Who Wants To Live Forever?

For the last few years one of my New Year's Resolutions was to do some Queen art. Now I have always wanted to do a Queen/art blog and I even developed a blog (which is now deactivated) called Sheer Art Attack. (a play on Queen's Sheer Heart Attack album) 

It was supposed to be a bi-weekly art celebration of the songs of Queen. Every two weeks a new song is chosen and posted on Mondays and then participants/followers are invited during the two week period to illustrate their own interpretation of the song chosen. I had this idea in high school and I did some basic doodles of Queen songs but that is about as far as I have got. This quote from Freddie is what motivates me to try this out.

"That's what the song is about, though I'd prefer people to put their interpretation upon it - to read into it what they like."
-Freddie Mercury

This is the picture that started it all. I drew this picture representing the beautiful song Who Wants To Live Forever?

It was based off the video and this picture in particular:

I got the effect that I wanted but I would love to do this all over again. I will have to post some of the doodles/rough sketched I did as well.

2012 Resolutions

Kristy, Logan and I celebrated an early New Year with a glass of Ginger Ale at 9:00 PM, New Year's Eve. We did this so Logan could celebrate the New Year along with Kristy and I. We hoisted our glasses in the air and I made a toast. 

"Here is to a Happy 2013. I hope it is better than the last year."

Logan and Kristy immediately busted up with laughter. I guess I was getting a little ahead of myself. I think I wanted to skip making resolutions for 2012!

I really liked the format I used last year so I am doing it again. 

I RESOLVE...

• to go back to school and get an education. I am still not sure exactly what I will studying, I am going back and forth from Pharmacist to Paralegal. Either way, I will be heading back to school sometime this year.

I RESOLVE...

• to continue to read more. I think I will continue with reading a book every quarter and I am sure I can find more autobiographies or instructional books that I can read. Along with that I am going to try to read the Ensign magazine monthly again. Last summer we also had the cool opportunity to hear from Elder Bednar and he gave us all a neat promise that I am going to work on to fulfill. 

I RESOLVE...

• to continue exercising and trying to eat right. I will still continue to eat what I want but I am going to limit my portions more carefully. I still would like to run a 5K race but I am unsure how my knee will react. If all goes good, I will try to run the Top of Utah 5K. If that does not work I might run the 1 mile race at Logan's school again. I will continue with my walking DVDs, playing racquetball and going out for runs.

I RESOLVE...

• to actually do some drawing or some kind of art this year. Even if I do some rough sketches that would be good enough. I used to do some art while watching Lost a few years ago so I know that I have the time. I just need to get disciplined and do it. I still am highly interested in doing some Queen art. 

I RESOLVE...

• to continue to use and hone my musical talents. I will continue to play the bass guitar and participate in as many choirs and other singing opportunities. Along with that, I am also going to spend some time learning about music. I would like to get to the point where I can actually read music. 

I RESOLVE...

• to take the time to write more. I have a lot of projects that I need to edit and work on again. I will participate in the Nanowrimo competition again this November and I will give ScriptFrenzy a whirl again here in April. This time I think I might try out something completely different with ScriptFrenzy. I might do a TV show or a musical. I will also blog a bit more than I did last year. I might have to do a few more BlogBlitzes to accomplish that goal.          

I RESOLVE...

• to use my time wisely. I am going to shut off the TV at 9:00pm and spend an hour until bedtime completing my resolutions. So I can draw, read or practice music during this time. I am going to give myself a floating day or two where I can watch TV or a movie or something. Basically so I can veg out once in awhile. 

That should keep me busy this coming year. 

Resolutions Halftime

It has been six months since I made my 2011 New Year's Resolutions and even though I don't want to, I guess I should take a look at how I have done. I will rate myself using the Mountain Dew Rating System with 5 Dews being the best (meaning I totally nailed the goal) and 0 Dews meaning I totally flopped.

