Turning 31

It's crazy to think I've already lived through the first year of my 30s! It was an eventful year, too - trying to get pregnant, and then *being* pregnant. One of my goals this year was to practice resilience (despite whatever challenges I might face) regarding my dream of becoming a mother, and to remain hopeful and make decisions based on those hopes (and not my fears or anxieties) - and I'm happy to say both that I achieved that goal, and that it turned out to be easier than I worried it might be. Thankfully, I faced most of my challenges when I was 29, and the universe gave me a bit of a break when I was 30. :)

I made non-pregnancy goals for myself as well, to try to ensure that I accomplished things I could be proud of, even if getting pregnant didn't pan out. I submitted my artwork to local exhibitions and created lots of new art (more on all that in a coming post). I read 60 books and watched 60 movies, TV series, or theater productions (more on all that in another coming post, too). I also continued to prioritize my mental health, answering "positive thinking" questions every day to remind myself what I'm looking forward to, what I have to be thankful for, and what matters to me most.

Naturally, I've made some goals for this coming year too - the year I'm 31. Some of the goals are much less (reading 20 books instead of 60, for instance), to try to account for all my time that will be taken up by taking care of my new baby and figuring out my transition to motherhood. Others represent a temporary shift in priorities from one of my passions to the other. This past year I really prioritized working on artwork, so that I would have plenty of recent drawings and watercolors to market, sell, make notecards of, and submit to local exhibitions, even if I didn't have time to create much more in 2020. Next year, my goal is to focus more on my writing instead, returning to various novels I've been writing on and off for the past several years. (I'm hoping it might be easier to sneak in pockets of writing or editing here and there between feedings and diaper changes and playing with my new baby, than it might be to settle down with some paints or colored pencils to produce even a small sized piece of artwork.)

I'm so excited to turn 31 - with a new baby due basically any day now, and one of my lifelong dreams therefore on the cusp of coming true, I just know 31 is going to be my best year yet. :)

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - Finished

And so my "Stronger Together" series is complete! Six 19"x25" colored pencil drawings on black paper, each symbolizing a system of privilege/oppression. You can check out the first five completed drawings here:

• Race Bouquet (this post)
• Gender Bouquet (this post)
• Sexuality Bouquet (this post)
• Religion Bouquet (this post)
• Class Bouquet (this post)

This final drawing is called "Ability Bouquet" and it uses two dozen flowers to symbolize differences in physical, emotional, and mental ability. We all have different limitations, skills, and talents, and should work to respect and accommodate everyone so that we can better work together.

Here is the finished drawing:

I used a total of 29 colored pencils for this drawing, in shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, and blue. I also used neutrals like brown, black, tan, and white.

This is not yet available for sale, but I will probably list it (and the others in this series) in my Etsy shop at the end of the year.

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To read about the "ability umbrella" - the aspects of ability I was looking to include in this symbolic bouquet - please read this blog post. To read about the relatedly interesting correlation between creativity and mental health, visit this one.

To read about the idea behind this colored pencil drawing and an explanation for the symbolism of the specific flowers used, check out this post.

To see "the making of" photos of this drawing, please visit these:

• Preliminary sketches ("In Progress 1")
• Drawing and lightly coloring in the first 12 flowers ("In Progress 2")
• Drawing and lightly coloring in the last 12 flowers ("In Progress 3")
• Adding detail and dimension to the tulips, anemone, flannel flowers, acanthus, crocus, and succulents ("In Progress 4")
• Adding detail and dimension to the dahlia, tansy, hellebore, roses, aloe, and cherry blossoms ("In Progress 5")
• Adding detail and dimension to the geraniums, lady's mantle, yarrow, heliotrope, mullein, and lupine ("In Progress 6")
• Adding detail and dimension to the marigold, daffodils, white lilac, orchids, chamomile, and dandelions ("In Progress 7")

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 7

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

**

It's time to (finally!) finish up the last of the bouquets in this "Stronger Together" series. Here are the photos of completing the last six flowers in this "Ability Bouquet" drawing.

These marigolds were drawn in with red, orange, yellow, white, light tan, light yellow-green, green, and black colored pencils.

Next, I worked on these daffodils, which I finished up with white, red, orange, yellow, light yellow, light green, green, and black pencils.

At the bottom of this bouquet is a large branch of white lilac flowers. I used purple, green, dark green, light yellow, yellow-green, light tan, and white pencils to complete these flowers.

These pink orchids - drying up and browning - were colored in with purple, magenta, pink, brown, white, yellow, yellow-green, and green shades.

Several large chamomile flowers went in next to the white lilac on the bottom. I used black, yellow, yellow-orange, orange, blue, light blue, and white colored pencils to work on these petals and centers.

I also started adding detail to the glass vase at this point, drawing in a few stems in green and marking reflections in the glass with white, green, and other colors.

