What is Age?

     I do not know of a bible verse that can back up what I want to say in my post, but I will say the rummaging thoughts that I have concerning the view on age.
 
     Allow me to start off with saying that I do respect those who are older in spirit, not just physical appearance. However, I have heard so many of those who have seen many years upon this Earth talk about how they are too old to do something and how the world is not what it used to be.

     It is true, the world is not how it once was, but I do recall the Bible speaking of change and the continuing of Life on Earth. We are told that the best way for us to stay in the continuing is simply to accept change, to trust that God has a way in whatever change we face in our world. For how can we not trust in God and still keep going with change? The moment you refuse change is the moment you admit to no trust in God. In that moment, your soul becomes stuck in the mud and the world will turn its back upon you.
     As for your age, I believe that God does not look at how many years you have spent upon this Earth. He sees your Soul, He sees what you are fully capable of and once you place your full trust in God, in His son The Messiah, He will show you the goodness in change. He will guide you to use what you know to take the change and make it better.
    I don't know how it happens and I never ask why, but God will work His plans through all who trust in Him. I pray that you, my reader, will trust God as you go through whatever change you are facing at whatever "age" you are currently in.
    On a personal note, I do forget how many years I have lived on Earth.

    As for my comic, still on the scripting stage but I am also working on floor plans for the buildings in the Kingdom I start off in and drawing up character sketches. As I script, I keep gaining more characters to sketch, minor or main. I am also working on editing my script while I type it up onto my computer.

    I pray you'll forgive how rough my writing is, there is a reason I do more than just one draft when it comes to my comic. Yay editing! Please check on me on Sunday to see how far I have gotten in my comic. I estimate another month before I can begin sketching panels. Eheheheh......

Listening

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked ways." Psalm 37:7

     Whenever I feel the most lost in my life, I will often go into some woods where I can be alone. While I am standing or sitting in the woods, I will simply wait and listen. Every time is different, but the end result is that I feel closer to God and whatever was bothering me has been resolved. With this thought, I challenge you, my reader, to venture out into whatever nature that happens to be near you and find a place where you can wait and listen for God. I do not promise that He will come to you immediately, but if you just wait patiently then He will speak with you (not to you). I pray for you to be blessed and that your prayers, quiet or loud, will be answered in the way God sees fit.

     As for my story, without even finishing typing up my story, I have figured out how to proceed. I am not saying that I have blown up the boulder, but now I know how to keep going. When I finally begin posting the finished product in some way, I do pray you will see slight similarities to certain stories found in the Bible. I don't mean for that to happen, but while I am writing I realize it kinda does, laugh and just keep writing. As I script I find that I still have character sketches that I need to draw up before I can begin drawing panels and figuring out panel placement.

     I pray you will return Wednesday to see where I am then. Understand, the comic making process is a rather long one, so please do not expect me to start immediatly posting a product that is not fully finished. I have seen other creators start posting a story they haven't worked out and end up at a spot where they have to take a while to figure out whatever problem with story or life before continuing. I understand that readers do not like that sort of thing happening and so I am proceeding in a manner that allows the reader to enjoy without having to wait on the creator to get finished before posting.

     Thank you and come again! :P

The Sinner's Work

     It has been a while since I last posted a sketch or anything, and it will be a while longer yet. Right now, I am living life and I am also fixing up my laptop to be my work station instead of my Tower. Due to circumstances, my Tower is in the same room as my son, and the only time I have to do anything comic book related is when I am at work and when my son is sleeping for whatever reason. Sadly, my Tower wakes my son up, so it's best I move over to my laptop.

     As for what I mean by my title, I highly encourage you to bring out your bible (used or unused, God only cares that you read it) and read. I will post the Parable I am going to talk about, but I still very much encourage you to read the bible to enjoy, think about or any reaction you so choose. God just wants you to come to know Him.

     "'What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
'I will not.' He answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir' but he did not go.
Which of the two did what his father wanted?..." Matthew 21:28-31

     Further into the parable, Jesus compared the taxpayers and prostitutes to the first son. I find it really interesting that, during this time, the community viewed the taxpayers and prostitutes as sinners. With this in mind, I have replaced the 'taxpayers and prostitutes' with 'sinners' and this entire story suddenly becomes very clear cut.
     Christian or not, a person will most often say that they will do something only to not do it. Yet, when we say 'no' suddenly we really want to do exactly that. Humans are simply amazing.
     In my personal life, when it came to the very idea of comic book making, I had stated that I would never make it my career believing that 'starving artist' will not apply to myself. I have ran from the world that I love so much to seek worldly happiness.
     Worldly happiness is a sin. Seeking happiness in God is where true happiness will be found, and I embrace it with my all now. I accept that God will work through my comics to touch upon those that are where I had been. I envision a youngster sitting in a bookstore or library reading a comic book that will guide them to a life fulfilling.
     I thank God for everything in my life for I see now. I pray that you, my reader, will also see through God's eyes, to gain true knowledge and true happiness.

