The beat goes on.

{How True!!!! This post is being created on my old computer, which I kept as a backup to use when things go haywire on the new computer. I had built my computers in the past, component by component. The last three computers were all purchased from large companies and all three were a major disappointment for me. They seem to have the idea that EVERYONE loves their bloatware (their fix everything software). All that software does is eventually mess up your system causing you to need their techs to fix their mess and to keep you buying there service contracts. That is the mess I find myself in on the computer I use for everything, including writing this blog. Thank goodness for my old computer. It is my creation with no bloatware and only useful programs to do what needs to be done.} 

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

4:7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 4:8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; 4:9 we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, 4:10 always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body. 4:11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body. 4:12 As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 4:13 But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak. 4:14 We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 4:15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. 4:16 Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 4:17 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison 4:18 because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), 2 Co 4:7–18.

The quote today certainly fits what most of us experience in our day to day existence. It is good to remember that what we go through isn't for no reason. The bible quote tells us that how we handle our situations is important for the end result, what we can't see. Just because we can't see something does not mean it does not exist. The unseen world is where we are going to be when this world ends for us. This world is a stopover, a way station, a classroom. The bits and pieces shared in this blog are not the whole or the end of the story. Each of you are the ongoing story. Read the shared verses above again and let them speak to you. They are the answer to the Brainy Quote above.

Today I am sharing a Scottish Highland Men image. It is one that I am sure the ladies will like.

The Copics used are;

The pen in the upper right corner is a Copic multiliner 0.05 black. 

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Less is More

 Notice: I have been getting sales pitches and related correspondence on this blog in my comments. This will not be tolerated. I have opened this blog to the public to give more people the chance to comment on my blog. If this continues I will not only delete you, I will also block your site. If you practice these tactics on social media (Facebook, TicToc etc) go to them and advertise not here. Thank you.

In most cases this statement is correct. The problem with this statement is the fact that it is why the world is in the state that it is. All too often the need for more and more also breeds greed. It would be of benefit to live with less when you can afford more and donate what is left to those who are in need. Having more is not a bad thing but it is a privilege that can easily be abused and seen as making someone better than the less privileged. This is why Jesus said of the rich man "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luke 18:25) There are those who have worked hard for the possession and wealth and those who are born into it. Most who have come up from places of poverty know the hardship of not having and of not only want but need. I know what it is like to have one can of soup on the shelf to feed a wife and baby with no job or income. It is not a happy place. I can look around now and say "The Lord has been kind to us and provided what was needed." I worked hard to get here. It is enough and not extravagant in any way. I don't know what it is like to be able to get whatever I want whenever I want it. If I had great wealth I would be inclined use most of it to provide for those truly in need. That is not to say I would not make sure I and my wife would be taken care of in our remaining years but what good is wealth that will remain in this world when we depart for the next. To me more is only measured against the less of others. Extravagance is not a good place to be when others are in need. Be careful to measure wealth against the need versus want. It is ok to want but not to excess.

Once again this week I am sharing an image from Moontear. 

The Copic colors used are;

The pen at the top is a Copic multiliner brown. That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Tired

It is sometimes a trying time when you follow the quote of the day from Henry Ward Beecher. Im have recently found myself tested and pressed in ways that make one tired both physically and mentally. I will not get into the reasons but I will say that anyone who has gone through such trials and feels exhausted from lack of sleep and stress knows just how tired you can get. There are a myriad of little things going wrong or happening that should not happen that add up to a lot of stress. Add to that the world around us seems determined to self destruct. The saving grace that carries me through such times is knowing I am not alone. Our Lord is always at our side and leads the way. Psalm 23 is ever present in mind and body. That's right mind and BODY. When it seems the body is fatigued and wants to stop new strength is found and you move forward despite the fatigue. I thought about skipping the post this week but decided to make an effort and at least post something to give others hope and encouragement. I don't know about you but I am not one to give up and admit defeat under such circumstances.

This week I am posting another of the images from Moontear. I will resume posting a few of these images in the next week or two.

