Dear Diary

I've seriously started an art journal and diary last year which explains my absence from the world wide web. Thank God I am not a famous person so the internet does not break when I am gone. Though at some points in my life I felt that I was. :D

Staring at the digital screen for hours at work has made me want to use my dinosaur-aged laptop less at home. I feel that it takes forever for it to boot and the AC supply has to be forever connected to give it life. Imagining that before I even think about opening my email is dreadful enough. So the watercolor paints and colorful pens come to my rescue. Those thick unused journals I have hoarded also give me enough motivation to use at least one page a day.

I also think that not many people read blogs anymore these days. The attention span has shorten significantly which is unfortunate. I have been imagining a much simplier life where I would go out into my garden and pick flowers then paint them later. Ironically, I had wished for this highly-urbanized life when I was much younger. I think too much artificial light has had me seeking for more sun.

Writing in this blog is a dilemma in itself. Today, I had written in at least four pages in my softcover journals. I still dispise my handwriting but I am convinced it is because I don't like some of the papers at all. On another note, I wanted to start to feel like a real person in my instagram account. It seems I have presented myself as a heartless artist if there is such a thing. But I am really just a simple girl with a complex mind and tons of hobbies.

Jetlag is long gone but backlog in my journal is building up. If only a secretary for your own diary would make sense. Meanwhile, I found a Berlin silicone stamp in my stash which I had bought long before I travelled. Some things are perhaps predetermined. . . . . . #art #journal #diary #Berlin #postcard #stamping #watercolor #calligraphy #brandenburgertor

A photo posted by Kim (@craftnikim) on Jul 8, 2016 at 8:34pm PDT

First Communion Invitation Card

My young cousins had their first communion and I could not refuse to create an invitation card for them. I've decided to go with my usual brush calligraphy and some pencil and watercolor illustrations. They have blue and pink candles for the event so I decided to match the colors on my artwork.

The Process
My original artworks were converted to digital images which I have processed in Photoshop. The hardest part is coming up with an idea. Images online may be used as inspiration. And like most things, original ideas always turn out to be the best.

Good Friday Painting

There is not much to celebrate on a Holy Week for me because by tradition I prefer to stay at home or at least not take any vacation. I've decided to paint the colorful sky based on a tropical sunset photo I took a few months ago. There is an addition of artist quality paints in my collection and I feel the need to just use them everyday if I can. There are more than two dozen of the Holbein tubes in my resealable bag. Soon enough, I hope to give them a better home. I've use a wet-on-wet technique on the first layer. The sky didn't turn out very smooth but then I like the way the colors mixed.

It is quite fitting that I have painted the crucifixion at Mt. Calvary on the first page of my new Monologue watercolor diary. But this isn't the first time I've created something like this. Back in the university I drew a similar scenery with my student grade oil pastels for my Religious Education course. I left it hanging in the living room where I used to live.

Color Palette using Holbein Artist Watercolors:

• Cadmium Red Light
• Alizarin Crimson
• Cadmium Yellow Light
• Peacock Blue
• Prussian Blue

Materials used:

• Sketch pad by Monologue
• Synthetic round brush size 6
• Synthetic flat brush size 10 and 12

Art Journalling

It has always been that I have more than one instance of myself on the Internet. I intend to keep this craft journal alive though I have other blogs and sites about travel and photography. Even if I feel that I have not travelled enough these days, I am still more mobile than most people. I just do not feel the need to publicly talk about my personal destinations anymore. Instead, I have focused more on art and crafts. I've always had my tools since I was young and always preferred the paint and the brush over the couch and TV set. Then there is always that moving picture in my head of colors and curves and lines that keeps me awake at night and urges me to take one of those many empty white sheets and drawing pads before intimidation of myself kicks in.

I am happy for outdoing myself in my art journalling. I have no more space to draw in my monologue notebook so I am up for a new challenge in filling out my other art pads that have been waiting jealously.

Simple Crochet Lace Pattern

I went through my archives and found some projects from several years ago. My friend and I worked on a floral top. She did the sewing and I created the crochet trimming along the neckline. I thought it would be nice to share the pattern since it is a very simple trimming or lace that can be used for other craft projects such as lined hand towels or even bookmarks.

