For the love to color

Characters and plot are thought up in the strangest places. I can be driving, showering or lying in bed for some shut-eye, when *BAM.....an image of a character or story line pops into my head. Sometimes I jump towards a piece of paper and pen to get the thoughts down. Sometimes well.....if I don't have a free hand (showering for instance) the idea just vanishes from my mind as quickly as it appeared. That really frustrates me.

When you have a mind set on illustration and writing, it consumes your thoughts most of the time. Where do you start? Do you sit down and get an image on paper of a character you've dreamt up, then stare at it giving it life. A story can be built around an image just as an image can be created from a story. 

As I sit putting a character on paper I hear the love of my life saying "boys, leave mommy alone, she's coloring." I had a big chuckle with that one. A thought came to mind while "coloring," that there are some people out there who don't understand the desire some of us have to dream up characters and build them into life-like beings that have a story to tell. It's like creating a family and sometimes turning your real family into caricatures is a hoot as well!

DREAM BIG, LOVE and "COLOR"

Illustration

Color Pencil Illustration

by Kimberly M Voss

I remember back years ago when my baby girl wanted to hang a swing from a tree outside our home. We tried everything. Mom wasn't the most successful person to ever hang a swing from a tree using a rope. Eventually Dad came to the rescue and she had a tire swing. This memory came to me and I wanted to put it on paper. This is an illustration of that mental snapshot of my baby girl.

Doodle-Day

Boy playing Mini Golf

Pencil drawing by Kimberly M Voss

My Boys playing in their fort

Pencil drawing by Kimberly M Voss

Poem: The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                               -Robert Frost

*

Art = Therapy

I have mentioned many times in my life that drawing, painting, crafting and even writing serves as a great form of therapy. You just get lost in the moment. You're so focused, you have taken your mind into a place that is stress free and relaxed, fit to bring out your creativity. I recently have spoken to a few people who have expressed how much they enjoy their hobbies and how it is their therapy. For one who reads, it's like an escape into another world. You get lost within the words and become part of the story. For one who loves to bake, they get lost in the task of perfection, creation and finding that magic touch. We each have our own form of therapy. We get lost in the task. Time seems to stand still, the world fades around us and nothing else seems to matter.

Author, teacher, and artist, Betty Edwards has a way of explaining this theory about art therapy. She calls it "states of consciousness." She explains it like this-  "The slightly altered consciousness state of feeling transported, which most artists experience. You may have observed in yourself slight shifts in your state of consciousness while engaged in much more ordinary activities than artwork. Most people are aware that they occasionally slip from ordinary waking consciousness into the slightly altered state of daydreaming. People often say that reading takes them 'out of themselves'. Many people find that they do a lot of creative thinking while driving, often losing track of time and experiencing a pleasurable sense of freedom from anxiety."

Her explanation is a little confusing at first but think about it. When do you find yourself lost in a daydream or when did time stand still while you were engaged in a task. She goes on to discuss how like when driving, sometimes you don't know how you got to your destination. You were in such an altered state of consciousness because driving has become so ordinary to us and we get lost in our thoughts.

Take a minute and think about what your form of "therapy" is. What takes you into your zone where nothing else matters and you get lost in the moment.

Quote:

"Friendship marks a life 

even more deeply than love"

                  -Ellie Wiesel

Doodle-Day

Free Birds

Charcoal drawing by Kimberly M Voss

Special Talent

I just found out a friend of mine has a hobby I never knew about. Was she self-conscious or too modest about sharing her talent? I'm not sure, but the moment I saw her work, I was very impressed and proud of her. Honestly, I was upset with myself that I didn't take the time to know this part of her. Most of us have many hobbies and crafts we enjoy doing in our spare time. When we make new friends, I know blurting out our hobbies isn't the first thing we do, but it's part of establishing a deeper friendship. Knowing what they do for a living right off the bat is usual, probably the most common question immediately asked. But finding out what they love to do is a topic that should be covered a little sooner and is often left completely ignored. Some people don't think they have a hobby or craft or even any special talent. Don't be too hard on yourself when this question arises. It's what you find enjoyment doing that is the real answer to that question. Don't be afraid to inquire, and please don't be too modest to answer. Sending love.

Site to see

So I fell onto a blog that takes a similar name. His name is Jonathan Voss and he is an artist, a visual storyteller. He does wonderful, creative work with a special way of telling his story with one illustration. Illustration is something he seems to enjoy, but like many of us it isn't his full time job. If you have a moment check out his blog. Seems as though he is a new blogger, but the images he has posted are wonderful. Not to mention he has a sense of humor!

http://johnvoss.blogspot.com/2012/01/say-goodbye-to-mouse-for-now.html