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Those ice cream bars are my illustrations!
My post title is a line of lyrics from my song “The Unknown.” Here is a link to the story about my song: THE UNKNOWN
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Over the past week I began working on a new illustration assignment. All of my musical passion has been pushed slightly to one side because I’m illustrating two new flavors of ice cream bars for Tillamook. While shopping for reference, I became excited when I spotted two of my illustrations printed for the first time in a supermarket’s freezer. I snapped a quick shot.
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Creating layouts from my digital photos is fun. Thankfully, my eyes are able to see my computer screen quite well. Once I send the client layout choices, I wait for feedback.
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I probably shouldn’t share my newest layouts, but below are examples from flavors that are published. It is apparent that I always give my client a lot of choices. I often create dozens of layouts before the final design is approved.
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After that, I turn it into an illustration using paint and pencils combined with my digital process. While creating the layouts below, I learned a lot about the many shapes of caramel.
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Image may be NSFW.
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This is an example of one of my final illustrations once layouts were approved.
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It is very difficult for me to change gears, from music to art.
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One thing I plan to continue doing musically while illustrating is singing. Keeping up my vocal ability is very important to me.
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Over the past few weeks, I tried to get a lot of music done before my job started. I still have three song vocals to edit, plus two new song arrangements in development. I will find time to practice my guitar because I plan to record guitar into three recent arrangements soon.
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And because I love writing, I have at least six stories in progress. Blogging is something I consider lowest on my “creative totem pole.” But when the writing bug grabs me, I cannot stop myself.
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I am amazed I have so much energy despite my constant eye discomfort. The distraction that my passion gives me is incredible.-
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There is definitely an art to making white chocolate curls.
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All morning, I spent my time preparing fruit and chocolate that I would photograph as reference for the two new flavors of Tillabars I was illustrating. What a difference from the days when I used a lot of equipment and ran to one-hour photo only to get back a bunch of dark prints!
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My kitchen was a mess. My children were anxious to know when I was finished with the chocolate so they could feast on the crumbs. It didn’t bother them to eat the half melted ice cream bars either, where mom had taken out a bite. They simply cut off the part I had bitten into.
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Yes, I had to bite those bars. And they were delicious!!
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It was afternoon and I was ready to sing. My last few song vocals had come out so well and I was quite proud. It wasn’t because I was such a great singer; it was because I had been “surfing with emotion.” And wiping out.
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That meant I was usually weeping while singing. I was prepared for those moments of uncontrollable tears. The feeling behind them translated well into my vocal performance. There was no holding back for me.
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A few days ago, I decided to record new vocals for my song “The Unknown.” I wasn’t sure I could replace the vocal I had. I knew for certain, that I could sing that song much better now. But the emotion was hard to match.
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I decided to take a shot at it. It will be a few weeks before I can edit it. But I already know it came out great. I sang my song fourteen times.
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Today happens to be the date of my “former wedding anniversary.” It is the first one since my divorce. I want to share something I wrote a year ago on my blog. It is a story about my final anniversary, which was only two weeks before I told my husband I wanted a divorce.
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THE DRAGON AND THE LAST ANNIVERSARY
The Princess knew that she could not hold her secret much longer. Like acid, it was burning and pouring out from every part of her body.
Only a week after her father had died, her secret escaped. She tortured herself because she had burdened her own child on top of everything else. Now that her son knew her horrible secret, he pushed her constantly to “get it over with.” He told her she could no longer wait. She replied that she was praying for the right moment. But there would not be one.
That was because she knew the dragon was unprepared and would be wounded beyond description. She wished there were an easier way, but she could not think of any. Over and over she heard her son’s words, “Just do it! Kick the bucket; kick the bucket!”
Every day held torment, especially when she faced the dragon. She hated his presence because he carried tremendous stress with every word he spoke; he made her ill.
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She made it a point to avoid him and wondered if he even noticed. For weeks now, they had hardly spoken. Sometimes, she was amazed that he didn’t complain about her absence. He seemed so unhappy with her, but never said a word about it. He projected his anger instead to the many things that were wrong in their castle. Clearly, he felt the Princess had done a poor job disciplining their offspring.
Once upon a time, she had tried so hard to make him happy. But when she found her music, she decided to focus her energy elsewhere. She was relieved to discover her own happiness outside of him and wondered how he lived with so much unhappiness.
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Because they didn’t really have a definite anniversary, there was never a celebration. Long ago, she had complained and occasionally he gave her a card. He would simply sign his name and run out to buy it at the last minute. She even felt badly to trouble him with that obligation.
In the more recent years, she had trouble finding a card to give him. That was because most cards made her sad. She couldn’t find any card with sweet words that were true for her. The truth was their life together was empty.
Soon it would be their 30th anniversary. The Princess suffered greatly as she anticipated it. She decided not to buy a card for him.
When the day was finally over, she was deeply relieved. It had gone by like a silent whisper. Yet it was still louder than deafening thunder in her brain.
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It turned out that the dragon never mentioned anything to her; he had not even remembered a card.
In her tortured mind, she was certain he knew. Perhaps her son had told him of her plans to ask for a divorce. She imagined that the Dragon was preparing himself for that moment.
A few days later, her son tearfully reminded her that she needed to kick the bucket and tell his father. The Princess muttered over and over, “Kick the bucket, kick the bucket!” for several more days.
Finally, she made up her mind that she was going to do it. It was almost like vomiting. She slowly walked upstairs and into their bedroom to expel the sickening words. With every ounce of courage she told the dragon that their marriage was over.
The Dragon displayed little emotion. She assumed he was in shock just as she had expected. But she decided to ask him.
Only a week before when he ignored their anniversary – was it because he knew she was going to divorce him?
The dragon shook his head and told her.
He just hadn’t remembered.
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© 2014 by Judy Unger http://www.myjourneysinsight.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Judy Unger with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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