Quick Sketch of the Day + Second Short Story

Hi Guys,

SO today I decided to draw my QSoD on paper instead of on my computer like I usually do. So that's why it looks the way it does (I scanned it in).

I got inspired to do this position from an artist who I follow. I drew myself a different character though. His name is: Character #546 (haha) I used to give my characters names all the time but I kind of stopped when I started drawing them more for practice than show. But I think it adds character to them when I give them a name. It just so happens that I named him something completely impersonal.

I was going to ink over him (and I still might) but it's a little late right now so I'll just give you guys something to look forward to in the near future. =)

Second Short Story for Sad:

So here's my second short story for my 'Music to Art' experiment. This one is considerably shorter than my one from yesterday but it still captures the story behind the picture. 

Enjoy:

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“Daddy look at this!” Michael ran up to his father, arms wide open, grinning from ear to ear.

“Whoa, slow down Michael.” Howard motion with his hand for the little boy to stop running. He was born weak and was easily injured by things most kids his age shook off.
“Daddy look!” Michael said to his father.
Howard sighed, “Yes Michael, what is it?”

“Look what I made for you.” Michael shoved a drawing of a purple rabbit with green ears, a blue mouth, and ten inch claws in Howard's face.

“Ugh... Look Michael. Daddy's busy right now. Show me later... okay?”

Michael's little hands slowly retreated from his father's desk. “But.. it was for you..”

Howard put his face in his hands then looked back at his son, “Look Michael, daddy's very busy right now. I have to write something very important for some very important people... But,” Howard swung Michael onto his lap, “Tomorrow we'll both draw a picture together.”
Michael's face lit up and he started bouncing with glee and excitement at his father's proposal, “Really Daddy? Do you really mean it?”
“Yes. Of course Micheal. I'll buy a big canvas and some brand new paints.”
“What colors daddy?” Michael asked.
“All the colors. We'll have red, blue, and green, purple orange, and aquamarine!”
Michael chuckled at his father's clever rhyme. “But what are we going to eat while we paint?”
“Hmm.. Well.. we'll get the best cookies and the best milk there is.
“Okay, but what are we going to draw then?”

“Whatever you'd like to draw.” Howard pulled out a drawer and fished through piles of documents. “Here,” His hand reemerged with a pad of paper with a pen clipped to it, “I'll write down everything so that I'll know what to buy tomorrow.”

Michael jumped off his father's lap and ran into the hallway shouting something like “Mommy, mommy! Guess what!”

Howard smiled to himself then sank back into his work.

“Daddy...?” Michael looked up at Howard as he walked in through the front door (coming home after working three hours over time).
Howard didn't even bother to respond, only glance down with an exasperated look on his face.

Michael held up a note pad at Howard, “Daddy, your paper was still on your desk from yesterday. How did you remember what to buy?”

Howard closed his eyes, “Michael... I forgot,” He huffed and walked into his office.

Michael screamed, “But Daddy!”

“Michael I can't do everything!”

Michael took a step back, mouth ajar, frozen in place by his father's cruel voice.

“Michael... There are things that are just more important. If daddy didn't work he wouldn't even be able to buy you paints and cookies. When I get home from work I'm tired and I need to rest. But tomorrow, Michael, Daddy's going to paint with you... promise.”

Michael dragged himself back into his room without saying a word. He never saw his father break a promise... or get angry at him before...

Weeks passed but everyday Michael would ask his father the same question: “Did you get the paints, Daddy?” But each day it was met with the same answer: “...No.”

Howard's nights coming home from work had continued on just like that until his wife – Vanessa – greeted him with a question one night: “Howard... do you know what's up with Michael?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“He seems... not like himself today. He's been in his room all day and won't say a word to me.”
“He's probably just upset about the whole 'paints' thing. You know he has the worst attitude about it...” Howard's angry frown became a curious frown when he looked at his wife. “What.. is something else wrong?”
“Well... I think...” Vanessa took a step closer to her husband, “Howard... I think he's coming down with a fever.”
Howard gasped then walked to his son's door. The last time Michael had a fever – when he was two – he almost died. Being born weak, his body handled certain illnesses differently than most. It took what seemed like an eternity to bring his fever down, but, even with it back to normal his life still threatened to disappear from the boy.

“Michael?” Howard knocked on the door but there was no answer. Walking in he saw his son laying face down on the floor.

