Freshness

"Why are they so wilted?"

"They're snowdrops Your Royal Highness, that's what they look like."

"This is ridiculous, all the fuss over these little things and I can't even decorate my throne room with them."

"They're special because they're considered the bravest flowers. They begin to bloom when it's still cold and the ground is bare. Sometimes people get them as gifts when they're having a bad time or when they're sick to remind them how strong they are."

~

March   May   June

~

"We can be so preoccupied with the past that we break down the edges and identities of each thing in contemporary reality and make it all look like the past…The present is not the past. That sentence could not be clearer on the surface or more obscure in its depths. If it were truly grasped, and grasped affectively, there would be no mental illness among adults. But the past keeps running in upon us, obscuring and even obliterating the freshness and newness of everything we do."

- Images of Hope, by Fr. William Lynch

May God Grant us all rest from the sins we have committed, confessed... washed in tears. May God Grant us eyes to see the world ever new, fresh and vibrant. Come Spirit of Truth, Joy and Laughter, capture our souls and throw them into the wind to find the places where we will grow beyond our imaginings. Let us catch this breath of freedom!

I hope these little post finds you all well! 

Fabi

Lucia's Town

Love,

Fabi

The Twelve Months: Prince Tremor

Color Studies:

Planning (From Maligning Bully to Shriveled Soul):

Prince Tremor is one of the most complex and exciting characters I've had the pleasure of creating these last couple of weeks. It was my first time putting myself in the shoes of a male villain, because even though can't remember ever really developing a female villain I understand female villainy better simply because I'm a girl. I had a grand time with a few guy friends of mine throwing ideas back and forth. So far I can give you half the story because the other half is meant to be a surprise way down the line. 

Prince Tremor the Minor, was the younger brother to a King that died during an uprising in the first year of his reign. Prince Tremor was able to save his little niece from the same fate but he lost his leg and he was left lame, needing a cane to get on. He wasn't that bad back then. He was cowardly and resentful for sure, but his champion of a brother was always kind to him and his niece loved him. It was only when the princess grew up and began to be embarrassed of him and became infatuated with riches and the attention of the court that blackness began to well up in his heart... and then he met The Mirror who whispered sweet things in his ears and promised him respect, brilliance and the ability to stand upright. The Prince Minor lost himself in The Mirror and he lived in the black and spread it with every click of his heavy, terrible cane.

Friends and Foes

Doorway to Spring

Details

Spring Sketches

Lucia's Home

Leo comes to visit 

 Leo and Lucia

May, a sweet little month. The sketch on the right is the newest design.

June, the mischief maker.

Saints Peter & Paul

"The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. "

- Pope Benedict XVI

Happy Month of May!

 love,

Fabi

April & Ash

I've been working on a piece that I touched upon a couple of posts ago and I realized I needed a design for April, a charming, aloof spirit of spring. I sat down and this is what happened:

In retrospect I realize that this is what was going on in my mind while I was doing this:

Peter Pan

+

Armie Hammer

=

Also I've been painting one of the twins' rooms and it's been super fun but still not done! I'm going to try to finish the pink room this week. Fingers crossed.

This whole week I've been wrestling with what to focus on during Lent. Each day my vision morphs, as God clearly has been pushing what I know I have to work on! It's just so haaaaaard. Whine. But I think I'm ready to try these not so secret things I've thought of. One is no facebook for Lent which will be no secret since I'm letting ppl on facebook know. I want to fill up the idle time I spent there on something more substantial like praying or blogging or cleaning dishes or checking Hunger Games news (sad but true)... anything but mindlessly clicking on things. 

What are you doing this Lent? If it's personal no worries but I'm often curious. If you haven't thought of anything I 'll recommend this: It's a good to time to really focus breaking any kind of habitual sin and adding some positive habit to your life. For example I'm going to try to have a better work ethic so I'm going to monitor and be more aware of how I spend my time at work, making sure that I use my time honestly and productively. BOOM! I've broken down what that means for me but whatever your goal is break it down in a practical way and always have a prayer ready when you're tempted!

When in doubt the tree pillars of Lent are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving (Service).

I really hope I get a good Ash Wednesday cross tomorrow because nothing is worse than having a wimpy smudge on your face. 

God's Grace be with you this Lent! Holy Spirit come!

The Tale of January

"To see him you'd think he'd be cold to the touch, but his hug was so warm it saved me from the frost that had nearly gone to my heart. And here you find me safe and sound, as whole as when I went into the forest. I don't think I'll be afraid to go play there anymore." 

-Lucia, the morning after the snowstorm.

January is a very important character in the story of the Twelve Months. January holds the keys to the the New Year. He is commonly referred to as The Doorway.  He is the oldest and wisest of the months and can't be bothered with the petty quarrels of his younger brothers and sisters. He is the first to meet little Lucia and saves her from the deadly snowstorm that swept up the land on a quiet winter night. She becomes a little light in his life and him in hers.

The Twelve Months is a Concept Project that is inspired by the Russian fairytale by the same name, which I am recreating in my spare time. It may become a graphic novel or children's book but for now it simply remains a world of fancy I visit sometimes. Please visit the other pages under the tag of Twelve Months for more.

{Initial Sketches}

{Color Study}

{Face Study}

{Drawing for Final Paint Render}

{Final Painting}

{Face Detail}

{Cloth Detail}

A Happy Thanksgiving and Winter to you all!

Fabiola

January in COLOR

Good late night to you all!
Here is January's color studies! Hurrah! So much closer to finishing his process up.

January is the month of the doorway into the new year. The oldest and wisest of the months he is the first to find Lucia on the coldest night in winter. It is because of him that snowdrops can grow in the winter today. He is often stern but his laugh can be heard from miles away.

Traits: Generous, Constant, Wise

Lucia: You know all this snow makes it hard for me to dance outside.

January: If you studied as much as you danced maybe you wouldn't be failing geometry.

Lucia: All those numbers and shapes give me headaches, besides nobody cares if you're good at geometry.

January: If you don't get at least a B on your next quiz you can forget about coming with me to meet the spring months.

Lucia: Yeesh, a B? Okay, I'd better go study then.

Have a good night... errr... morning all!

Your support means so much!
Fabi

The Twelve Months- January

And exploration continues :) I think I'm almost ready to do a final pass on him, etc. He's been a pain in my behind.

Lucia Render

This is the last piece for the "Lucia Series." I hope you all enjoyed her journey!

Here are some close ups of the piece.

Lucia's Winter Cloak

The color sketches for Luci are done! Hurrah!

Lucia' Autumn Attire

Almost done with this series. Only winter is left!

These two designs are for a pillow I'm going to make for my bed. Stay tuned for the finished piece!

Lucia's Summer Suit