What about some sketchbook tour?

I am really getting worse at keeping up with all these channels. But a sketchbook tour? That's an achievement isn't it? Enjoy the video. :)

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

Holiday Gifts

This holiday season is the busiest just because we take time to make and prepare gifts for our loved ones. Yet, I would like to squeeze my blog time just to share some last minute Christmas gift ideas. Here are a few things I have prepared.

Framed Hand-lettered Quotes
For couples, a framed decor would be lovely so I decided to hand-letter a few quotes. I used a small round brush with the watercolors on thick white mix-media paper. The frame is in pale wood which is easy to complement white home interiors or even rustic ones.

Crochet Baby Bonnet
There is nothing easier to give to a new-born baby than cute crochet items so I decided to make this ivory bonnet for a friend's child. The thread is unbleached pure cotton which is the reason for the natural ivory color. Babies are innocent so it is safe to choose white or ivory if you are not a fan of blues or pinks.

Crochet Kid's Purse
For the little girls, a tiny purse would be a good idea since they love to have their own bags just like their mommas. I created this round crochet purse with an optional sling and decorated it with crochet flowers on both sides. Then I sewed on a zipper just to keep the little girls' stuff from falling off the bag.

I hope these ideas are useful for you. Have a great holiday season everyone!

Yarn label revamp

My yarn life still exists for sure. I actually have a ton in my stash. I gifted some of them to a friend but decided to innovate. The labels on the cotton yarns were too "industrial" so I decided to make some out of scrap brown paper and hand lettered some words. No, I am not changing the yarn brands but just putting some personality into it. But who knows someday we will find my own yarn brand on the store shelves. That is one of those beautiful dreams.

Hand Lettered Christmas Cards

Finally, December breeze is here. That also means that the spirit of giving is in the air. But everyday must be about giving and kindness. I managed to make some cards and postcards for my loved ones and sent them through post. In this time where most things are reduced to pixels, I would like to be one of the few people who still prefers to write and draw with the pen and stick stamps on my love letters.

With these cards, I used Japanese brush pens from Akashiya and my trusted Sakura field sketch watercolor set. Tiny details are made using some fineliner pens and sticker sets I have bought from China some time ago.

Cheap Watercolor for Painting and Hand Lettering

Apparently, in the world of art there is such thing as cheap and expensive. But technically they are called student grade and artist grade. I've spent a few days justifying that this very affordable 36-color watercolor cake set can make good art.

Sampling
Like most artists do, I did a sampling of this watercolor cake. The packaging says "Flamingo" and is made in China.  It seems to me that the paints are WYSIWYG. The colors show on the paper as they do on the palettes and are very chalky probably due to having more filler than that of higher quality paints.

Handlettering and Painting
I did some hand lettering practice with the brush. Erasing the pencil lines needed much care since the dried watercolors smudged so easily. I've digitized the artwork and created a postcard out of my older travel photos from 2012. I couldn't pick a better photo than that of the tropical beach. Then I tried reproducing one of my instagram photos of the Burj Khalifa. This watercolor cake seemed to fail at blending and layering. The colors did not mix very well on the paper.

Nonetheless this watercolor set is good enough for art journaling and practice. Even simple for simple illustrations I would still use it especially if the original artwork will be digitized so there is no worry about lightfastness. At less than PHP200 or USD5 you can't go wrong with it.