Stories Make Life

I'm here to convince you that the magic of stories is what keeps us alive. You can read my stories at greenfrogtales.tumblr.com

[storiesmakelife-blog]

Merging Accounts

I am merging my accounts. To continue following the Evolution of a Giraffe Project, please follow me on my Green Frog Tales account! 

Thanks! See you on the green side :)

[thelovelyseas]

Close up of Orca whales as they surface in Lynn Canal with the Coast Range Mountains in the background, Inside Passage, Southeast Alaska by Alaska Stock Images

[storiesmakelife-blog]

Shamu swimming free!

[penguinrandomhouse]

“I think perhaps education doesn’t do us much good unless it is mixed with sweat.”

Barack Obama, born August 4, 1961, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance  (via randomhouse)

[daniellevdesigns]

My Red Panda Party painting will be on display at Paradise Wildlife Park in the UK as part of a fundraiser for International Red Panda day at their Zoo! This brings a tear of joy to my eye that there is hope that art can make a difference even if it is small, Yayyyyyyy!

[storiesmakelife-blog]

The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 8. Pencil. 

This was my first attempt at doing anything realistic. It is a copy of the photo I re-tumbled a few days ago. I'm not quite brave enough to picstitch the two images next to each other, so you will just have to scroll down to see the original image. I'm going to work a bit more on the "real" giraffe, so these may take longer to turn around. You may not see a new giraffe each day, but I will still post my progress every day. 

[storiesmakelife-blog]

To the genius who crafted this raven, thank you from all of the Poe fans in the world!

[laurrrrrrrrrr]

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I love the giraffe fauxhawk swag!

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The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 7. Felt pen, Watercolor. 

I'm playing a little bit more with watercolor on my tablet. I love how it blends. I've always loved watercolor painting, but it's a risk on paper. On the tablet, there is a lot more room for experimentation. This was my first piece using felt pen. It is quite fun!

For those of you who don't know me, green is my favorite color (read Froggle's stories/posts and you will know), and 7 is my favorite number. I thought it would only be fitting to mark this special occasion by combining the two. 

[archetypefreshness]

[storiesmakelife-blog]

I'd like to be able to reproduce this one day. 

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The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 6. Watercolor, Oil paint, Ink pen. 

I decided to play with watercolors today. I haven't ventured very far into the realm of digital paint, so this was a bit scary. Nonetheless, I present to you: the ghost giraffe!

[howtoskinatiger]

Near the Lake by Emyan on Flickr.

[natureconservancy-deactivated20]

The touch, the feel of nature.

[storiesmakelife-blog]

The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 5. Ink pen.

I call this one, "Simple Elegance." If you know me, you know that I have a fascination with eyelashes. Giraffes have particularly long and luscious lashes, so it was inevitable that a piece like this was bound to happen. I kept the rest of the head to simple lines in order to highlight the eyelashes. I'm probably most comfortable with pen, so I come back to it often. 

[storiesmakelife-blog]

The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 4. Oil paint, colored pencil, gloop pen, ink pen.

This is an alien giraffe. There is not much more to say besides it is what aliens look like in my imagination. It was also my first experience with oil paints. I am still learning how to use paint...

[storiesmakelife-blog]

The Evolution of a Giraffe Project, Day 3. Crayon. 

These posts are a bit delayed, but here is Day 3. Imagine a very zoomed in section of a giraffe that was then reversed in colors, and this is what you get. I decided to play around with the pattern to get a better feel for it. 

[storiesmakelife-blog]

The Importance of Being Spontaneous

The Piano Guys (on YouTube) are one of my favorite group of cover artists. They are extremely talented musicians, but what drives them further is their creativity, which is nothing short of genius. One of my favorite discoveries recently is their cover of "What Makes You Beautiful" using five guys on one piano. If you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out. 

While I am a big fan and I will most likely enjoy everything they release, the Piano Guys have truly blown me away with their newest video release: a cover of "Don't You Worry Child." 

Watch the video and you'll think, "this is an amazing arrangement with a very unique mesh of cultures." Read the description and you'll understand why this video made my day. 

As a person who derives inspiration from nature, living in New York City has been quite draining. The story behind this video was such a simple, beautiful reminder that life is a spontaneous adventure with wonder just waiting around the corner. 

Some of the best inventions were created by accident, so why should there be any difference with music? This story is what sold the song to me, and now, when I'm in need of a bit of inspiration, all I have to do is think of the Sitello. 

What did I tell you? Stories make life exciting, meaningful, and worth living.

P.S. If you caught the Oscar Wilde reference in the title, you just earned 10 points in my book!

[sacred-tribes]

[storiesmakelife-blog]

Fierce!