Well, the rest of the family is back! Now the summer can really start.

It's weird, but without our family being complete I can't be very creative! It's hard for me to draw or paint figures when people aren't around. I have to have the sense that life is going on around me; mom's making dinner, dad's out in the garden, Claire's watching a movie, Caleb's practicing his bass...life inspires me!

I guess that's also why it's easier for me to write a paper in a crowded coffee shop than alone in my room. Life inspires me.

And so, with life back at home, I finally sat down and started painting a few orc figues. I'm about half-finished now, but I'm not in any rush...

Here's the orcs' leader (Gothmog) that I painted before we left for the States. The rest of the orcs will have armor similar to him but be on foot. I'm pretty proud of how this guy turned out!