New Paintings and Pet Portraits!

Today I'm going to share with you a few paintings I've done recently, and as something new and a little different, I'm going to write a little bit about my thoughts and processes behind them. You learn so much more when you self evaluate the things you create! 

This painting was done in my weekly art class. I had an initial photograph to work from as inspiration, which had a simple watercolour feel to it, but because my favourite medium is acrylic I tried to adapt it to a different style. My main focus was on replicating the muted but diverse collection of colours the original image used. I started off with watered down paint, but quickly found that it left a very grainy thin feel to the image, and so begun thickening it up. I added my own details, plenty of texture and tried to make it a little more interesting with drips and splatters. I am slowly learning that I don't have to stick to a reference image completely, and that I am allowed the freedom of putting whatever marks I want on paper, there are no restrictions! Nothing is right or wrong in art. Critically, I feel like the the three lines coming off the side could have been a much stronger white, to create a firm edge. However, I love the overall tone of this painting, and to me, this almost feels like an abstract seascape, with stormy clouds and rain, but a bright clear sun threatening to overtake the day from behind. 

This was an image I painted for a very special lady at the Turner Syndrome Support Society. I had such fun with this, I love the vibrant colours used, and the paint splattered effect is slowly turning into my favourite way of completing an image. Done a few months ago, this was one of my very first attempts at painting an animal, and I really love how unique it is, not adhering with the true colours of an animal, but still ending up with a creative and vibrant image that is true to the breed. The paintbrush I used gave me a very fluffy feel to the fur, but if I had wanted the dog to look a little more defined and less like a puppy, I could have used a thinner brush and made more defined lines. The white could also have been stronger, however overall I am so very pleased with the result. I am now also taking animal portrait commissions, so if you'd like a framed painting of your beloved pet in time for Christmas, let me know! I will definitely be doing lots more of these in the future. 

Am I Normal Yet? By Holly Bourne

Evie has OCD. All she wants is to be normal. She’s coming off her meds and starting at a new college. She’s even going to parties and making friends. But is she ready for dating?

Relationships are messy – but even more so when mental health issues and teenage guys are involved. But if she can't tell her new friends the truth about herself, what will she do when she actually falls in love?

This is rather heavy book, so don't go into this thinking it's going to be cute, romantic and fluffy. Although dating and love is a huge part of this novel, Evies OCD and GAD (generalised anxiety disorder) is the main theme, and is portrayed in the most honest way I have ever read. It shows her good moments, but doesn't skip over the awful overwhelming moments full of negative thoughts and feelings. It's truthful and genuine and you really feel for Evie. Seeing mental illnesses portrayed accurately is rare. 

Evie makes friends with two girls called Lottie and Amber, and together they become a group of empowered, female positive activists, reinventing the word spinster, and having meetings discussing everything from periods to the bechdel test. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, the bechdel test is a way of pointing out sexism and female exclusion in modern media. To pass, two females must have one conversation, at any point during any entire film, that isn't about a boy.  Pretty much half of all films ever made fail. I believed I was already quite well informed on feminist issues before reading this book, however I learnt so much from these girls conversations, and anyone who reads this book will hopefully find themselves learning, and striving for female empowerment. it was lovely to read a book that had female friendship at the forefront. 

There was a huge 'self love' theme throughout, which I was so pleased with. It's important for young people to learn to accept themselves, especially the uncontrollable parts like illnesses. Even Evies little sister reminded me a lot of my own situation, so accurately showing that feeling of helplessness you feel when you cant be the big sister you desperately wish you could be, when they become the one who look after you, spouting words of wisdom and watching out for you the way you should be for them. 

My only issue would be how central the word 'normal' was to the novel, and that there was a checklist of 'boyfriend' 'parties' 'no meds' and 'college' to finally determine whether she was like everyone else. Let me tell you, if those four things actually determined "normal", I am absolutely the most "abnormal" person in the world. Everyone has moments where they don't feel like they fit in with everyone else, but there could easily have been a stronger message to say that being different wasn't a bad thing. I understand why there was so much focus around it, written from a teenage girls perspective, nobody wants to be seen as an outsider, but it could have been a lot more 

I was so happy with how it wrapped up as well, I wont say too much for fear of spoiling it, but it was positive without simply dismissing everything Evie went through to create a perfect happy ending. This is the first book in a trilogy and I cannot wait to read the others, which will actually tell Amber and Lotties story! 

