as ember-lit words,
strike the depths of brimstone hearts,
pain turns to ashes.
I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone whose works have served as a source of upliftment amidst troubling times and also inspired a vast community of readers. Do accept my heartfelt thanks and have a lovely week ahead. Ciao!
Cheemnonso
kissed by a whirlwind,
her life’s leaf turned thrice over—
twenty… twenty-three.
Now for most, the New-year New-me bells toll, and the resolutions made are so clear that they could usurp the 8K UHD pixels, lol. For some, however, little doubts about the new year surface after succumbing to the daunting trials and tribulations encountered over the last three years.
What I’d like to say is that experiencing these challenges seems almost inevitable over a year, but how we react to them, with the help of loved ones and support from each other, is what determines the extent of the ups and downs faced, and the subsequent amusement of the thrilling roller coaster ride.
Nonetheless, I’d like to wish you a happy new year riddled with superfluous crests and the fortitude to overcome the sparse troughs, hoping that come December 31st, 2023, we’d reflect with a gleeful grin on our faces saying, “What a wonderful year”. Do stay blessed as always. Ciao.
Cheemnonso™
From the starry skies of the Mushroom Kingdom to the quirky inns of Nonso’s world, Mario and I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays.
May all the good tidings reaped from this festive period spill forth into your new year. Do enjoy and stay blessed.
Cheemnonso.
Back in school, I learned that fascinating mnemonic in biology, MR NIGER D, (Movement, Respiration, Nutrition, Irritability, Growth, Excretion, Reproduction, and Death) that depicts the unique characteristics of living things. Growing up and being handed presents containing both the bliss and vicissitudes of life, I realized more traits exist (e.g., tiredness), and here’s why.
Athletes can feel weary with that over 25-mile marathon, the excruciating 90 minutes of football, or that intense tennis match that’s decided on a tie-breaker. However, tiredness can transcend the realms of the physical into the depths of our mindscape.
A few students are tired of studying during the day while having to work endless night shifts to make ends meet or pay their tuition. There is the mental fatigue that accompanies the tiring psychometrics and assessments a recent graduate must surpass to land that first skilled job. Some people are exhausted from burning the midnight candle to chase that elusive success, while others who are keen to burn the candle are tired of seeking ways to purchase the match that sets it aflame, as the cost of living blows off the roof. Sighs!
Yes, it’s true life sometimes neglects the bed of roses on which our desires lay by handing us jagged knives and bayonets to fight her unending battles, and that in itself makes one fed up with existence. However, the conscientious are tired of how these battles are fought with the handed weaponry, as knives are no longer used to dice the fruits of our labour but to cut corners and stab the backs that feed us.
Where do we go from here? That’s a question I’m tired of pondering over. Thus, I decided to portray my feelings with graphite pencils on Bristol vellum. I am satisfied with my portrayal of this yawning child, particularly after a long while of drawing, which I could blame on a little emotional exasperation, hence my extended break.
I hope moving forward, I’d have the vigor to carry on my artistic journey to keep creating content for you, my supportive reader. Thanks for sticking around, and until next time, Ciao!
Cheemnonso
Lonely atop the firmament,
where bodies seemed ever distant in space,
he became a hot-head for love,
scorching every affectionate being beneath him,
including the ravishing Miss Flora,
whose petals clung haplessly onto her twigs,
as they slowly died of thirst.
Grumbles sprouted from his fiery seeds,
sown in the field of God’s creation;
but the sea, however,
who dazzled in a luscious rippled dress,
effused warmth towards him,
garnered from his searing hazel aura.
Hours passed, and the day’s darkness crescendoed,
but, he intermittently found love gleams
as he met the sea’s azure gaze;
with her belly dances to the wind’s rhythm,
subtly sweeping him off his feet,
thus, felling him off his high horse,
right into the sea’s arms —
and in a brief moment of ecstasy,
he could finally see their love,
etched in the stars.
P.S: Barring his somewhat villainous role in this writing, the sun will always remain a haughty dear; however, when years stand still, he tends to traverse the orbit of quirky imaginative planets😅.
Feel free to check out my previous Sunfall version, and also The Monarchs for more Autumn-themed writings. Thanks for reading and do have a blessed week ahead.
Cheemnonso™
Watching my sister come of age is one of the most joyous things that have ever happened to me, especially as her birthday marks a year further in my artistic journey. I vividly remember my first drawing of her four years ago, which was largely without form due to the absence of shading in my drawings.
Within that four-year frame, my drawings have noticeably improved, and I owe that to YouTube realism tutorials from the likes of Silvie Mahdal, Kristen Patridge and so many more graphite and crayon experts who, through their works, inspired me to keep drawing and subsequently improve. I’d also owe the improvement to the spurring support from you, my WordPress family, and also my sister, whose existence and annual voyages around the sun, have fueled the artistic flame further.
I chose this grimacing picture of her for my recent study, as I continue to explore the world of emotive portraiture, and I must say, I’ve picked quite a few souvenirs from my expedition, including this one, and I hope my future collections only get better from this point.
So, without further ado, I’d like to wish my sister a wonderful birthday, with hopes of umpteen more blissful ones to come.
Cheemnonso
as life’s price sky-highs,
with needs, sunken in the clouds,
she seeks heaven’s reach.
…the cost of living might have gone through the roof, and our responsibilities to families and loved ones can sometimes become unbearable, but, that should be no reason to devalue our lives and give up the ghost, but rather, we should see it as a source of self-motivation as we progress through life’s daunting hurdles. There have surely been worse days, and definitely, better days are coming. Do stay blessed and have a lovely week ahead.
Cheemnonso.
When a child is born, we see that sweetness, cuteness, adorability, and particularly, that shimmering innocence, gushing off their aura; however, where does this innocence go as they come of age?
One could argue that a child’s innocence suffocates in the chokehold that peer pressure has on our schools and society. Another could argue that a child’s innocence dissipates in a disjointed family, where one parent’s state of mind is in Tokyo, and the other’s is in Kyoto, and well, it can be hard to refute this since charity, they say, begins at home.
