Happy New Year!

Well, it's the end of 2013.

...

I repeat, it's the end of 2013!!! Can you believe it?!? Where did the time go? *freaking out here*

Okay, okay, I'll calm down. I have some cool end of the year blog stuff I'd like to share, but first! 

A chibi:

Yay! It's Jack Frost!

(He's awesome. Also, he's wintry... therefore he's in this post. lol. ;])

Now, my End-of-the-Year-Blog-Report-Thingy.

Blog Began: January 2013

Total Posts: 45

Total +1's: 126

Total page views: 2,500+ (Not including mine)

Countries who have visited my blog (in no particular order):

*takes a big breath*

United states, Germany, South Korea, Japan, United Nations, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Romania, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, Russia, Mexico, Algeria, Ireland, Guatemala, France, Venezuela, Botswana, Vietnam, Cyprus, India, Singapore, Morocco, Kuwait, Spain, China, Hungary, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Suadi Arabia, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Barbados, Israel, U.A.E, Singapore, Serbia, Nepal, Ukrain, South Africa, Peru, Namibia, Finland, Libya, Italy, Georgia, Norway, and Czech Republic...

Aaand in case you totally skimmed that whole paragraph, (like I would...), that was a total of  58 countries!!!

XD

This is crazy guys! When I first created this blog, I was expecting only my friends and family to know about it/read it. So I was totally not expecting this, and am so, SO excited! *squeals* God is so cool! 

To all who have visited this blog: THANK YOU!

Спасибо!

 Salamat sa iyo!

¡Gracias!

Danke!

 Terima kasih!

감사합니다!

Děkuji vám!

 ありがとうございました！

Takk skal du ha!

Merci!

Et cetera... ;D

I hope you will continue visiting this blog, and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy creating it!

And as always:
I LOVE your comments!
Be it flame or praise, I'll take both! XD
(I actually greatly appreciate criticism-it helps me learn what areas are *cough* lacking in my art...)

AND

I LOVE your commissions!
It's (should be) really easy to commission me now that all you need to do is fill in a form...[LINK]

In this next year, I will be trying to work on/(greatly) improve my coloring skills and digital artwork. Maybe then I'll have some cooler stuff for you guys! (Or just some wonky pictures...*giggles nervously*... I seriously need to take an art class...;])

Anywho, Thank you to all who've stuck with me this far. I hope to continue to see you throughout this coming year!

*hugs*
HAPPY 2014 EVERYBODY!!!

Copic Markers

Wow. Three posts in one week! What has gotten into me? ;)

Anyway, for Christmas, I received a set of Copic Ciao markers. *squeals* So exciting!!! (For an artist...;]) I was trying them out today and after *ahem* quite a few practice "sessions", 

(Example:

Supposed to be Orihime from Bleach. Her mouth went wacky...)

 I created this little picture:

Isn't she adorable?!?

 XD 

Obviously, there is A LOT I need to work on. (Example: how to keep those colors from bleeding outside the lines!) But I think it's a decent beginning. It would be better if I had more colors... but Copics are quite the investment. O_O

This drawing is an original. Please do not use without permission. Thanks!

I will be posting an End-of-the-Year post for New Year's.

Until tomorrow!

My Grandpa

Hello again everyone,

And here I thought that the Holidays were going to be giving me a break... sheesh! 

This year, I wanted to make more of my gifts for my family. My Grandma also requested I draw her a picture for her gift. So, I drew her a portrait of my Grandpa, who passed away in 2007.

An early base sketch:

Creepy... I know...

Da finished picture:

The original:

Isn't he handsome? :)

I have to admit I am quite happy about it! ^_^ There are still quite a few areas I need to improve on, but I'm working on it.

Adios amigos!

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

From yours truly's favourite white-topped dude.

Yay! Digital art! 

Though... I need to get a tablet that works with my manga software, this was done on my Dad's Samsung (using Microsoft One Note...). *Sigh* It's not the same... ;) 

Anyway.

Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind..." 

Psalms 107:8

I told myself I was going to draw a Thanksgiving-themed chibi and so I drew this today... ^_^ Aren't they cute?!?

