rough

our earth is in a dark place. for now. but together we can get through this. memento vivere!

This image illustrates a Chinese fairy-tale from the 6th Century. Girl Weaver neglects her heavenly duties to spend her life on earth with the Goat Herd, this invokes the wrath of her family who force them to live apart. They are brought together for one day a year when a flock of tender-hearted magpies form a bridge to reunite them. This legend is still celebrated in China on the 7th night of the 7th month with a summer festival full of symbolism for newly-wed couples.

TheStephen Vattimo 7 mins The Three Witnesses Acrylic on Canvas Size :48"x68" Year finished: 2004-14 This painting illustrates three witnesses who are taking part in the salvation of a homeless person. the figure in the background is angled, this imposed by them being Positioned on second-floor balconies, symbolizing they are not humans, they are a higher class of beings. To the left side of the painting a demon and to the right side an angel of God . the kingdoms they serve are identified by the breastplate emblems of their armor. The demon has a dragon head overlaid on a pentagram. The angle of God has a lions head overlaid on a cross. The demon face is partly hidden by a hood which represents deception, where in contrast the angle of God is wearing nothing on his head that hiders the view of his face., representing honest. Angel is always involved in the affairs of the human race. The demon is warring against man to turn their heart against God, and lead them to destruction. God's angel is always warring lead mankind to salvation through Jesus the Christ, and lead him away from the path of destruction that comes from sinful living. The ally way is representing three kingdoms, to the left, the kingdom o Hell. The center road, the kingdom of mankind. To the right side, the kingdom of Heaven. The path of these kingdoms is represented by the direction of stairs. To go the way of Hell is to take the stairs down to the sub-level door. To the go, the way of heaven is to take the fire escape upward. The lighting and the condition of the structures of the walls also identify the nature of the kingdoms they represent. The kingdom of Hell is represented by the dark and crumbling wall. Man's kingdom is represented by a boarded up windowed wall that is a dead end. Symbolizing that mankind only has two roads to chose from, there is no such thing as a third reality. The left side of the paint is a cardboard box and a newspaper floor which serve as a makeshift shelter for the homeless man. The turned over bottle reveals which devise he had that lead him to a life of living in the street. The tipped over trash can which spills its trash onto the light source that is lighting the alleyway, which is in the shape of a cross, represents mankind's sin which Jesus The Christ paid in full the debt which God demand for the payment for sin which is death. So that The guiltless took the place of the guilty, that by faith in this truth all will escape Hell and enter the Kingdom of God as children and heirs of The Highest God. The Homeless man, who is dirty,ill-clothed, cold, tired, hungry, hopeless, symbolizes the condition of Mankind outside a flourishing relationship with God. The Christian witness is better dressed implying he is walking with God, and his life is blessed through God provision. The witness is showing compassion and the love of Christ to this homeless man by wrapping his arm around the shoulder of the dirty smelly homeless man. He points the homeless man in the direction of the path that leads to salvation through faith in the work of Jesus The Christ which is His work on the Cross, receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. That through a relationship with the Christ, He can receive the guidance, the strength, the willpower to leave his old life of being a drunkard and living in the street. Because in Christ old thing pass away, and all thing are made new. The light that falls on the Christian witness and the homeless man and opens up in the shape of the cross in the alleyway, comes from a heavenly source outside the picture. Written by Stephen J.Vatttimo June 16, 2014

This is the forsythia fool's gold I asked the garden center to put on hold for me just before the governor's statewide shut down came through. I hesitated to bring it home because I had already bought 17 plants in anticipation of the isolation.

Artwork my own do not take. Natashive is known to make deals with anyone usually is deals fall through and the person ends up as his pet. Chicken man used to be a human until the deal turned sour.

Ink on sketchbook paper subject: illustration for the national paper Size :11" x 14" Date: 10/20/2017 Artist: Stephen J. Vattimo This ink illustration was created for a pumpkin design for a carving contest. The hands grasped tightly in prayer. The national flag in tatters, representing all the trials and tribulation the nation is going through, The compass represents seeking direction. The who illustration making the statement, The need for a nation to look to God for direction, and healing of our land. God made a promise to the nation Of Israel, which I believe is offered to any nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo

Here's the rough in of a collage of little plants in various containers... just a fun scribble on a hot, summer afternoon. Color is on the way... 9x12 micron on mixed media board

The girl was probably around 25yo but my drawing made her face and body look older. The shadows are a bit rough too. Again, I placed the drawing a bit wrong and had to leave out the feet.

