3 marker challenge // colored pens

Whew, finally, some art's come back on here.

   Okay, let's dive right into this...

   I've been watching a lot of artists on Youtube, including Drawing Wiff Waffles, Love Teacup Kisses, and Doodle Date. The last two have done videos on the 3 marker challenge, so I'm giving it a shot :)

   If you don't know how it works, the 3 marker challenge is when you randomly pick three colored markers (not including the lineart pen) and color a sketch with only those three.

   I got a bright blue Copic (BG02), a regular old grey pen, and olive green. Originally I got a different blue, but then I decided that there might not be enough ink in it to use it on this sketch, so I picked again and got one of my two Copic markers.

   I sketched this out and finished off the lineart before I picked the colors so that wouldn't influence what I drew. Overall, I like the way she turned out, and I loved the colors, too :)

I'd love to see your sketches if you end up doing the challenge!

Let me know in the comments :)

Sincerely,
Darrion

trip to the lego store // photography

   Hey guys! It's me again, and I'm going to share with you one (only one, mind you) of my childhood obsessions.

   Yep, the toys for boys! The bucket of bricks I inherited from my older brother when he moved out drove me into a world of buildable fun.

   My favorite sets were Star Wars, the biggest of my collection. I'll have to show you sometime. I've got a bunch... but, quick tip, don't get the retired Endor Base set. It falls apart and will make the cheese slid off your cracker.

   I also really like the Ninjago sets, as well as their movie and TV show. But no spoilers, I've only gotten as far as the tournament of elements!

   The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sets are also really great. I love my Hobbit Hole :) Not to  mention my wisdom (oh glory, there goes my ego again) in saving up my VIP points for the big purchase.

   Anyway, while my sister was checking out the American Girl Store (check out her blog with many of the photos taken by myself here), I raced over to the Lego store to get a few pictures.

   But dude, whoever sets up this whole display thing should really rethink their scheme! It was hard to get any good pictures, and even with major editing, most of them didn't turn out at all.

Quick note... these pictures are rather old, so the sets displayed are outdated.

One of the Ninjago sets on display, with Lloyd in his... elemental car... thing...

One of Chen's sets

Kai, Master of Fire key-chain

Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age

Fili mini figure with an adorable expression. Yay! Let's go kill a dragon with hugs and flowers!

Terrified Bilbo (as usual)

Kili doing nothing helpful with a dramatic face (as usual)

And the Jurassic World sets! I loved the movie, and am pretty excited about the sets. The only setback is that they're a bit too expensive for my taste, and that Claire's stubby Lego legs aren't high-heeled. Humph.

Adorable Mini Cooper! I wish they had made it red, though.

Aw! I spotted this minifigure proposal. So adorable.

Out for a movie date in one of the displays!

Pick-a-Brick brick holes

I love that they're doing this, it's super fun to just pick the bricks you want.

Tiny round pieces

Thanks for visiting, friend! Come back soon!

Sincerely,
Darrion

P.S., comment below with your favorite childhood toy, Lego or not! I'd love to hear 'em :)

a star wars christmas // pen // notebook sketch // SMALL SPOILER HIDDEN INSIDE ON RED

Merry Christmas, everyone!

   I hope you're having a great Christmas Eve.

   I just finished some Star Wars fanart for you... I've been in the Star Wars mood for a while now., though I've only seen the movie twice so far, but hopefully I'll go to see it again soon.

   Willow and I had some favorite surprise characters, as we are pictured with below.

   She really loved the little perky droid, BB-8, and is getting one for Christmas. She's super excited, he's a voice activated droid. And because she loves him so much, I thought I'd draw her under the mistletoe with 'her guy' :)

   I drew inspiration from DrawingWiffWaffles, who likes to put a square of color behind the character to add focus where she wants it, and to make it pop out more. I did that here, though I'm not super happy with the lighter green around the mistletoe... but, overall, I like it pretty well anyways.

   Right, here's the part where I explain myself... this would happen after Kylo Ren (eventually..?) turns good and brings presents to the Christmas party. I did the red because it's Christmas colored, not just because of the darksidieness. He was a surprising character, which lands him on my 'highly favored' list. But dude, his face is super hard to draw... what's up with that tiny chin, man?!

Well, I hope you liked them, and that you have a great Christmas/Eve!

Merry Christmas,

Darrion

star wars: the force awakens // review // spoiler free

Not very long ago, in a theater only a mile away...

The force awoke.

How long have we been waiting for this day to come?

Just long enough.

The timing was perfect, special-effects clean and practically real. Actors just the right age and with the right attitude.

Can't get much better than this.

The whole movie was a fast paced ride, with many fun jokes and memorable sets. They slowed down just enough for the emotional scenes, and gave some great in-between dialog to keep the story going. The amazing cast really lifted the story with their chemistry, while lightsaber duels and other battles were wonderfully choreographed.

I can't say enough about the characters. I love the way they handled Finn, he's my favorite of the bunch. Ray was great too, she was a strong character, but not overbearing. Po was amazing and very funny. BB-8 was adorable, and wasn't only a simple replacement to R2, but his own character. It was really cool and nostalgic to see Han, Chewie, and Leia returning.

Oddly enough, I really enjoyed the scenes with Kylo Ren. He was a very interesting character, and I can't wait to see more of him and how his story unfolds.

The only thing I had a beef with was the ending. It could have been tied together more neatly, but it wasn't enough to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

Over all, it was an amazing ride, and I loved it just as much as the old movies. In fact... I think I've found my new favorite Star Wars episode :)

Sincerely,

Darrion

P.S., please leave a comment on what YOU thought of the movie! I'd love to chat with you :) But remember... spoiler free for those who haven't seen it yet!

give thanks // photography // 12 days of thanksgiving tag

 Thank you, Sarah, for tagging me for the 12 days of Thanksgiving! I know it's after Thanksgiving itself, but I thought I could show you some of my photos from the big day in this post.

~ Rules ~
 

1. List 12 things that you are thankful for

2. Tag as many bloggers as you want, making sure to tell them of their nominations

I'm going to be giving less generic answers here... so just know that I am thankful for God, my home, and my family :)

one

the smell of cinnamon rolls on sunday morning

two

 the light of the sun's morning rays streaming through my window

three

handwritten letters by caring friends

four 

little white lacy dresses

 five 

warm knit sweaters in the wintertime

six

listening to gentle instrumental music while blogging

seven

steaming hot tea in my favorite blue round cup

eight

long walks in the cool winter air with my dad

nine

twinkling white stars in a deep blue sky

ten

a layer of frost on the dull green grass

eleven

 wrapping up in warm blankets for long car drives

twelve

 fuzzy boots that act as slippers around cold feet

I tag the following...

Maggie Rice from Traveling Home

Evelyn from the Raven and the Writer

Abby Dahl from Abby and the Pens

Thank again to Sarah for tagging me! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving :) Maybe later I'll do a post of the other photos I took on our trip to the Thanksgiving table. There was a lot of good scenery.

Remember to thank God for the little things in life, and to give thanks with a grateful heart.

Sincerely,

Darrion