Away in a Manger

Underneath the Star

For this Christmas season, may you find joy in the great blessing that we have been given. And may we all be reminded of that blessing all year long.

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful, but safe, time together this holiday, whether that togetherness is in person or virtually. Instead of dwelling on whatever negatives that there might be, focus on the positives. Find the joy, even if you have to look a little harder for it.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Burnsland to you!

Bible Verse

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17

About the Artwork

This watercolor-style artwork from Steve’s Sketchbook is about as simple as it gets. Usually, use several layers, starting with a rough sketch, and then a final line version, followed by different layers for different colors. But this one has none of that.

I knew I wanted to do something with a manger. And I wanted to try a watercolor brush in Procreate. So I started with the manger, and then painted in the stable around the manger, followed by the star and the sky and the ground. All on one layer. No sketch or anything, just watercolor. I did use a separate layer for the words, but the manger and everything around it is all one layer. Nice and simple.

And yes, if you want to get technical about it, the star seen by the wise men was mentioned in Matthew 2 as being above the house where Jesus and his parents were, perhaps days or even weeks after his birth. The manger comes from Luke 2 where the angel told the shepherds about the birth of the Savior of the world. I combined the two stories here because both have deep Christmas meanings.