Welcome to Gaia! ::

Umm, this is a little novel that I started a while ago, I just haven't gotten around to posting it anywhere yet. I'd really appreciate constructive critisism, so if you could help out with that, I'd be most obliged.

Also, many thanks to [.days.] who's betaing this for me.

An Artist's Heart
by: Kimika56

Prologue

He raised his hand above the paper, and swept the pencil in smooth strokes. A sense of calm overcame him as the lines on the paper began to connect to form a shape. Not just any shape though, it was a face. The eyes, nose, mouth and ears were clearly distinguished in lightened lines. The hairline was beginning to appear. He smiled. It was one of the more advanced pieces of artwork that he’d created in a long time. This piece held the passion that he himself knew of, and it was reflected in this drawing.

For what seemed like years, there had been piece after piece of art that had been crumpled and thrown. None of those had held the passion that this one had. The person that he happened to be drawing was another boy in the class named Juan Richards.

The figure was beginning to appear on the sheet now. A legal size sheet of paper was barely enough to draw in an accurate scale, but he forced himself upon it. He didn’t have the time (or money really) to go out and get the size of paper that he wanted. This paper that had been given to practice on was going to work well enough.

In a week, when the practice sheets had to be completed, he would get a 24X18 size sheet of paper. In area, it was much bigger, and therefore would be easier to use in a scale. Juan had only looked up at him to draw. He held more passion in all his pieces than the boy himself had combined.

The torso appeared under the outline of the shoulders, and the arms had begun to form. The boy quickly glanced at the clock and realized that class would be ending in just a few moments. Quickly putting his materials away, he managed to sling his bag over his shoulder and go out the door as the bell for the next period had rung.

He smiled to himself when he realized something. Juan Richards was his salvation, and more importantly, his inspiration. The picture he was drawing now would be what made him famous (in dreams of course) and he realized something else.This art, it would be the key of salvation, and the resemblence of passion that he held.

Yes, he thought to himself. Inspiration is definitely something we all need, and I found someone that gives me exactly what I needed.

Chapter One
Alexander

They had nicknamed him ‘the sea’ for good reason. He acted exactly as a body of water would, depending on the weather. But instead of relying on weather, it all happened to be in his moods. Calm and happy equaled a bright, sunny day with a soft breeze, and the tides soothing. Raging or depressed, this caused the great storms and whirlpools that would suck in all life around them. Yes, ‘the sea’ was the best nickname that they could come up with, of course other than Alex.

Alexander Williams. He was an artist. His drawing partner for the next big assignment was no one other than Juan Richards. If there was anyone that you could call “magnificent, brilliant, awsome, or just plain cool” it was him. His drawings and paintings made you feel something inside. It all depended on the mood, and at this moment, he was focused on no one other that Alexander Williams. He had to. He was the assignment.

In more detail, the assingment was to get with the partner (assigned partner no less) and draw them as you see them. If you see them in 2-D, 3-D, or abstract, you must draw a portrait of them to pass. A full body portrait, with the details of particularly the hands, feet, face and clothing. The portrait must also have some kind of back ground that shows an environment where you believe the person would fit most in. You can add anything extra as long as it doesn’t take away from the sole purpose: the person that you are drawing. The mediums that you were allowed to use were oil/water color paints, oil pastels, or colored pencils. The assignment also counted as the final, so the finished product wouldn’t be due until the end of the year. That gave the students 2 weeks to finish everything.

Alexander had decided to draw the back ground as a studio. You could see canvases with drying paintings and you could see Juan standing at the easel with a new canvas, paintbrush in one hand, and the paints in the other. It was quite a simple background, and in the foreground where he was going to place the easel, he would have Juan also there, but sitting on a simple wooden stool.

He was planning on using the oil paint as the medium, considering that it was his favorite out of the ones that they were being given to use. He had his own oil paints at home, and he would probably be working on the final product at home a lot, considering that he wouldn’t be able to finish it all in class.

Out of all the people the teacher could have placed him with, it had to be Juan. Even though he’d always wondered how someone like Juan would draw him, Alexander didn’t really like the feeling of being made out to be something that he wasn’t. He supposed that there was nothing that he could do about it. After all, there was no point in losing his temper and “killing” people with his inner turmoil.