Materials

1. Mercerized cotton thread size 8 in color of choice
2. Steel crochet hook size 9

Pattern:

In my illustration, I have written a half-double crochet but I have used a double crochet instead for a bigger hole in between posts.

Commisioned Artwork: Simple Hand lettered Invitation for 18th Birthday Party

I have recently created this commisioned artwork for a debutante. Decided to use a blush pink background to suite the party's color motif and since the soft color seems quite suitable for her being a shy young woman. I have used watercolor for the original hand lettering and decided to digitize it. Additional processing was completed in Photoshop. The final result had this rustic and pastel feel and we were quite happy with it.

Double Crochet Drawstring Bag

I am not sure how to give titles to these blog posts since I have crocheted too many bags and have never really named them. Nonetheless, I feel it is necessary to post it here in my online diary than just adding it to my Ravelry notebook which is I have actually not updated for some time now.

Materials:

• Mercerized cotton thread size 8 in various shades
• Steel crochet hook size 9

Pattern:
I attempted to write a pattern but decided to just draw it. Here it goes:

Notes:

1. The number of chains on first row depends on desired width of bag which is in my case 75 chains and is approximately 11 inches.
2. Change color where desired.
3. Number of rows depends on desired height of bag
4. Use any string and desired length for the bag string. Slip it in alternate posts on last row and tie securely on one corner at the bottom of the bag.

Watercolor: Simple Flowers and Leaves

I've looked into my photo archives and realized I had been playing with watercolors for several years now though not consistently. But it does show that with practice comes progress. It is inspiring to see a lot of artists share their techniques so I would like to do the same though I am doing this mostly just as a hobby. Obviously because it makes me happy!

Florals are in these days but I found it quite rare to see florals without leaves. So I decided to dedicate a few days to create simple watercolor flowers using a limited warm palette. In this case, I have used student-grade quality paints which is good enough for practice. Below I have listed the name of the colors found on the tubes though they can be replaced with any other colors that are quite similar. For instance, the red from the Pentel set can be replaced with alizarin crimson from artists quality sets. Vermillion and purple red were mixed then watered down to produce a light shade of pink. The strokes are quite simple to duplicate since there are mostly composed of just dots and lines using a wet-on-dry technique.

Color Palette for Flowers:

• Vermillion
• Red
• Purple Red
• Prussian Blue

On the other hand, the color palette I have used for the leaves is broader since I thought an ochre mixed with green would give a more organic leaf shade. Plus, yellow ochre has always been a basic in my palette even when I am using other type of media. I found it easier to do the leaves and actually painted them first. The same wet-on-dry technique was used. The darker details of the leaves (simple leaf variegation) were added after the first layer of lighter color has dried. Below is the list of colors.

Color Palette for Leaves:

• Cobalt Blue
• Ultramarine
• Deep Green
• Yellow Green
• Yellow Ochre

Materials used:

• Watercolor by Pentel Arts
• Soft sketch book by Monologue
• Synthetic round brush size 0

Watercolor Woods

Paintings and pictures are supposed to talk on their own. However, whenever I paint the woods, it is not just my paints and my paper. It reminds me of my Dad. It is one memory that does not fade away so quickly. And that is something I am grateful about.

So many years ago when I was almost just a toddler, he took the paint brush which he seldom does. I would say seldom because life took over and decided that art does not really feed the family. He then told me that I could paint the woods. So he took some masking tapes and placed them vertically on the paper. Ever so lightly and effortlessly, he brushed some color over the paper. The woods emerged. Bewildered, I took the lesson to heart. Now, I still do.

A video would have been easier to show how it is done. Nonetheless, here are some more techniques done to complete the artwork:

• First wash is composed of the lightest brown shade.
• Leaves are created by flicking the wet round brush.
• Additional shading on the tree trunks is done after the masking tapes are removed.
• Smaller white elements are painted using white gouache where white paper is hard to recover.

Materials used:

• 300 GSM Aquafine watercolor paper by Daler Rowney (cut into 4"X4" size)
• Permanent white extra fine gouache by Pebeo
• Koi watercolor field sketch kit by Sakura
• Synthetic round brush sizes 0 and 6