The Story Behind Why I Created It: I have this odd fascination with dream catchers. I own several and keep them in various parts of my home. Originally when I created this piece the dream catcher was the only thing drawn but then I added the young woman holding it. The dream catcher represents our dreams the ones we have for ourself and our loved ones that we hold dear, the woman holding it out like a compass represents our courage to follow these dreams and not be afraid of where we may lead them.

The Inspiration Factor: A wise man once said “If you don’t have courage to build your dreams you’ll be building someone else’s” that was definitely the inspiration about this piece to encourage others to follow their dreams and take that chance.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

Pencil, charcoal in my hand,

Help me sketch unheard of lands.

A woman’s laughter, a baby’s tears

Bring forth from my hand all the world’s hopes and fears.

This story I tell, which burns like flame on a grill from within

Inside this box made of inexpensive tin.

Come forth and touch hearts made of stone,

For this is my art I share with you and you alone.

So enter into dangers untold, and watch as images on paper unfold.

This is a talent that God has given so my gratitude to He and His son who is risen.

Ease yourself into my world and you will see hope and beauty lie within both you and me.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I hand sketched this in 2011 when Katy Perry and Russell Brand were a thing. I loved them as a couple, I thought they were the perfect balance of beauty and humor all rolled into a neat little ‘A List’ package. It took me 3 weeks to get this just right and when I finally was satisfied with the finished product I posed it on several social media platforms including, my Formspring account. I can actually say I sent this image to Katy too on there which she absolutely loved and sent major praise to me for creating. This was my first celebrity recognition of my work where the subject of my work actually saw and appreciated it. It encouraged me to continue sketching and put my work out there for my celebrity subjects to see. I used pencil, fine tipped sharpie, and black, white and grey Prisma Color pencils for this piece.

The Inspiration Factor: I was listening to ‘My Funny Valentine’ and got the idea to sketch this based on the fact I thought they represented that song perfectly. Inspiration strikes me at often odd times and sometimes without reason. It’s a shame this picture lasted longer than their marriage but it’s still one of my favorite works.

Who is your favorite celebrity couple that has since split? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I was pondering the media frenzy regarding Prince Harry’s upcoming nuptials to Meghan Markle. I read an article which was titled farewell to Prince Harry the Original Third Wheel. The original picture was very poignant, the trio was walking through flowers, Kate and Will up front and Harry a few paces behind looking pensive as if wondering when his turn would come. I sketched this via stylus on the app ‘sketches’ and chose bright colors to contrast the Prince’s obvious pondering of life as a symbol that the light of his life was coming.

The Inspiration Factor: Princess Diana has long been my idol in terms of celebrity. I kept a scrapbook chronicling her life and those of her children. After her death, I always kept tabs on her son and their charities, quite proudly. Watching them grow from the stoic boys who walked behind her casket via horse drawn carriage at her funeral into the amazing men they became today was a beautiful tribute to her living legacy. I see Diana in each of her boys, it’s amazing how she lives on through them. I would say sketching this was definitely a labor of love it took two hours to get just right but I’m glad I did!

I wish Harry and Meghan all the best on their upcoming nuptials and in the future.

Who is your celebrity idol? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

For Panthers fan art

I created a lot of these pieces amidst a very big win against the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers are really in a good position to get hot during the playoffs and I sketched these freehanded and then edited them on the app ‘my Sketches’ where I used multidimensional colors to add more of a realistic flair to my art.

Without further ado I give you my Panthers art.

Sargent Peppers (2017)

Run CMC (2017)

Keep Pounding (2017)

I really hope you enjoyed my Sketches, next week I will be discussing my favorite Christmas movies. I will be trying to get a live podcast up and running so if any of you would like to chime in please download the app Anchor to join in, it’s totally free and totally fun to use.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