He had taken out the sheet that he’d been using the day before. Juan didn’t look anything like his drawing, but still. The passion that he’d drawn him with the day before was still there. When Alexander smiled slightly at the drawing, Juan had chosen that moment to look at him. Not noticing that that Juan was looking at the smile rather closely, he sat down again to begin drawing his waist and below. He drew and drew. The legs finally became part of the “masterpiece” and he moved onto the feet. He didn’t know if he should try to imagine them out of the sandals he was wearing, or if he should just draw the feet like they appeared now.

He saw a slight blush creep across the face of Juan when he finally realized that he’d been caught in the act of looking at his feet. In his mind especially, it sounded weird. The first words ever spoken to him by Juan came that second day of working. “Umm, were you looking at my feet?” The words were muttered slightly, like he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

It was then that Alexander smiled, more correctly a grin, and nodded. “I was trying to imagine what your feet look like outside of those sandals.” He closed his eyes and proceded to draw the feet inside the sandals when the voice stopped him again.

“Do you want me to take them off?” Juan asked, the blush still coating his cheeks. Alexander nodded. Juan slowly pulled the sandals off, and then put his feet back into the position that they’d been in before. The feet were nothing spectactular; they were feet. Alexander drew them down to the last detail, and then went to work on the hands again. He’d given up at one point because the flow hadn’t been coming then.

He continued to draw, and again barely made it out of the door when the bell rang.

IN the next couple of days, he’d sat on the stool, making notes about Juan. The color of his eyes, hair; the color of his skin tone. He was going to try and make this final project as accurate and perfect as possible. Unlike most of his classmates, he saw Juan in 3-D, and all the time no less.

His notes looked something along the lines of this:
Hair: Brown, red and blonde highlights that are fading-bangs hanging in front of his eyes
Eyes: Hazel, Blue fading into green
Skin: top of arms-tanned, bottom of arms-very pale.
Cheeks: freckled
Lips: Full, barely pinkened
Clothing: loose fitting- many light and dark points; shadows need to be determined.

And so on, and so forth. His notes continued like that for ages, and Juan never once noted that Alexander couldn’t wipe a smile off his face. He finally got to the point that he’d been trying to get to: his feet.

Yes, it seemed to him that he was becoming obsessed with his feet. His notes were more detailed in this than really any other part of his body. Feet: Big toe nail comes out over top of toe, little toes looking too small next to the big toe, no nails coming out over it. The ankle: bony, sharp angles that will catch light, forming shadows in the places that it can’t reach.
Top of foot: tan lines from the sandals that are always worn.
Arch: Higher than normal, more wrinkled because of the curve of the foot.

Yes, it was safe to assumed that he was obsessed with Juan’s feet.

When he looked up from his notes, he saw Juan staring at him intently. He looked back down immediately afterwards, like he’d just been looking at him to finish the drawing. Alexander opened his mouth to ask if he could see the drawing when Juan stood up and began to put his art supplies away.

Alexander sighed. Sure he’d caught Juan in the act, but did the guy have to rush about so much? That’s when Alexander looked at the clock and the bell started to ring. “Crap.” He knew that he was going to be late for his next class. He ran out the door and back to the other end of the school, barely making into the classroom on time.

Chapter Two
Juan

Juan Richards. He was the center of attention at school, known by everyone. He would walk down the halls with a certain air about him that screamed, “Hey look at me!” It was not so unusual for someone to say “hello” or “good morning” when he passed though the halls. There was only one problem: He almost never knew who it was that was greeting him.

He would arrive early, usually before the other students got there so he could work on a piece of art for himself rather than for class. He never got the chance to work on them at home, considering he was stuck with homework almost every night that prevented him from doing so.

On this particular morning, where it seemed like nothing exciting would happen that day, Juan walked into the art room to see his drawing partner sitting at one of the tables. Alexander Williams was sitting at his usual spot, working on something intently enough that he didn’t even notice when the door to the art room slammed.

Perhaps today he would do something foolish to prove he wasn’t everything everyone seemed to make him out to be. While thinking over a way to make trouble, he decided against it. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, “Good morning, Alexander.” Alexander lifted his head abruptly with a shocked look on his face. “If you’ve been wondering how long I’ve been standing here, don’t worry. I’ve only been in here for about five minutes. I thought that you would have noticed me.”

“I didn’t. I was working on something,” Alexander said, turning back to his work to finish a part of it. “Was there something you wanted?” he asked, putting the drawing back into his portfolio.

Juan shook his head. “Nothing in particular. I just didn’t expect anyone besides me to be here this early in the morning, and in the art room no less.” He paused, suddenly aware that Alexander still hadn’t completely put the portfolio back into his cubby. “Would it make you uncomfortable if I asked to see what you were working on?” Juan asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. Yes, if he was going to do something juvenile, he would make someone embarrassed. Oh yes, he was such a rebel.

Alexander slowly shook his head and pulled the drawing out. It was the sketch of what he was planning to do for the final project. Juan gasped as he saw the outline for the drawing. He saw himself on the stool, and in the studio. He could imagine himself there, moving a paintbrush across the canvas, and possibly humming a tune. He smiled. This is what he was so secretive about? In short, it was a masterpiece.

Juan handed the piece back to Alexander, who had a look in his eyes. It was a look of desperation. He really wanted to know what he thought of the drawing of himself. Juan shook his head. “You certainly are coming along faster than I am. I’m afraid that I still haven’t even chosen what medium I’m going to use yet.”

Alexander let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I thought you might hate it or something. I’m nowhere near as good an artist as you are,” he said, putting the sketch back inside the portfolio again.

“Well, everyone just needs to practice more," Juan said. "You might not be DaVinci, but you certainly have the heart of an artist. You have talent; it’s obvious. You also have the passion for it, and of course the patience. You can’t draw if you don’t have patience. It’s like everything else you do in your life. You can’t play an instrument without practice. It’s the same thing with drawing. Keep it up, because I have the feeling you’ll be able to do this as a living.”

He picked up his bag and began walking out of the room when he heard Alexander say, “You’re more likely to do this for a living than I am.”

He shook his head, but didn’t turn around. “No. You see drawing is only a hobby to me. I never intend to make it a living.” He walked out of the room before Alexander had a chance to even respond.

Juan was practically running away from the other boy. “If I keep this up, I’m going to become a very big spaz around someone I don’t know,” he muttered to himself while shaking his head. He suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed against the floor. He was breathing hard when he pulled himself up off the ground. Swaying slightly, he put his head into his hands.

“Juan?” His name was asked in a concerned tone. He opened his eyes, which he hadn’t realized he’d closed, and looked up at the voice. It was the art teacher, Ms. Rachiel. “Are you alright?” she asked, looking up at him. He suddenly realized he was taller than she was.
He nodded, still amazed at being taller than her, and said, “Yes. I just felt a little dizzy is all. But don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine after today. I’ll rest over this weekend and make sure not to get sick.” He put on a fake grin. He felt that dizziness again. Okay, so maybe he really wasn’t feeling that well.

Ms. Rachiel put a hand on his forehead. “Well, you don’t feel hot. Just promise me you won’t overdo yourself in my class today.” Juan nodded and she smiled. “Alright then. I’ll see you in fifth period.” She waved good-bye to him and he sunk to the ground again. He moaned from slight body pain, but he hoped against all other hopes that he would make it though that day without collapsing.

By the time fifth period rolled around, Juan felt better. Just resting in his classes for most of the day seemed to make all the difference. It was art that he was going to be worried about. He was one of the first to arrive, as always, and pulled out his art supplies. He waited patiently for Alexander. He was so close to finishing the rough draft that he could almost taste it. He had finished the figure, and was working on the final details. He had the hands, feet, and clothing done. He was currently working on the facial expression and hair. Hair always seemed to give him trouble.

He sighed and tried to picture the eyes without the person. It never seemed to work. Alexander had such intense eyes, he thought that he might not be able to capture that kind of emotion in a still drawing. If he could, it would be the greatest achievement for him. When Alexander walked into the room, his eyes sought out Juan’s right away. Those eyes, a sparkling brown, drew him in like a moth to a flame. Juan pulled out a mechanical pencil and started to draw those eyes as soon as they came into sight. He looked up to see the eyes again when Alexander had suddenly disappeared from sight.

