My messy workspace and my passion

While I was typing this post, it suddenly occurred to me that a photo of super messy workspace might not be a good idea. It's the truth anyway. I love looking at other artists' workspaces. It's strange that the messier a workspace is, the more in awe I will be. It tells you everything, focus, hard work, creativity and passion.

A few days ago I read a lovely post about passion written by Elizabeth from Lizzysapronstrings. In the post, she asked 'what is your passion?' The question made me think. I have always known that I love drawing, I love reading. They are two things that I cannot live without. But did I love them enough to make it the main part of my life?, I didn't. I found that in the past, I didn't have enough passion to make my art. There was always procrastination, I'm-too-busy, I'm-not-ready sort of things all the time. I was not busy, I was just not passionate enough to make it happen.

Two weeks ago I was offered a chance to do a small art project. It's not a paid project but I had a sense that it would bring me something. And it did. A lot of ideas came to me while I was doing the work. All of them could be applied in making new items for my shop. I realized that everything I do now I always relate to my MerryDay, instinctively.

I also notice that lately I put less things off when it comes to my art. Being exhausted is not my excuse anymore. I stay up late and wake up early with less drowsiness during the day. More focus, more concentration. I feel good. Can I say I have found my passion?

I think I do. The next question is : does passion have an expiry date?

We'll see :)

Behind the lines and colors : She lost her heart in the sea of love

I think I already talked about the origin of my 365 days I draw project but since this project seems to have a great influence on my current illustration style, it would not hurt to talk about it again.

I started 365 days I draw project in December 2011 right after I sent out my Sketchbook Project 2011 to Brooklyn Library (if you have not known about this sketchbook project, you might want to click here). The idea of waking up every morning thinking about what I would draw and then do it is really addictive. I like the feeling of fulfillment with a drawing done at the end of the day. So, I began to search for another challenge to keep me in such creative track.

Stephanie is one of the artists I admire. She was doing her own challenge of drawing everyday at the time and was kind enough to let me join in. The idea of the challenge was to draw a picture from one word. It was very hard at first but when you draw everyday, you get the hang of it and ideas come more easily. So it began my 365 days I draw.

Why is it so important that I keep referring to this project? Because before this project I drew differently. I drew directly on computer using mouse and then pen mouse. The results were crisp and clean and beautiful but it lacked ideas or stories to pull viewers in. This reminded me of all the design teachers who always say that your own hand draw best. It opens your brain, challenges your imagination and there is no technical tool limitation.

So, I stayed away from the computer and drew everything by hand. The fact that I didn't need to rely on computer  or technical stuff and I could just take a pen and a sketchbook with me and drew whenever and wherever I wanted to brought me more ideas and stories.

Then after some 100 drawings and everyday doodles on my facebook page, I found that I really enjoyed drawing. My lines changed, my use of colors looked different and seemed to be better than my previous works. It suddenly came to me that I finally established my new drawing style. :D

That kind of realization brought me confidence. I can see how my drawing can be developed into something more wonderful in the future but that will need time and hard work and I'm working on it right now.

Not sure if anyone feels like I do, that when you have finally set your goal, you have some kind of liberation too. I mean when you determine to do something,  you have more focus and less confused. Your life comes in order. Problems that come in your way will be fixed as soon as possible because you don't want to stay with them too long. You have your goal to meet!

I love the kind of idea, to have a goal. It makes my life busy, sometimes energetic, sometimes exhausted but with peaceful mind all the time :)

..................

The illustration above is developed from one of the 365 days I draw project drawings. The keyword is 'sea'. I'm not sure how the caption 'I lost her heart in the sea of love' came to me but I really liked the sentence and the idea of combining lettering and picture then happened.



The original drawing is done in black and red. When I put it in my stationery design, card and notebook, I made it look softer with orange and pale purple. I like both color versions. They both give the feeling of fun and whimsical, I think :)



How about you? Which one you like better, please tell me :)

Book beauty Monday : Charlotte Voake

Light and airy are words I think of when the name of Charlotte Voake comes to my mind. I'm not sure when I first saw her work. It seems that her works have been considered classic to me for a long time. Strangely enough, as much as I love her illustration, this book is the only one I own.

When I was a kid, Aesop's fables are my favorite. The Thai edition at that time was printed in separate stories. Each was thin and small, about postcard-size I think. I collected several stories and put them in a pretty box, like a treasure. I don't know where that box is now though. I recognize just a few of these stories. It's nice to read them again and enjoy another illustration version. And I think I love this version the best :)

Looking at her work, I imagine her sitting in her studio, a pencil in her hand and then she raises her wand (the pencil) and suddenly the magic is in the air. :D Come to think of it, maybe the word I'm looking for is 'friendly'. Her work is like a sweet friend whom we can sit with and enjoy sharing our dreams and imagination under the beautiful blue sky or something like that :)

I want to talk more of her art but sometimes admiration cannot be put into words. So, I hope you enjoy her magic :) Also, This book, Insect Detective, looks very interesting too. Love the idea and the name of the book :)

Before you go, I wonder, how many stories of Aesop's fables you remember and which one is your favorite. Mine is The Hare and the Tortoise. It's the only one I remember best :P

Inspire me Sunday : a week full of reading!

Hello Sunday! It has been a busy week but I'm glad I could manage things pretty well, I think,
and still have time to read wonderful writings both for my own leisure and for work :)
So, the love links today will be all about reading. Hope you like what I like :)

Skinny LaMinx interview on Patternbooth, Love reading artist's interviews and this is a good one.

