In the time of Christ, and before, the name of God was not verbally spoken because it was a holy and vererated name above all other names. Among the Israelites it was considered the holiest of holy names. Instead they would pray to "The Name". Much of that world is foreign to us today. I know, the world has changed but we are much like they were in their time. Only the knowledge and technologies have changed. We still have the same feelings and struggles. We still do all the things they did but in a different environment. What does this have to do with Christianity? Everything! When it comes to faith and belief in God nothing has changed. We seem to think that since we are "modern enlightened" people we can change the bible and word of God to fit what we think it should be. (1 Corinthians 2:14-15; 2 Peter 1:20) Not one word of scripture in its original form is ineffectual in today's world. It was not created by human standards to be manipulated to fit our wants and desires. The saints have embraced the word of God for what it was when it was written. They practiced it and lived it in the way it should be practiced and lived in their time frame. They were examples of Christ among us. They are not our saviors. Just images of Christ and God. I have met some individuals who pray mostly to saints and it concerns me because scripture is very specific about who is to be prayed to. (John 5:43-45) Intersession is fine but it is like telling Jesus you don't trust He will hear you. I fact, if taken to extreme, it is idolatry. (John 14:14) Include a prayer for intercession if you must but pray to Jesus for your needs and expect it to be done. Be patient for not all prayer is answered immediately but it is answered or answered exactly as you think it should be. It will be answered. The Name is indeed sacred and to be revered above all other names.
This week I am sharing some of the steps I go through to color the images. It may surprise some that I do not just sit down and color images. Most of the time I sit and decide the general pallet and the specific colors for each of the sectors such as the hair, eyes, lips, clothing, jewelry etc. This can take time. I often go through color testing/matching to see what colors work together if multiple colors are to be used. I try to keep the color usage to a minimum since layering too many colors on the card stock will cause glossing (shine) to occur. Should that happen and it is not severe it may not be easily visible to the point it ruins the work. It still should be avoided if possible. The image I am currently working on is one of those images I had to use 3 colors for the hair. Each color was a layer one on top of the other. Some glossing did occur but not serious enough to be a problem.
This is what my search for colors looks like. In this case it is mostly for the hair but the eyes and lips are here as well.
The next two images are the image with test colors in the areas they may be used. (The photos are dark but it gives you sense of what I am doing plus the true colors on the image aren't given away.)
The colors are tested this way to see if they work with the image. Even when done this way they are not always how they look when applied to the image I am doing. This can either be a bust and start over or keep going until it is finished. (Remember that every sheet of paper affects the color differently than the last even if they are from the same reem.
Not all of these colors will be used on the final image. Several of them were not a good fit with what I wanted. Two of them are. Sorry folks. You are going to have to wait for next weeks post to see the finished image. It is still in the works. This is one of a book of images from ETSY called "Highland Dreams." These are truly challenging images on several levels.I know they look easy but in person they are a challenge.
Until next week, may the good Lord bless and keep you. Remember to "Always Love The Details."
