100% Digitally Produced Cartoon Illustration

Hi All,

I hope everyone's having a good summer.  Here in Phoenix, AZ - it's Hot...and I still love it here.  I enjoy the weather wherever I'm at - and I've been a lot of places.

So I wanted to do a little illustration to use in advertising for my upcoming Tobacco Freedom Group hypnotherapy classes.  (I can't wait - it's going to be so good).  So I had an image in my mind of a hand putting out a cigarette on a non-descript flat surface.  I had the idea of doing a cartoon style image because it's light hearted, and I love that kind of work.

As I began, I thought I'd do the whole thing on computer; start to finish.  Typically I start with a sketch and scan it in.  I have a Wacom pad with a stylus, so I can draw on the computer using programs like Photoshop or Painter.  Today I used Photoshop.

Tobacco Freedom Group advertising illustration using
Photoshop and Wacom tablet

The power of the software is drawing in layers.  First layer - black and white sketch (pretty rough).  As I toggled back and forth in black, then white, I worked out the layout.  Being a pretty simple image, it didn't take too long.

Then I just started working the layers.  I started with the outline of the hand on a layer and the cigarette.  I added layers below the outline to do the coloring.  A layer on top to add the smoke on.  I deleted the original sketch layer and then subsequent bottom layer was where I did the background.

So it was that easy.  Yeah, it took a little while (maybe an hour or two).  Of course time was spent smoothing out the lines and tightening up the pic...but that's it.  The easy computer generated computer artwork.  I hope you liked it.

Well, it's Friday.  The weekend is here.  Sue and I are taking a break and going to spend a little time with a friend in Tucson this weekend.  I hope you all have a great weekend and are able to get a little relaxation in, wherever you're at.

Peace,

Tom

A New Collaboration at Holistic Therapy Solutions

Hi All,

It's been about a week since my last blog.  I hope you're all doing well.  I've got some good news about an addition to my holistic therapy business.  I'm collaborating with a friend and colleague Susan Weber.  She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our joint venture and I think we're going to be able to help many people deal with some difficult issues in a gentle and easy way.  I'm excited!

Let me tell you what we're doing.  First we're going to be collaborating on a smoking cessation group.  We've also discussed putting some other group programs together that address weight management and stress management.  Here's the thing.  Our groups incorporate the support dynamic of a group and good techniques for people who want to make a change.....and they also include powerful hypnotherapy sessions.

We're kicking it off on the 5th of September with the Free From Tobacco group.  Ideally we want to keep the group at between 8 to 12 participants.  We'll meet each Thursday for 6 consecutive weeks.

Every Thursday we'll all share our experiences on the road to becoming tobacco free, where each participant will receive that reinforcing group support.  Our 3rd Thursday is the evening when participants lay down tobacco with a ceremonial last smoke (or chew).  The last 3 weekly meetings are for reinforcement - thru group discussions and again, the weekly hypnotherapy sessions.

Each participant will receive a CD with a hypnotherapy session recorded on it, to take home and use for self-hypnosis reinforcement, between weekly meetings.  We also have tried and true techniques to help our clients put down the tobacco for good.  We'll discuss and help them implement these on a weekly basis.

We're also offering this at an affordable low rate; early sign up, $300 ($375 at the door).  Considering a pack a day smoker pays between $6 and $8 for a pack of cigarettes - giving up the habit can save a person over $3,000 per year.  Yes, this is going to be an amazing value.

A lot of people are concerned about gaining weight and withdrawl symptoms when giving up smoking.  However, with hypnosis we can speak right to the persons subconcious and address those concerns.  Most people have exceptional results when quitting tobacco with hypnosis.  Yet, some folks are fearful or don't understand hypnosis.  Hypnotherapy is not the stage shows that most people are familiar with.  Hypnotherapy/hypnosis is where you typically lay down and relax.  Thru suggestion, you set aside the concious mind so the therapist can address the changes you want to make in the subconsious mind.  At the same time, if the therapist tried to give you a suggestion that doesn't resonate with your beliefs or intention, it won't work.  You are always in control.  With behaviour modification, if you want to make a change, it's very effective in helping you make that change.

Right now we're fine tuning the details of the program, getting it ready to go.  I'm excited and can't wait.  This is going to be fun.

For more information you can contact us thru my website or Facebook page.  (I'll have information posted on both very soon).  I hope to see some of you there.

Have a great weekend and an excellent week.

Peace,

Tom

web: www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

It's Friday - Chill Out.

Hi Everybody,

We made it.  It's Friday!  In honor of hard working people everywhere - slugging it out all week long (and those working this weekend, too), Happy Friday!!

The Friday toon

Here's a little pencil sketch for the occasion...and of course I had to play with it in Photoshop a little bit.

