draw everyday challenge : the little brown book project

One night I picked up this little brown book and started drawing then posted it on instagram and my facebook page. I wrote 'draw everyday' in the caption and decided to do drawing everyday challenge again. This is a bit scary to me as I used to do a grand project called '365 days I draw' started in 2010, meaning to draw on specific topic everyday for a year. Sadly, I could manage only 130 drawings. After that I found drawing on topic everyday was stressful and not fun anymore so I stopped it. I missed the feeling of doing something everyday though.

So here I am starting an everyday project again. This time I make it easier by drawing on smaller space (this book is about 4x5 inches), using limited colors as I have only a few markers and no topic. I almost called it bedtime drawings as I only draw at night, after work when I am most relaxed.

It is really a nourishing project. I found myself looking forward to drawing something at night everyday. It's funny that by day I get stressed on drawing something for work, by night the same activity can also make me relaxed :)

I have come to day 13 already. You can follow my everyday drawings through facebook and instagram (@onmerryday or #littlebrownbookproject). I already bought several copies of this little brown book. Let's see which one will come first, me getting bored or run out of ideas or all the books filled up.

I hope it will be the latter. Thanks for coming. Have a merry day :D

Today's drawing

Work in progress. Thinking about candies flowers and celebrations ;)

Today I feel grateful for...

Today I feel grateful for :
• A healthy-glowing look on my father's face. I have moved out to live with my husband and try to go back home to visit my parents every week. Still, I always feel a bit guilty not to be around. My father is already 80 years old. It's good to see him always in good health :)
• Deciding to stop by my favorite bookshop and found a cute children's picture book that helped generate ideas for my work later :D
• A beautiful flower book in the library where I worked all day today. The book was beautiful and a good reference for drawing poppy in the image above.
• 2 issues of Uppercase magazine I ordered from a Thai local bookshop arrived today. Beautiful! Can't wait to read them all :D
• A phone call to my mother whose voice was happy and healthy as always :)
Tell me, today what are you grateful for? :)

Hello my blog, I'm still here...

Hello my blog. I'm still here and always think about you. It's not that I don't have anything to say. I have a lot and maybe too many. I don't feel putting things into words (that can happen sometimes) but I do feel putting them into drawings. I draw online (you can see it on my facebook page) and I draw offline ( too many ideas on too many sketchbooks that sometimes I couldn't find which one I put the right ideas on)

I did a whole new drawing collection, which I will talk about it here very soon. I'm searching ideas for another new drawing theme and I'm just feeling very excited and looking forward to an e-course in June.

That's how I am right now feeling happy and energized (just hope it will stay with me even on gray days) I hope you're doing fine and like your new blog header ( a girl and bubbles are what I'm in love right now)

Just stop by to drop a line. I will get back to you very soon.

Be patient, my little blog.

Your owner :)

make it happen

I know I have been talking about my time management problem like forever.  I pity myself sometimes but there's nothing I can do except to keep trying and trying.

Last year I took 2 courses that taught me one major thing. That is if you want to make your own business working, self-discipline is the key. This doesn't mean I'm a slacker. If I am, I won't be able to maintain my freelance job for years already. My problem is that I never considered my etsy shop as my job. This, I just realize.  I always thought I could manage my freelance job along with making things for my shop. It turned out that my shop fell into my secondary things. I stopped making art when my day job was too busy and never attempted to make it a habit to create constantly. I never devoted myself to my shop :(

One of my friends told me that I had a potential but lack of diligence and seriousness. It all comes from my attitude. So, this year I switch my priority. I cannot see myself as a freelancer in ten years to come but I can see myself as an owner of a shop. I have to make it happen!

This post seems like a pledge. I do hope I can make it happen :)

Drawing Lab Challenge compilation

I spent last week taking new pictures of all my Etsy items on my shop. I think the shop looks more refreshing now. I'm also creating a new cute design set. Will talk about it soon. But for today, let's talk about some sketching!

I have totally neglected my participation in Drawing Lab Challenge for so long. It's about time to catch up with it now.

These are 3 labs I just did last weekend. Not really complete pieces, just hand drawn practice and I enjoyed them very much :-)

Lab 41 : Nature Walkabout

The idea of this lab is to grab paper and pen and walk outside, observe and draw whatever you see. Fill the page. Come back and connect all the things you draw together to make one piece of work. This is my final:



And this is what I had drawn before:



Lab 12 : For Your Eyes Only

Basically just to draw eyes. There are more details in this practice but I was too tired to follow everything. So, I just enjoyed drawing. First realistically:



Then stylized:



I wish I would draw more weird shapes, play something with these but it seems that I kept repeating some similar lines. My imagination didn't work very well that night :-P

The last one, Lab 24 : Scribbly Drawings

Just scribble. Work lines from within not from outline as we generally do. I drew my little bear doll. It's a strange feeling not to draw outline first but It's getting more fun as I drew and drew. I guess I could keep on drawing through the whole book!



I love my little bear running on the lower right corner, do you?