The Copic colors used are;

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Veils

What do you think of with this quote? Does one thing or multiple things come to mind? Are they scriptural or worldly? I suspect the answer is both. There are many veils in life that are beautiful, mysterious and scary. A bridal veil is both beautiful and scary deprending on whom you ask. The veil of clouds covering a tornado is without question scary. The veil of secrecy is mysterious and a bit scary. Veiled treats are scary. These are all worldly veils. What about scriptural veils? Veils in scripture are usually veils that cover the face of some individual. They are primarily for women who veil their faces but Moses also veiled his face when he came down off the mountain after being in the presence of God. His face shown brightly and was a fearful sight to the Israelites. (Exodus 34:34-35) The veil over those who do not acknowledge or continue in their sinfuol way was another kind of veil. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) The veil was lifted when turned to follow Jesus. (Corinthians 4:3) There is one very impoortant veil in scripture, the veil over the holy of holies in the temple. It was this veil which was torn from ceiling to floor when Christ died on the cross. (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45) This was to signify that God was now available to the people directly. There are many other mentions of veils in scripture, enough to fill several posts. The bible is an interesting and informative read. Get your feet wet and start a reading regimin. There is much to learn and be inspired by in the pages of scripture. 
The Irish highlander men coloring book is definitly a challenging coloring experience. I am going to skip to the image completed this week to highlight that statement. This was a major challenge but one of my favorite images. The process of aging in this world leaves its mark on our personages. This is one of two images that illustates that to a tee. If it weren't for the great art work and attention to the details by the artist this would not be near as captivating as it is. Here is my salute to aging with dignity. You can see in this face a  life lived. Enjoy!

Tyhe Copic colors used are:

The pen on the right is a Copic Multiliner 0.03mm Cool Grey pen. This pen was used to highlight the hair and beard to make them stand out more. Some of the hair was faint and needed to be given depth to be noticed.

My wife had two of our close friends visiting while I was coloring the face of this image. They were there for several hours and got to see just how long it takes to do an image. It was nice to have someone see the coloring process.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

The Narrow Gate

 

(Matthew 7:12-14) There are many who try to find the path that leads to salvation. It is not an easy path to follow or to remain on when it is found. It is described as the wide gate in the gospel of Matthew. The reason it is wide is because those that travel the easy road do so still carrying the baggage of the old life with them, their old ways and habits. We are told we cannot enter heaven through the wide gate but must enter through the narrow gate. The narrow gate is impossible to go through with all of the extra baggage. For most it is an impossibility to shed the old ways and habits. Why? In order to shed most things they must first learn to learn to love others as ones self and to treat others as they would like them to treat them. The gospel of Matthew says it is the narrow and hard way. If it were easy it would not require us to shed this world to follow the Lord. If it were easy we would not have to become mirrors of the Lord. If it were easy there would be no need for the Lord to have sacrificed Himself on the cross for our salvation. Be thankful most will not have to go that road. He took the hardest part from us to lessen the burden of the narrow gate but we must shed the baggage we carry to pass through it. The narrow gate is the stripped down, burden free, faithful belief that Christ is our savior and that since He loved us, even though we were sinners, we should do the same with others. It is not enough to go through life studying the word and not following it. It is not an easy road we are asked to follow. It is a hard road through a narrow gate that leads to the promised land. It is worth the effort.

This image was a challenge. It required more colors than the female images as you can see. I'm not completely satisfied with it but it is done satisfactorily. 

The Copic colors used are:

The background was done with the Copics Spray tool. I didn't mask the edges beforehand and had a mess to clean up. I chose not to show it but it did come mostly clean using the 0 coloring blender pen (top row). It still shows faint color but barely visible.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless you and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

To see in the darkness

 

If you have ever been in a place of near to total physical darkness you know how near impossible it is to see even your hand in front of your face. In time you adjust to the light available, if any, or to the lack of light and learn to hear and see by touch and memory of your surroundings. It isn't the same as having your sight but you learn to deal with it. That is because you still have hope for going on with your life in what seemed an impossible situation. There are times when life deals a blow that seems to leave no possible avenue of recovery. The glimmer of hope may be small and difficult to see but there it is there. It isn't always what you expect or even want but it is there. This life is temporary and short. I often think of one of my favorite stories in the bible that reminds me of hopelessness and what we should remember before we shut down in the face of it. (Psalm 27:8-14) Says pray to the Lord and rely on the Lord that He will take you in. There have been times when I have wondered who would come to my aide when it seemed there was no answer to a dilemma. Two guesses where the help came from. Prayers  were answered and the answers were not always as expected but the Lord took me in and gave the answer needed. The hope we seek is not always in those around us but in the one who has taken us into his fold and cares for our needs. Light in the darkness is the Lord Jesus and the hope we have in His promises.

This week another Image from Highlander Dreams. This image will be the final image for awhile from this series. I found some male images that I am excited to try. Finally male images that are not fantasy or cartoonish. It is a welcomed change. 