Wherever you are out there - enjoy the day...enjoy this moment right now, in gratitude.  For me, it doesn't matter what I'm doing.  If I'm fully in the present moment and in an attitude of gratitude - I'll be feeling pretty good, no matter what's going on around me.

So have a great day - be nice to yourself (and maybe those around you too :), and have a great weekend.

Blessings to you All,

Tom

A New Health Paradigm

A New Health Paradigm

The link above will take you to the blog page at Energetix.  It's an holistic producer and supplier of herbal supplements and  homeopathic remedies.  It's an excellent short article I wanted to share...food for thought.

Have a great day all.....
Tom

Usui Sensei Artwork

Hi All,

I'd like to show my latest piece of artwork today...a portrait of Mikao Usui.  I titled it, "Usui Sensei."

One of the bodywork modalities I practice in my holistic therapy practice is Reiki.  Mikao Usui is the person who "developed" Reiki.  Stories vary, I'll let you do your homework on it, but in brief, he discovered/was given reiki while on a 21 day trip up on Mount Kurama in Japan in the early 1900s.

Final Artwork - 15"x15"- available as giclee print

photo of Mikao Usui

Reiki is an energy work modality.  You apply Universal Life Energy - commonly referred to as Ki, thru your hands to your client.  It's great work - soothing and can be so healing on many levels.  Beautiful stuff!

I produced this on a 6 yr old I-Mac with 4Gb Ram and Photoshop CS3.  I started with a sepia tone and built up Master Usui's image in layers.  Each layer a different color (e.g.: red, black, yellow, orange, etc).

And, it started to come together, looking a little more lifelike.

I wanted a little bit of Mount Kurama and sky in the background.  Very basic, but at this point all that I really wanted to have in the picture.

I then used some really cool textured brushes to build up a really nice texture around the portrait. (at least I like the texture - some may not, and that's ok).  In the end, I had over 20 layers....then I flatten it all down.  Now one key to working in the textures is working with a certain level of transparency in the brush itself and then I may or may not adjust the layer transparency.  Really adjusting to what I feel is right for the piece.

Finally, I add the Japanese Kanji symbols that spell Reiki, and put the finishing touches on it.  I'll be selling giclee canvas prints at 15"x15," or 18x18.
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and artwork.  Also - call me if you would like a reiki session also...it's so good.
Take care and have a great week everyone.
Peace,
Tom

Food and Nutrition are Important to your Overall Health

Hi All,

About a year ago, while still in school, I was enrolled in a Holistic Nutrition class.  What an amazing class!  It was taught by a Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Mahdi Brown.  The class covered really, just about every aspect of nutrition, from an overview of food/diet, to what your body needs, how it processes food and nutrients.  It was a very comprehensive overview of nutrition from an holistic perspective.

One of the concepts Dr. Mahdi brought to the class was, "food as medicine."  Eating deliberately with knowledge of the food and eating it with intention, and how it can provide powerful results and result in good health and balance in the body.  Quality of food is essensial, yet if you can't afford organic it doesn't mean you can't eat healthy.  You do the best you can with what you have.  However - food that comes out of a box, generally is not usually good for you and packed with chemical preservatives.

There are many health benefits of eating healthy, and a healthy diet can vary greatly from person to person.  Some go gluten free, removing the wheat and other grain products from the diet and some remove all processed sugars.  Then there's a vegetarian diet, and that can take many different forms from just no meat, to a strict vegan, to a completely raw diet.  The raw diet can be very healing, but can be a lifestyle not suited to all.  People eating a raw diet eat fruit and vegetable based foods that have not been prepared at more than 116 degrees F.  They use food dehydrators a lot and it takes planning and preparation in advance, but it can be a very healing diet.

My wife and I are setting out to change our diet and lifestyle to a gluten free diet.  It's amazing, but gluten is in just about everything so we'll have to really put effort into learning about this lifestyle.  Basically, all bakery products have gluten - it's in your standard flour.  It's also used as a filler in most processed foods, or as a friend of mine says (who's a chef), to me it's not an ingredient - it's a process I use to bind the food together.  

The good news is that more and more, in most places, gluten free foods are available.  Also, fresh fruit and vegetables are still gluten free.  Rice, potatoes, sweet potato, quinoa, and more are great for making hot dishes.  Some of the stores carry really good gluten free bread.  We noticed while in Target recently they carried several gluten free pastas and red sauce, at comparable prices to standard.

What are some of the benefits of eating a gluten free diet?  It's essential for people who suffer from Celiacs Disease and beneficial for people with other gastrointestinal issues.  Also, it can provide relief for people who suffer from chronic pain and fatigue.  It's typically provides relief from fibromyalgia pain.  Basically, it's just good for the body.

So it's going to be an interesting journey.  It'll be a whole new lifestyle and a good one.  More to come on this one.

Take care All and have a great week.

Tom