I just count The hours…

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I call this piece ‘The Clock Is Ticking I Just Count The Hours’ because I sketched it while listening to Power by Kanye West and trying to get my mind off of an anxiety attack I was having . I usually sketch photographs either by hand on canvas paper or on my phone via the app ‘Sketches’ with a stylus pen. This particular piece I doodled in regular the iPhone notes. I used a lot of dark colors black, purple and hints of magenta. The black represents the darkness that sort of comes in and takes over when I’m having a panic attack or suffering anxiety in general. Purple, historically at least in the Catholic Church, associated with sorrow and a sense of unfathomable grief. I remember during Lent seeing the large statue of Jesus covered in a purple sheet to represent his suffering and his death. I used purple to represent the crushing sense of sorrow I feel during these attacks, this urgent plea of helplessness. The little bit of magenta that you see poking through the edges is meant to represent the warm thoughts I have of my family and friends which in addition to prayer help me overcome these frequent attacks.

The goal was to illustrate for those who do not suffer from anxiety what is like to suffer with anxiety, the person is crawling trying to escape the looming darkness that is anxiety that just overcomes them and overshadows them.

The Inspiration Factor: my own journey with anxiety is what inspired me to create this piece, also I found that during the attack it helped to draw what I was feeling as an outlet to get my mind off of what was occurring to me. My goal is to remove the stigmatism that’s often associated with anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illness which are often suffered by a great number of people but swept under the rug for fear of judgment. My goal is to draw what it’s like to have anxiety so that somebody who doesn’t have it can understand visually how I feel.

Do you suffer from anxiety? How do you cope? What helps you stay strong? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with me, I love to hear from you.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

I remember the first time I laid eyes on Freddie Mercury, I was 3. There was a certain charisma, flamboyancy and grace about this mega super star that at such a tender age I couldn’t name. My love for Freddie Mercury started off with a deep respect for his ‘live and let live’ attitude and grew into something of catalyst for my laughing in the face of adversity. It’s a favorite trait of mine that many appreciate…it was a trait grown and inspired by Freddie. When there were detours Freddie created his own alternative route, when there were mountains he looked at them smiled a said, “is that all? I thought they’d be more of a challenge!”. This drawing was inspired by the man, the myth and the legend that is the Queen frontman. This is for my saints, my sinners, my ordinary people trying to live an extraordinary life. This drawing is not in color because in Freddie’s case he didn’t need color to brighten peoples’ worlds, he created it. I colored this in black-and-white not just because I appreciate a good classic but to remind myself that I am the artist of my life, the colors I choose to represent me will be left for others to gaze upon long after I’m gone. Similarly, it is up to you to put whatever colors on your canvas that make your heart smile and leave a signal that is beautifully you.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I call this piece ‘Led Zeppelin (for Lisa)’ because I sketched it while staring at a photograph my cousin Lisa sent me of her favorite band, Led Zeppelin. I usually sketch photographs either by hand on canvas paper or on my phone via the app ‘Sketches’ with a stylus pen. This particular piece I hand drew on canvas in pencil. I used sharpie and acrylic paint as well as a colorful background to make the color pop.

The goal was to make a piece my cousin could be proud of that would go with the decor in her family room.

The Inspiration Factor: My cousin Lisa is one of my biggest supporters in my artwork so my biggest inspiration was to create something for someone who means so much me to enjoy for years to come.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I call this piece ‘Olivia June ’ I sketched it while staring a a photograph I took of my baby niece sleeping on a bed in my Father in Law’s guest room. I’ve sketched photographs either by hand on canvas paper or on my phone via the app ‘Sketches’ with a stylus pen. I used two different brushes on the app itself to sketch this, the super fine second brush and the first ultra fine one for the fill in you see.

The goal was to make it look almost like the snow on a TV to give it sort of a timeless quality.

The Inspiration Factor: Kids grow fast, I felt blessed to be given a unique opportunity to capture Olivia as a baby forever in this sketch.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I call this piece ‘The Egyptian Apocalypse ’ and my obsession with Egyptian birthed the idea for this piece. The History Channel was talking about the great pyramids and they are truly an intricate and well known synonymous pieces of architecture that relate to Egypt. I mean, let’s face it, when you think Egypt 🇪🇬 you think, King Tut, Queen Nefertiti, Queen Cleopatra and the Great Pyramids. I always admired how

The Inspiration Factor: Watching Cleopatra starring Liz Taylor 🙂

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany