Calling All Bloggers!

Doesn't it seem sometimes like blogging has been around forever?

Well, maybe not that long, but still.

When we first started out,

wasn't it a thrill to know that blogging

put the world at our fingertips?

And we had plans,

big plans!

But is blogging on the wane these days?

Many bloggers have stopped posting.

It's slow going to get new readers.

Lots of people have drifted away to

faster and easier platforms like

Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube and Instagram.

However, the die-hard bloggers remain!

We're still enthusiastic!

Not even trolls, the bane of the internet, can deter us!

We just activate comment moderation and carry on!

So why are we die-hards so persistent in our blogging?

The answer is obvious.

Keep on posting, my friends!

This fabulous blog badge is the creation of

junemac57 of 57beyond blog -- you can read

her post on the same subject here!

She encourages us all to display

it on our blogs too!

A super idea!

The Art of Coloured Pencils

I recently finished another introductory art course. Its purpose was to teach us, not how to draw per se, but how to apply, layer, shade and blend an image using coloured pencils to achieve a realistic 2D effect. In order to save limited class time, the instructor had us trace (rather than draw) the basic outline of the image on our paper. Then we filled it in using the freehand techniques she taught us.

We completed three pieces, which I'm posting sequentially from first to last so that you can see the progression as we learned the techniques.

"Japanese Lady"

Our first project was done on black paper using only a single white coloured pencil. My rendition is not particularly good -- you can see how tentatively I applied the colour and how crude the shading looks. The best thing about this one is the flowers in her hair, and even that's not saying much, LOL!

"Horses in Harness"

My second effort is much better. It was done on white paper (although it looks greyish in the photo) using two pencil crayons -- a light grey and a darker grey. I was much more confident in applying the colour this time.

My father loved horses, especially heavy horses, and he would have liked this picture very much. I thought of him often while working on this.

One takeaway from this project is that I never want to deal with leather straps, buckles and chains again. [*Insert bondage joke here. See? I know you people.*] 

"Photographer Girl"

Our final piece was done on grey paper (although it looks brownish in the photo) using three pencil crayons -- light umber, dark umber and cream. My philosophy by this point was obviously "go big or go home." I layered that goddamn colour on like nobody's business! Probably too much so, if truth be told. Oh well! Plus I discovered how hellishly hard hands are to do. Clearly, I have a long way to go in that department.

I'm busy right now doing the next level class in coloured pencils, so in time I will post my results from that. We're using multiple pencils now and doing multiple layers. It's a very slow process but also not a terribly messy process, which is a characteristic that I like. What can I say? I'm fastidious.

[Art and photographs © Debra She Who Seeks, November, 2019]

Dogs Versus Cats

We all know the differences between dogs and cats --

These fundamentally opposite personality characteristics

also extend to cat and dog owners . . .

. . . and to politics!

Remembrance Day

[by Eric Goggin,

Destination Art]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

From the Chicken Coop

I haven't done a poultry post for a while, so today's your lucky day! Here's the answers to all the poultry-related questions you've been dying to ask --

Question:

WHY did the chicken cross the road?

Answer:

Cluck you, buddy.

Question:

HOW did the chicken cross the road?

Answer #1:

At the crosswalk, of course, obeying all traffic signals.

Answer #2:

Riding in comfort IN a car.

Answer #3:

Riding in discomfort ON a car.

Question:

How did the chicken cross the RIVER?

Answer:

Isn't it obvious?

Question: 

What does it look like when you face-swap with a chicken?

Answer:

Creepy. Damn creepy.

Hurray for Writers!

I know that many of you bloggers out there are also authors --

emerging, established, yet to be discovered,

published, or not published but working on it!

So, in this month of NaNoWriMo

(National Novel Writing Month),

here's my meme tribute to writers everywhere!

Don't be afraid to learn from the Great Writers of the world.

They have much wisdom to impart to you.

You writers work your fingers to the bone

realizing your literary vision of genius!

Alas, however, as every writer knows,

there are dry periods as well.

But as hard as writing is, there is an

even greater terror down the road . . .

dealing with editors!

However, editors have their own problems too

and must be careful not to go overboard

in their editorial zeal --

Even when writers reach the Promised Land of publication,

they must then worry about promotion and book sales.

So here's a handy tip to help you through it!

Well, at least we won't be bothered

this month here in the blogosphere

by Her Royal Highness the Cat.

She's doing NaNoWriMo too!

HRH says her book is some kind of tell-all exposé

about me and life at She Who Seeks blog.

Ha ha, how silly!
[nervous laughter]

A Blessed Samhain

Halloween is not all fun and games.

It has a serious spiritual basis.

The pagan celebration of Samhain ("Summer's End")

begins at sunset tonight.

The Wheel of the Year has turned once more and

it is now time to honour the Crone Goddess.

In Celtic spirituality, the Raven is

a sacred familiar of the Crone Goddess,

aiding her in the tasks of preparing

for the grave and renewal.

The Raven is a shamanic creature.

It easily flies back and forth between the worlds,

bearing messages and omens.

The Raven's association with death

extends especially to death in battle.

The Raven often accompanies the Celtic

War Goddess known as The Morrigan.

The Raven remains a powerful symbol from ancient times . . . 

. . . right up to today's modern world. 

The Raven reminds us all to

remember and honour
the passage of time.