I'm reading Kelly Rae Roberts' Flying Lesson e-book, such a great book, inspiring and informative. I love reading her blog too. A good author she is :)

Letters to Sam is the book I'm in love right now. I'm reading a library-loaned copy but will buy one for sure!

Miss Hickory, always excited to find blog posts talking about old children's books :D

I found this blog : Whole Larder Love in Peppermint magazine and so captured with this blogger/author's beautiful writing style and photos.

So many books (and blogs), so little time.
But when you can read, it's always a pleasure,  isn't it ? :)
Have a merry reading day everyone!

Behind the lines and colors : my dolphin and MerryDay preparation

Drawing animals is one of challenging drawing topics to me. I remember drawing an elephant on school wall in an art class when I was in high school. It was in such a wrong proportion that everyone laughed at. It was so humiliating at the time but I know now that there's nothing to be ashamed of.  Art can be unrealistic, distorted or completely different. There is no right or wrong, only opinions...

When I started my 365 days I draw,  I intended to draw animals as much as I could. Animals, backgrounds,  stories were what I thought I lacked in my drawings.  I used to draw single thing and stop. My friends told me that it looked cute but not interesting enough. I needed to give my drawings unique characters, give them actions, give them stories. It was very difficult at first but with  365 days I draw project, I gradually built up my own catalogue of animals and stories.

I 'm not satisfied with my drawing of cats or tigers yet but it's not so scary or difficult anymore. You just have to keep on drawing until you get them right.

Above is one of my Love is... drawing collection. I finished this collection just before Valentine's Day. There are 11 designs altogether, some of them are developed from my 365 days' sketches, some from my everyday doodles. Drawing animals is hard, drawing cute animals is even harder. Dolphins are always considered cute. They have such friendly faces and look smiley all the time. I tried drawing them several times and ended up using the cheating way by finding a reference photo then traced the outline :P



My dolphin looked in need of a companion so I added a little mermaid and I think they enjoy dancing together :) I usually work from a very rough idea and continue adding elements in the process. The caption "If you dance, I'll dance with you" just came up when I almost finished the details.

This illustration is designed for a greeting card but it suits well on a notebook cover (and other stationery items) too. And here my dolphin notebook with front and back view!



Please note that although this drawing collection is already posted in my facebook page, it is not for sale on my etsy shop yet. I'm in the process of revamping my shop and plan to reopen it very very soon. Just want to share my working process here so you know what I'm working on. I think, in a way, sharing this publicly prevents me from slacking off too! :D

The return of Book Beauty Monday : The whimsical classic Dr. Seuss

From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere---Dr. Seuss

Once upon a time when I blogged more regularly, I had a blog section called Book Beauty Monday, in which I would talk about beautiful books I collected. As a book and graphic designer and going to be an illustrator, books are my main source of inspiration and now that I intend and attempt to post as regularly as I used to, this section will be needed again :)

To celebrate the return of Book Beauty Monday, let me present you the popular whimsy and the most beloved classic, Dr. Seuss.

To tell you the truth, I didn't like Dr. Seuss characters much. I thought they were not so cute and a bit ugly to my eyes. Then my sister, who is just as crazy about books as I am, pointed out how unique his books were. It's the color combinations she focused on. After really looking into his works, I absolutely agree with her!

There are millions shades of colors in this world and how you choose one to put side by side with another is very critical in illustrating pictures. It effects mood, sends out messages and draws attention. Good color combinations can make a picture unique and memorable. I think Dr. Seuss books are the best example, added up with his sense of humor and funny whimsical characters (which I eventually like), no wonder he is a classic in children's books world.

I have two Dr. Seuss books with two different color schemes to show you here. One is full of bright, dashing colors while the other is more pastel, soft and subtle. Both amazingly send out the same reading atmosphere, fun and whimsy! Enjoy!





























Wonderful, aren't they? If you like beautiful books, I have a facebook page, administered by me, showing lovely pages from books I collect. Or if you prefer flickr, I store all my pictures there too.

With the Line of Fear in between...

I woke up this morning thinking about my creative life.

Some days ago someone on my facebook feed said hello to her first day of creative life. She had been working in illustration field for some time already but I guess not in a way she wanted it to be. I think I understand what she felt when she wrote the status. I think about myself and realize I am still standing in between two worlds.

Last year I made a decision to put all my focus to my MerryDay brand. It's really in an initial step but I feel the need to make it official at least to me. I changed my career status on my facebook profile from 'freelance graphic designer and illustrator' to 'creator of MerryDay'. Such a silly and unnecessary small step but it has a huge effect on me. I reduce my freelance job and concentrate more on my drawings for my MerryDay.

I thought I was not afraid but maybe I still am. It's funny. Freelance job is not a stable job but the fact that I know for sure how much I would earn when I have a project seems more comfortable than making art which you love but not sure if it's going to sell. Like I said above, I am still standing one leg in my somewhat secure world, the other in my love-but-yet-unknown future with the line of fear in between.

Will I pull my other leg back? You know for sure I won't and I guess that's a good news. What I need to do now is to find strength to cross the line and stand strong in my challenging world.

I know there are so many of you out there who are afraid of something but still want to take a risk anyway. It would be wonderful if you leave a comment of your experience here :)

I have already written a draft about what I'm working on and will post it here very soon.  If you want to know how my creative journey goes, you can follow me through my MerryDay fan page. That's where I am most of the time.

Thank you for dropping by.  I hope you have a merry day :D