*squeals*

The pilgrim boy on the left is holding a pie, the girl in the middle is holding an apple, and the indian boy on the right is just being cute. :3 Which one is your favorite?

A few things I am thankful for this year (among many): my best friend Grace, my drawing pencils (*wink wink*), and of course, my amazing God. 

I hope you have/had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Maximum Ride: Ari

Hello again world!

I am so happy! The latest Maximum Ride manga (vol. 7) came out last month! I think I am obsessed with NaRae Lee's style of artwork...it's beautiful!!! 

Constantly, I am trying to draw the characters in her books in the hopes that, one day, I'll be able to draw like her on my own. Example:

This young man is Ari.

He has a tough past that I don't want to get into right now, but this is actually one of the only, (if no only), times I think he truly smiles. That's why I loved his expression so much. It's a look of innocent, unforeseen happiness. Isn't he cute?!?
At the beginning of the series, however, I must admit I hated Ari... he was horrible. But now, I finally started liking him a bit. T-T ... R.I.P. Ari.

I like how this drawing turned out. (It actually fills my entire 8.5 by 11 inch sketchbook sheet and continues a bit onto the page next to it with his jacket and shoulder.) Drawing his hair was a lot of fun. ^_^

*Sigh* I wish I could draw like this from memory...

Well, this artist is tired out.
Ciao!

Here there be dragons...

 I know this is really soon to post again, but I was so excited, I just had to:

I actually drew a dragon that doesn't suck! 

*squeals*

Isn't it cool? ^o^ I usually cannot draw dragons to save my life, but I started doodling ragged wings, and Wah-La! A dragon! (The smoke was darker in the original.)

Anyway, this is actually a testament to how distracted I am during school... it being in my Chemistry book and all...*cough*

;)

That's all for now,

Adios amigos!

A quick sketch

Ugh. High school, kill me now. Please.

JK...

Anyway. My apologies for the long, (in my opinion), absence. I haven't been able to just sit and draw for over a week, and my SDDS* is showing it's weird face again... ;)

Tonight, I couldn't stand it any longer: I had to draw! So I sketched the following picture in about 5 minutes. Any of you recognize this character? I you do, I love you! Those who don't: It's (supposed to be) Hitsugaya Toshiro from Bleach. (Chpt. 553)

Doesn't he look tired too? -_-

*Sigh* 

Fighting Quincies will take a lot out of a guy... the same as school-overload can take it out of a girl... no, not really. He totally deserves some R&R after that chapter! Tite Kubo, you better not kill my dear Toshiro!

Well, homework is yet unfinished, so ciao for now.

*I almost forgot! (Link) Scroll to bottom of post for explanation. :3

More Fullmetal Alchemist...

My sister and I are watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, so I've been re-reading the FMA manga. Ooohhh! It is sooo goood!! *squeals* 

Since I already posted once on FMA (link), I won't go expatiating on the story and such...but Oh! the drama! the characters! the plot!

*cough* Sorry... over excited otaku here. ;)

...And, I have been drawing FMA characters a lot lately...

My chibi of Winry, Edward's "girlie-friend" (as Envy calls her). She and Ed are so cute together!

Roy x Riza chibi
(This couple is perfect for each other. I just wish they would admit it! Ugh. Not one of my best chibis, but awesome pairing.) XD 

Some doodles I did of May Chang (top), Edward Elric (right), and Alphonse Elric (left) in my chemistry notebook. I know, I am highly distracted...

*Sigh* I still need to draw a chibi of Ed x Winry, or maybe an original fan art. :3

Until next time!

A Tree

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns!' Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."

1 Chron. 16:31-34

A tree next to our campsite. ^^ It actually did have leaves, but I couldn't figure out how to add them... ;]

My watercolor adventures... another tree, with leaves! ;) Ignore the red glob, I was experimenting with colors and such.

Sorry about the short posts lately, school's crazy. AND I really will post some chibis and/or manga next!

Ciao! 

My Sister

Okay, I think I should take a brief break from chibis...

O_O

This is a picture I drew in April of my sister. It's not one of my best, but I like it! (Isn't she pretty?!?)

