Kate Ristau's Blog, page 28

Wings: Drawing Dragons Day 156

Wings drawn, turned and wrong. Erasing again, turning toward the fire.

Keep creating,

Kate

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This is 37: Drawing Drawing Dragons Day 155

37 feels big.

Like I’m on the edge of the possible.

But it also feels incomplete. In transition. Like there’s more to say and more to do and more that won’t be good enough.

But more to do, just the same.

The joy, I’ll find it.

It’s in the making, in the meantime. In the moments in between.

Because the end might not be beautiful — the dragon might be too long in the claw, or its wings may not take flight.

But just the same, I’ll find the roar on the top of my tongue, the fire before the flame.

I’ll create.

Drawn with love from this reference: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/1169...

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Nighnight: Drawing Dragons Day 154

You’ve lived 154 days so far this year. This little dragon has been asleep for one of them.

Keep creating,

Kate

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Sometimes the dog eats your hat: Drawing Dragons Day 153

Here’s a drawing of a dragon.

She’s fancy. My friend says she needs earrings. Or a tiara. Or a feather boa.

I could use that kind of something.

The dog ate my hat.

I’m in a bit of a mood.

I’m going to bed.

I hope you find your feather boa.

Keep creating.

Kate

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Sultry eye: Drawing Dragons Day 152

I saw this fantastic drawing of a dragon with quite sultry eyes, and I was wondering how the artist did it (sorry, Pinterest link. Can’t find actual artist).

I realized the trick immediately–the eyelid and the glancing back! Though I am not quite sure I got it, I love the idea.

Stay sultry, friends,

Kate

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That got weird quickly: Drawing Dragons Day 152

I’m not even really sure what happened here. Things were going really well. And then scales started happening. And then weird started happening. And then the dragon was eyeing me uncomfortably.

And now I feel like he knows something, you know? Like, what isn’t he telling me?

I’ll keep creating until I find out,

Kate

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Hands: Drawing Dragons Day 151

I read on the BBC awhile back about the evolutionary development of dragons. If dragons were/are real, they would have to meet particular designs (some imposed by the limits of our imaginations, and some imposed by gravity).

One issue of discussion: Dragon hands. As most flying animals developed their wings, they developed them from their front forelimbs.

Thus, dragons having wings AND front forelimbs seemed highly unlikely in our understanding of evolutionary development.

That does not deter me from the feasibility of dragons. Rather, it makes me wonder…who needs claws, when you have wings?

Keep creating,

Kate

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Mama: Drawing Dragons Day 150

I saw myself in my dragon today. Something about the curve of the stomach — that’s where I keep my filling, you know. Or maybe the bow of the neck — too much reaching down to hold a hand or fill pages with wings and scales and ink. That dragon is a mama, and so am I.

There are 1000 things I would fix about her, but I love her chin.

Keep creating,

Kate

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Worry: Drawing Dragons Day 149

I assume the resting state of all parents is restrained worry.

Worry for our kids’ safety.

Worry for their health.

Worry for their future.

Worry for their joy.

So much worry.

We want them to succeed, to reach their goals, but we mostly just want them to be happy, whatever that means for them.

And whatever that means for us.

We keep defining their happiness.

And the world tells us to Let Go, whatever that means to the world.

I’m really not sure I can.

As I sat in the audience tonight, watching Wonder dance his Oompa Loompa dance, I was nervous, shifting in my seat, on sensory overload.

But as I watched his laughter, and his very studied stomping and clapping, I couldn’t help the joy creeping in, pushing away the nervousness, the worry. I couldn’t help seeing him.

How lucky am I to be his mom; to sit in the backseat on the way home, eating a bar of chocolate while he tells dad about the gap between the kids and how he just wanted them to hurry up. His worry is so contained. So specific.

I want to keep it that way.

I don’t want him to pull back into the bigness of the world and find all the things that he could care about and notice and suddenly be very responsible for.

I want him to stomp with specificity and a very particular rhythm, and I want his wig to be crooked on his head.

I want a simple kind of happiness for him, and I’ll keep the worry for me.

Keep creating,

Kate

The post Worry: Drawing Dragons Day 149 appeared first on Kate Ristau.

Worry: Drawing Dragon Day 149

I assume the resting state of all parents is restrained worry.

Worry for our kids’ safety.

Worry for their health.

Worry for their future.

Worry for their joy.

So much worry.

We want them to succeed, to reach their goals, but we mostly just want them to be happy, whatever that means for them.

And whatever that means for us.

We keep defining their happiness.

And the world tells us to Let Go, whatever that means to the world.

I’m really not sure I can.

As I sat in the audience tonight, watching Wonder dance his Oompa Loompa dance, I was nervous, shifting in my seat, on sensory overload.

But as I watched his laughter, and his very studied stomping and clapping, I couldn’t help the joy creeping in, pushing away the nervousness, the worry. I couldn’t help seeing him.

How lucky am I to be his mom; to sit in the backseat on the way home, eating a bar of chocolate while he tells dad about the gap between the kids and how he just wanted them to hurry up. His worry is so contained. So specific.

I want to keep it that way.

I don’t want him to pull back into the bigness of the world and find all the things that he could care about and notice and suddenly be very responsible for.

I want him to stomp with specificity and a very particular rhythm, and I want his wig to be crooked on his head.

I want a simple kind of happiness for him, and I’ll keep the worry for me.

Keep creating,

Kate

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