounds from Sleeping Beauty.” In it, he showed a quick technique–laying down a dark shape, then doing the leaf details in brighter colors. I thought I’d try to replicate it in marker (which means I had to reverse it, natch, since light marker doesn’t show up on dark), but even that turned out really good for little effort, I think!
Simple Farm Animals in Marker
ArtAt the time of this writing, I’ve clocked in 111 hours in STARDEW VALLEY.
These drawings are not from STARDEW. But they contain a similar simple joy.
Free Christian Sheet Music – “ABIDE WITH ME” – A powerful, nature-inspired arrangement for piano and soprano voice
Music Composition
- Get the printable sheet music from SacredSheetMusic.org and listen to a computer-generated MP3 sample.
- Get the printable sheet music from Gumroad and pay what you want (including free, but tips are very much appreciated!)
In an effort to exercise my composing muscles, I’ve asked my friends to name some of their favorite hymns so I can arrange them. This one goes out to my gluten-free bestie, Rindi. She is one of the strongest people I know, and not just because she can’t eat regular pizza. Her dedication to Christ in the face of life’s challenges inspires me.
This song (in my mind) starts in autumn by a cozy fire (set to the tune of Abide with Me), plummets into a spare and icy winter (Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King), then roars back to life as spring arrives in a joyful procession (God of Our Fathers).
Should be easy for a singer to pick up, but the piano part’s got some fanfare rhythms that might be tricky to pick up by sight alone. The downloadable mp3, imperfect midi though it is, can help my fellow pianists learn the rhythms by ear. Whew!
Small Business Saturday: We have da merch!
Art, MusicIt’s Small Business Saturday and I’m hoping you’ll consider grabbing some holiday gifts from me!
First, you can buy books I’ve written using the links at https://www.PixelvaniaPublishing.com
Next, I’ve got sheet music I’ve written at my Gumroad store:
https://gumroad.com/pixelvaniastudios
And now I’m selling fun shirts and other merch based off my book cover art and also silly cats (and ferocious wolves, and screaming skulls) I’ve drawn!
https://teespring.com/stores/pixelvania
https://teespring.com/stores/momcats
https://www.redbubble.com/people/Pixelvania/
https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_4%3APixelvania+Studios
More to come! Shares are appreciated!
Giving Thanks, Day 7/7
everydayFinal day! I’m grateful there’s a grocery store close to us. We had to pop out this morning to grab sundry things (foil! of all the times to run out of foil!!); it was nice that it didn’t have to be a big excursion. Plus, the folks at our store are pleasant–it’s a nice store to be in.
There’s a million other things I’m deeply grateful for (my husband and cat are just two!) but, you know, sometimes I like to remember the less glamorous things in life and appreciate that they’re there.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Per a recent invitation given by the president of my church, I’ll be posting once a day for the next seven days regarding something I’m feeling grateful for. Feel free to join in and feel more peace in your life! #GiveThanks
Giving Thanks, Day 6
everydayDay 6: It’s always a great day to be thankful for indoor plumbing and running water. In some places, all somebody does all day is haul water back and forth from the well to their house–can’t get an education or anything else–all for want of plumbing. So I try not to take it for granted.
~Per a recent invitation given by the president of my church, I’ll be posting once a day for the next seven days regarding something I’m feeling grateful for. Feel free to join in and feel more peace in your life! #GiveThanks
Giving Thanks, Day 5
everyday(Wow, day 5 already!) Today I’m grateful my cat Pixel enjoys my piano playing. Seriously. I sat down today and within a song or two he sauntered in from sunbathing and began relaxing on his cardboard. I looked over my shoulder at him at one point and found he was watching me. I felt like he was saying, “Nice job, Beta Monkey. Keep it up.”
~Per a recent invitation given by the president of my church, I’ll be posting once a day for the next seven days regarding something I’m feeling grateful for. Feel free to join in and feel more peace in your life! #GiveThanks
Giving Thanks, Days 3-4/7
everydayDay 3: I am thankful for naps. Because I haven’t been sleeping well at night lately. I took a nap Sunday afternoon.
At one point I drooled, so you know it was a good nap.
Day 4: Today I’m grateful for fitness YouTubers. Doing workouts with JessicaSmithTV or The Yoga Ranger Studio or Jenny Ford helps sedentary writer-artist indoor person me feel social(!), get stronger, and stretch out some awful crampy shoulders and hips. I could never be a gym person, but thanks to the content these folks (and others) put out, my fitness is enhanced enough that I can continue eating cheese (which is the whole point of exercise…right?).
~Per a recent invitation given by the president of my church, I’ll be posting once a day for the next seven days regarding something I’m feeling grateful for. Feel free to join in and feel more peace in your life! #GiveThanks
Giving Thanks, Day 2/7
everydayToday I’m grateful for unexpected friendships. Earlier this year, a former coworker of my husband got back in touch with him. Since then, hubby and I have been doing activities with her and her husband every few weekends, and it’s been a lot of fun! I’m very glad she reached out.
~Per a recent invitation given by the president of my church, I’ll be posting once a day for the next seven days regarding something I’m feeling grateful for. Feel free to join in and feel more peace in your life! #GiveThanks