Let me introduce you to a little fella that I'm growing quite fond of. He's so flexible. Well, he's becoming my worst enemy and my biggest help all at the same time. I want to call him Flexo. I've been watching too much Futurama. Anyways, I've been practicing anatomy like crazy. Heads. Hands. Eyes. Torsos. Feet and hands I kinda just want to crawl in a ball and cry when I draw them, they're so difficult, not gonna lie. The old adage goes "a watched pot never boils."  Well...I've been majorly impatient with my progress and I've believe its showing in my work. I now get a mental block even before I want to draw, almost defeated because I see the little details instead of focusing on the major steps. The bottom line is I want to learn traditional art and the fundamentals. This is the only way which I feel that I can succeed. Perhaps I'm putting too much pressure on myself? Damn girl. Relax. So, I've tried taking o...

Trouble the Water  250 Year of African-American Poetry  by various poets is a great shelfie. I have read and re-read the poetry in this book a few times. Softcover and mass market sized, the book is now a beat up copy which I own. I have no problem with this. I have a few annotations inside, the pages are still quite crisp even from all the reading. The selections are from over 100 poets, beginning with oral poetry and slave creations, followed by voices before freedom. Reconstruction and the early 20th century continues ending with the new age. Contributor notes add short autobiographies of the poets. Book Specs: Trouble the Water 250 Years of African American Poetry Edited and with an Introductin by Jerry W. Ward Jr., et al., 1997 Publisher: Penguin Group Pages: 566

The Giver by Lois Lowry This softcover edition I own sits on the shelf, among the others as a used book. It's quite beautiful to look at. I hope one day my son reads it. To my understanding its required reading in many schools, with the dystopian style and conflict brought upon humans. I quite liked the length. It still looks brand new, practically no wear and tear and the spine and cover are quite glossy. There are a few annotations and underlines, barely noticeable. -brr Book Specs: The Giver Author: Lois Lowry Pages: 179 Publisher Random House  Fiction. Copyright 1993.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Frequently known as the coming of age book where required reading and losing your locker combination went hand in hand, almost everyone I knew shed a tear or two from this tale. Enter the "Socs" the rich uppity kids who formed a gang and beat up on "Greasers" whom I always thought were normal and just had a few hard times. Enter dark memes for you whippersnappers, but Ponyboy was the best character ever. He was cool without trying to be, smooth all the time. Then one night...something goes a bit too far. You'll find out. Anyway, you have to have this on your bookshelf. Forever. This softcover copy I purchased second hand. It has bonus material inside, which includes a Q&A with the author. And yes. The book is always better. The movie was pretty good too though. Author: S.E. Hinton (fiction) Publisher: Penguin Group Pages: 180 Copyright: 1995 -brr

Coraline by Neil Gaiman Currently, this book sits by my nightstand. I purchased this from a second hand book store and it was wrinkled at its corner, turned up at the edges and I couldn't resist. With illustrations by Dave McKean, the 27 page softcover 10th anniversary edition was worth its price. I have to admit, I'm biased. I am a Gaiman fan. Everything he writes just sits with me well. Resonates with me. If you saw the movie, then you're quite familiar with the Narnia type sense of a little girl entering a door  to find an entirely different house-however this one is strangely different yet similar to her own. To make matters worse, the family within the door want her to remain there and change her...never letting her go. Coraline will have to do whatever it takes to get back to her ordinary life. Author: Neil Gaiman Read Now Illustrations: Dave McKean Category: Supernatural-Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 27 Copyright: 2002. Revised edition, ...