An Old Sketch, A Recurring Problem

This is an image that I sketched a few years ago for Illustration Friday, and I thought about it today because I'm dealing with some of the same kinds of feelings right now. Time is of the essence this month. I finished my two spring semester master's classes, and my final semester (of 5 summer classes) will begin on May 18. My own students (HS English) are taking standardized tests for various classes and trying to finish out their school year, with their last day scheduled for May 31... Yes, this is a Saturday... We do not have any snow days built into our schedule. Hmm...

Anyway, so there is much going on and much yet to do... including yearbook distribution... Ahhh! But, everything will happen and work out smoothly. What can you do but just do it! Haha. Oh yeah, and I still try to squeeze in some time to write here and there! :) Will pick up much more with that in a couple of weeks.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Here is another Monday morning, the start to another busy week.  With the end of the semester at work and at school rapidly drawing near, many of us have packed agendas, and our stress levels are running high.  I sketched this sun this morning in hopes of having a sunny beginning for the week.  

Sending sunshine and blessings your way!  Have a wonderful day!

Inpsire Me Thursday: Ghost

The ghost that came to mind for me was that of old Hamlet, former king of Denmark. The first time he speaks is when he tells Hamlet, his living son, of his "murder most foul."

Inspire Me Thursday: I Am

There are so many more directions that I could go in for this topic... but this is what is on my mind right now.  I am awake, tired, but awake.  I'm not exactly a morning person. I perk up after a warm shower and short walk with my dog.  Usually by this point in the morning, I've already been at work for at least an hour, but this whole spring break thing is throwing me off a little bit.

Illustration Friday: Subtract

Here, we see a bison from Harmony Park Safari in Huntsville, Alabama.  Here's the math: Food - food = 0 food = still a hungry bison - cup = Okay, let's get out of here before he gets angry...  

Seriously though, I did visit the Harmony Park Safari yesterday with my husband and our friends.  Visitors drive through (at strictly 2 mph or less) and observe and feed the animals.  I'll post more pictures later, but in the mean time, if you're passing through Huntsville, I recommend passing through here! (But, be careful of which vehicle that you drive because an occasional ram could literally ram into your car...)

Illustration Friday: Legendary

According to Greek mythology, the mischievous Sisyphus was cursed to endure an eternity of rolling a boulder up a hill, watching it roll down again, and rolling it back up.  Albert Camus,a French existentialist author, wrote his own version of the story in an essay entitled, The Myth of Sisyphus, in which Camus described Sisyphus as an absurd hero.  

“When the images of earth cling too tightly to memory, when the call of happiness becomes too insistent, it happens that melancholy rises in man's heart: this is the rock's victory, this is the rock itself. The boundless grief is too heavy to bear. These are our nights of Gethsemane. But crushing truths perish from being acknowledged… There is no sun without shadow, and it is essential to know the night. The absurd man says yes and his effort will henceforth be unceasing… The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus

Sisyphus is a legendary figure who is simply stuck in a rut, destined forever to work futilely at a task that he himself did not choose.  As such, he signifies a part of humanity that we must all cope with (as we all have something - however great or small - in our lives that we must face regardless of whether we want to or not), and this is why Sisyphus is my legendary hero.

As for my illustration... Sisyphus, the diligent worker that he was, had tried many different methods of approaching his task.  Here, he has fashioned a club out of stone in hopes of slamming the boulder back up to the top of the mountain... Therefore, it is important to note that one, Sisyphus, mythological figure of Ancient Greece, was the true inventor of the game of golf.

Sketch: Hummingbird

I used color pencils to illustrate this portrait of a hummingbird.  Hummingbirds are such beautiful animals, and the various species exist in many bright, vivid colors.  If I were to go back and add anything to this picture, I would add faint lines to show the movement of the wings...

Ilustration Friday: Intricate

I chose the break up scene between Ophelia and Hamlet because it is intricate.  Ophelia acts as a pawn for her father who is trying to prove that Hamlet is mad with love for Ophelia, and at the same time, Hamlet is acting mad so that he can search for the truth about his father's murder.

The bright "aura" of Ophelia is reflected in the window, and the image of the stream foreshadows her fate.

My original illustration (above) was created with colored pencils.  The version below was edited using the cartoon filter on Photobucket.com:

Illustration Friday: Intricate

I haven't posted for Illustration Friday in about 3 years... not that I ever contributed anything fancy... :)  Just have fun sharing my doodles... 

Okay, so I thought a simple doodle could represent  the intricacies of LIFE.