Jessica Gray's Philosophies, Rants, Information, and Etcetera

Scene from the motion picture The Lovely Bones One of my favorite books is The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.  A movie was made based on this book, which the scene above is a clip from.  The main heroine (Susie) has a father that likes making ship in the bottles, a hobby that she loved helping him with in the book.  In the movie, Susie seems a more reluctant participant, but this scene in the movie made an impression on me due to the discussion that takes place (which doesn't take place at all in the book). In the movie, the father is talking about why it is important to have hobbies.  Hobbies teach you things.  When Susie asks what they teach you, he says that they teach you--when you make a mistake--to do it over and over again until you get it right. Why did this make an impression on me?  I couldn't really say until just recently, when I messed up on a project I was crocheting.  I realized that hobbies were one of the few things that we co...

  PRODUCT DETAILS Model Number: 1475 Where I Bought It and Price:   Joann Fabrics for $5.99 *Kit comes with everything you need.  The kit comes with four paints: red, brown, black, and silver.  If you want your ship to be another color, then you will have to purchase additional acrylic paints. Ship Height When Assembled:  6.5 inches (16.5 cm) Recommended Age:  5+ Adult Supervision: Young children, particularly if they can't read, may need help.  Older children probably can do just fine on their own. Time:  They claim it takes 25 minutes + drying time.  It took me three days, but then I did do more with it. Made in China UPC:  092633147504 Company:   Faber-Castell USA, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio 44125 Websites:   www.creativityforkids.com; www.fabercastell.com; www.joann.com *Conforms to ASTM-D 4236.  No idea what that means exactly--only that it is tested in ways to make sure your kid can'...

Geraldine Faye I've been reading a book called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.  I knew how to draw, but some of the techniques in the book did help me improve.  Mainly, I found that what I truly needed was patience to pay attention to the small details. I've also painted in acrylics before, such as the picture below. The Way The painting above was inspired by the song The Way  by Fastball.  I had heard the song years ago, and I could envision the painting.  However, I didn't actually get around to painting it until 2015, when I started dabbling in acrylics.  I learned later that The Way  song was actually inspired by an elderly couple who had disappeared after taking a road trip.  Much later, the couple was found dead, having crashed into a ravine or canyon. Geraldine Faye marked a change.  It was the first time I painted on a canvas.  Before, I had painted on all purpose drawing paper--the sort...