[Graphite pencils (2H,HB,6B) on white 70lb paper]

I will be going camping for the next few days and will be bringing my drawing pencils and notebook. Yay! Hopefully I'll have share-worthy work to post when we come back...we'll see. ;)

Well, there's your realism break. Next post: more chibis!

Mwahahahahaha!

In this crazy world...

'nuff said.

Chemistry Kills

Hello again world!

I seriously believe Chemistry will be the death of me. So, if I suddenly stop posting anytime soon, blame high school chem. If you enjoy chemistry and understand it...I am patting you on the back. Good job. And pray for me. ;)

These are chibis I doodled today. Our scanner is acting kind of weird...that's why these pictures are so dark.

*It all looks the same...*

*When I'm trying to write up my lab report from a calorimetry experiment at 10 pm and my brain is dead...*

Warning!

SDDS (Severe Drawing Deficiency Syndrome) may occur when an artist is not able to draw for a period of at least 6 days (or more). Very common around the first few weeks of school. Do you or any of your friends have this? Symptoms may include:

-random weirdness

-constant doodling on any item available

-squealing when chibis are mentioned

-talking to self when alone

-etc.

The cure for SDDS is one hour (at least) of drawing, without worry about homework, etc.

My problem lately: ^^. LOL.

Adios amigos!

Harry Potter (Chibi Version)

Whew! 

I've been so busy with school I've hardly had time to draw, let alone post...

So, today's artwork is a past commission I never posted. o_o *sigh*

And it's...another chibi!

(I think it's impossible to get tired of them...) ;)

For those of you who don't know who this character is: I feel sorry for you. For those of us who do, let's all say his name together:

Harry Potter!!

This was a request/commission by a friend of mine who is crazy about Harry Potter. In fact, I can hear her squealing right now...from across the valley. Haha! Just kidding.

I enjoyed drawing this because it was more of a challenge to shrink and chibify an actual person, than it is to do the same with a manga character. Though, I think it turned out pretty well. :)

If you would like me to chibify you, a friend, or anyone else for that matter...just send me a commission HERE!

 I would love it! ;)

A Hand, Day 2

Here is the finished hand...

Not as good as I hoped it would be, but I tried. ;)

 Since this is an update, it is very brief. (You know the story behind the drawing from the previous post.)

School has started back up, and I've been very busy. But I am trying to draw as much as I can! My family has told me to try to cut back on all the fan art, so you will probably see more of my originals in future posts (though I will definitely continue to share fan art, don't worry!).

Ciao for now!

A Hand, Day 1

Don't freak out here!

The reason this hand looks half like a skeleton's appendage is because it's a W.I.P (work in progress). I want to try to see how life-like I can get it. :] ...We'll see...

Here is "day one". (I think I really only worked an hour on it so far...)

I started working on this after listening to a history lecture by Dr. George Grant. Dr. Grant was telling us in his lecture about his experience living on the streets of New York for a month, for the purpose of writing a book. During that time, he met a man of the streets whose hands were "gnarled and weathered...from over two dozen years of life on the streets", etc.

He explained the man so vividly, that I just had to draw him, or at least try to draw his hands. Unfortunately, the only hand available for reference was my own... and so I must make do with what I have. ;) Trying to draw my own hand more masculine and weathered is interesting, but actually kind of fun. :)

I will post the next day's progress later. Hopefully, it won't take more than two or three days. ;)

Adios!

Some poetry...

Tonight's really random...

Here's a poem I wrote lately for school. The assignment was to write a poem about something we love. By reading my blog, you should probably know what it is...;). Enjoy!

Sketchbook

By H. Lewis, copy write 2013

The white sheet is blank,

The pencil poised above.

Eyes search through empty space

For something yet unthought-of.

Soon, thought upon thought begin to flow,

The hand begins to dance.

Graphite loops and lines appear;

Focus is on the paper, everything around—hardly a glance.

The artist is quietly patient,

As lines are erased and redrawn.

In each pencil stroke there is magic;

For the artist, time is gone.