Furthermore, others think it’s just “normal” for innocency to reduce as a child gets older, but statisticians beg to differ. For those fond of mathematics and statistics, you’d remember the Gaussian curves or “normal” curves that tend to start at a point, peak at the middle, and then regress towards the end. Well, comparing this to innocence and our lifespan, I feel our naivety is at its peak when we are children, but this reduces as our brain develops and learns more about the world from childhood to adulthood. However, as we age gracefully towards our seventies and eighties, we see our innocence tends to peak again, thence, completing the inversely normal curve, or should I say an “abnormal” curve, lol. Now, this is just my fun observation which can be true for most, but definitely not all.
Nonetheless, this thought on a child’s innocence fascinated and spurred me to make this portrait in color pencil, and to be honest, I truly enjoyed it after making most of my previous drawings in graphite. I cannot say if my subsequent drawings will be in color, but I can only relish the unpredictability of my artistic journey.
So, what do you think?
Cheemnonso
fruits of the Spirit,
entombed in God’s beloved pod—
Christ in a nutshell.
…so, as you bask in the Easter season, remember to keep the faith, for the nutshell is cracked, and Christ is risen, thus, ye shall bear fruit.
For more Easter themed micropoems, feel free to read these, as you relish the comforts of the season:
Do remain blessed as always. Ciao!
Cheemnonso
It is Mothering Sunday! A day to acknowledge and honor the adorable ladies who bore and aided our passage to Earth. However, mothers should not be limited to women who bear children and aid in procreation, as many who proved infertile have nurtured, fostered, and raised children who have been seemingly abandoned by their so-called procreators. These, I liken to the sweet roses of love everblooming in a desolated land of hate, thus, earning their right to be called mothers.
In my little way of honoring mothers, I peeked through Pinterest to find reference photos depicting motherhood and ended up with my recent portrait study. I found it captivating and challenging as it is my first portrait with two faces, albeit completed with graphite pencils on a 9 by 12 inch Bristol vellum paper (small surface given reference photo). In my After Dark post, I highlighted the importance of shading drawings of big sizes, as this captures more details in your drawings, thus, providing more accuracy in drawings. However, my recent study was mainly for illustration purposes and I was okay with how it turned out in the end.
Without further ado, I wish a happy Mothering Sunday to all the moms, with hopes you continue to be that undying source of love to your offspring, family, and the world in general. Do stay blessed.
Cheemnonso
living through the pane,
bodies snuggled in the blinds,
whilst hearts drew curtains.
Though it may be the saddest word ever said, goodbyes still have their due moments.
Feel free to peek through my Goodbye window, to see the first of its series, and do make sure you have a hearty week ahead.
Cheemnonso
What do you see when you close your eyes? Yep! You read that right. What do you see when you close your eyes? For lovers, the astral plane becomes the thin veil between reality and that fervent french kiss. For poets, words become ventriloquists, breathing life into the inanimate, whilst the living become statues of its awe. For cheerful givers, they see blooms of happiness sprouting from seeds sown in the needy’s bosom, and for non-givers, well, they see nothing, for they had already turned the blind eye, lol. Anyways, the answer to this question still saunters back and forth on the bridge between reality and our fantasies.
Fascinated by this question and the portrait reference (by Sandra Parreno photography , whose character seems torn between the 2D and 3D verse), I decided to make this my first drawing of the year 2022.
Looking back at my drawings in 2021, I noticed significant improvements from 2020, particularly in maintaining shading segue, to add more depth to realism; however one crucial drawback still exists: portrait likeness.
Achieving portrait likeness will be the key area I’d work on this year as I try to build on more emotive drawings from years past, and judging from my recent portrait, I see good signs in shading, particularly as the paper used was a bit low grade (still on my media exploration quest); However, the rooms for improvement in portrait likeness ultimately need inhabiting.
Please, feel free to reach out if you’re interested in learning some of my portrayed techniques, and I’d also appreciate every critical input on my works. Thank you.
Cheemnonso
days may have crumbled,
with the night star ushering defeats past to light,
but with that mustard seed of faith,
sown in love’s heavenly blue battlefield,
we shall rise forth,
to mirthful morning glories.
A very wonderful New year to you and yours I pray, with all yearned goals coming to pass🙏🥳. As always, do remain blessed.
Cheemnonso
From everyone at Evergreen Terrace down to Nonso’s world, we would earnestly like to wish you happy holidays and a blissful Christmas.
May you and yours reap the splendid tidings of the season as we proceed into the new year. Do stay blessed.
Cheemnonso
It’s Halloween season again, and it’s time to unleash the spookiest of costumes for tricking and treating. This time, however, I resorted to commemorating Halloween using graphite pencils and poetry. Weird?
The portrait study this time is a screaming Simon Pegg found on Pinterest.
Graphite pencils were chosen this time as it’s much easier to work with one color (greyscale) compared to the abundance of hues in colored pencils. Moreover, working with graphite pencils gives more freedom to explore one’s range of drawing techniques without fear of making mistakes. This is particularly useful when those learned and perfected techniques are subsequently implemented in color pencil drawing.
Enjoyed creating this drawing (particularly the wrinkles); so much that I was inspired to write a free verse that centers on fear. Hope you like it.
I tremble not at the sight of scornful scorpions and creeping creatures,
nor do I quiver in the face of vast chasms spewing fire and brimstone;
I fear not the traversal of the deathly Elm street,
riddled with ghostly apparitions and prancing monsters,
for in the ambiance of neon-lit jack o’ lanterns,
the incandescence of His word further belights my path;
Alas,
I’m scared I’d find solace in the dark,
for the light keeps revealing my tears to sneering seagulls;
I dread that at Love’s feet layeth humanity’s jigsaw puzzle,
but pride keeps bloating my piece,
so much, I no longer fit;
I’m afraid that for my good deeds
Mother Nature bestows a priceless invisible garment,
but never gets to see its beguiling beauty on me;
I’m petrified that the world has lost all sense of colour,
and through her monochromatic lens, I’d be deemed shady.
I’m frightened my trust for humankind has eloped with the wind,
for her cold shoulder has turned my heart to ice,
and in her spiky grasps, it shatters to bits;
I’m affrighted life may morph into the desiccated woods
with us, each tree,
and my voice, endlessly drowning in its psithurism;
But most of all,
I’m scared I show no fear,
for fear is a rampaging hound preying on feeble minds,
and strong, I must appear.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
So, what are you most scared of? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Happy Halloween by the way, with hopes November brings good tidings. Do stay blessed.