“I look better here than in real life.” The voice made Juan jump slightly as he realized it came from behind him. “I really mean it. It’s not fair that a drawing of me looks better than me in person.” He walked back around in front of Juan, and put on a fake pouty face. “I wish I had your talent.”

Juan put a slight distance between them so that he could get a better look at Alexander’s eyes. He drew those eyes a half dozen times and still couldn’t get them the way he wanted them. On the seventh try, he decided to just leave it as it was. Considering he wanted to get the nose and mouth done, and hopefully start the hair as well, he had to stop to begin working on anything else.

He glanced at Alexander. It was as if something was constantly urging his eyes to look over there. He started working on the outline of the hair. If he could get the outline done, and draw in where the part was, he could add the rest into the final draft. He drew the outline for the hair until he normally packed up. As soon as he picked up his backpack, the bell for the next period rang, and he was out the door without a word to Alexander or his teacher.



Chapter Three
A Work of Art

Juan rushed out the door after the bell rang to get home. He felt as if he were getting sick. Walking the six blocks downhill to his house, he barely made it to the couch near the door before collapsing. He fell into an abyss where colors and shapes melded together, a strange dream world. There was one complication: He was looking though the eyes of Alexander Williams instead of himself. He saw himself working on the final product of his drawing. He still hadn’t decided on a medium yet.

In the dream, he saw himself sitting in the very setting that Alexander had drawn for him. But in the room he was in, there was a window with bright sunlight streaming though. The canvas of the painting was half in and half out of it. The medium he was using was watercolor. Perhaps that was the color he should use for the real final product as well?

A few hours later, when Juan woke from this dream, he still didn’t feel good, but he wanted to work on the drawing. He slowly pulled it out and looked it over. It looked like most of his other portraits, but there was something about this one that was very different from the others. There was what he considered actual feeling inside the person itself, and not just looking lifeless. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the eyes.

“Why the hell can’t I get those eyes right?” he muttered to himself. Then it hit him. He was obsessed. Yes, he was obsessed with those eyes. They gave him enough trouble as it was, so why did they have to plague him? He closed his own eyes and tried to imagine them. It didn’t work. Maybe if he could bring himself to do it—

He stood, and started pacing the room, holding the drawing in his hand.

No. He couldn’t possibly ask Alexander to come over to his house the next time he saw him. What was he supposed to say? He tried saying the things he would say. “Hello, Alexander. I was just wondering if you would like to come over to my house after school today. I need you as a model, considering I can’t seem to get your eyes right.” No, that wouldn’t work.

“Alexander, do you mind if I take a picture of your eyes so I can have them with me all the time when I’m trying to draw them?” No, that was even worse. He sighed in frustration. The model idea didn’t sound nearly as crazy now compared to that. He sank back down onto the couch and put his head in his hands. He’d never get this drawing finished in time for the deadline if he couldn’t get those eyes right.

Finally deciding to look up Alexander’s phone number in the school phone book, he went into the kitchen. Picking up the phone from the receiver, he flipped though the book and found the name Alexander Williams. Dialing the number, he heard the phone ring, and ring, and ring, and then an answering machine picked up. “This is the Williams’ residence. If you could leave a message, your name, and number we’ll try to get back to you as soon as we’re available. Thank you.” The beep.

He hung up the phone. He didn’t want to leave a message and risk sounding stupid. He would try later. About an hour later, not noticing how much time had passed, he heard the doorbell ring. He looked down at the drawing in his hands, and then at the door. He was almost done with the hair. He sighed, stood, walked over to the door and opened it. To his surprise, Alexander Williams was standing on the other side. “Umm, hi,” Juan heard Alexander say softly. “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute.”

Juan stepped aside, and offered a silent invitation. “Thanks.” Alexander walked inside and glanced around. He also happened to notice Juan’s sandals by the door and took his off.

“Have a seat. Would you like some tea? I was just about to put a pot on.” Juan said, walking towards the kitchen. “Or water. I’m afraid the milk has gone back, we’re out of juice, and we never have soft drinks around here.” Juan glanced back at him.