After a while, the piece is done;

Pencils are put to the side,

But just because the pencil is stopped doesn’t mean

The picture isn’t alive.

To the artist, each figure she draws

Is a person, an acquaintance, a friend—

They live and breathe off her graphite,

On their company she can depend.

Her sketchbook is filled with a magic

That comes from deep in the mind;

And everyone who draws soon discovers

When you draw, the real world is soon left behind.

*Sigh* I loose myself in my sketchbook sometimes...

It could use some improvement, but it's what came. :)

'Night! -_- zzzz

Bleach!

Today's post manga: Bleach, by Tite Kubo.

Because I don't want to write a summary, I'm going to give you the link to read it somewhere else...

I absolutely love Kubo's drawing style, (which greatly improves as the series progresses). I'm constantly studying the pages, trying to catch every little detail about certain expressions, poses and such. ;)  

Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki

I drew her eyes kind of weird in this one...oh well.

I forget who said this (I think it was Rukia), but this quote really stood out to me:

"We stand in awe before that which can not be seen... And we respect, with every fiber, that which cannot be explained."

You see, that's kind of how I see God. He is invisible to the human eye, but I still see His hand through small, everyday things such as helping me get a school project done, or protecting me when I pull too wide into an intersection. For these reasons (and countless others) I stand in awe of Him.

Sometimes, God chooses to do things in our lives that we don't expect. It may leave you sitting there, wondering "Why God? Why me?", or you may have have your socks blown off! (A favorite term of my little sisters.) Either way, that "unexplainable situation" is something that God has brought about for some greater purpose that we might not know yet.

I think I'm saying this because, right now, my family is facing a situation that is very...difficult. I have no idea what God has in store for me, but whatever it is, I want to respect His decision and trust that His plan is what's best for me. Even if I don't think so. ;)

And now, back to Bleach:

Byakuya Kuchiki

A picture of Byakuya Kuchiki for a friend of mine... though I just realized how it looks like he's wearing a hat....lol.

!!!!!HITSUGAYA!!!!!

(Can you tell he's my favorite character?)

That picture's a little weird (I think it's his face), so here's a better (?) one:

Hitsugaya Toshiro

I don't what the true spelling of his name is...is it Toushirou or Toshiro? Anyone know? I've seen it both ways, but the latter more often.

The eyes of Bleach, though not even close to all...

(Drawn on my Dad's tablet on the way to Texas. That means they were all drawn in the car...*headache*)

Eyes (from left to right): 

Top - Orihime Inoue, Uryu Ishida

Top middle - Ichigo Kurosaki...

Ugh. I should have numbered them. Comment if you want to know a certain eye. ;)

The final arc is coming to a close soon...TToTT ...Nooooooo!

Ciao for now!

White Hair...it's a "Thing"

KYAAAAAAAA!!!

More chibis! XD 

*cough*.... Well, the other day, I was reading Bleach and I noticed that white, gravity-defying hair seems to be a popular style in anime and manga. It's kind of weird that if we saw some one on the street with one of these hairstyles, we'd probably think "WTH?!?". But in manga, we're completely used to it... Good thing too, 'cause white hair can look EPIC!

Here are the chibis I drew of my favorite white-topped dudes. Lol. 

Characters (from left to right): Lyon Vastia (Fairy Tail), Hitsugaya Toshiro...OMGosh!...(Bleach), and Kakashi Hatake (Naruto).

Originally, it was going to be a comic, (and I still might finish it), of Kakashi and Lyon arguing over who's hair is the best. The two soon begin to fight using their powers (hence, the speach bubbles). Poor Hitsugaya is trying to stay out of it, but finally looses it and unsheathes his zanpakto (sword). Lyon and Kakashi don't have a chance... :) Okay, I really need to finish this now, right?

I apologize to all Kakashi and/or Lyon fans.

I was giggling the whole afternoon I had this "battle" stuck in my head. My sisters probably though I was crazy...O_o...

Maybe I am. ;)

Ciao!

Fullmetal Alchemist

"A lesson without pain is meaningless. That's because no one can gain without sacrificing something. But by enduring that pain and overcoming it, he shall obtain a powerful, unmatched heart... A Fullmetal Heart."