Cheemnonso
Sketchbook: Arteza Drawing pad (80lb)
Media: Black Widow/ Arteza Color Pencil set
The reference this time was particularly inspired by my choice of coloured pencils, which was predominantly dark-toned black widow pencil set, hence my drawing of the character, Yelena Belova (portrayed by Florence Pugh), from the Black Widow movie.
I have had this pencil set a while now, but it was majorly used to underpin my prevalent Arteza coloured pencils in colour drawing, so I decided to make an exception this time with role reversals.
Three particular pencil shades were used for skin tones including Leather, Suede and Olive brown, whilst both Midnight and Greyhorn variants were used for her gear. Arteza’s Pink macaroon, however, was used for blending the skin out, albeit not hundred percent achieved. This was subject to my carefulness with the sketchbook paper, as the burnishing technique can be somewhat hostile and aggressive on drawing papers.
Nonetheless, these pencil sets have proved to be a great combo in colour pencil realism for me, and I’d keep using them, for now, to see how I improve off them.
I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it, and, do have a blessed week ahead. Ciao!
Cheemnonso™
afloat on crisp sands
whilst bathed in Sun’s mirth showers,
she hears gulls chatter
as troubled tides ebb to sleep;
thence she knew, that life’s a beach.
Feel free to also read and share your thoughts on By The Sea (Haiku version), as you bask in the merriments of the lovely week ahead. Ciao!
Cheemnonso™
Sketchbook: Arteza Drawing Pad (80lb)
Medium: STÆDTLER Graphite pencil set
It’s that time of the year again, when my baby sister celebrates her birthday, consequently signaling one more progressive year in my artistic journey. At this point, she knows she has become my most used muse, but one thing she does not know is what reference picture I will choose of her, or which medium I’d portray her in (colored pencil or graphite). This has always made her birthday expectations somewhat of a surprise.
This time, however, I chose a tricky reference picture; one that she discarded at the time due to poor photo lighting. I chose this because it presented various challenging features including:
• portrayal of light and shadows
• achieving depth in drawing braids,
• realistic body features (hands and foot)
• cloth form and likeness.
I am happy with the performance in some of these areas and how it turned out generally, particularly as she was carved from another page on my sketchbook. More importantly, I am glad she loved it bearing in mind she once disliked the original photo; So, I’d like to use this opportunity to wish her a very happy birthday with many more years, hoping I’d capture her alluring moods in the years to come.
By the way, if you have any questions concerning improvements in portrait realism or realism in general, I’d be more than willing to help. Conversely, I’d appreciate critical inputs on some flaws that could help me improve as well. For now, however, do have splendid days ahead. Ciao!
Cheemnonso
Sketchbook: Arteza drawing pad (80lbs)
Media: STÆDTLER Graphite Pencils
Still on expressive portrait drawings, I stumbled on this monochromatic reference photo on Pinterest (as ever), and after finding it captivating, I decided to give it a try with my graphite pencils.
After some digging, I discovered that the photo is indeed a self-portrait of Cristina Otero, a young Spanish photographer, who captured this using the front camera of a Huawei P10 smartphone, of which she dubbed a Soul Portrait, hence the title of this blogpost in Spanish.
This time, however, I opted for my normal 80-paged Arteza drawing book to recreate this photo, rather than the much smoother Bristol vellum surface paper, as I seek to complete the sketchbook soon enough, amidst hectic school and work schedules.
The drawing came out coarser, as expected, because the drawing pad has got more tooth than vellum surfaces. It is evident from the original photo that I still struggle a bit with portrait likeness, probably due to the inaccuracy of my grids, which needs to be improved, thus, giving me room for progression in portrait realism.
In all, the drawing seemed satisfactory for me, if for anything, the depth of realism on the hand figure, and judging from this, there will be more graphite and colored pencils drawings emanating from this drawing pad, hopefully with better results. Fingers crossed!
Cheemnonso
A short, playful and somewhat true story.
…as the jagged talons of religious conflict ripped through earth’s coat of many colors, she struggled for what to believe in, thus condemning her ways to the eerie bliss of karma and the beguiling warmth of morality. Alas, she decided to pen an open letter to the world, pronouncing her new-found faith.
As the nothingness of the blank pages and her steel blue eyes embarked on a cold staring contest, imaginary quills swiveling between thoughts began etching words on her mindscape saying:
By the virtue of karma,
we get what we give,
thus,
when the sun sets on the once soaring butterfly,
as the gale’s burden rests upon her fragile wings
thence, plummeting her to the abyss,
she has to give up,
just so she gets up;
so, tell me
on what bed does your belief lay?
Karma?
or the poetry dressed in pun’s prowess?
Have a lovely and playful week ahead.
Cheemnonso
Sketchbook: Bienfang Bristol Vellum paper
Media: STÆDTLER graphite pencils
Earlier this year, I indicated that the theme of my portrait sketches in 2021 would exude more expressions/emotions with some interludes pending striking inspirations, and my recent study seems to suggest we are on the right track.
Like always, I came across my recent portrait study on Pinterest, all monochromatic, and the wisest option was to approach this drawing using graphite pencils on a vellum surface. What particular piqued my interest in this study was my long-dreaded fear of going too dark in shading and drawing drops of water. I found this crying child or Ninõ (as dubbed by Pedro Luis Raota, the actual photographer, in 1970) encapsulating all I have always feared in drawing; thus, I decided to take on the challenge.
Initially, things went smooth, but I had not even gotten to the teardrops and my 8B pencils were already toast because of the number of dark areas I had to cover; however, I had to improvise with my other pencil grades.
Although likeness suffered a bit, one key takeaway from the drawing was that the bigger the size, the better the details you capture in your portraits, so these enabled shading the teardrops fairly easy.
Overall, I was somewhat pleased with the drawing, if, for anything, its successful completion and I look forward to taking on more expressive portraits before the year runs out.
Lastly, do imbibe this quatrain I wrote as inspired by the drawing, and take it with you as you enjoy your lovely days ahead. Cheers!
