Just a Swingin'

Oh, that little smirk. No wonder he gets away with so much.

xo

nessa dee

Experimenting

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to illustration.  I like to get my hands dirty. I like physically creating textures, layering paint, and making messes. I like the imperfections and happy accidents that I discover in the process. When digital illustration became more mainstream, I shied away from the idea partly because I didn't like the flat look of digital art, but mostly because I was technologically ignorant. This day and age, though, it's hard to tell digital art from traditional, and over the years I've become aware of the benefits of painting digitally as digital processes have slowly been seeping into my artwork. I mostly use Photoshop to touch up my illustrations and tweak colors, and just knowing I can "fix" something in Photoshop has eased my mind just a bit.

As my Photoshop skills are improving, I decided to experiment with an upcoming project. I am doing the whole project digitally. It's a big stretch for me because I'm still a dummy when it comes to computers, but I have my trusty friends Google and YouTube to guide me along the way. Here's a sneak peek:

I have to admit, I'm love, love, loving digital! I know I still have so, so much to learn, but I'm excited about the progress I've made in such a short amount of time, and am looking forward to learning more.

 I won't be giving up my traditional methods anytime soon, though. As much as I'm loving exploring this new [to me] medium, I miss getting my hands dirty.

xo 

nessa dee 

8

On Saturday, this handsome little boy with a big, big heart turned eight years old. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that number. I celebrate while my heart aches a little because those eight years, ninety-six months, 2,920 days, millions of moments passed in a blink of an eye.

My always sweet and ever silly Finn, don't grow too fast.

Happy birthday!

xoxo

Mommy

Presidio La Bahia

A couple of weekends ago we went to visit some cousins and watch the reenactment of the Goliad Massacre in the Texas war for Independence. It was quite an experience and a wonderful way to learn Texas history. It was also a great excuse to get together with family.

The reenactments of the skirmishes were impressive with sword fights on horseback and the core shaking booms of the cannons, but the most interesting aspect of this reenactment was the candlelight vigil. We were lead through the mission by a tour guide and witnessed different scenes, each acted out by a talented group of volunteers, which gave us a glimpse events that took place before the Goliad Massacre. The whole event was very moving and allowed us all to step back in time and really experience history. But getting to spend the day with your "best cousins" as the little blonde cutie above says, makes the trip even better!

xo

nessa dee

Spring Pics

We finally had the ultimate combination of good weather and sick free children to snap a bunch of well overdue pictures of the kids. I'm still waiting for that time when all three kids can look at the camera and smile on cue. While the majority of the pictures are of one very active toddler trying desperately to run away, I did manage to get about 15 good shots in 400. Have I told you how thankful I am that we live in the age of digital cameras? 

xo

nessa dee