Resolution #1
"Take Time to Write More"
I did complete another ScriptFrenzy round but aside from that I have not taken the time to write anything else. I do have that children's book that I want to work on. And I really should complete my other novels and take some time to plot my new novel that I will be writing in November.

Resolution #2
"Read More"
The year started out really good. I read a couple of books during the first quarter and I read the Ensign every month for the first quarter. Unfortunately I am struggling this 2nd quarter. I am a little over halfway through my book (Mick Foley's Have A Nice Day) and I think I can finish it off before the end of the month. I have fallen off the wagon when it comes to the Ensign reading. I missed one month and I am behind this month. I have got a lot of reading to do these last couple of days!



Resolution #3
"Be Healthy"
I said I would exercise 5 days a week and I think I have been very close to doing that. I might have missed a day or two here but I can honestly say that I have been exercising a couple times a week. I have played racquetball, I have been riding my bike to work, I have been walking with Randy and I recently have been hitting the Total Gym. I can also honestly say that I have been careful in what I eat. I am definitely eating more healthier foods (more fruits and veggies) even though I still eat my share of treats. I have cut down my soda consumption as well. I still have time to train for my 5K and hopefully my knee will keep up. I think I hit this goal outta the park!

Resolution #4
"Pick up a Pen and Draw!"
Sadly I have not done as much with a pen as I would have liked. I have taken some time to do some doodling but that is about it. I still am interested in doing some art based on the songs of Queen but I have not done anything yet. Looks like I know what I need to do for the rest of the year.

Resolution #5
"Play the Bass"
I still have not learned how to read music but I still manage to pluck my bass a few times a week. Some of the songs I thought were difficult at first are now pretty easy. And some of the songs I am able to sing along with while playing which is way more difficult than you would think. My voice wants to follow the bass and the timing is off and most songs. I am also active in my choir.

I was thinking that I had not done so well with my resolutions but after looking and thinking about them, I think I have done a pretty good job (averaging about 3 Dew per goal). There are things that I definitely need to improve on and now I am feeling a bit motivated to work on them.

Logan the Wolf

When of the neat things about being a parent is seeing what kind of strange and funny things our kids can create using their imagination.

This is why Logan doesn't watch scary movies at home. We cannot have a full grown wolf running around the house.

Alien in Repose

Yesterday I had a little more energy so I decided to do some cleaning. I targeted a bookshelf that Kristy's dad built for her (which I have taken over with my graphic novels) and my purpose was to throw out anything that I have not used or even looked.

Kristy and I have stored some of our old college notebooks and stuff like that in there. I left all of hers alone and I plowed through mine. Going through that stuff did bring a smile to my face but most of the time I was wondering why the heck I kept this stuff. And for some reason we have hoarded binders. Just plain empty binders. So I chucked them all out along with most of my college stuff. I did keep some things, like the perfect paper (as was told by my professor) I wrote for my Political Science class and newspaper articles I wrote for the Herald Journal. But everything else got chucked out.

While going through my books I found my Missionary Guide. For those that served around the time I did, you definitely know what this book is all about. While serving an LDS Mission, you are to study this guide everyday with your companion. Now it is a good book and does a very good job in educating a missionary in how to be a missionary but personally, you go only read it so much. By six months out it became more of a chore and we had to change things up.

I ended up doodling all throughout mine. Yeah I know, not very missionary like but there were times when your companion is reading in monotone and you have to do something to keep yourself awake.

Have you ever seen a one-legged Alien? (His other leg is right behind the leg you can see; I found it funny how many times I had to explain that to my companions)

So when my kid goes on his mission and I give him my Missionary Guide to look at and read before he goes, this is the first thing he will see as he opens the book. I am such a strange geek.

Please Take Out a Pencil

Day 333

About a year ago I joined a cool website called Illustration Friday. Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation and then upload a thumbnail to their website so everyone can see what everyone came up with.