~Edward Elric

   Fullmetal Alchemist has got to be my favorite manga/anime...ever. I don't know why I haven't drawn or posted about FMA yet, probably because, oh, I don't know. 

    Anyway, the manga is about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who are searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone. They had an interest in alchemy from even when they were small. When their mother died, the boys attempted to bring her back through alchemy. Alas, the transmutation did not work, and each boy payed a terrible price: Alphonse (the younger brother more commonly called Al) lost his entire body, and Edward (Ed) lost his left leg. In desperation, Ed sacrificed his right arm in a second transmutation to bind Alphonse's soul to a nearby suit of armor. Ed's childhood friend and automail mechanic, Winry,  made an automail (kind of like a high-tech prosthetic) arm and leg for him.

    Edward soon became a state alchemist, working for  the government, in order to search for the philosopher's stone that could restore his and Al's bodies. (Al's body is now a suit of armor that can talk and move about, even though it's empty.) The brothers begin to travel the country, searching, and never wavering in their determination or their goal.

And that's just the beginning of their story...

I would recommend it to any and all manga fans 13 and up (because of violence).

These are the FMA fan art I drew. I'm sorry, I didn't draw Al because I have a hard time drawing armor...

Awwwww! Don't you just love Ed's smile?

This mini comic should make sense to FMA fans. If you're not, all you need to know is that Al has a soft heart for stray cats... ;) lol

I want to include a few of my favorite FMA quotes before I close.
[To Envy] "Now I see. You're Jealous. You're jealous of humans, aren't you? According to you, humans are supposed to be a lot weaker than Homunculi. And yet, even if they get discouraged after being beaten, and even if they get close to falling down after losing their paths, they continue to get up and fight. Everyone around them helps them get back up. And you're envious of that."  -Ed

"It's true, I don't have a body, but I'm here. This is my punishment for setting foot on holy ground where mortals are forbidden. We made a mistake, Rose, and we're paying for it."  -Al

And some funnies...
"It was just a rebound! Don't make a big deal over one or two arms!"  -Ed

"Oh this is perfect! Now my arm's fallen off too! Today is a terrible day!"  -Al

Haha! That was pretty long...It'll be shorter next time. ;)

1,000 Pageviews!

Yippee!
Just hit 1,000+ pageviews! 

A celebration chibi....

This is an original I drew during a geometry class a couple weeks ago. (That's why it on graphing paper.) The boy in front of me had a kind of skateboarder look, so I felt inspired to try to draw a chibi. I really like it...^_^

Right now, Marianas Trench "B Team" is playing in circles in my head. Ugh. It's a fun song though.

Adios Amigos!

An Unfortunate Love Triangle

Another Fairy Tail chibi!
This will have some explaining though.

Ahhh....Poor Gray! (The shirtless guy on the left.)

Characters:(left to right) Gray, Juvia, and Lyon. 
The Story: Juvia is crazy (and I mean obsessed crazy) about Gray. Problem-Gray doesn't really like her. He puts up with her, but he thinks she weird (and a little creepy). Haha! Lyon thinks that it's love-at-first-sight for him and Juvia. Juvia thinks Lyon is creepy. *Sigh* Therefore, the unfortunate love triangle...
This is an original of mine, though the characters belong to  Hiro Mashima.
I hope you like it. :3
Chibis are so fun to draw! I have some more, but I'm a bit behind on my posts...
Ciao for now.

Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

Yes, I know it's really late, but I was out of town  and without internet for the week. Gee, I didn't realize how much I use the internet...

This is my Independence Day chibi drawing of me and my sisters...

(Sorry the picture's so small.)

(Littlest sister, twin, little sister, me. And the thing in the center is supposed to be a firework. -_-)

Well, we had an awesome Fourth in sunny (and cool) California. We even bought a whole bunch of fireworks! Here are some photographs I took of our own neighborhood fireworks show...

It's pixie dust!!!

^^The Grand Finale^^

Oh, BTW...You should be careful around fireworks. We had one that blew up, literally. Took a good chunk out of the ladder it was on too.... :)

Adios Amigos!