Category: Digital Art

The Lord is My Shepard . . .

~ Sandi Staton

I used to think that God only loved me when I was good, that He only answered my prayers when I followed all the rules, that His standards were so lofty and steep that I couldn’t do anything but fail.

Then I think of a stupid sheep, always looking for greener pastures, always timid and afraid, always wandering away from the flock and getting injured or cast down and getting their fleece infected with parasites. I think of how they graze on inferior pastures that eventually cause sickness and death. Yet, the good shephard drops everything to find it.

That’s what God does for me and for you. He hunts us down, he binds up our wounds, He picks us up in His arms and carries us back home. No condemnation, no being grounded for a month, no shunning till we can straighten up and do better. None of that garbage that we receive from others when we screw up.

I am a stupid sheep. I wander and stray. I get lost. I get wounded. I get cast down. I don’t have sense enough to take care of myself. If the Good Shepard didn’t love me, He wouldn’t waste His time on me. He wouldn’t dry my tears. He wouldn’t cover my filthy nakedness with His mercy and grace. If He didn’t love me He’d let me die and rot in my sins.

Look Who Just Turned Three

~ Sandi Staton

Lucas is one of our six great-grandchildren. In spite of his rough start in life and being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, he is our sunshine on a rainy day. And to prove the doctors wrong concerning his learning disabilities, he can talk, write his name, draw and name shapes, recite the ABC’s, and mesmerize an audience strumming his play guitar and singing “You Are My Sunshine”. He is truly a God-send to our growing family and teaches us to look on the bright side of life.

What’s in Your Heart?

~ Sandi Staton

COVID-19 has done a number on hearts around the globe. It’s made them fearful and angry, frustrated and confused. They’re impatient. Restless. Bored and lonely and just want everything to get back to normal again. At least that’s what my heart has been feeling these days. So, to help keep my mind off the bad and the ugly I created some happy hearts that I hope will brighten your day.

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Say it with Pictures

~ Sandi Staton

My first grade teacher taught her pupils the alphabet using big flash cards with pictures. And for some odd reason, the letter S with a picture of a snake on it was my favorite one and the only one that still sticks out in my mind. So, in my case, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. If you like pictures more than words, then you will like my word art creations.

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A Touch of Wimsey: Digital Art

~ Sandi Staton

Computers are fantastic. Till they’re not. Mine died and I had to buy a new one. Then, I had to re-install all my art programs only to discover that one of my favorite plugins, Eye Candy 4000, no longer worked. Finally, after figuring everything out, I’m up and running and will try my best to get caught up on reading everyone’s posts.

Before my computer crashed, I was working on this post. I finally finished it today. Enjoy!

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From Twigs to Abstract Stick Figures

~ Sandi Staton

So, someone posted a bunch of twigs on Facebook. They looked cold. So, I put clothes on them. 

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Model 1
Model 2
The Stretch
Dribbling the Ball
Ready to Go
Taking a Stroll
Dance Move
Joyful Greeting
The Gardner
The Shopper
Slow and Easy
The contortionist
In the Groove

Digital Art: Butterflies and Dragonflies

~ Sandi Staton

 

Butterflies are deep and powerful representations of life. Many cultures associate the butterfly with our souls. The Christian religion sees the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.
www.gardenswithwings.com

The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world, symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self-realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.
www.dragonflytransitions.com

I’ve been working on my creations for the past several days and enjoyed every minute of it. They would have been so much easier and faster if I could draw. But, since I can’t, I created them using various shapes. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. But, thanks to PaintShop Pro, I have all the tools I need to stretch and manipulate those shapes into anything I want them to be. So, you see? You don’t have to know how to draw to create fun and inspiring designs. You just have to have a little imagination.

Shapes that I used are circles, hearts, bows, and flower leaves. After creating an image, I added color and special effects using the tools in PaintShop Pro 2019 ultimate. Other, more in-depth effects are plugins that I downloaded to Paint Shop Pro. My favorites are Harry’s Filters http://www.thepluginsite.com and Flaming Pear http://www.flamingpear.com

 

I hope you enjoy my creations and that they put a smile on your face.
Free for you to use and to share
Click on any picture to enlarge or begin slideshow