“Michael!” Howard ran to his son's side. “Michael answer me!”
Vanessa ran in and shrieked, “I just checked up on him minutes ago! He must have gotten out of his bed!”
Michael's entire body was drenched in sweat and his face was as red as the crimson colored paint on his desk.
“What..?” Howard looked back at his son's writing table. There, spread out with red, blue, green, purple, orange, and …. light blue crayons, were two chocolate chip cookies, a carton of milk with two glasses right by it, and a sheet of paper.
“Michael! Wake up!” Howard shook his son but nothing was waking him up. “Vanessa! Call 9-1-1 now!”

“D-D-Daddy...”

Howard's head whipped back around to look at his son.

“Michael...”
“Daddy... did... did you buy the paints?”
A single tear from Michael's eye ran down onto Howard's hand.
“I... I.. we.. we can still do it.” Howard gave a weak smile and carried him over to the desk. “See look, we have everything we need. Red, blue, and green, purple, orange and.... and aquamarine.”

Michael tried to laugh but only a wheezy cough came out.

“Michael.. what do you want to draw?” Howard awkwardly positioned a crayon in his left hand while holding Michael with his right arm.

“Daddy.. I want you and me.. together.” Michael started closing his eyes.

“No wait!” Howard worked frantically, “Look! Michael, look! I drew it... see?”

But Michael's eyes had already closed, “That's nice daddy. It looks pretty.” His breathing slowed, his heart beat stopped, and soon... all that was left of Michael was a lifeless boy dangling from his father's arms.
“The ambulance will be here any min-” Vanessa was cut short by Howard's hand signaling for her to stop.

“From now on.. every night when I get home from work, Vanessa,” Howard turned around to look at his wife, tears in his eyes, “Ask me if I got the paints and don't stop... until I do...”

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So that's it. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to read the last story from my drawing: Action.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission, send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:

skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell every one you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

~Kassie

Quick Sketch of the Day + Surprise!

Hi Guys,

So Here's my QSoD. It's been a while since I've posted just a random bust shot. I forgot how quickly it takes me! This one took me about 4 maybe 5 minutes.














I drew him in a very sketchy way too. Rough lines, rough features... but it's so easy to do and it comes out looking nice anyway.

SURPRISE!!

Okay. So I told you that today was the surprise and I kept my word. What the surprise is: I'm writing a short story for each of the pictures I drew during my 'Music to Art' project. The stories will explain what the drawing is about. This is my story for the first picture: Happy. The name of the story is Memories.

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 “Jason... Jason come on. Jason! Unlock the door!”

Silence.

Jason banged on his brother's door, “Jason! Please...”

The morning began like most mornings typically do: Struggling to wake up... struggling to eat... struggling to face the day without breaking down... life was a struggle for Collin. But then again... who's life wasn't?

Collin was a seventeen year old boy just out of high school. He had great friends, great privileges, a great brother – Jason - and a great mother. His father though... well... he was great. Perhaps the greatest of all. He would have held that position had it not been for that one fateful night. That one night that a careless driver and one yellow light caused. That one night that happened exactly seven years ago.

“Mom. Mom. Mom wake up.” Collin shook at his mother's arm. A sudden wave of fear and memories washed over him. His mother shaking his own father's arm with a pool of blood surrounding him. Collin pushed back a tear and continued in his efforts to wake his mother.

After a while she opened her eyes and stared at him. “You look.. so much like your father...” Collin's mother turned away from him and buried her face in her pillow again.

“Don't...” Collin said barely audible, “You said you'd be strong this time.”

A muffled sob from his mother suggested otherwise however. “I'm... I'm...” Collin's mother lay shaking in her tears, “I'm sorry Collin... Next time... I promise.”

Collin ran out from her room, into the hallway, the kitchen, and out the front door just in time to knock his brother down onto the hot asphalt driveway.

“Out of my way! Move!” Collin got back up on his feet and continued running.

Back on the ground, in the same position his brother knocked him down into, Jason lay still. He was eleven. For one week each year Jason had been going through the same thing: Being stuck in the middle of the depression and the anger anger from his mother and brother. He tried to feel it himself when he was younger – to be able to relate – but he just couldn't. At the time of his father's accident Jason was only four years old. He had pictures of his father, he had recordings, but he just didn't have memories. On this day, each year, there was no heaven or hell for Jason. Only limbo. That was the only place his emotions would go.

Jason limped back into the living room (an injury he held onto from the night of the accident). He grabbed a photo album and flipped it to a bookmarked page – his bookmark. A picture of his father with a one year old Jason – not glued to the album - dropped onto the floor. Slowly, Jason bent down (without picking it back up) and studied the man on the glossy card. No matter how hard he racked his brain... he just didn't know who this man was. Jason didn't remember being the only other person stuck upside down with him in a totaled car. He didn't remember that man pulling him out of that car while the gasoline made it's way to the burning engine. He didn't remember that man shielding him from exploding parts and getting impaled by shards of glass. To Jason... this man was just a stranger.