I did it for a couple of weeks and then life just got too busy and soon I slacked off. I had to unsubscribe from their e-mail list since I felt so guilty that I was not participating. I would sketch during Lost and then fix it up and send it on through. It was a fun experience and I was surprised at what I created. Other submissions made mine look like something out of a landfill and were absolutely fantastic but all-in-all I was happy with what I was able to do.

Which got me thinking. One of my earlier goals was for me to do some art. I don't think I have really accomplished that goal (as of yet anyway) but it was not high on the list like some of my other goals. I am thinking of next year already and what I want to accomplish and I think I have an idea. I do want to continue my blog and now I have a perfect excuse. I will join Illustration Friday again and do a weekly drawing and I will blog about it. Blog about how it came to be, blog about how I did it and of course post the pic. Now I have something to blog about weekly and hopefully having the excuse to blog about it here will keep me going.

I probably won't start until the new year since I will be concentrating on my new NaNoWrMo novel all through November. And I invite my fellow bloggers to try out either (or both) contests. It is a huge time commitment but I think you will be surprised about your output and how creative you can be under the gun.

Here is what I did for Illustration Friday.

"Breezy"

This was my first attempt. I can tons of things that I would definitely do different. Oh well...

"Intricate"

I thought about how intricate nature is and went for one of the simplest things in nature, a drop of water.

"Legendary"

I am so disappointed in this scan. It looks so much better in person. Freddie is legendary in his own right and he was the first thing I thought of.

"Poise"

I thought of a young gymnast or dancer. I like the figure in general until her neck. Ugh, I definitely would want to redo this but I don't think it was that bad for a couple of hours work.

"Subtract"

I thought of absolute zero temperatures. I like the way this turned out but her eye has an odd shape. I really need to practice my faces.

When Kristy Met Matt: Cheesy Cards

Day 276

I came off a horrible breakup right before I met Kristy. I didn't want to date any girls and I didn't want to meet any girls. I had sworn off girls completely. I became president of my own "Girl's Are Stupid" (G.A.S.)club and was very proud to be Anti-Girl.

Okay, I am just kidding about G.A.S. But I was very vocal about being Anti-Girl. I even went as far as to design my own Anti-Girl t-shirt complete with a bloody, gaping hole drawn on the shirt where my heart would be. I am sure it is still upstairs at my mom's house.

And then I met Kristy and I was intrigued. And then I dated her and then a year later we were engaged.

I was smitten and giddy and I have no problems admitting that. My friend Lared and I after we had a fun date with a girl we liked would always deliver the girl some sort of "Thank You" card a short time later. Of course that was just an excuse to see them again as well as show them that we can be romantic. We would sometimes accompany those with a treat or flowers. And we would always make the cards from scratch.

I write Kristy telling her that I wanted to give her real flowers but thought that these would be best since they would never wilt and die like our love for each other.* Kristy's brother Steven thought that my drawing was so awesome that he wanted one for himself. Maybe one day I will surprise Steven with some flowers in the mail like these. I should do it as a "Thank You" when I stay at his house Thanksgiving night so I can watch the Bengals/Jets game. I am sure he would appreciate it.

*I never said anything that cheesy. I only said they would never wilt or die but that was it.

Lared and I got a single rose and we snuck it in our date's apartment (usually with a roommate's help; we didn't sneak into their apartments on our own like some sicko!) and it was placed on their bed so they would find it after they came home from our date. We both got two cards, one that was something like a "Thank You" card thanking them for being such an awesome date. But to cover our butts we also included a "Deepest Sympathies" card just in case the date didn't go over that well.

 

This letter took me a ton of time to draw. I had more problems drawing Smiley Bone than I did Princess Leia. After I drew Leia I didn't want to give it up. I would re-do the Spider-Man. I got that mask all wrong.

Kristy knew I liked my drawing of Princess Leia so she made a copy of it and sent it to me. 

Nice to know that Kristy is willing to share me with Princess Leia. Good thing I am Mormon with polygamy and all.

Snake-Man!

Day 158

Some days I know exactly what I want to blog about and other days it is a struggle. Today was going to be a struggle since I am still feeling kinda ill and I have no idea what I am going to blog.