     As for where I stand on my comic, I am still on a standstill while I transfer from my hard copies onto my laptop. Comic books weren't made in one day, it really does take time. Still worth while.

     Please come back again Sunday, perhaps I have finally blown up this dagum boulder.

Being Lead

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11

     This verse does touch me, as do all the verses of the bible. When I manage to get in my private time with God (right now, it's very very rare), I read the verses and always find one that speaks to my heart.
     Back to my topic! This verse reminds me that I am a part of the flock Jesus leads, that I do need to place my trust in Him and simply be lead. That does not mean I will be lead blindly, for through God do I see all things. God is the reason I am alive, and so I must put my trust in His Will and do what I am guided to do, as is the same with all those within His flock.
     Right now, I am being lead gently back to the purpose of my life, which is to guide all to him through the stories and pictures that are made from the gift God has blessed me with. I do refuse to be a robot, though. God wants his children to have true smiles and feelings, as the truth does attract his lost sheep back to the flock.

     As for the story, I am now at 129 panels scripted up but the boulder I have mentioned before is still there. All I have done is push it further forward. Working on making some dynamite to blow it out of my road, though I will be asking for help from my friends and family.
     I will be taking a break from my scripting so that I can gather everything I have done so far and try to blow my boulder up with it.
     Having fresh perspectives on the story always helps.

     Let's see where God has lead me come Wednesday! I pray you will return to find out.

Life

     Once again Life is taking over my attention. I will be living it for a while before I can give any more proper posts, but will keep updating on the days I said I will.

     Panel planning hasn't gotten any further than where I left off, no sketches have been done but I have been working on making a physical map so I can have a bit of fun with story intertwining ^.^

     May God bless your roads as He too blesses mine. I enjoy envisioning my life as a fountain in which God's blessing flow over me and onwards to those around me. Really lovely picture, that. Please keep checking as I make my way back to making my posts!

Connections

     I am a day late with my post, but yesterday I had a wonderful day spending time with my family in the morning and headed in for work on the night shift.
     No verse today, and I will be adding in a picture later on when I find a chance to scan it up and post it.
     In my last post I did make mention on how my stories will be moving from one character to another, I just wanted to emphasize that all of the characters will have interacted with each other at one point in time of the story. I've based my idea on how a seed grows, starting at the seed. As the seed grows over time, it will reach towards the sun and spread itself out to reach more for the sun until it becomes a tree that we all see in passing. Each story is a branch of it's own, but all connected on this one planet in another galaxy.
     As for my progress on the first "branch", I now have 114 panels planned but only two panels sketched out (I dashed out two panels because I edited the prologue). I still have the same boulder in the road but I am finding ways to move it out of the way so I can progress. In the meantime, still planning in the midst of living life.
     If comic making was my real career, I would have had more progression than where I am now. As it stands, though, I am working as best I can and loving every second of life as I do.

     Give God your all, and God will take care of you.

     I pray I can make my post come Wednesday, as I have no idea what will happen in the future (and I prefer it that way)

A Boulder On My Road

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

     I have found myself at a bit of a writer's block. Currently looking at my storyline from different perspectives, talking with my close friends and otherwise working on this one spot I seemed to have snagged at. It's a really tricky spot, as it does reveal to the reader just how close the community is within the kingdom I begin the story in, as it does happen to be a floating mountain in the middle of an ocean. Also, let me set this record down, no my story is not based upon Avatar: The Last Air Bender or any other such story.
     The idea that my story takes place on a planet and moves around the globe may make it seem similar, but it is not based off of or even taken from it. It does not revolve around a singular character that changes the world, it will move through stories that interlink. Much like a tapestry where every string touches but continues on to other strings. Though this way of story telling does happen to make things trickier for myself, as I am making this comic and with some help from friends and family.
     The above sketch is one of the characters, I have also displayed another character before just didn't make mention of him.

     As for where I am in panel planning and panel sketching, I kind of become lost. I edited the prologue to be more suitable for the story and better for the reader, but I am also editing another part within the story which bumps the panel counting up higher and is taking time away from panel sketching as I work more on the planning. I have progressed, but as stated before I am in a struggle as well.
     Thus is how my road goes, even I come across boulders in my path. With God's help, the boulder will roll out of the way and I can continue on.

     I pray to see you again come Sunday, and perhaps I will have overcome the struggle to get back to progressing. If I have not, I will be doing lots of perspective viewing, poking and prodding to get past it.

Blooming in the Word

     "[You] will burst into bloom. [You] will rejoice greatly and shout for joy." Isaiah 35:2

     Every day in every way I feel God's presence with me. As I take my trembling steps in this walk upon my road, I feel myself blooming into the beautiful flower God has meant for me to be. Each step becoming stronger, even as others try to shear the stem of my faith, I walk.
     I love, therefor I Am.