The Copics used are:

The Pen is a Copics multiliner Cool Grey 0.03mm.

Note: I started another image but, as sometimes happens it was not up to snuff with the colors I chose. It is on hold for now.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord Bless and keep you safe. Remember To "Always Love The Details."

Pride or hope

 In the community of God's family there are many who have little of earthly value. They are often destitute and forgotten. For some not even hope is a bright light in their lives. For them it seems there is nothing left, nothingness is their reality. There is a choice here that really matters. Too often I see those with little to their name belittled and demeaned by those that have much. The wealthy are prideful of what they have and look down on those who are poor. Rest assured that Jesus has taken notice and will hold them accountable. You cannot call yourself a Christian in this situation. It matters not if you are a regular church attendee. There are many lost souls that attend church regularly, who tithe regularly, who enjoy the limelight of status and still they are lost. (John 2:14-16, Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15-17) The Lord spoke of those who are blessed and will be part of His family. (Matthew 5:3-12) Think again before you look down on the poor and down cast for you know not who you might be judging as not worthy of respect. Compassion is missing from those who believe they are above the rest of the world and the people that have little. I dare say that some of the happiest people I know are those very individuals. Pride in one's self will not be honored in heaven. (Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 23:12, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Proverbs 16:18-19) Hope is more important than pride. Read the passages and think about it. 

Today another image from the Highlander image book. I am ecstatic with these images. They are the best I have been able to find. 

 

The Copic colors used are:

Less colors used makes it a bit easier but still have to pay attention to the detail. That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Life

Last week I urged those of you who felt that there was more to your existence than you are now experiencing. There truly is more to life than the work-a-day routine consisting of making money, getting ahead, acquiring power or most other things most people do. Those things may or may not happen in your lifetime. Even if they do they will not follow you when you die. God and Jesus are not in the business of preserving what you acquire in this world. What they are about is making you part of the family of God. Have you ever noticed that those who follow Jesus are always involved in service to others and not making themselves greater than those they serve? Jesus promised the paraclete would come to those who followed him. That promise was for any and all who answered His call to repent (turn from the sinful ways of the world) and follow the way of the Lord. It is called walking in the spirit. It is what you feel urging you to seek Him out and follow Him. The amazing fact is that you have a choice to follow or not to follow. No arm twisting or coercion just facts to consider. Believe in Him and the promise of eternal life or not and accept a nonexistence for eternity. Many good people reject Him and believe there is no life after death and accept death as a permanent nothingness. Scripture says that nonbelievers are condemned to the pit of fire not just a nonexistence. The urge to seek Him out is a calling from the Spirit of God to come home to Him and become part of His family. Walk with Him in the Holy Spirit and experience a world that is different than anything you have known before. 

This week is another of the Highlander images. This is by far the best one I have had the privilege of doing. It was challenging on many levels. I asked several people which one to do next and this was the choice.

Notice: The image is mislabeled as Dreams Coloring Art. It is actually Highland Dreams.

The Copic colors used are:

The pen is 0.05 black. The 0 blender pens were used to make corrections and to clean up so areas the bled. This was a mixed media project. The pencils were used where the lines were too fine to do with the Copics. 

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

The Calling

 

We have been called and given a task as a Christian follower. It is to be reflections of the one who created  us and the one who died for us on the cross. The task? Walk in the light of the cross in complete gratitude and humility for the gift of life that is eternal knowing we have been granted the privilege of being in the presence of the great "I AM".  How do you know you have been called? Good question but very hard to answer. Usually it is a very subtle urge to seek something more than yourself. A feeling that there is more to life than just working for money, self gratification or the things many others consider important. Sometimes it is a not so gentle shove but a dire warning to change. Sometimes it is a combination of both. It can happen almost anywhere you happen to be. There is not enough room in this post to tell of all the ways it can happen. If there are questions you feel the need to get answers for find a Christian prayer community and attend if possible. Ask your questions. I am sure they will be more than happy to help. What I present to you in these posts is not the complete story but some insights into the Christian walk. Even the images posted are the gift our risen savior. Without Him these posts and images would not be possible. Seek Him and all things are possible. 

This week the finished image I shared last week. Again, this and the other images I will shared are from a book of digital images from ETSY called HighlandDreams. 

The Copic colors used are;

There was some wicking with some of the colors, which was corrected with the 0 blending pen,  and a little bit of glossing but it turned out nice. I left most of the blouse uncolored at the urging of my dear wife.

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

The Name

 

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."