DAY 425 A Determined Toon

Hi Journal & Friends,

Yay, time for Toon Tuesday!

I'm excited about this picture, because to me it represents MORE than just a painting. It represents a victory. 

Victory over self-doubts, victory over fear, victory over giving up and taking the "easy" path.

See, painting a picture can sometimes be like our journey to health. 

You start out excited and energized. You might be a little fearful of the unknown, how it will turn out, and it can even seem vague or not look like much to others (notice the pencil sketch below?) but you are all jazzed up, so you power on through. 

Then, after awhile, you hit the "ugly stage". Most artists know THAT stage. It's where the painting on the easel looks NOTHING like this fantastic image you have in your imagination! Aaarrghhh!

And it's at that point where your thoughts can make or break you. This battle really WAS won between the ears, just like our weight loss journey. 

I got stuck... I doubted myself... I was outside my comfort zone... I started to cave to the fear of failure... I cried.

Then I stopped... I prayed... and I put the food away. 

Yes, I had started to nibble, to distract myself, to procrastinate. Also, I was under a tight deadline and was running on coffee and not enough sleep, and used that as another excuse to nibble.

So... after I connected once again with God, I put the food away, and re-focused. I decided to just do my best, and be proud of the effort, regardless of the outcome. I would not quit.

Here then, is my illustration for an imaginative sci-fi short story titled "Stopover At The Backworld's Edge" by author M. Pax (HERE is her website).  (Click to enlarge, then click again for details)

The setting is on the fringes of the galaxy in the distant future, in a run-down little bar on a way station... a mere stopover to elsewhere. The main characters in this illustration are Craze the barkeep, who is big and burly but might, just maybe, have a teensy bit of a soft spot... maybe. 

Then there is strange little Meelo, with her spikey hair in the long dark coat.

And lastly, with a story to tell in trade for a drink, there is the dangerous female Water Breather, with her yellow eyes, silvery skin and hair, wearing her technicolor dress.

Oh, and we can't forget the Shadow creatures... if they are real, that is.

And this is for those of you who enjoy the process:

Rough pencil sketch, playing with ideas. I was in a hurry, so I just taped two pieces of paper together for a full size cartoon, rather than the usual little thumbnails. I thought you'd get a kick over how ratty this looks.

I toned the canvas with Cadmium Yellow Deep and a touch of Burnt Sienna (acrylics). When that was dry, with the Burnt Sienna Neocolor II  I roughed in the scene. Next I added more underpainting, with more Burnt Sienna, Paynes Grey, Cerulean Blue Hue, Permanent Alizarine, and a touch of Titanium White.

Here I played in the sky... added more detail to the barkeeps strange living hair... added the fun light fixture, sort of steampunk style... started defining the Water Breather's silvery hair... and played around at the bottom with some red design work from the flying inventions of DaVinci's notebooks. 

Just more details... Meelo's long coat... the steaming bowl of pottage... the crock of  hooch... the Shadow beings...

And of course, the finished painting. Acrylic and Neocolor II's on 12 x 16 Canvas Panel.

Today's Peek at the Past (I loved seeing that determined turtle again... he fits with my being determined not to quit on this painting.)

From Day 64, October 12, 2009:

It has been a long and winding road for me...I will never win the "quickest weight loss award"... maybe the Yo-Yo Queen Award. BUT, my message for anyone struggling is...NEVER NEVER NEVER QUIT...Don't you dare quit!! Some of us have a lot to learn...a lot of issues...a lot to surrender...a lot of healing, and most of all, a lot of excuses!!

Today, however, I have hope. I have determination. I am on a journey to get my life back, and get out of my way, obstacles, or I'll run ya down!!

(For complete post "Feeling Spunky & The Missing Before Pic!" click HERE) 

From Dr Phil's book: "This will happen because you make it happen. It will happen because you have made the decision to step up and do what it takes to have what you want."

My verse for today: "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him."

My quote for today: "When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college--that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said 'You mean they forget?' " --Howard Ikemoto

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=