Hello readers, my apologies for the long absence! Following the hectic holiday period of Christmas and New Years, I took off for Japan for almost three weeks. It was the first time in four years visiting my family, sorting personal affairs and being able to hang out with friends there so you can imagine how hectic it all was. So hectic it was that although I did bring my sketchbook and pens with me to Japan, I had no time at all to spare a few creative moments. Imagine that! The trip was indeed amazing, but it is great to be back now, get my life back on track and go back to everyday routine including painting again. I really missed that!
Start Drawing Again!
And today, I thought I’d take a little break from all the unpacking and tidying away from the trip and begin recharging my creative mind. A good time to ease myself back to drawing again. How wonderful it is to go back to it after three weeks! As I grabbed my larger sketchbook, though, I have to admit I felt a bit lost, even a bit intimidated, but when I put my pencil and pen on the blank page, the ideas just started flowing…
Just Keep Going On
After the initial sketch with a thin black marker, I filled in the color first with some markers such as Molotow acrylic pens for the neon pink and green, Faber Castell’s Pitt Artists Pens and Caran d’Ache’s Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels for the face and hair. A wash of blue watercolor was then introduced but I decided not to color the entire background. Then some rubber stamps of Mt Fuji and a strip of Hello Kitty washi tape followed, allowing my creative mind to keep flowing. So far so cute!
Mind Kept Flowing
With the new tubes of gouache paints I had bought in Tokyo, I tried the pink ones out on the dresses; one in pastel lilac and the other in shimmery pink. So pleased how they came out! Empty spaces were then filled in with texts about my Japan experiences including with family and friends. And the shopping of course, with lots of Hello Kitty merchandise, giving me the idea to glue on some tags I had cut out, along with more washi tape bits. A few craft-punched origami paper flowers were also incorporated. Finally a bit of glitter glue on the eyelashes and letters. And wow, what a colorful summary of my stay in Japan!
Very pleased how this all turned out, and not bad for a three-week absence! What was important is how I expressed what was in my mind and getting my kawaii juices flowing. Indeed whilst travelling I normally do a daily journal of what I was up to, but this trip involved more or less the same thing almost everyday: socializing, family time, eating and shopping. Hence, apart from the lack of time, a summary at the end made more sense. This piece certainly added some fuel to getting creative again and I do look forward to painting even more!
Now, how about some close ups:
My Kawaii Quarter 