Though the dark’s mouth may spew sorrow,
with our limbs caught ‘tween its jaws of pain,
always remember there is a dance tomorrow,
where our teardrops elope with the rain.
Cheemnonso
So, the Fourth was just with us just the other day (04/05) only for us to celebrate cartoonists the next day (05/05); How sketchy!
Nonetheless, cartoons have been a part of the building blocks of most humans from childhood through adolescence, and as a matter of fact, there are adults who still get engrossed with Rick & Morty or even The Simpsons just for that extra taste of mirth. This highlights the importance of these character creations in our lives and hence, the need to celebrate the cartoonists behind them. But how do we go about honoring these cartoonists? It is easy. If you have had cartoon characters whom you have always adored, this is your chance to share them with the world (could be sketches or comic strips), whilst giving a shout out to the creators (Bonus points if you are the cartoonist behind the characters shared).
For me, characters I absolutely loved growing up were actually Pinky and the Brain created by Tom Ruegger and also Steven Spielberg.
Famous from the Animaniacs, one of my favorite takeaways from the show was the satire and clever wordplays Pinky always blurts when Brain asks, “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?”. Those were so good, I had to create my own Pinky moments.
Another pinky moment goes like this:
Brain: Pinky! Are you pondering what I’m pondering?
Pinky: I think so undertaker Brain, but if Chris and the mum attended the funeral, why all these flowers (Chrysanthemum)?
Other cartoons I grew fond of and also had sketches of include NickToon characters such as the wefie of the Spongebob crew and also Darcy from “Bunsen is a Beast”.
Lest I forget, many posthumous thanks to Joseph Barbera and William Hanna for their evergreen creation of Tom and Jerry; that cartoon never gets old.
So, what cartoon characters or comic strips have you liked, and what were your favorite takeaways from them?
Cheemnonso™
when heavens’ tears cease,
as groundwater banks plummet,
scorched roses still pray.
So my dear beloved, keep the faith; for He’s risen.
Feel free to read my first version of Angel Tears, as you bask in the splendor of the Easter season. Stay blessed and blissful.
Cheemnonso
It has been two years and some months since I launched this blog, and I vividly remember my first blogpost which was a limerick of some sort that goes like this:
consumed by pride, envy and scorn,
the feeble veil of my heart is torn,
one which no golden needle and silver thread can mend,
one which only the agape love from persons can tend,
salving all wounds from dusk till dawn.
Love (Adapted)
The poem very much typified my emotional state at the time and how I held all kinds of feelings bottled up, searching for meaning and answers in our nature. However, interest from a few persons piqued gradually and my world began to morph artistically. With the gradual growth of the blog, I have been able to find my channel of catharsis with some areas botched in shades of gray, and others smeared in resplendent hues. As such, many thanks to you all who have literally given me a thousand reasons to be grateful for the interest, love and support rendered towards the achievement of this milestone.
As always, it will remain a tremendous pleasure to keep putting smiles on your faces through my works as you have done so effortlessly on mine. Cheers to our next artistic adventure, and a thousand hugs and kisses to each and every one of you. Happy blogging.
Cheemnonso
Sketchbook: Bienfang Bristol Vellum paper
Media: Black Widow/Arteza pencils
Two months gone now, and the gliding thoughts of how to go about realism and portraiture in 2021 still seeks the right perch. Most of it has been down to busy school/work schedules, but I realized that no schedule can ever be too busy to have a decent artwork, hence my recent drawing.
My portrait reference study is no other than the Emmy award winner (the youngest if I might add) for her role as a troubled teen in the somewhat brilliant HBO series, Euphoria. She also stars as a trapezist in The Greatest Showman, and as MJ (Michelle Jones) in SpiderMan: Homecoming, Far from home and No Way Home, where the latter is still in the works. Ladies and gents, Zendaya Maree Coleman needs no further introduction.
What particularly influenced my choice of reference is not just because of her delectable roles in movies (Malcolm and Marie for starters), but also the profoundness of her skin colour. As soon as I beheld her picture on Pinterest, I realized it has been a while I drew in coloured pencils, so I decided to take up this portrait study. Who says inspiration does not trump busy schedules?
First, I decided to try out the blending of the coloured pencils on the coarser side of the Bristol vellum paper, as I did with graphite pencils for my Freckled Smile work, and I must say, coloured pencils feel a lot smoother on this coarse side of the paper when compared to graphite pencils. Building layers of colours also seemed effortless, but it was accompanied by a cuddly drawback; more drawing time. However, having used the coarse side of vellum papers for both graphite and coloured pencils, the coarse side feels more suited for coloured pencil artworks, while the smooth side seems best for graphite pencils, at least in my case, with favourable results.
For the rest of the artistic journey this year, I’d build on these media exploration outcomes whilst working on achieving portrait likeness for different facial expressions (with interludes of other studies) using dry media. Garnering inspiration from sources like Pinterest, it’d be amazing hopefully. Fingers crossed.
Cheemnonso™
when the sea births love,
and the sun falls deep for her,
night and light turns one.
Here’s the link to my first Sunfall post from two years ago. Feel free to read and share your thoughts. Stay safe and blessed.
Cheemnonso
A short story
As her world spun still,
dreamy days flew by,
and the Earth slowly grew giddy.
With defenses now laying bare,
space-grey goblins came scything down her core,
and every milky taste she once had of her galaxy
became a forlorn memory.
Darkness crescendoed
and, alas,
from her seven siblings,
she became estranged.
However, there lived a being;
a bright beaming being,
who always stood firm by her,
and ran circles around her adversities,
thence,
illuminating her dimming mien,
and after three sixty six days
of twirling and courtship,
a new child is born.
A Happy New year to you, and may all your wishes yearned come true🥳🙏.
Cheemnonso
With much love from Nonso’s world down to the adorable Groguverse, a merry and blissful Christmas to you and your household. Cheers🥂.
Cheemnonso
En route to our dreams,
we procure one-way tickets
through neon nightmares.
The question, however, becomes: “How much are you willing to pay for this trying travel?”
