Marydean Draws

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Projects, a dream, and a lesson from Samson
May 27, 2015 illustration

Projects, a dream, and a lesson from Samson

I’ve been able to work on some fun projects over the last few months, so I thought I’d share a few, and also an exciting one in the works!

I did this custom print for an adoptive family. The quote is by Fleur Conkling Heyliger.

Our church’s women’s retreat this year was about being “fearfully and wonderfully made.” I created this image for our materials and promotions.
 
 
Friends of my sisters in Emerald Isle, NC are starting a cheesecake business. They loved the faithfully fed print that hangs in one of their bedrooms, and decided to use the phrase for the name of their cheesecake company! They asked if I’d work my bird drawing into a logo. I have only done a few logos and am still learning, but it was really fun to see their brand come together. We created both a round and a long version of their logo, and two secondary “ff” marks. They wanted something hand-drawn that reflects their homemade values. 
 
I love how it turned out, and hope it creates a solid piece of the foundation of their business. And I hear their cheesecakes are amazing, so make sure to check them out if you’re in the area!
 
 
And this is what’s in the works. 
 
 
With this set of printables, I am trying to choose Scriptures that span the Gospel story from Genesis to Revelation, and from Creation to Fall to Redemption to Restoration. There will be a card and a coloring page for each Scripture. 

I have a dream of putting fun, visual tools into the hands of all kinds of teachers out there–mamas, Bible study leaders, mentors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers–tools that will help you communicate who God is and all that He has done for us.  But please pray God will guide me and use my art however He wants. 
 
I don’t want to take any steps without His strength, friends. My husband and I recently taught the story of Samson (we use the Gospel Story Curriculum) in Sunday school. For the first time I saw this story as one of a man blinded to his own pride. God had greatly gifted him with strength, but Sampson had forgotten its true source. In the end, he became so accustomed to functioning in (what he thought was) his own strength, that the Bible says God left Sampson and he didn’t even notice (Judges 16:20). That was a pretty sobering thought for me. Would you notice if God withdrew Himself from you? 

Thanks for reading this random post!

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Previous Printable Scripture Coloring Page: John 1:12
Next Grace for the Growing

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Welcome to the blog!

I’m Mary and I’m glad you’re here! Since 2014, I’ve been sharing encouraging words, fun Bible printables, and accessible art activities.

let’s talk about . . .

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I'm going to be introducing new prints from my new I'm going to be introducing new prints from my newest print collection over the next few weeks. The gorgeous "Be Thou My Vision" hymn has always been one of my bestselling hymns , so I decided to add an additional version to my shop. This hymn was translated into English in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne (July 2, 1880 – January 19, 1931) from the Old Irish Hymn, "Bí Thusa 'mo Shúile." 

You can find all my new prints on my website here:
https://marydeandraws.com/product-category/new
I'm going to be introducing new prints from my new I'm going to be introducing new prints from my newest print collection over the next few weeks. Today, meet my print of the 1907 hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" by Henry Van Dyke. Does anyone else immediately have the amazing Sister Act 2 version of this in their head? 

I've never done an abstract, layered watercolor design around a hymn, but I really love how this turned out. I wanted it to look like a stained glass window in a church, but with a not-so-literal take. 

Mortals, join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
God's own love is reigning o’er us,
Joining people hand in hand.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

You can find all these on my website here:
https://marydeandraws.com/product-category/new
I'm going to be introducing new prints from my new I'm going to be introducing new prints from my newest print collection over the next few weeks. Today, meet my watercolor nature color wheel and color mixing chart! 

Each little creature and plant in the color wheel was hand-painted and then scanned and edited to fit in its slice of color. This is inspired by my watercolor classes, where I love to give an introduction to color theory. The second print is a simple watercolor mixing chart and shows the beautiful colors you can create just by mixing a few basic colors together! 

Lastly, there is also a sticker version of the nature color wheel! 

You can find all these on my website here:
https://marydeandraws.com/product-category/new
Another pretend podcast/weekly newsletter is up. T Another pretend podcast/weekly newsletter is up. This week you'll hear:
⬛ a REAL podcast update (with branding I've created)
⬛ history from the Boy Jesus in the Temple study this week
⬛ recommended articles and a podcast episode
⬛ two sports comeback stories and why I think they're encouraging

You can listen here or search for "Marydean Draws" on Substack:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/marys-friday-newsletter-61226
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