“Good morning Jason.”

Startled, Jason covered the picture with his foot and swung the album under the couch.
“You were looking at pictures of Daddy?” Jason's mother made a pitiful attempt at a smile and kept walking towards him. “Can I look with you?”

The album reemerged from underneath the couch but the picture under Jason's foot stayed where it was.

“Oh.” Jason's mother chuckled slightly at a photo on one of the pages. “Your father loved that silly old thing.”
At the bottom of the page a picture of Jason's father holding a white teddy bear stirred in Jason's memory for a while. “But... isn't that Collin's old bear from when he was little?”

“Well, yes. Your father gave that bear to him as a present one day. But long before that it was your father's.” Jason's mother sensed a hostility and tried her best to defuse the situation, “Well of course it was years before you were born. Had he had something else from when he was younger I'm sure he would have given it to you.”

Jason stared at the bear until his mother flipped the page. So that's why Collin never let me touch it before, Jason thought to himself. That's Collin's memory... Anger flared inside Jason ...If I had a memory...

“So.” His mother said and the album slammed shut. Jason hadn't even noticed she'd finished. “What would you like for breakfast.” A tear sparkled in her eye.
“Nothing. I don't want anything.” Jason thought for a second, “What do you want? I'll make you something.”

“You're too sweet Jason. Collin wouldn't do that.” Jason's mother smiled, “He's too much like his father.”

Right then and there, a piece of Jason died. Whatever he was hoping he would hear one day - “You're just like your father!” - was gone. Already forgotten. A fading memory... just like his father.

“Jason... Jason come on. Jason! Unlock the door!”

Silence.

Jason banged on his brother's door, “Jason! Please...”

“I don't know what happened to him... we were just talking then he ran to his room and hasn't said a word to me since then. That was hours ago.” Jason's mother stood in the corner of the hallway, concern plastered onto her face.

“Jason why won't you answer?” Collin stopped banging just as the door swung open and Jason grabbed him, pulling him into his room then closing the door again.

Sensing Jason didn't want his mother to hear Collin began in a hushed tone: “Jason what's going on? What's up with you all of the sudden?”
Jason started sniffling, then weeping, then sobbing.
“Jason, what's the matter?” Collin swung his arm around Jason but his brother shook it off.

All of the sudden Collin smelt smoke and the fire alarm triggered.

“Jason what did you do?!”

“I.. I... I burnt...” Jason buried his face in his palms. “Whenever I think of him now... all I'll ever be able to think of is you! I wanted his memory to come back! I wanted him to be there for me.. not for you...”

Collin's eyes widen and he searched frantically for the bear... Where is it! Where is it?! Nothing. It wasn't anywhere to be found.

The scent of smoke still lingered in Collin's nose and he traced it back to the bathroom. There, in the tub, with a box of matches on the sink lay the remains of the tie to his father. There lay what he used to comfort himself for this week every year. There it was... a pile of scorched fluff and ashes.
Collin marched back into Jason's room, fists tight, face red, heart pounding.

Jason curled up into a ball expecting the worse. A punch, a kick, a slap... not that Collin ever touched him before... but he had just done something unforgivable. Jason braced himself for.. for what? ...A hug.

“Jason.” Collin's tears dropped down onto his brother's head, forcing his eyes open. “Jason I know why you did what you did...”

Jason started uncurling himself then, with a burst of emotion, he swung his arms around his brother and sobbed into his chest.

“I'm so sorry! I wanted a memory! I wanted one like you had. Whenever I closed my eyes and tried to picture dad in my head... I always just saw your face... I wanted a memory.”

Collin shook his head furiously “Then let me be your memory! Let dad's love live on through the love mom and I have for you! You don't have to have something that was his before to be your memory. You have your memory right here.” Collin pulled away and tapped at his chest, “And right here,” Then tapped at Jason's chest. “His love will forever be inside us. Even if you can't remember his face, or his voice. It doesn't matter. Your memory is the love he left behind for you. That's my memory. And that's mom's memory too. Not the things that he gave us... but the feelings.”

Jason wiped his eyes, got up, and went into the living room again. There bye the door was an empty vase. Walking into the bathroom he gathered the ashes of his brother's bear and stuffed them into it.
“Here. His love... is inside here too.” Jason handed Collin the vase and hugged his brother.

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So that's it. I hoped you liked my story guys! Tomorrow I will do a story for Sad.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission, send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:

skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell every one you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

~Kassie

Quick Sketch of the Day + Surprise: Coming Soon!