Cheemnonso™
Sketchbook: Bienfang Bristol Vellum paper
Media: STÆDTLER Graphite pencils
As a developing artist in portraiture, I have always wondered what an ideal and challenging reference portrait would entail. Could it be an elderly face where the mien is calm as the sea, and its wrinkles are like estuaries of flowing grace, or could it be the face of an adorable child with dimples that could entomb and smother likes of the Great Depression? The truth is, nothing is ever ideal, but my recent reference portrait is just as close as one can get. The partial eye squints, subtle wrinkles, freckles, dimples, smile connecting bulging cheeks, and pigtails, capture what I believe would be an artist’s dream in terms of realism studies, and trust me, it didn’t disappoint in difficulty given the challenging circumstances.
For this drawing, I had to make use of graphite pencils and Bristol vellum paper, as I did for my Bristol Baby sketch, but this was with a telling twist. I came across several YouTube tutorials that suggested that the back of a Bristol vellum paper is the most ideal for drawings as it is coarser and has more tooth which any preferred medium would love to cling onto, so, I decided to give this a try. However, this proved frustrating early on as it required lots of graphite layers to fill the coarse regions of the paper, and therefore translated to more hours of drawing compared to my Bristol Baby sketch. Hopes and smiles I had of drawing this portrait had become spotted, hence the figurative name of this blog post. It ultimately turned out to be the test of my patience levels in art, and you should have witnessed the sigh of relief I gave off when I completed the drawing; Phew! I was pleased with the final portrait at long last, and to be honest, I could not care less about how tedious the means to the drawing was, as long as it is justified in the end.
Notwithstanding though, feel free to use this surface for your artworks, and do let me know of your experiences.
Cheemnonso™
Sketchbook: Arteza Drawing pad (80lb)
Media: Arteza Coloured pencils, 3B Graphite
Inspired by a lot of talented artists lately, I finally decided to have my first animal study (a very brief break from portraiture), and it’s no other than my favorite poetic bird; Macaws, particularly, the Scarlet Macaw. If you’re conversant with my works, you’d discover I’ve used her reference in some poems of mine including The Spree, The Parade and most recently in The Beauts, and these I really enjoyed writing.
What I particularly love about this bird is how her plumage exudes different colours, so much that one could sense rainbows getting jealous. Sadly though, blending these colors could actually prove difficult as colour segue could take time to be properly administered on the sketch.
However, I’m okay with how this drawing turned out and I look forward to hearing your favourite bird and how it rivals a Macaw’s beauty (Still undisputed though).
Cheemnonso™
Haunted by the past,
and the eerie sands of time,
hopes of days unborn,
blow over in mere mindscapes—
Life’s desolate trick or treat.
Happy Halloween🎃.
.
Cheemnonso™
Sketchbook: Arteza Drawing pad (80lb)
Media: Black Widow colour pencils.
In coloured portrait realism, one common misconception amongst budding artists is that the more expensive the pencils used, the better the artworks. Well, that may be true in some cases, especially in the grip of professionals; however, for beginners, several factors come to play like patience, tone/depth understanding and also the art of gradations. The truth is, every artist has that wand of a pencil that seem to bend to his/her will and create magical art pieces. I mean, I’ve seen excellent artworks completed with Crayola pencils that could rival those completed with Caran D’ache luminance pencils; hence, it’s not just a matter of the pencils, but, the dexterity of the artist.
However, I’ve been exploring mediums lately to find suitable colour pencil sets for portraits. On my quest, I eventually crossed paths with this Black Widow colour pencils, which I used to portray the innocence of this child. Initially, I had a creepy feeling towards the pencil set, considering its name, but I gradually grew fond of it (nothing to worry about for arachnophobes). I particularly liked the dark skin tone variant, as it provided lots of vibrant colours to layer and blend. The pencils generally proved promising and have been included in my list of dependable pencils for portrait drawing.
Are there any other pencils you know of that is not part of the mainstream media and has presented excellent results for you? Do let me know and who knows, it could be my one and only.
Cheemnonso™
Summer’s scorching reign was over, and the world finally became a stage for the succeeding princess. High hopes were held of her and the events of her coronation as documented in a lost journal reads;
As the sun crowned autumn,
with a fitting tiara bathed in gold,
whistling winds blew their bagpipes,
tree twigs swayed softly in the melodious aura,
and lush leaves fell fatuously
in deference to her majesty;
Alas, not all subjects agreed to bend the knee,
for they feared the land’s drought may never cease,
and how did the new queen respond?
Well, she sicced her soldiers on them.
Cheemnonso™
There’s the graceful allure of august auroras,
and the radiance of a splendid sun,
seeing through the teardrops of heaven;
There’s the ravishing bloom of pink cherry blossoms,
and the artsy resplendence,
weaved into the plumes of swirling macaws;
There’s the last golden smile of a summer sunset,
and the stunning dazzle of the moon and stars,
enlivening the gorgeous collage of the night sky;
but, of all the beauties mother nature has borne,
you, my dear, will forever be second to none.
Cheemnonso™
Sketchbook: Arteza Drawing pad (80lb)
Media: Arteza Coloured pencils.
It’s been exactly three years now I rekindled my old flame for drawing, and since then, I made it a tradition to have a drawing of my baby sister for her birthday. In that time, I’ve had four drawings of her, which I like to see as a present to her and also as some sort of annual progress in my artistic journey.
This particular drawing is portrayed as the remake of a graphite sketch I had of her in 2019. I particularly enjoyed this drawing as working in coloured pencils seemed to prove a challenge at the early stages (especially with the skin tones), but ultimately, turned out okay. After sketching my first colour pencil portrait not too long ago, I had serious doubts I’d be able to replicate the levels attained in the drawing, but having this recent portrait of my sister has really served as a confidence booster to take on other challenging art studies with coloured pencils.
So for this and many more glorious reasons, Happy birthday Ugochi. Stay gold!
Previous sketches: 2019b, 2018
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Cheemnonso™
when days turn sombre,
as the night dims the sun’s smile,
the moon doles out milk.
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Do stay positive in the midst of adversity, and as always, have a lovely day.
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Cheemnonso™
…through the keyhole of her confines, she sees how poor the world has become; Thence, she mutters;
can one ever really be free,
when all that lingers in captivity’s dust,
is the thin veiled irony,
wheezing, “Freedom cometh at a cost”?