“Tea sounds good.” Alexander had that grin again, and his eyes were dancing. Juan felt himself blush and dashed into the kitchen. Those eyes seemed to have their desired effect, if their aim was to make him feel, well, something. Juan didn’t really know what this feeling was, but whatever it was, he definitely didn’t like it. He put the pot on, and walked back out into the living room, catching Alexander looking at his portrait. He looked up at the footsteps and grinned again. “No background yet, and my eyes are, well, nonexistent. Having a bit of trouble?”

Juan looked at him, shocked. He nodded in response. “Yeah. I called earlier to ask you to come over so I could try to get your eyes right, but I got the machine.” Juan settled into the armchair that was across the table that separated it from the couch. He looked at the confused expression on Alexander’s face. “I called about an hour or so ago.”

Alexander nodded. “I see. I was probably asleep then. I live just a few blocks from here. I walked over.”

Juan was shocked. “How’d you know where I live?” he asked, leaning over to pick up the drawing. Now at least he’d have a chance to draw the eyes again.

He heard Alexander chuckle. “It’s simple really. It’s called a phone book. It has addresses too, you know.”

Juan blushed and turned down his head. His hair started falling into his face. He glanced up and saw those eyes. They seemed to be mocking him. The kettle started to whistle and he muttered an “excuse me,” and dashed back into the kitchen. He loaded a tray with the kettle, several kinds of tea, sugar, milk, and two cups with saucers. He carried the tray out and set it on the table.

“Choose your tea. We keep a variety in the house.” Juan pulled out a green tea bag and poured water into the cups. He added a teaspoon of sugar to it, and let the bag sit in the cup for a little while. Alexander reached for the tea, and Juan noticed that he’d chosen the raspberry tea. Good choice.

“Now that we’re relaxed, would you care to tell me something?” Juan asked, sipping at his tea after it had cooled a bit.

“What would you like to know?” Alexander asked in reply. He closed his eyes as he brought the cup to his lips and drank. “Hmm. Good tea.”

“Thank you. Well, I was wondering the purpose of your visit actually.” Juan said, sipping the tea with one hand and drawing Alexander’s eyes with the other.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to hang with me tonight. I found a great little club. They don’t card, so if you wanted, you could get completely hammered. I’m going there mainly for the dancing, but it’s usually fun to go with company. I wanted to know if you would like to join me.” Alexander took another sip of tea.

“I would like to, but I have this drawing to work on. I really want to get the rough of this done before the weekend is over.” Juan looked at the eyes on the person, and then the ones in the drawing. They finally looked as identical as they were going to. “I’m not quite like you. I happen to be a perfectionist.”

Alexander looked at him shocked. “You’re going to work? Do you ever do anything besides homework?” He grinned lazily again, and leaned forward to look into Juan’s eyes closely. “Have you ever heard of something called ‘fun’? I’ve heard it’s a blast when you’re with someone who knows how great it can be.”

Juan pulled away. “I haven’t had fun since middle school. When I started high school, it was not allowed for me to have fun. I just got used to it after a while.” He sounded sorry about it. “I never really thought about doing much in the way of fun. Besides, drawing gives me an escape when I need it.”

Alexander went back to his original position and closed his eyes. “Let me do you this one favor. Spend the night at my house tonight, and come to the club with me. I guarantee you’ll have fun.”

Juan looked at him suspiciously as he began to draw in the background. “What’s in it for you? I get fun, I understand that, but what do you get out of it?” He was taken aback at the expression on Alexander’s face when he looked up at it. The most serious expression he’d ever seen on him was now on his face.

“Company. I don’t get a lot of that. Most of my friends, if you can call them that, don’t really talk to me anymore. I get the company of someone else. The company of my parents or the dogs gets old after a while.” He paused. “It’s something I yearn for, I suppose. Human contact that isn’t my parents. It’s the reason I like school so much. I get to talk to people, interact with them. For your sake and mine, do this for me.” He poured himself another cup of tea, and used the same tea bag as before.

Juan sighed. “Alright.”