Hi Guys,


So here's my QSoD. I actually did this a little while ago while the Olympics were going on (hence the gymnast). He's no one in particular (just a random character).

Surprise: Coming Soon!:

I'm sorry guys. I told you yesterday the surprise was coming today but there were some complications. So tomorrow, though, the first part of the surprise will be done and posted.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission, send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:

skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell every one you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

~Kassie

Quick Sketch of the Day (Action)

Hi Guys,

So I just finished the last picture of my 'Music to Art' experiment. (If you didn't read the first post explaining it read this: Click Here and scroll down to 'Project for Tomorrow').

The song I used: Michael Jackson - They Don't Care About Us

Okay, so I promised after I posted all three pictures - Happy, Sad, and Action - I'd post a surprise. Well that surprise comes tomorrow. By then you'll understand each of the three pictures entirely.
But for now you're free to speculate the stories behind the pictures. =)

Results of my Music to Art experiment:

Well it's all done now and my results show that music has an enormous influence on what a person draws. I started each picture out with a song. I didn't add the song later on - no - but I added the picture. For some pictures they have nothing to do with the song but it's not the lyrics that influence it. It's the music. It just goes to show you how connected art really is. It doesn't matter what form it's in - music, painting, writing - the beauty of art shows itself in each other sometimes. So next time any of you guys want to draw a sad picture... you're better off playing some sad music. Because if you don't... don't blame your skill for it not coming out right.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission, send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:
skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell everybody you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

~Kassie

Quick Sketch of the Day (Sad)

Hi Guys,

So this is the second of the three pictures that I'm doing. If you didn't read the first post I'm drawing three pictures while listening to three different songs. 1 happy (yesterday's) 1 sad (today) and one action type song (tomorrow). I'm doing it to show how music can effect art.
Here's the name of the song I used (sorry my computer is acting up and I can't link it): Dango Daikazoku








The song itself may seem weird to you guys but what it's associated with is sad so it makes me sad.
By the way the boy has a high fever and is dying in his father's arms.
I actually started out not knowing at all what I was going to draw when I was listening to the song then all of the sudden after the chorus this kind of came out.






Tomorrow I will do the last picture Action.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:

skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell every one you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

~Kassie

Quick Sketch of the Day + Change of Plans

Hi Guys,

So here's the first sketch of the three I'll do.
Here's the link to the song I listened to while I drew it: Katy Perry - Wide Awake

So I'm not a fan of Katy Perry and on top of that the song isn't even that happy of a song yet for some strange reason it made me draw this. I guess this picture is more nostalgic but I still felt kind of happy draw it so this is picture number 1: Happy. Tomorrow I'll either do 'Action' or 'Sad'.
By the way guys, I want to apologize for not doing all of the pictures one shot but the time slipped away from me today so I figured I'd change the plans a little and just divide it into three separate days.
But, to make it up to you I'll have a surprise after I've posted all three drawings. =D

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:

skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell everyone you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!

Quick Sketch of the Day + Project for Tomorrow

Hi Guys,

So here's my QSoD. I was inspired by another artist to do this one (position I mean).

It's funny, I did this sketch while listening to music (like I always do) but it's funny how influential music can be. Typically when I draw a happy picture it's because I'm listening to a happy song or when I draw a sad picture... sad song. But sometimes I draw a picture yet the lyrics of the song I'm listen have nothing to do with the picture but if I listen closely to the instrumental I can actually understand how I ended up with that picture. This sketch that I did above I actually drew it while listening to a song from a movie called "Not One of Us" also known as the "Exile" song in the movie. The lyrics would most likely make an artist draw an intense scene (almost sad) yet I ended up drawing this. However, I looked back at the instrumental and it's actually not that surprising that I drew this.

Project for Tomorrow:

So considering what I just talked about I was thinking of something fun that I could do tomorrow.

I'm going to draw a series of sketches and each one will have a different song I'll be listening to. It'll be neat to see how the setting of the music can influence my art. In fact, if you guys want to do it too then go right ahead. You can make three different pictures.
First: Draw a picture while listening to a happy (almost nostalgic) song.
Second: Draw one listening to a sad (almost depressing) song.
Third: Draw one listening to a fast paced (action or fight scene) song.

This will be a fun project for anybody (artist or not). When you're done with your pictures feel free to tell me what you drew and to what songs you used in the comment section for tomorrow's post.

Send A Request:

To send a request for a commission, send an email including what you would like me to draw for you to:
skiddishart@gmail.com

Please tell everybody you know about this charity and help me help my aunt!