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Cheemnonso™
I’ve seen the colour of music;
yellow like a budding sunflower,
with blotted petals clothed in tumeric;
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I’ve treaded her country, so idyllic;
where love and lust tastes sweet and sour,
and the dreams bequeathed inspire moments of magic;
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I’ve heard her melody, so angelic;
easing my nightmares in the darkest hour
as the crickets chirp a solemn panegyric;
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and when I feared my world grew paralytic,
with pain urging me to cower,
she became a soothing analgesic;
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Alas, the tale she tells can sometimes seem cryptic,
as her throbbing pulses conceal its true power,
and her wordings can sometimes be toxic,
like a fierce fanged hound geared to devour;
still, I’ll forever be in awe of her alluring mystique,
for she has given me a thousand reasons to stay poetic.
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Cheemnonso™
Sunday Sketchbook: ARTEZA Drawing pad
Media: ARTEZA Coloured pencils
Inspired by my last post, I decided to make my first portrait sketch in coloured pencils after dabbling in graphite pencils for a while now; and I must say, it felt good; even though it took quite some time to complete than those previously sketched with graphite pencils.
Given the unlimited shades of hue, sketching in coloured pencils could prove daunting when one tries to blend several colours, just to match the right skin tones, capture the golden mesh of a lass’s tress or portray the azure eyes of an adorable child; and if the artist isn’t ready for PATIENCE 101, he or she could easily be dispirited. But, I’m glad that wasn’t the case here, and also happy to see the drawing to its reasonable completion.
With this, I’m ready to introduce the newest member of the dry media family (Coloured Pencils), hoping she, alongside graphite pencils will be my knights in shining armor when new shading challenges come forth, particularly in these troubling days that needs a lot to keep sane.
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Cheemnonso™
…bleeding on knife-edge whilst waiting on the dawn of life’s beauty, a voice whispered within…
as life mirrors art,
days may seem sketchy and gray,
till you smear crayons.
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Cheemnonso™
tombed in pillory,
our hopes seemed evanescent,
till He awakened.
Also, feel free to read this Easter free verse as you enjoy the wonderful season in the comfort of your homes.
Do stay safe and stay blessed.
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Cheemnonso™
Sunday Bristol Sketchbook – Page 1
In realism, particularly pencil shading, I’ve come to realize that a careful choice of materials really play a crucial role in finished artworks. Back when I started drawing, I solely used printing papers and HB pencils, which definitely aren’t the worst media any budding artist could begin with. Truth is, the sketches seemed appealing at the time, until questions on depth, contrast and longevity arose. As first steps to tackling these questions, I purchased a STÆDTLER graphite pencil set to deal with the issue of tones and depth, hence achieving more realism; and an acid-free Strathmore Sketchbook to make the drawings last longer on paper without smudging or fading away. This actually made the drawings improve a bit, but it just didn’t feel right to stop exploring other art materials.
After watching a couple online drawing tutorials, I came to know about this Bristol vellum surface sketchbook and how finished drawings looked breathtaking on them, so, I decided to get one for myself. While making this baby drawing on the recently acquired sketchbook, I felt jealous of the camaraderie between the tip of the graphite pencil and the surface of the paper. Each stroke of the pencil glided effortlessly on the paper like a graceful geisha skiing on winter ice. I was also happy with how the paper could capture the contrast the pencils were willing to offer. The drawing ultimately proved to be one enjoyable art piece for me, and I can’t wait to see how other dry media including charcoal and coloured pencils would fare on this sketchbook. Fingers crossed.
Cheemnonso™
hello, dear diamond,
come abide by my frail heart,
let’s make a full house.
Sunday Strathmore Sketchbook – Page 8
My recent reference for portrait sketching is a lady who has proved that no one is ever too young to attain the greatest heights of success, thus, making her a source of inspiration to teenagers all over the world.
For the upcoming 62nd Grammy Awards ceremony slated for the 26th of January, 2020, she has bagged an impressive haul of six nominations, including the big four categories (Album, Record, Song and Best New Artist of the year), making her the youngest person in history to do so in the same year. She may as well be the youngest to win them all at once, who knows??
She, for me, has been the best prodigy to break out in the music industry since Lorde, not just for reanimating the sleeping ears of goth pop fans around the world, but for the impact she imparts with her music.
So, without much fuss, here’s my somewhat botchy sketch of the 21st century born, Billie Eilish.
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Cheemnonso™
With tongues sunken deep,
the flowers sang serenades
of her loved ones gone.
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Cheemnonso™
Blank pages flipping,
quaint quills dancing in the wind,
while ink drowns in mirth
as a new chapter dawns forth—
so, what story will you write?
A very glorious and wonderful New year to you.
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Cheemnonso™
So it’s Christmas, yay! A season where the atmosphere brims with joy and the love is so palpable. As it would be, this day happens to celebrate the birth of some special people including baby Jesus and guess who, (whispers) my brother.
After drawing my sister a few months ago, I had to make a promise of sketching him before his birthday; I mean, who wouldn’t want to have a pencil depiction of someone celebrated by the whole world.
I’m very happy to have finished this sketch before the year runs out, as it means I’ve completed the sketches of the best things that happened to me this decade.
So with this, I’d like to say happy birthday brother and a Merry Christmas to everyone!
Cheemnonso™
She begrudged the cat,
who had nothing but nine lives—
thus, she chopped her soul
into facades of many;
her death, by a thousand cuts.
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Cheemnonso™
Sunday Strathmore Sketchbook – Page 6
Here’s a sketch of this cute baby I came across while scrolling through Pinterest just the other day.
Immediately I saw her, I began to imagine the quirky world babies immerse themselves in. A world where tantrums aren’t ignored but cared for. A world where one could wear a smile for days and not think much about its laundry. A world where everyone’s so eager to hear the first words of your story. A world where there’s no deriding of one’s incessant mistakes but always a helping hand. Simply put, a world without worries; at least I think.
What most will give to be in this version of the world every moment.
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Cheemnonso™
In response to today’s Inktober prompt, Catch, here’s my sketch and Tanka.
It’s the ninetieth lap,
and she’s began to perceive
death’s gruesome talons,
strumming her cuddly coattails;
alas, she smiles anyway.