Second up in the "uploading progress pieces since I get questions about my art process" is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle print I'm working on for a convention. This is the rough sketch, next up I'll clean it up and do my guide lines for inking. Hopefully I won't have to redraw Donatello

Beaten mention through words that of a dark age reveal vines that bleed into the hearts of many. To present your reflective waves, to be ridiculed by voices lacking the complete understanding. In thoughts, a depression emerges.

In this photo I drew two Betta fish, a clock and a female in a dark background. Drawing this picture was more of a self expression. The two betta fish expressed conflict; the clock expressed running out of time and the female I guess would represent myself. I was in a dark period while drawing this, but happy to say, I’ve managed to pull through my obstacles =)

This is from an assignment to make a drawing from three words. My words were teabag, Hazmat, and cocoa. The friends are sitting inside a flow-through tea bag. Giants make tea out of herbs toxic to humans. Thus the need for the suit, and for drinking cocoa instead of the poisonous tea. But when you have good friends like giants or humans, you make accommodations.

The (i think) 12th and final butterfly for the Literal Butterflies Project. Wow! thats a lotta flutterflies. This one was certainly tedious with such elaborate markings, she wasn't easy! ... That said, none of them were. With such beauty, and intricate wing pattern and design, butterflies are a very difficult subject to work with. But somehow we managed to get through all 12 with some of my hair left! Loved every step of this journey :)

I drew a girl holding a cupcake and felt bored by her, so I added some sweet-ass tats. This was fountain pen ink run through water brushes. For more Digital Random Joy™, be sure to check out Instagram Super_Starling, which is a fairly fun place, if I do say so myself.

Brought to you by the letter B

From Sketch to Final Water Coloring Stages, this is a spread from Tide Day! A lot goes into making a good composition, taking into account the center of the image where the binding is, and how to play with size and negative space. One of my favorite things to do is explore contrasting expressions between characters and highlight their emotions through physical stances and expressions. This was a tough challenge with the lack of limbs and the watery context, but Pearl's stubbornness and attitude shines through!

A commissioned piece of original artwork for a client that I drew which incorporates various elements of strength (as chosen by the client). It also illustrates that even in dark times a light will come shining through.

Sometimes when Lindsey is having a rough day, I will surprise her by getting a relaxing bath set up for her to forget everything for awhile.

I struggle with social anxiety and big crowds. But there are ways to calm the rough waters

Sometimes, a good goodbye is also a fresh hello. As we wrapped up our "Sacred Spaces" paintings, I asked our student teacher to design a one-day project—something playful, earthy, and engaging to ease the class into her care. She brought mud. Literally. Using mud and simple stencils, students pressed images—flowers, insects, wings—onto the sidewalk behind our school. There's something timeless about making marks with the ground itself. It felt ancient and immediate at the same time. These prints won’t last long, but maybe that’s the point. A fleeting image, a shared laugh, a new hand guiding the next phase of learning. Art is about making marks. Not all of them need to be permanent.

And that concludes another sketchbook! Got through this one quite quickly…

I have a certain energy that runs through me, almost like a current. Balancing this energy can be quite a challenge, but I have found that meditation helps me to find my center. I like to quiet the noise around me and focus on my inner truth. Sometimes, I begin my meditation with my eyes closed, allowing my emotions to guide me in sketching out my experiences. This helps me to open up my channels of creativity, which I am currently using to work on my upcoming novel. I can't reveal too much about it yet, but I hope you will enjoy the sneak peeks I'll be sharing as I work toward completion.

I painted this when going through a very depressing and hurtful era causing me to feel very helpless and vulnerable. This was quit a while ago.

A doodle I did to work through some creative block I was having.

Trying to doodle my way through a Disney post-it note pad pre-printed with Mickey's face and ears.

I've been working on mountains lately and started in on Matterhorn. Here is my first attempt. I have a ways to go. I'm still working through it.

This fish swam through a portal and witnessed the meaning of everything.

Inktober “Husky.” I’ve lost track of the days at this point, so I'll just Inktober through November.

The start of some waves and clouds. A little too symmetrical for me, I need to work through it a little more.

Willingly burrows “Ian”...