Happy Easter!

Here are some My Little Curly drawings just hopping off the page waiting to be colored! 

Have a blessed Easter season!

Jesus Conquers All

This is Holy Saturday. Technically, until tonight's vigil Mass at dark, the churches across the world remain empty and barren without Jesus in the Tabernacle in the Most Holy Sacrament of His Body and Blood. The altar is barren of even the altar cloths. Until tonight, we are in dark times because Jesus is dead and the beloved Apostles were in shock and hiding. However, we know the rest of the story as dearly departed Paul Harvey would have said. We know that tonight, the stone will be rolled away from the tomb and Jesus will rise triumphant. The women will arrive at the tomb only to be flabbergasted at the sight of the figure in white sitting on the stone. When they return to the Apostles, Peter and John (the beloved apostle) race to the tomb as well. Peter, although he denied Jesus three times, doesn't hesitate as John does. He barges right into the tomb to see the rolled up cloths and empty space. When the angel tells them Jesus is not among the dead, but among the living they don't waste time asking questions, they simply run from the scene to excitedly share the news with the others. We know that in a few days Jesus appears in the locked room and greets them and breaks bread with them. He continues to surprise them in similar ways for 40 days until they are convinced and strong enough to do without His physical presence. Yet, He knows they still need something more. So He sends the Paraclete - the Holy Spirit - to fill their humble hearts and souls with knowledge far beyond their intellect and power. Truly, from the humiliation and agony of the false trial, scourging, and crucifixion, Jesus truly conquers death with His Resurrection, Ascension, and bestowal of the Holy Spirit.  

If you would like a *.pdf or *.jpg of this image along with others without the prayer or another Catholic/Christian file, please contact me via email or comment. I will do my best to accomodate you.

If you would like to request a Catholic/Christian, garden, horse, vehicle, or other image based on a photograph (even if I have to find the photograph) please contact me and I will see what I can do for you. 

Console Jesus on this Good Friday

As a Penance for my sins after one Reconciliation, I was told to read the book "Consoling the Heart of Jesus" one short section at a time. I finally finished the book and as I was nearing the end, I drew an image of this crucifix and added these words. They are ever so meaningful on this day - Good Friday.

Here is my colored version, followed by a free coloring book version.

The :"I Thirst" line is a summation of one of Jesus's last words. That was when He was given the bitter gall and wine to drink. According to the book, "Consoling the Heart of Jesus", Blessed Mother Teresa had a crucifix with those words in all the rooms in her houses. I added the "Console Me" to remind myself that even though we often only think of God as our cosmic bubble gum machine, God wants us to console Him by accepting His love and mercy. When we close our hearts to His love, mercy, and forgiveness we are not just hurting ourselves, we are also making those agonizing hours Christ spent on the cross worse because we become part of the jeering, spitting, hateful crowd there just to watch Him suffer and die. However, when we look towards Him with love in our eyes, wishing to console Him through His suffering and simply be with Him, We take a measure of the burning love from His heart and it creates a reduction of His suffering. Just as Mary and the disciple Jesus loved stood at the foot of the cross attending Jesus's humiliation and suffering, so too can we and let Him know we love him with that same abandon.

Let us resolve, through this Year of Mercy to open our hearts to God's mercy in all its forms - especially those that are most difficult to understand. Yet, we don't have to understand, we simply have to let go and let God lead us by the hand we trustingly give to Him.

If you would like to request a Catholic/Christian, garden, horse, vehicle, or other image based on a photograph (even if I have to find the photograph) please contact me and I will see what I can do for you. 

Immaculate Heart

I know Valentine's is long over. The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary isn't until August, but I just had to share this image that I colored on my iPad after I created it. I think it turned out really well. I used it for the background on my iPad for a while... I faded it a bit and then put a prayer over the top of it, so I'd remember to say a (and learn a new) prayer each time I unlocked my iPad. I have an image of the Sacred Heart as well, but I haven't colored it yet.

Immaculate Heart

When I colored this I used blue obviously because that is Mary's color, but also because in the Icon world, blue is associate with Heaven. Red is not only associated with blood, but also for Earth. Since Mary is the Queen of Heaven and Earth it makes sense to surround her heart with those colors. The sword symbolizes the 7 swords Simeon told her would pierce her heart - the 7 sorrows of Mary. The roses are for the various Marian apparitions that have produced roses for the visionaries (I think that is the meaning of the roses). I truly enjoy delving into the reasons behind the symbols as well as the colors to use.