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Cheemnonso™
Inktober has turned out to be a fun-filled movement every artist would love to be part of, and because of this, I’ll be responding to a prompt or two before it finally draws the curtain in the coming days, starting with this.
Without further ado, here’s my little sketch depicting two famous best buddies embarking on one of their silly joyrides.
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Cheemnonso
Sombre seas, the stage;
mournful clouds, the audience;
stern sun, the spotlight—
he oars through his pool of tears,
with none to ease his burdens.
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Cheemnonso™
Delicate daisies,
donning decent dew dresses,
dazzles drowsy dawns.
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Cheemnonso™
Sunday Strathmore Sketchbook – Page 5
Pennywise is back!! The ever eerie clown from the movie IT, adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same title, just released its Chapter Two (Its third cinema adaptation) some days back and it promises to be one to send shivers down enthused audiences’ spines.
Before its 2017 release (IT: Chapter one), I had seen a lot of horror movies, so much that the horror genre of movies actually became my favorite due to its unwavering thrills and sometimes, gore, but I hadn’t quite seen one which centered on a terrifying clown preying on the fears of little children. I very well enjoyed the movie, so well that I became enamored with clowns (Coulrophobes will find this strange) and made my very first attempt at Pennywise sketching.
The role Pennywise plays in IT can also be related to pencil artistry. Pennywise can be seen as that aura of darkness smeared in graphite, while the little children can be viewed as budding artists. As budding artists, we’re scared of delving darker in any of our drawings with the thought that we may end up ruining our art piece, so, we instead, use light shades on our sketches, just to be on a safer side.
The use of dark shades and shadows with a mixture of good highlighting and mid-tones, tend to give form and depth to drawings, hence, making them pop out of our canvasses. This is one fear I’m still particularly struggling to overcome in pencil realism, but we all know what happens to Pennywise at the end of the story.
So, without further ado, here’s my recent attempt of the ominous clown, Pennywise. You’ll float too🎈.
Cheemnonso™
Dear humanity,
I write this to ask you,
How did we drift so askew,
to the point where
the vain is inanely adored,
and the sane is insanely abhorred?
Why do the colours that make rainbows smile
and give the auroras her alluring style,
no longer ignite beauty sparks on faces,
but smear the tracks of individual races?
Why do we worship the elitists
at their altar of greed,
but ignore the sinister cysts,
sprouting on those in need?
Why do we still play the game called fame,
whilst our high-scores keep putting us to shame?
When did everyone suddenly become so fickle,
leaving us to trust only the Reaper’s thrusting sickle?
If you’re reading this, I need some answers,
I really do,
because the world slowly sinks into hate’s murky gutter,
and I need to know how to keep my head above water.
Regards,
Cheemnonso™
Bottom-dog bumpkins,
breaking breathtaking barriers,
bewilders best brains.
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Cheemnonso™
Sunday Strathmore Sketchbook – Page 4
Over the course of last fourteen months , I’ve had three drawings of my baby sister, who, by the way, happens to celebrate her birthday today. Woo hoo!
With her beguiling smile, charm and a little bit of petulance, she was able to lure me into this recent drawing of her, which I very much enjoyed to say the least. She has also been one of my dynamic references who I can actually attribute her real time growth to my artistic growth, so, I can’t thank her enough.
After attempts one and two, I’m quite tempted to say that “the third time’s the charm”, but looking back at it, I can only be amazed at the progress from each of them, hoping for more development in the coming years.
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Cheemnonso™
On Earth’s green carpet,
the gallant gull struts her stuff—
nature’s top model.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 1 of my Strathmore Sketch pad.
Here’s my recent attempt on El (Millie Bobby Brown) from the Netflix original series, Stranger Things.
Upon the completion of this drawing, I conceived some thoughts on artistry, particularly pencil drawing:
•I’d like to think drawing as the portal between two worlds: our world and oblivion, where the artist is its gatekeeper and his/her media, the keys.
•I’d like to think artists as those who not only possess the deftness of visualization, but also the ability to percept ultrasonic screeches from entities stuck and forgotten within the walls of blank canvases, waiting to be let out. Strange.
•I’d also like to think a pencil artist as a “compassionate sorcerer” who with the subtle strokes of his/her wand and the seething darkness spewing from its tip, conjures up his/her deepest epiphanies from a clean slate. Dark magic, huh.
•I’d finally like to think that just like alpha numerics, drawing should be learned and not necessarily inherent, thus, all humans are artists, making us gods of some sort from the aforementioned thoughts. Hence, before that bob start clanking repeatedly on our aluminium coated mindscapes, yelling, “I’m not talented, so I can’t draw; or I’ll never reach the levels of elite artists”, remember that not all Greek gods reside at the summit of Mount Olympus, not even the nine Muses; but we budding artists can only strive to get there.
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Cheemnonso™
Through her needle eyes,
the swirling seam of the sea
stitches her ripped heart.
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Cheemnonso™
Tasty red herrings,
on salvers of food for thought—
our daily diet.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 5 of my sketchbook.
Over the years,some stone cold female assassins have graced our TV screens including Mystique, Nikita, Talia Al’ Ghul, Elektra, Jane Smith and even Arya Stark, but none caught my eyes the way Oksana Astankova does. Her mecuriality, charisma, femininity and scathing sense of humor makes psychopathy seem charming and fun. She is truly one enigmatic and exuberant serial killer portrayed by Jodie Comer brilliantly.
So, here’s my sketch of Villanelle from the amazing TV series, Killing Eve.
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Cheemnonso™
O dear sullen clouds,
Heaven’s own cotton candy,
don’t you dare cry now.
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Cheemnonso™
Like sixes of one,
and two threes of another,
we seemed so alike,
but as same magnet poles do
we keep on drifting apart.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 4 of my sketchbook
After my camaraderie with HB pencils, I decided to get a graphite pencil set ranging from hard to soft grades (2H – 8B) in order for me to plumb the depths of sketching and shading. To be honest, having a wide range of pencil grades to choose from, seem to ease the attainment of value and depth in portrait drawings.
So without further ado, here’s my recent stop, Jenny, on my progressive artistic journey.
