December Art Trading Cards - Holiday Traditions

Finally finished. I did Christmas Movies as my subtheme. In the States, these movies are standard staples of the holiday season. Therefore, I'll consider them a Holiday Tradition. 
Happy Holidays Everyone!

Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965 Linus gives his blanket for support Frosty the Snowman, 1969 Elf, 2003

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, 1964

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 1966

A Christmas Carol, 1951

It's a Wonderful Life, 1946

A Christmas Story, 1983 You'll shoot your eye out

A Friend's New Dog

Jasper, 5 x 7 Pastel

December Drawing

Signed up this month for the Drawspace December Art Card Trade - Theme Holiday Traditions. Figured it was something constructive to do while classes are on winter break. When I was a kid, my mom used to make me draw Holiday Cards every year. First thing I did when I moved out of the house was BUY Holiday Cards. Took me years to get over that trauma :)

Here's an attempt at a portrait for this week's Drawspace challenge. Ink and Pastel, approx 3 x 3

Uh oh, Nonet.

Well, the good thing is you can't hear the cello :)

Cello Thoughts

A friend asked me the other day about my cello playing. I tried to explain that I had an upcoming recital that was way too hard for me. The friend said "Can't you just practice more?". Truth be said, this is a hobby not a vocation.

I'm probably not willing to put in more than an hour a day. Trying to explain it to my friend helped me understand the process better. If something is too hard -- that is -- I don't have the skill set for it, it is like trying to lift 50 pound weights. If I am used to doing 5 to 8 pound weights for 20 reps at a time, no matter how much I "practice", I'm not going to be lifting 50 pound weights anytime soon.

Another example, I gave was, that practicing the cello is like running a marathon. Playing an instrument not only requires knowledge and musicality, it's also very physical. Playing too much hurts if you're not used to it.