It's been awhile...I've been avoiding my blog for some reason. Now that the major holidays are over and a new year has begun I will try anew to post something worthwhile. I can proudly say that I accomplished one important goal. I finished up my book Grandma and Grandpa are Going on a Mission. I could have worked at least another year on this book, but by finishing it, I have learned a lot about Adobe Illustrator and know I need to learn much, much more. Three years ago I received inspiration for this little book. I had been thinking and praying about it then the words just came to me in the middle of the night. That might seem silly since it is a very simply written book, but to me it was a little miracle. During the last three years I've been trying to develop the ability to illustrate it. I finally sat down and made some sketches and was encouraged by Dilleen Marsh to use Adobe Illustrator to finish the pictures. I've been working on it here and there since September and finally chose December to focus on it and finish it up. I'm sure you'll agree that December is not the best month to get anything accomplished besides Christmas, but I hung in there and I DID IT! I've got the book for sale in local bookstores ( Little Professor's, Uncle & Aunties, and Christensen's Dept Store) and my etsy shop SweetSusieJane. Last week I sent a copy to Deseret Book and Seagull Book retail sales divisions. I'm hoping beyond hope that they will pick it up. If that doesn't happen I will take it to independent book stores throughout Utah. Leaving grand kids to serve a mission brings on tender emotions for the children and the grandparents. I hope this book will help make the separation easier to understand.
In November I did two landscapes in pastel. I had great fun with the color on these and I'm hoping to do more right away. The trick is finding the right place at the right time of day!
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| Three Kings |
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| Are you from Dixie? |
I also did some Christmas portrait commissions, fifteen beautiful little kids and nine dogs! It's amazing how connected I felt to these children when I drew their sweet faces. I even liked the dogs--and I'm not a dog lover. I think as I take the time to see details in a face or a landscape I feel so blessed for God's beautiful creations, and grateful for the desires I'm filled with to develop abilities He has given me. I'm finding great joy in the process and doing what I love to do. I appreciated this quote by Pres. James E. Faust, "In my observation, there are very few people who are of true genius. Many are gifted, but most of the world's work and great accomplishments come from ordinary people with talent that they develop. An ordinary talent can be nurtured and nourished into a great gift through hard work."
