joe randel's art dump

Holy crap!  I today I just realized I’m less than a month until my birthday (Feb 9th)!  Less than a month until I’m 36!  I find it strange to think that I’m getting close to 40.  I don’t feel my age at all.  I draw cartoons and play video games, which is a far cry from what my Dad was doing when he was my age.  One thing that will be super special this year is that we’ll be on our family vacation when it’s my birthday!  Woo!  Vacation birthday for me!  “Where are you going” you might be asking.  Well, I will be at Disney World when my birthday comes around this year.  I hope they give out cool birthday stuff. ^_^  I can’t wait, it’s going to so much fun.  I’ll take lots of photos to share when I get back.  We don’t leave for about two weeks though, but it’s getting closer every day.  Yay!

Have you been to an exotic location when your birthday rolled around?

I asked the commission winner if it would be okay it for me to post the steps to their drawing, and I was very happy to hear that they said yes.  So here’s the first rough from what they asked for.  They requested their personal character to pose on my chair.  I was very flattered to hear that and I’m quite excited to do the drawing.  If they approve of this stage, I’ll be doing the clean up next.

So after 19 people entered my free commission contest, one was picked.  Thank you all so much for taking the time to travel around my blog looking for answers.  I wish I could do commissions for everyone that entered.  I hope you all had fun, I know I did picking which posts would make good questions.  Frankly, I’m surprised that people where able to find some of the answers as easy as they did.  I thought I picked pretty challenging ones to be honest.  I was going to make the scavenger hunt span any and every post on the blog, but I changed my mind and only did the past year.  I’d like to do this again from time to time during the year, I just need to think up other types of contests to run.

Thanks again to everyone that entered!  Now I have to go and cut those questions and answers from all the posts. ^_^

Final reminder that on Saturday Jan 12, around 9:00 PM ETS, I will pull a name/number at random to see who the winner will be of the free commission scavenger hunt!  That means people still have time to try to find all the answers to the questions I’ve put forth.  I will then contact the winner and probably make a post about it too.

Good luck to everyone that has entered the contest! ^_^

Some people out there have express doubts that my Tinkerbell folio will be done.  It has been a long time I admit.  I only get to draw it in my evening and even then, not every evening.  Even though I’ve been at this for a while, there has never been a time where I wanted to stop drawing it.  I’m almost done all the line work and I can move on to the painting.  I decided to do all the line work first that way I get constant experience drawing the characters.  Painting them one after another should keep my colours consistent too.  I hope others are still excited for this, I know I am. ^_^

I’d like to talk about something more serious today.  In the face of recent events, the topic of those that suffer mental health issues has popped up again.  For those that have to live with it, be it a loved one or someone you’re taking care of, it’s a hard situation.  Those that don’t have to deal with it will never fully understand how frustrating it can be.

I do not suffer from any psychiatric disorders, but there are those in my family circle that do and trying to get help for them can be anything but easy.  First, if you suffer from mental issues, you don’t lose your rights and freedoms.  That might sound fine, but when you throw in the fact that you also get to choose when to take your meds… or not, it gets a little scary.  You might feel fine one day and so you decide not to take any, but the next day might be rough so you could take as many as you think you’ll need.  Do don’t have to go to the doctors if you don’t want, you don’t have to do anything.  Not only that, but there isn’t any real place for you to receive the help you may need.  If you end up in the hospital, they’ll keep your for a few days, check your meds and make sure you’re on the right ones.  Then it’s out you go back in to the world.

It’s expected that the family will provide the care they need, but the family doesn’t have the training to provide what’s needed most times.  The only time when authorities can intervene is when they become a threat to others or themselves.  And usually, by that point it’s too late.

I don’t know what the answers are.  No one can make them go, take or see anyone they don’t want too.  I think that if you don’t have the mental capacity to dole out your medication, then someone needs to do it, but what do I know.  I do know that anyone with mental disorders still hold all the cards and I don’t see a fix to this in sight.  Know this though, the next time you read about a tragedy where the main culprit suffered from metal issues.  They probably weren’t getting the help they needed and if they did have it available to them, they didn’t even have to take it if they didn’t want it.  Isn’t that a scary thought.