If you would like a *.pdf or *.jpg of this image along with the Sacred Heart of Jesus or another Catholic/Christian file, please contact me via email or comment. I will do my best to accomodate you.

If you would like to request a Catholic/Christian, garden, horse, vehicle, or other image based on a photograph (even if I have to find the photograph) please contact me and I will see what I can do for you. 

Fun with Lines - My Little Curly Style

I got creative with lines while I was going for more detail with the My Little Curly series the other night. My mother-in-law let me know pretty quickly that she really enjoyed coloring these. So much in fact, that when I brought her a duplicate, she quickly colored it again. Believe it or not, these were fun to add details to as well. So more of these will be added too.

Zig Zag

I drew this one with the different direction lines indicating different body parts, but not really paying strict attention to the musculature of the horse. Just vaguely thinking of where this turned into that. I also gave him a facial marking to divide up his face a little better so it didn't seem so bland. I think it turned out really well.

Striations

 This one is kind of based on the pulley effect the muscles have on one another. I didn't study them absolutely and I'm sure I didn't do it accurately, but it made for an interesting criss-cross of colors and lines. You could do a lot with this one if you wanted to blend your primary colors to create the secondary colors where the primaries overlap. I really like the way it looks.

Zig Zag 2nd time

This second Zig Zag is still as interesting as the first. It just goes to show that even if you color it once, you can still have fun coloring it again without it turning out the same. This one could almost be done in a color gradient way with the colors fading up or down depending on your preference. Its a very striking image, if I do say so myself - especially once it is colored!

If you would like *.pdf or *.jpg files of either or both of these images, please contact me via email or comment below. I will get back with you as soon as possible. 

If you would like to request a horse, flower, vehicle, or anything else based on a photograph (even if I have to find a photograph), please contact me. I'll let you know what I can do.

My Little Curly through the Seasons

I told you I'd been drawing up a storm. Here's another one. This one goes with the My Little Curly series. Again, my lovely mother-in-law was gracious enough to be my guinea pig and test these images out for me. These are 2 in what will eventually be a series of 4 based on the 4 seasons.

Brisk Autumn

 Brisk Autumn is covered with a collection of fall leaves turning and blowing in the wind as they do on a brisk autumn day. His powerful gallop gives credence to that wind as we horsemen know that horses love the brisk autumn days to act full of oats.

Catch the Cold

Catch the Cold is full of whimsy and fun as this little filly sticks her tongue out to catch a snowflake falling during a snow storm. Her body is covered by similar snowflakes while her tail is flipped over her back showing the cold weather her sass. As a Curly Horse, she'll never be caught in the cold though since her dense coat insulates her from all but the most wet chill.

These images are available as well as many others from the My Little Curly series (more will be forth-coming for your viewing pleasure - I've drawn close to 100) upon request. Please contact me via email or comment below if you are interested. 

As always, requests for horses, flowers, or almost anything based on a photograph (even if I have to find it myself) will be considered. Just drop me a line, and I'll let you know what I can do for you.

Alpine Edelweis

I've been drawing up a storm - in the My Little Curly series, in the Catholic series, and in the Garden series. Some all-new drawings have entered the realm, but older drawings are being given new life as they receive new treatment with details. Both the My Little Curly and Catholic drawings are being given details from the Garden series as well as with specially designed patterns.

I've also been giving out some drawings to family members interested in coloring various pictures. I've gotten one set back and will be sharing the results here so you can see the designs available. Here's the first edition (and only right now) from the garden.

Edelweiss drawn by Erika M Vandiver

The drawing is actually of Edelweiss flowers. They are irregularly shaped alpine flowers that are typically white with yellow centers and very fuzzy/hairy. However, coloring white flowers would be rather boring, so my mother-in-law took artistic license and did a beautiful job on these. It is said that in the mountainous regions of Germany, Austria, and other countries with these flowers that a young man serious about his 'girl' would climb the mountains to find one of these blooms as a sign of his love and fidelity to her. Whether this is absolutely true or not, is up to each man and woman with their own gift of Edelweiss.

I have 2 versions of this flower available at the moment. The one you see that is a single clump as well as a whole page of these clumps. I plan on creating another that is a combination of the 2 with this larger clump on a background of the smaller 'field' of flowers.

Please contact me via email or comment below if you would be interested in a *.pdf or *.jpg version of this flower's pages.

You can also contact me with requests for other flowers, animals, or almost anything else you would like drawn from a photograph, even if I have to find it myself.