A Smattering of . . . Smatter?

Hi everybody (I can say "everybody" now, there are 3 of you following! That counts, right?)

Today in lieu of sketches I have a couple poems:

Bountiful

Even now
The stones smolder with jungle steam
Simmering, as the fog rolls off them
Wishing they could speak
Roots reach to entangle
The trees roll overtop
To cover them beneath
Their root-bound, earthen cloth
Bountiful
Like Desolation
Slowly reclaimed
It sinks into the earth
The womb from whence it came
This place, once full subdued by man
Is now by nature tamed
At one time all men flowed to it
Now no man knows its name
Where Judges sat now jaguars sleep
And monkeys play their games
And lo, in the grandest of the courts
A tree grows through the floor
It has pushed its way up through the roof
To touch the sun and storm
It's strange
How proud magnificence
Though broken and decayed
When adorned with nature's burial clothes
A new, strange beauty displays



Deeper:

Life does all it can
To distract from Reality
But there is something deeper

The crowds press in
To convince you you're alone
But there is something deeper

Cascading heaps of riches
Pretend there's nothing more

Depravity and squalor
Bemoan there's nothing less

All men fear to sleep 6 feet down
In their Sunday last and best

But there is something deeper
And there is something higher

Dig deeper
Reach Higher
And though you cannot see God's face
You will find yourself caught up
By His unseen Embrace

Captain Moronihah

One of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon is the story of Captain Moronihah. His father, Chief Captain Moroni, made his mark as one of the greatest Nephite Generals of all time. He saved the Nephite nation many times, from treacherous rebellion within and from vast armies of marauding conquerors without. He was a giant of a man- but, giants cast long shadows.




















When he retired, Moroni appointed his son Moronihah as Chief Captain. Although he had some success, soon the country faced even greater peril than before. Lamanite conquerors took the capital city of Zarahemlah. People lost their homes, thousands of men died, and the Lamanites took over half of the Nephite Lands. Moronihah had failed. He had failed his father, his people, and himself. But despite all this, he was still his father's son. Moronihah did not give up. He taught his men to live righteously, to gain the favor of God. Only when he felt his men were spiritually prepared would he advance. Many cities were regained- but they were unable to maintain more than half of the land. The Lamanites were strong- but the faith of Moronihah and the Nephite army was stronger. They prayed for a miracle.

If you're interested to know what happened next, you can read Helaman 3-5 for yourself. It tells the story much better than I can. I know, I know, cliffhanger. But seriously, it's a great story.






















As for the art this week, the top two are pictures of a maquette, or model, of Captain Moronihah that I made out of tagboard, a tennis ball, a clothes-hanger, and a spaghetti strainer (mixed media, lol). Often in animation maquettes are created to help the artist draw a character from many different angles.

The third picture is a pencil design I did for an animation class of Captain Moronihah. I hope at some point to ad inks and colors.

One more great video

This is another great video I found on "Churchfuel". It talks about art as it relates to the gospel, how our creating things is a reflection of the Great Creator, our Father in Heaven. I believe that the desire to create is something God has passed down to his children from his own nature.

Creation from Media Fuel on Vimeo.

The Power of One

Okay, none of these are my videos, but I thought them worth sharing. A friend shared this skit on Facebook, and it blew me away. It's so simple, yet so powerful. It really shows the role of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives, and the meaning of what he has done for us.



This video was really inspiring to me. Look at the power each of us has for good! "By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass". I have been told that a single straw of hay, when picked up by a tornado, can puncture a telephone pole. So too can we, though small and simple, accomplish great things when carried by our God. The skit was a small and simple thing, but look at the impact it has had! 16 million people have watched it, and hundreds have come to Christ for the first time as a result. May we each use our talents to share in the way these people did

Coffee with Jesus from Media Fuel on Vimeo.

Lastly a bit of fun. I have never met Heavenly Father in a coffee shop, but it struck me that this is probably the way a good percentage of my prayers sound . . . I need to repent

By the way, I also just discovered a great resource for positive videos online - GodTube. There's some great stuff- if you have a minute, you should check it out!

Back to Civilization

Hey folks, I'm back to civilization. I didn't post Sunday because I was on a family reunion camping trip, but I have returned with a vengeance! I'm not sure to whom this vengeance might be directed, but whoever it is better look out! Yay idioms!

Anyways, here are a few sketches from this last Sunday:


















Kind of a fun concept for a Nephite warrior. I was thinking maybe he's a one of the "captains of 10.000s" near the end of the Book of Mormon. The weapon is based on a Chinese Pudao or "Da-Dao", meaning "Big Knife". I put a decorative sheath on it, kind of thinking of Donnie Yen's character in the Jet Li movie "Hero", where he takes on like 10 guys without ever taking the scabbard off of his blade. Many cultures had similar weapons, wide-bladed variations on the spear, so I figured, why not? :)


















This is a Lamanite warrior, I'm thinking maybe one of the bandits who attacked Ammon while he was tending king Lamoni's flocks. In his right hand he is wielding the Macuahuitl, sword of the Aztec Jaguar Knights. The decorative feathered shield in his left hand is also an Aztec influence



















Just some fun stuff. A Nephite pot and jug. And some quotes lol


















This Nephite chair is based on a really cool one I saw recently in a book about Egypt. It reminds me a lot of a camping chair my grandpa had





















Once again, Chief Captain Moronihah, son of Moroni, who was the greates Nephite General of all time.


















Goofing around with color and such in photoshop. Lots to learn! Anyways, hope you enjoy, and that this might help inspire you to pick up a pencil, brush, or pen tablet and join in telling these wonderful stories that need to be told.