     It seems it's time to give a small detail of the story that I am currently working on. The story takes place upon a planet called Thrae, where many of the inhabitants are of different races with just as differing creatures. I mean for this planet to be something of a mirror to ours, but with so many differences. It's going to start in a place that should have God's presence and Will working in it, but something is not quite right with it.
     As I go further into the story, I may give out some more details of the story. Currently, do understand that my comic book will not be another representation of a story from the Bible. These stories that I tell will hold the very Living Word within yet be stories of their own right.

     I now have 89 panels planned, four panels sketched. I aim to have the panels planned out for the first book, once the planning stage is complete I will concentrate more on the sketching. Once the sketching is done, I will then move on to inking and coloring. How I present the comic, I am not sure at this point. Once I am creating the pages, I will have figured it out.
     Until then, please bear with me as I work. I am having a lot of fun seeing how the story is coming to life. I will of course edit here and there, but the second draft is coming along much better than the first draft was. Going panel to panel works better than page to page for me.

     I pray you will come back on Wednesday.

     May God Bless You Upon This Day In Which He Hath Made.

Forgetting the Unforgettable

     "But if anyone does not have [virtues], he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." 2 Peter 1:9 (I encourage you to read 2 Peter 1:3-11 for a better understanding of this passage)

     I was baptized when I was just a child, cleansed of the spirit. Yet as time went by and I grew, I still sinned and had done things I'd much rather forget. Even more recent, I have been sinning yet again and feeling so ashamed that my shame became my burden.
     This passage reminds me that I need to turn to the Messiah, My King, ask for forgiveness upon bended knee. I need to strive to live in His word and follow His will. In this way, He will have me forget my sins but remember the virtues in which I must have as a child of God.
     I pray that my works will reach out and touch others. For in time, all good things shall come to pass (though the bad things must come first).

     Concerning that comic itself, I am still working on character sketching but I do have enough characters to begin writing up the story. I have seventy-nine panels planned so far, and one panel fully sketched while another is in the works.
     On top of working on my comic around work and family, I am also doing a commission for a friend. Once I have finished with the sketch, I will post it here for all to see.
     Sketching has always been easy, as it typically takes me an hour or more to do it. Inking and coloring is the challenge, as I have to wait till my son has fallen asleep for the day before I can do anything. Inking takes me approximately two or more hours to do and coloring takes approximately four hours or more to do, and I only have maybe an hour after my son's bedtime to work.
     It really is a challenge, but I love it all the same!

     I pray you will return Sunday for my next post!

A Mother's Beginning to a Dream

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth" Gen 1:1

     When I was just a budding artist in my teen years, I held this one obsession that's been through my ups and downs of life. As it happens with most teens, my obsession was looked down upon by a lot of adults, parents included. My obsession was so strong that it was the greatest distraction from school and a rather lonely home life. Even better, my obsession made it down right difficult for my parents to even ground me.
     What is this obsession I continue to refer to?
     Comic Books
     It didn't even stop at comic books, I even enjoyed books filled to the brim of plots and characterization and beautiful words that could describe the greatest landscapes and still leave room for imagination to fill in the details. I even recall the very first book that drew upon my imagination, a book that so many in this world have already enjoyed and further into the world who will also enjoy.
     "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling was my first love in the world of stories. From there, I went from Robotech and Sailormoon to Mangas (now referred to as Graphic Novels) and Comic Books. I was constantly flipping from one world to another. I didn't care if it was through a television show or movie, through the words of an author or even through the art and wording of comics. If there was a story, I was there. I even went through chat rooms, seeking out others to play out scenes of some story.
     Through out all of these stories, I had been practicing drawing and making stories. It is why I loved comics of any kind, two things I love put in one binding of pages.
     I did attend college with a vague idea to do something in art, but at the time the vague idea did not stand up to the pressure of college. After failing quite a few classes that should have been relatively easy for me, I dropped out and gained my first ever job in the world of retail. At that time, I was twenty years old.
     Upon the age of twenty-two, I met my amazing husband through our mutual friend. Life continued to push me, revealing to me many more stories while my own story blossomed still.
     For my twenty-fourth birthday I found out that we were going to bring one to the world from our two beings. My son is a wonderful boy, growing and learning so many things that watching this unfold is a true treat for me.
     Though Life had taken a toll upon my drawing and story making, I had set it behind me as I gave attention to Life. I did doodle from time to time, but I ignored my skill so that my son and husband could have the higher priority. As a child of God, I do shamefully admit that I even placed my time with God further back.
     When my twenty-sixth birthday rolled around, I could no longer ignore God or the skills in which He blessed me with, skills that I love. God brought to my attention that the life He blessed me with is still limited, that I must now take up the pencil and make comic books with Him in the heart of it all.
     This is the Gift blessed upon me, and as I use it to make these stories within me, I pray that they will reach out to others. As I begin anew, I pray that others can watch as I walk upon this rocky road.
     I will be posting every Sunday and Wednesday the progress and struggles of my road to becoming a Comic Book Artist for God with the blessings of God's Will.
     I promise, these comics will be unlike those that have come before in the Christian comic books.