Alexander grinned and tugged at his hand. He dragged him to the stairs. “Show me your room.” he said, not letting go of his hand. Juan pulled him up the stairs, a smile slowly making its way onto his face. “I have to pick out an outfit for you. If you don’t have anything to go clubbing in, you’ll have to borrow some of my clothes.” When they walked into the room, Alexander’s jaw almost dropped to the floor.

The room was that of an artist. You could see paint stains on the floor, the walls, and on the dresser. The mirror was covered with cloth so it wouldn’t get paint on it as well. There were many past works of art lining the walls, all of them from when he’d entered middle school and had started to paint in his free time. Juan grinned at the expression.

“Juan, this room is amazing. Your parents must have been very tolerant with you about this.” He looked around in awe.

“Not really. They just gave in after a while. I’ll just have to leave a note when we leave. I’ll take my cell too, just in case they need to make sure that I’m okay.” Juan opened the door to his closet. “My clothes are in here.”

Alexander poked his head into the closet and started to rifle though the clothes as soon as Juan moved out of the way. A few minutes later, a groan was heard from the closet. “You realize that all you have in here are clothes for everyday wear or formal only?” Juan nodded. “You need more of a variety. You’re going to have to borrow from me. Pack up whatever you need for overnight. I’ll wait downstairs. Oh, and we have an air mattress that you’ll sleep on. You won’t need a sleeping bag if you were thinking about bringing one.”

Alexander took another look around the room and decided something. This room, was not only the room of an artist, but a work of art itself.



... so? Was it any good?

Yeah, it was really good ^_^ Keep writing it! I wanna read more...

I formed a picture in my mind right away. Juan... the picture is perfect! I can see it all, almost like a movie playing in my head.

Okay. I liked that. I love artists. ^_^ And it looks as if one or both are gay. ninja Which means I shall keep reading. mrgreen

Anyway, I've pulled out some parts that I find are a little iffy. Most are just my opinions, some are spelling and grammar errors.

---

First off, it looks like you have the same problem I used to have: The "that" obsession. You have the word in there where it shouldn't be. I would suggest you read it over (possibly out loud) and listen for where it sounds weird to use "that." If you have trouble with it or don't understand what I'm talking about, I could look over it for you.

The last part seems a little redundant.

Rang, not "had rung."

Um...There's a couple of things about this. One, I think it would sound better as "This art would be..." But that's just me.

Also, "the resemblance of passion." I know what you're trying to say here, but I don't think it came out quite right. You're trying to say that the picture would be like a manifestation of his passion. "Resemblance" isn't the best word to say that. To me, it sounds like his passion already looks like something, and he's copying that. I think you're saying that his passion is becomming his picture. Try "manifest" or one of its synonyms.

This sentence is in the present tense, because it's his thought. In order to distinguish it as such, I would recommend italicising it, unless you have a telepathic character coming up for whom you're reserving italics for. Also, I think it should be "I've found someone who gives me exactly what I need." With the beginning of the sentence, too, of course.

"The Sea," since it's a name.

I'm guessing the "of course" relates to the name Alex, so it should come after it to determine what it relates to. "...other than Alex, of course."

Just a comma error: "'...or just plain cool,' it was him."

"Than," not "that."

This is my opinion, but I think it should be "a partner" and "an assigned partner, no less."

Spelling error: "background."

You should avoid using slashes in writing as much as you can, unless you're talking about, say, the Utah/Arizona border of something like that. Replace the slash with an "or."

Unless the number is more than three words, write it out.

I'd say combine the sentences. "Juan didn’t look anything like his drawing, but the passion that he’d drawn him with the day before was still there."

I'm guessing I don't need to tell you about the "IN." You switch tenses with the "he'd." Make it simply "he."

"...and all the time, no less."

Did you get the edited third chapter?

Sorry, I haven't been in this guild for a while. Again, it;s AWESOME! I wish I had your talent... literally.

Can you say new chapter? I finally posted the next chapter, considering that I've gotten..... 1 reply count them. JKJK. Thanks again to days, who checks the chapters for me. >.< The next chapter is a work in progress, and unfortunately, isn't coming along to well. It might be quite a while before a new chapter is coming up. Sorry to my readers.