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Cheemnonso™
out of black holes, crept nascent stars,
not so far from the planet, Mars;
fragile, their bodies seemed,
gleefully, their mien beamed,
charring away our scarlet scars.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 3 of my sketchbook.
At long last, the totally absorbing series, Game of Thrones, drew its curtains after eight fantastic seasons albeit a somewhat drab series finale.
Nonetheless, here’s my sketchy tribute to Queen Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, The rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, Queen of Dragonstone, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons,regent of the realm.
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Cheemnonso™
sneering seagulls sing,
as he oars through lonely seas—
a party of one.
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Cheemnonso™
poised on a pear perch,
the trapezist flaunts her plumes –
enmeshed in beauty;
and as we took our hats off,
she leaves feathers in our caps.
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Cheemnonso™
Laying in the wild,
plunged in a sea of nightmares,
the wind’s gentle strokes,
strum her furry coated strings,
and its music soothes her dreams.
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Cheemnonso™
Like the phoenix from the ashes,
He rose;
Like the bouquet in my stashes,
He’s rose;
Our troubles and afflictions,
He knows;
Our burden and transgressions,
He tows.
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Cheemnonso™
The tender tendril,
writhes and dances o’er her love;
a painful allure.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 2 of my sketchbook
Last year, the world witnessed some wonderful animated movies including Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Isle of Dogs, The Incredibles 2, Smallfoot, The Grinch, Mirai and the likes, but, one that particularly stood out for me was Ralph Breaks the Internet. The way its plot relayed the real world social media to an in-game fantasy sphere was second to none.
So, here’s my portrayal of its protagonists (Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz) in HB.
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Cheemnonso™
The stars, I offered,
along with lustering moonstones,
yet, she needed space.
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Cheemnonso™
with the quills of art,
bathed in the fountains of glory,
she etches words on every heart,
with each telling a story.
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Happy World Poetry Day
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Cheemnonso™
Would you help me up,
when crows sing the sun to sleep,
and my demons wake?
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Cheemnonso™
Buoyant balloons blown,
bask in their fullness of air,
’til they burst to bits.
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Cheemnonso™
Sitting in the back pew,
within walls shrouded in lew,
I beheld this wonderful creature,
with a smile belighting all of nature;
Her skin knitted in fine threads of gold,
unspooling from looms in Midas’ hold,
and her tress flowing like the river Rhine,
in ways so slithery, so serpentine;
Alas, my heart’s chalice yearned a fill,
but I feared it may drown in its overspill,
so, there I sat ogling away,
hoping to have this dream another day.
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Cheemnonso™
The Scarlet macaw,
piercing the gusts as it swirls,
paints our dour town red.
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Cheemnonso™
she basks in dream glows,
when my world lusters so bright,
mimicking all steps,
but when my sunset draws nigh,
she elopes with the obscure.
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Cheemnonso™
Page 1 of my sketchbook:
It’s been a while since I sketched something, so, I got hold of this sketchbook and a couple pencils, then decided to portray Arya from the Game of Thrones series.
Still off by a long shot, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Let’s see where these baby steps to realism lead and how many souls I’ll draw out from the walls of these blank pages.
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Cheemnonso™
and she said to me…
show me your dream plans,
heave me your broken pieces,
and I’ll build you up.
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Cheemnonso™
Blessed be the gusts,
for dead trees shall dance unclothed,
to thy forceful songs.
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Cheemnonso™
On ice cold mornings,
bell clanks stay sunken in frost,
while sloth drowns the bed.
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Cheemnonso™
It’s that time again,
when he travels round the sun,
with hopes not to burn.
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Cheemnonso™
Crisp orange sunset,
plunging into still waters,
makes our goblets smile.
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Cheemnonso™
On barren orchards,
riddled with fey coated seeds,
the heavens weepeth,
yearning a sprout from their tombs,
with olive branches to realms.
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Cheemnonso™
Ripped to bits, I was,
then, there came this soaring sylph,
with so much ardor,
who gathered my frail pieces,
and made a mosaic of warmth.
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Cheemnonso™
Here comes the dawn of a new year,
and the heavens echo, my friend:
withering flowers will bloom, sad hearts will cheer.
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and we shall not cower in fear,
in times when ripples need be amend,
because here comes the dawn of a new year.
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a little odd some days may appear,
a little low we beings may descend,
but, withering flowers will bloom, sad hearts will cheer.
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remove the mask, burn the veneer,
for upon ourselves we may depend,
because here comes the dawn of a new year.
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and as we go, bleak may seem the atmosphere,
with each road posing a dead end,
yet, withering flowers will bloom, sad hearts will cheer.
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For we shall dream less and toil more, my dear,
and the fruits we reap, we may not comprehend,
because here comes the dawn of a new year,
where withering flowers will bloom, sad hearts will cheer.
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Cheemnonso™
It’s been eons since you left,
but, your perfume still lingers in the attic;
the sun sleeps,
the dark creeps,
and as each day passes,
our past evanesces,
now, memories of you are
as thin as a knife’s edge,
and the more I cling unto them,
the more I bleed out,
so, it’s time I let go.
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Cheemnonso™
The early snow falls,
swans swim, maids milk and lords leap,
a joyous fete looms.
.
Cheemnonso™ wishes you a very merry Christmas.
I looked up to you
for a light unto my path,
but your light shone so bright
that I turned my back on you,
now, all I’ve become
is a silhouette,
lost in your midst.
Cheemnonso™
O solemn silent nights, we crave thee,
graced with spirits; not one, two, but three,
come tuck angst in to sleep,
and make heavy hearts leap,
for your aura brings nothing but glee.
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Cheemnonso™
Stray thoughts glide unseen,
through the mists of my mindscape,
searching for the perch.
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Cheemnonso™
The drums of my heart throbbed,
as you left me to wither,
but its melody so sonorous,
as sonorous as a swan’s song,
sweeps you off your fragile feet,
and slides you right next to me.
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Cheemnonso™
Ember candlelights,
brightens our gloomy neon nights,
numbing creeping plights.
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Cheemnonso™
The golems of ire,
spits fire into men’s faint hearts,
coursing madness through.
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Cheemnonso™
Desire of the flesh,
raises tombs where Pharaohs lay,
sowing seeds of fey.
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Cheemnonso™
NONSO'S WORLD 