But then I checked my e-mail today and I got a nice e-mail along with a cool picture and I knew exactly what I could blog about. I have a great family and a great extended family too that has always been very supportive of me.

Snake-Man!

My mom's sister Margo sent me a picture of a superhero that she drew awhile ago. When I was younger I always looked up to my Aunt Margo for her artistic abilities and I still look up to her for that. She has a real gift that she likes to share with her family and friends. One of my favorite things she did was she took a piece of wood and painted a pheasant on it and then stained it. It hung in my grandparent's home and I absolutely loved it. I must have gotten my love and knack for drawing and art from her.

I am glad that she is following my blog. There have been many wonderful things to come out of doing this blog and by reading my fellow blogger's blog. I feel that I have learned a lot and that I am closer to these people and that they know me better.

Thanks to all my readers! I appreciate your comments and e-mails. And thanks for the drawing Margo. It is awesome.

Comic Book Day!

Day 157

Short blog today. I am not feeling so great and today is also the day when I get new comics. So I would rather sit on my comfy couch, have a Coke, snuggle under a warm blanket and read some new comics.

And to celebrate getting new comics, I am posting a picture of the Danger Room. I drew this back in 1986 when I was really getting into comic books. Wolverine was obviously my favorite character and I loved to draw his claws. I remember having difficulty in drawing the front of his mask and that is why he has his back turned.

Maybe next week during Lost, I will draw an updated version.

I Just Doodled

Day 138
I totally forgot to post this yesterday. Who is this guy you ask? He is my favorite comic book character. He is the Irish X-Man named Banshee. He doesn't really wear that hat, I Photoshopped that on him. I don't really know why I like him. I think he has interesting powers and I like the glider things under his arms. Perhaps the reason why I like him is because I don't see him enough. He is definitely not the most popular X-Men member and doesn't appear very often. He is one of the few members of the X-Men that has not had his own series or one-shot. But I like him and have liked him since an early age.

This is a drawing I did back in 1985-86. I was just getting into reading comics and getting into drawing them. I still like to draw even though I do not spend enough time doing so. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to draw more and I plan on spending an hour a week (while watching Lost) drawing.

Here is what I did last Tuesday night. In the top corner in the left side is a rough attempt at the cover for my novel. And the rest are just doodles. I tried to draw a newer version of Banshee (lower left; the guy with no head) but got bored of it and didn't finish it.

I'll post some more stuff next week.

New Year's Resolutions Part III

Day 65

This will be the last of my New Year's Resolutions, I really don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

Speaking of chewing, I am proud to report that instead of eating my usual handful of Mint Truffle and Cherry Cordial Hershey Kisses, I ate oatmeal and a banana. And that was after my first day on the Wii Fit Plus. I will not share my weight here but I was happy that I was only a couple of ounces from what I was months ago. I didn't gain as much weight as I thought I did during the holiday stuff-your-face season.

And now as I writing my blog, I am not drinking my usual soda, I am drinking some Crystal Light instead.

Speaking of keeping New Year's Resolutions, I have written a new beginning to my novel that is over 11,000 words.

Anyway, I will quit tooting my own horn. The plan is to list my status of these goals at least every two weeks. So I will wait to brag until then.

These last few resolutions are really just stuff that I would like to attempt and not necessarily complete. Meaning I want to get a start on these sometime this year.


Learn Greek. I think it would be fun to know and learn another language and with my Greek heritage I think this should be the one. Not sure how I will accomplish this one but an attempt will be made.

Practice my bass. Kristy got me a bass guitar a couple of years ago for Christmas (it actually was my bro-in-law Steve's guitar) and I have played with it but I have not made an actual attempt to learn the bass. That will change sometime this year.

Design the cover to my novel. For fun, I would like to design the logo and the art for my novel. I would eventually like to complete this but as long as I get a start on it this year, I will be satisfied.

I have some other goals but they are too boring and mundane to share here.