Dear Departed Drawings ~ Alice 06

Decided to work on Alice and Vayda today.  I have not been able to work on Alice lately.  Getting my 4 and 2.5 year old back in their routines have not been easy.   You don't realize how much something impacts another until its gone and/or reintroduced.  So there is clearly a readjustment period.  I will say that the kids are super excited about starting preschool homeschooling!  I let Grace flip through the books when they arrived and she is full of anticipation.  Asks everyday to start learning, we already do learning around the home.  I take every opportunity to explain, teach and allow the girls to discover.  I am very pleased with the quality of curriculum, workbooks and resources included in my kit.  I chose the Horizons Preschool kit from Christianbook.com.  Really happy with the whole kit.  I feel confident in our new adventure this fall with Grace.  There is Bible reference suggestions in the teacher curriculum but its not entirely bible based (like every single workbook page or activity).  I really like that.  The kit has a clear direction but allows you to interject your own spin on activities, field trips and projects.  With my husbands 3 day, 12 hour shift work schedule we will be allowed family field trips and learning experiences together on the other three or four off days. 

So with furry family members on my mind I set to work on Alice, shading her ears a bit more.  I worked on Vaydas hair a bit too.

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Lucia 25

I adjusted shading and shadows on Lucias lips, smoothed out some tones on her brow.  I worked on the clay mama, smoothing out tones.  The portrait is coming along nicely.

As I finished my new batik crystal grids I was reminded of how that came to be in the first place.  February 2014 I was told I would be doing tie dye with spiritual symbols and even selling my wares to holistic and wellness centers.  I contemplated it but most symbols are not easily foldable or symmetrical.  Later that year I was told the symbols would be ancient and involve circles.  Again, I searched ancient symbols and nothing made sense.  I had started seeing the flower of life symbols here and there but kinda ignored it.  Seriously the flower of life started showing up everywhere, I asked my husband if he had ever seen this symbol before (and he had not previously heard about it) and I did a little research. 

Turns out the flower of life is sacred geometry.  According to Wikipedia: In algebraic geometry, the root system of the Exceptional Lie Algebra G2 forms the Flower of Life, and it is the only root system in which the angle pi / 6 appears between two roots, or 0.523598775598.  Drunvalo Melchizedek has called these figures symbols of sacred geometry, asserting that they represent ancient spiritual beliefs, and that they depict fundamental aspects of space and time.  Melchizedek claims that Metatron's Cube may be derived from the Flower of Life pattern, and that the Platonic solids within it were "thought to act as a template from which all life springs".  Melchizedek has been teaching the Flower of Life at workshops since 1985.  Again, no big deal.  Have you seen the flower of life?  That is not going to be a foldable symbol for tie dye and lots of work.  Flash forward to 2015 when I attended a few crystal workshops given by Lucias mother at Alta View and saw this flower of life symbol being used on crystal grids.  At the same time the owner of the wellness center told me she would love for me to sell tie dye in their little shop.  Then a few weeks later I noticed my trivet for hot foods.  My trivet.  The trivet I purchased from Target over 7 years ago, I absentmindedly purchased it because it wasn't a rooster or teapot shape.  Not seeing any significance until now.  My trivet is the flower of life. 

Here's your sign.  I set off to figure out how to tie dye this design.  After trial and error I finally decided to try batik.  Batik is the process of painting with wax.  Tools and supplies didn't break the bank and I really enjoyed learning to control the wax.  Essentially I was drawing with wax.  Now the possibilities are almost endless.  I've been meaning to try batik since I was in high school but was afraid to fail.  Everything happens for a reason and at the right time.  Timing is spot on.  My new crystal grids for upper chakras turned out great.  You will be seeing more of them soon, all different chakras and designs.

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Alice 05

I added more shading to Alices fur and adjusted existing shading.  Still lots of basic lines and shading to get on the paper. 


Drawing time was shorter than normal, at least its not an artists block.  Children were needing extra attention at bedtime.

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Lucia 24

Adjusted shading on Lucias face, namely around her eyes.  I also worked on the bedding, smoothing out lines and shadows.  Completion is not too far off now.  Mostly happy with Lucia, bedding and blankets need the most attention.


When I see Lucia I remember the painting I first saw of her.  I was so taken with artistic talent and the celebration of the Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos.  Other religions, celebrations and history have always fascinated me.  I am sharing these snippets and photos with permission from Lucias mama, Angie.  Beautiful talent.

Angie even made sugar skulls and decorated them.  I love, love her altar.  I am a big fan of skulls and the stunning Day of the Dead skulls are soooo artistic and pretty.  I am formally attracted to skulls and skeletons.  If you know me, you know my favorite tie dye has a skeleton with a crown of roses. 

Dia de Los Muertos is so interesting.  The bloggers at Spanglishbaby.com published an informative post about the holiday. "Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, and is a traditional Mexican holiday dedicated to the memory of the loved ones lost.  The idea is to celebrate and remember them with joy, cheerfulness and colors.  Altars are made in honor of family and friends that have passed away and are decorated with their pictures, personal objects or mementos and candles.  Their favorite food and drinks are also placed on the altar, along with a trail of marigold flowers to create a path so their soul can find its way back and join the celebration for the day. The idea is that by placing these artifacts, flowers and foods the person will be remembered and celebrated for who they were in life and this will encourage them to pay a visit.  The concept might sound spooky, but it really is celebrated with so much positiveness towards the inevitability of death, and in such a festive environment, that the feeling of being scared will rarely creep upon you."

Of course this holiday intrigues me, I love to celebrate and remember our loved ones on the other side.

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Alice 04

Slowly adding the foundation.  I prefer to work in layers, laying a base first, then slowly darkening tones and finishing off details.  The way the sun shines down in this photo on Alice and her owner Vayda is stunning and heartwarming.

We had dogs growing up.  Ours were rescues from the local Humane Society.  Unfortunately none were meant to make our home their forever home, but I haven't forgotten them.  Ginger and Peaches. 

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Lucia 23

After a week of not drawing I am super happy to get back to creating.  I had my in-laws for the week staying with us, a visits with my family and hosted Easter dinner.  We renovated our kitchen with new counter tops, ripped out the old back splash for new painted walls and lots of small imperfections to repair. 

Spent some time meditating before working today.  I adjusted shadows on Lucias face and on her blankets.  Alice is on schedule for tonight.  Missed the girls.

Dear Departed Drawings ~ Alice 03

Decided to take advantage of the natural light for Alice today.  I haven't been able to work at night on her much lately and a bit of daylight is what was called for.  Still getting basic lines and shading on the paper.