Holly Bourne also wrote a book called Soulmates, which I absolutely loved. It's a strong romantic novel, so please let me know if you'd like me to review that! 

Catching up on classwork!

Art School. It's a dream in the pipeline... no matter how long it actually takes me to get there! For now, I'm taking a class for one day a week, and so I thought I'd show you a few paintings I finished from last term! 

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home!

 What’s in my art bag? | Meg Vlogs

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

When Lane is sent to Latham House, a sanatorium for sick teens suffering from drug resistant, terminal and highly contagious tuberculosis, he assumes his life is over.

A place where midday nap and rest time is a required class, no homework is allowed, it's easier to fail breakfast than math, lessons are mostly unsupervised easy worksheets, and PE consists of gentle walks for those who feel up for it... to any healthy person, it seems like paradise. But not to Lane. He had dreams and goals and things he wanted to do. He didn't have time to 'relax'. 

He feels trapped. Frustrated. Stifled. But then he meets Sadie and her friends - a group of eccentric troublemakers determined to try and live the biggest and most fulfilled life they can - and he realises that maybe his illness doesn't have to define you, and that life can still be enjoyable, no matter how sick you are.

This book captured long term illnesses in a truthful, genuine and realistic way. Lane started off his time at Lantham in denial about his diagnosis. He pushed himself to the limit, studying hard day and night, trying to keep up with college applications. Of course, he quickly goes downhill from overdoing it, and he slowly learns there are pretty serious consequences to ignoring his health, and eventually comes to terms with his reality.

I'm so glad this book portrayed the implications to pushing yourself too hard. He had days where he couldn't leave his room, where walking around was impossible, and had endless appointments with doctors. The characters were flawed, they made mistakes and the consequences were pretty severe. Sadie ran a black market of sorts, sneaking in all sorts of contraband, sometimes in the mindset that she was invincible. The one qualm I had with the book was that they had a 'sneaking out in the middle of the night to get drunk' storyline, it made the otherwise heartwarming message of the book come across very slightly as 'life your life to the fullest, but the only way to make memories and have fun is to get drunk like every other teenager...." but I'm glad the author portrayed the harsh repercussions after that night and didn't simply brush it off.

A few months ago I watched a TV series called 'The Red Band Society', which followed a group of sick teens in hospital. I loved the characters in it, but found the script infuriating. These teens were having so much fun, 'playing hooky' from hospital and going out on day trips, without wheelchairs, medication or even supervision... going up on the roof and having night time picnics, decorating their hospital rooms as if they don't have to worry about infection control or cleaning. It irritated me quite a bit, as it portrayed us as being healthy enough to do all these things that everyone else does. There's no way that I would be escaping hospital for a day, getting a bus into town, by myself and then running around a football pitch. When I'm in hospital, I am laying flat, hooked up to drips or literally ICP bolted to my bed, dosed up on medication and my days are full of tests, surgeries, medication or movies and books. However, portraying to the general public that the chronically ill CAN and do live a normal life can be detrimental, it makes it even harder for others to truly understand us. It doesn't help us to prove to people that we don't purposely bail out of meeting up with friends, that we do have major limitations, we physically can't do what everyone else does, and that our pain is real. Media has such a big influence on our life, it has the power to raise awareness to so much, and that's all I ever want to do with my blog and YouTube. 

I completely understand that nobody wants to watch a show about someone laying in bed complaining of being in pain all the time. It would be boring. Entertainment has to be somewhat dramatic. However, Extarordinary Means has proved that you can write book about the realities of being ill, include all the medical details, and still make it utterly captivating to anyone who reads it, regardless of their own life experiences.

This isn't just another book about two dying teens who fall in love. Although there is plenty of romance involved, it's definitely not a shallow novel. It's a refreshing take on living with a terminal illness, filled with hope and inspiration.