Growing up I loved the movie, 80 Day Around the World. I came to mind when I was calculating how many days until the Teen’s graduation from high school. It came out to 79 days, and I realized that his birthday is the day after graduation.
18. That little boy who changed my life 8 years ago is becoming an adult (well, legally anyway).
He towered over me since eighth grade, and I got a whole collection of Hand-Me-Up Star Wars t-shirts as he breezed through the sizes. He’s now 6’1” and plus-sized from my indulgent cooking and midnight snacks.
Even though the little kid is gone, he still inspires me when I make my art. Those few moments of cuddling always works its way onto the paper.
I know it’s getting time to expand my storyline, and I also want to expand into other mediums. It’s just that this style is getting me to London in April, then Beverly Hills in May and Downtown Los Angeles in June. It ain’t broke, so I won’t be fixing it anytime soon.
But still, it’s a good lesson is growth. I’m still practicing to get better at what I do and am trying new techniques to set me apart as an artist.
Right now my technique is to hardly lift the pen off the paper. Start and just keep going until a natural break comes up. Then pause and take a photo. It’s good for documenting progress as well as gives me a fresher look at where I’m at. I like it… plus it’s teaching me to stop when it’s “done”. I have a bad habit of overworking it and ending up unhappy with the result.
Speaking of 18… we only have 18 days left until the trip. I’m very excited but also anxious. My passport has still not arrived, and I still need to draw two more pieces and get them framed!
I’m keeping the faith (and contacted my congressional office to try and speed up the already-late passport), but if you’ve got a few spare prayers you can share, please send them my way.
………………………………
Thank you for helping me travel to London. It’s not around the world, but it’s far enough for me! I’m still offering products and portraits to those who want to come along on this journey. Donate here: https://gofund.me/f6cfc391 or Venmo @StuRosenArt. Every bit helps.