Seventh Day of Christmas

New Years Eve/ Silvester

Blessings on your count down to the New Year.

Watercolor 363

Sixth Day of Christmas

Watercolor 362

Fifth Day of Christmas

Watercolor 361

After Christmas tree

Still contemplating the Manger

Fourth Day of Christmas

Watercolor 360

This didn’t work with these watercolors, but so one learns what to do, or not. 

Third Day of Christmas

Watercolor 359

Falling Snow 

The Second Day of Christmas

Watercolor 358

In Winter Cheer

The First Day of Christmas

And The Word was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

Merry Christmas to All

Christmas Eve 2019

Unto Us A Child is Born

Every year our Christmas festivities officially begin with the placing of the manger piece in the Nativity set. Then we feast. Then we gather in the living room, to light the candles on the tree for the first time, then have our Christmas Eve service with readings and lots of singing with the piano. This year’s theme was “ The Water of Life.”

Unto Us a Son is Given

Every year during our Christmas Eve service, after we read “And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped him swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger...” someone puts the Christ Child figure in the manger. 

And every year these two old handmade figures preside over the service, and subsequent cookie munching and stocking gift openings. 

Blessed Christmas Eve.

Advent 23

In Eager Anticipation 

He comes!

He comes!

Advent 22

Week Four

The Love of God is expressed in His announcement of new babies. The forerunner John was announced by the angel Gabriel in special signs. The Virgin Mary received a special visit.  And every baby is an affirmation for of that love of God for humanity. Holy Love wants each of us wholly.

Today we got a new baby, of a different sort. 

Cute, is he not?

Advent 21

Happy Winter

Metal Embossing

Advent 20

Watercolor 357

A gift cake, Schwarzwälder.

Advent 19

Watercolor 356

Another very tiny piece.

Twins!

Advent 18

Tree Beginnings

The tree. Is gotten, set, and draped, but the boxes of most of the ornaments are at the other house, so we have a very late tree this year.

Webcomic Concept Sketches and Experiments

It's too harrrrrrrrd...

Haha, it's not, of course; it's only a-bit-more-than-normal-difficult.

Why did I decide to do this again, though?

WHYYYYY?

XD

Trying to make the same face over again with different expressions, and failing, like usual.

Some backstory stuff

Sloppily figuring out some outfit designs (with the help of Pinterest)

testing out digital drawing and cell shading stuff in MediBang Paint app (I call this piece Collision Imminent, hahaha. Cheesy nonsense.)

hahaha kind of like this suspicious expression, tho

So, yeah, this is a glimpse of the kind of stuff I've been struggling over, for the past couple of weeks, in my free time.

At least half of the characters are named now.

I need to remember not to be perfectionist about this project. It's my first big attempt at this kind of thing, so of course it won't be fabulous. If I don't start sometime I won't ever start at all.

Maybe I really am not ready for this. Maybe I won't ever be. Also, it seems kind of a foolish undertaking. How does this help anyone?

It takes pretty much full-time-job kind of hours to consistently put up a webcomic, they say. Not that I didn't know about that when I set out. It just seems scarier because it's not just an idea anymore, but has very real possibilities of happening, haha.

I know I'm definitely going to set up a "buffer" of work while I am working on the story proper, when I actually do start to publish this story; which means that the real date of the story going up online will be a little later than I would like, but that is no surprise.


AAAAND, CHRISTMAS APPROACHETH.

I don't think I'll post on the blog the next couple of weeks, because that is hard to do when I'm hopping about on airplanes and such, you know? (We had family and friends who kindly pitched in for tickets to go see our family this season, or we would not have been able to go.)

A blessed Christmas to you, and I wish you a "good slide" into the new year! :D

Advent 16

Watercolor 355

The unborn John, forerunner of the Christ, rejoiced in the presence of his Savior. Oh, that we were all so attuned to praise. 

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb for joy. 

Luke 1: 41, 44

A very small work. 

Advent 15

REJOICE 

In this third week of Advent we focus on the joy our Savior’s coming gives us. While we are called to repent and while we need forgiveness, we can truly rejoice that the remedy is gained for us. 

The Virgin Mary, when given the surprising announcement of her role as mother of the Christ Child said this, 

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior..... for He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. 

All of us can pray the same.

Cloister Visit

Maria and I went to Einsiedeln this afternoon, to look, to stroll, to enjoy some tea. 

The medieval Cloister

The "open arms" in front of the Church 

In front of the cloister church goods shop, in which we found some marvellous nativity wood carvings.

The stable building. This cloister is famous for its own breed of Einsiedler sport horses. These in the picture are boarders, not the cloister's breed.

This is not an Einsiedler horse.

Bringing in the horses for evening feeding.

The horses get turned out in little paddocks during the day....

..... in a courtyard of the long halls.

Inside the cathedral, as an evening worship service was about to start.

The beautifully renovated baroque ornamentation.

Goodbye, cloister; hello, tea.

And cookies

Advent 14

Watercolor

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing. And the peace of God .... shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4: 4- 7

Something different.

Advent 13

Watercolor 353

Come unto Me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11

Another version of one I already did. 

By Adelina, just back from Sweden. “ Northern lights”

Advent 12

Watercolor 352

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, ....mercies, kindness, humbleness, meekness, long suffering.....And above all these things put on charity.

Colossians 3: 12, 14

Advent 11

Watercolor 351

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom....singing with grace in your warts to the Lord.

Colossians 3: 15, 16

An abstract landscape

Advent 10

Watercolor 350

NOTE: See Pam’s Post before this one. I am sorry for the overlap. I don’t have my computer to reschedule this one. 

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.....God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

I Corinthians 5: 17, 19

Feeling wintery 

Pam, many thanks for your post. What a delightful place for mamas and little ones. 

Henny Penny Art

When I was recently in Savannah, Georgia, my daughter, grandson and I spent a morning at one of their favorite places. It is a little cafe where Mommies go with their little ones to have coffee and tea and muffins with other mommies. It is also an art studio that provides art supplies and craft projects for the little ones to do while Mommies sip and chat. It was delightful!

 The name of the place is Henny Penny, with the theme of the children's story of that name. There was some wonderful artworks on the wall that had been commissioned of a local artist on the theme.

Mommies sipping coffee. One is waiting for a late baby to arrive.

 The art studio had a large store of craft supplies for daily projects as well as paints and play dough for children to use anytime.

Cutie Pies flexing their creative muscles.

 Chicken Little

A local artist was commissioned to make these absolutely delightful artworks on the Henny Penny theme. Savannah has a large artist community because the Savannah College of Art and Design is a prominent place of art education in the city.

 Henny Penny

 Turkey Lurkey

Foxy Woxy

 Goosey Poosey

 The techniques the artist used included layering of fabrics on  toile by stitching or glueing, liberal embellishments and shadow box backgrounds with precision cut framing to accent.

I just love to see such imaginative use of creative techniques to bring to life a simple story.