Finally, I finished up with these dandelions. I used orange, yellow, and white for the flowers, and three shades of green for the leaves and stems. Small detail work I refined with a black colored pencil.

And that's it - my last "Stronger Together" drawing is finally done! I'll post some more images of the final drawing (and all of the drawings in this six-piece series) in the next two blog posts.

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 6

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

**

I'm in the middle of going back through this bouquet, flower by flower, and adding layers of color and detail. The thirteenth flower I worked on was this cluster of pink geraniums, using dark red, magenta, pink, coral, cream, white, light yellow-green, green, dark green, and black colored pencils.

On the other side of the wilting white roses, I added in this yellow Lady's Mantle - a drying, browning herb. I used black, brown, yellow, white, green and dark green colored pencils for this small clump of decaying flowers.

Next, I worked on these tiny yarrow flowers, using white, light blue, blue, lime green, yellow, and black.

To the right of the yarrow, I drew in these purple heliotropes. I used three shades of purple, three shades of green, and black.

On the left side of the bouquet is this mullein plant, with early signs of browning/damage. I used white, yellow, orange, brown, and dark red, as well as three shades of green, to finish up this flower.

Below is flower #18, meaning that I am 3/4 of the way through this final bouquet. For these pink lupine flowers, I used green, yellow, white, pink, and red colored pencils.

Check back for my next blog post, which will feature "in progress" shots of finishing up the last six flowers.

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 5

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

**

My next set of six flowers on this "Ability Bouquet" drawing started with the pink dahlia in the center. I used three shades of green for the leaves, and black, indigo blue, dark purple, dark red, two shades of pink, and light lavender gray pencils for the petals.

On the right side of the bouquet, I colored in this bunch of dying tansy flowers. Less vibrant that the tansy plants I've drawn in other bouquet in this series, it's clear that there is something "less than" healthy about these brownish flowers and stems. I used green, yellow, dark yellow, light tan, orange, brown, and dark red colored pencils.

These hellebore flowers - which are just starting to wilt - were drawn with ten different colored pencils: brown, magenta, dark purple, light purple, light lavender gray, light tan, yellow, light yellow-green, green, and blue.

Nestled between the hellebore and the dahlia are these five wilted roses - once white but now decidedly brown and dry. I used green, light tan, yellow, brown, and dark brown colored pencils for these roses.

To the right of the dahlia, I drew in the colored layers for these aloe stalks. I used two green pencils, black, dark red, red, orange, yellow, and light tan.

The twelfth flower I drew in are these dark cherry blossoms. I used indigo blue and dark red for the centers and dark red and green for the tree branches. For the petals, I used two shades of light pink and my light lavender gray colored pencil.

Now my "Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" drawing is halfway done! I have twelve more flowers to finish up with layers of Prismacolor pencils. Then, it's just a matter of putting finishing touches on the glass vase at the bottom, and signing and dating the piece. :)

"Ability Bouquet (Stronger Together)" - In Progress 4

This drawing uses flowers to symbolize the wide variety of different physical, emotional, and mental abilities humans might have, as a way to show how we are better and stronger together when we are willing to help each other out.

To read about "the ability umbrella" - what exactly I mean when I talk about differences in ability - please visit this blog post.

To read about the symbolism of each flower used in this bouquet drawing, visit this blog post.

**

Once my initial sketch of the composition on black paper was finished, I could back and start adding layers of color and detail, flower by flower.

I started in the upper left corner, with this bunch of pink tulip buds. I used red, two shades of pink, white, yellow, and three shades of green to color in these young flowers.

Next to the youthful tulips, I worked on the dying cluster of pink anemones. The stems are browning and the petals wilting. I used two blue pencils, two green pencils, black, brown, light tan, and two pink colored pencils on the anemones.

These browning/damaged flannel flowers came next. I used indigo blue, black, and brown to make markings on the petals for rips, tears, or deep shadows. Altogether I used black, indigo blue, dark green, light yellow-green, yellow, light tan, white, brown, and dark red.

These acanthus in the top right corner are also in the process of dying and drying out. The stems are brown or off-color yellow-green, the purple petals have taken on a darker magenta color, and the petals are drooping. I used black, dark brown, dark red, light brown, light tan, white, magenta, light purple, and yellow-green colored pencils for this flower.

Next I worked on these bright, healthy crocuses, which exude cheerfulness and springtime. I used white, orange, yellow, and dark red colored pencils for the petals, and three shades of green for the stems and leaves.

The sixth plant I worked on is this cluster of hen and chick succulents. I used dark red, two pink pencils, dark yellow, white, three green pencils, and black to shade in the colorful pink-green gradients on each petal.

The first half-dozen flowers are now complete. My next three posts will each focus on the next set of six, until the entire drawing is finished!