Art on the go...pages from my sketchbook

These days I really enjoy fitting in a little art on the go at lunchtime. At first, I was a little apprehensive about using my art supplies in public cafes but people actually don't notice because they are too busy with their mobile phones and/or whining/gossiping. *winks*

I usually bring a small sketchbook or a planner filled with different papers and some coloured pencils. 

I  keep my sketches small so that I can finish them in one sitting and feel "accomplished". 

Happy weekend friends! :)

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One Saturday afternoon

So the members of the Gangster Gang (aka nephews + niece) have a serious tablet addiction. On Saturday afternoons. And have to be distracted by some other activities.

Like painting. Or sweating it out at the playground. And posing at the infamous fire hydrant of course. *winks*

I had a lot of fun mixing the old and new stash...

Slipped in my current obsession - Maya Road diecut words. :)

And of course, the last of the Basic Grey birds *fingers crossed*.

Hope your week has been fabulous so far friends! :)

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Messy mail art (tutorial)

Recently I've been getting a few of these large bubble pack envelopes (*ahem online shopping) so I thought I should make some messy mail art, fill the envelopes with some goodies and send them out to make some people happy. :)

I started with this standard bubble pack envelope which I covered with some white gesso to prep it for wet media.

Next I went in with acrylic paints and mists with stencils. 

 I also did some stamping.

Here is a progress shot of the front....

And the back...

I wanted to add some fun text so I stamped on tissue paper. There are a few reasons why I did this. One: I'm a terrible stamper (see photo for evidence...*LOL*). Two: The uneven surface of the bubble pack envelope makes it hard to stamp evenly. Three: I can "audition" the text before commitment to paper. *winks*

I also added washi tape to create a fun border.

Now to fill it with some goodies and mail it out!

Playing along with Creative Artiste Challenge.

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Someone finally has a pair of Oakley...*winks*

So my dad finally took the plunge and splurged on a pair of Oakley sunglasses when we were in Bali back in June. He likes things "cheap and good" but on seeing that my sister and I each bought 2 pairs, he got one for himself too. At 70% off retail, it fitted his criteria of being "cheap and good". *LOL*

He was wearing them at the mall [where my sister and I participated in the mal contest and won the Cirque du Soleil Kooza tickets] along with his new hat [that I bought for him from Melbourne]. We put my mum in my sister's sunglasses so they would match in the photo..hehe. 

I couldn't resist using my Maya Road diecuts "work it" on the photo. *winks*

And do you spy a certain Basic Grey birdie???

Lots of paper scraps to form the "mat" for my photos. Added a little sparkle with some gold Ranger Stickles.

Playing along with Stuck? Sketches.

Happy weekend friends!:)

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Art supply shopping when you travel

I like to look for art supplies when I travel with the hope of finding products I can't get or is cost-prohibitive in my own country or is unique to the country I'm visiting. Here are some tips for art supply shopping when you travel.

1. Do your homework before you go.

Google art supply stores or ask friends who have been there/are living there. Last year, I asked about buying art supplies in Melbourne in a Facebook Art Group. A lovely lady Deb responded and even offered to drive me to the store [creative souls are the sweetest, eh?]. See photo for what I scored at this suburban art supply store.

This year, I met up with her again and we went to the city branch of an art store she works for and I got to enjoy a 40% staff discount even on items already on offer. :) Yep, my "modest" haul back in June.

Before I went to Japan, I also consulted my Facebook Art Group for a list of stores to visit. A lot of them suggested Daiso for water brushes and made in Japan brush pens. I was also told about Sekaido - a huge art supply store in Shinjuku with 6 floors of pure heaven! With a 20% discount and 7% rebate, I spent 3 hours here and $$$. *winks* I didn't buy much from Japan right? *LOL*

2. Check out the local bookstores and stationery shops.

Not every country you visit will have a dedicated art supply store, especially in the city center where rents are high. But bookstores usually have a stationery section where they might stock cool stuff. Like these Kuretake markers were spotted in National Bookstore in Manila, Philippines. I scored some acrylic markers at another bookstore called Fully Booked in Manila too.

3. Keep an open mind when shopping at the mall.

Sometimes you can find interesting things like vintage-inspired paraphernalia. Pictured is a store called Lovely Lace in Malaysia where I have scored some pretty flowers and lace pieces.

If a store front captures your attention, walk in to check it out. I'm glad I found this sewing store in Manila - they stock French lace and ribbon blooms! :)

There you have it, my tips for art supply shopping when you travel. What about you? Do you shop for art supplies when you travel?

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More messy backgrounds in my art journal

Hello friends! I've just finished another art journal...woohoo! Even though it's filled with mostly messy mixed media backgrounds where I "dump" leftover paint & mists and try out outrageous colour combos, I love that I have overcome my fear of art journaling after sooooooo many unsuccessful attempts. ;)

For me, the turning point was when I invested in a sturdy art journal with pages thick enough for me to play with wet media relentlessly without the pages buckling. Like many others, I started with old books that had thin pages and require lots of prep work prior to using (like sticking pages together and applying gesso on pages before use). Too much work for me! *LOL*

My current fave art journal is the Strathmore 400 Series Hardbound Watercolor Journal. I'm currently working in my 3rd journal. The paper is 300gsm acid-free cold-pressed paper and the sewn binding allows pages to lay relatively flat. There is a soft cover version available but the hardbound ones just look lovely on a shelf. :)

I use a variety of mediums on these messy backgrounds - matte acrylic paint (glossy ones will just make the pages stick together), mists, water-soluble crayons, watercolours, coloured pencils and gesso - with a variety of tools like brushes, palette knives, credit card and gloved hands. :)

What about you? Do you have a messy backgrounds journal? It is extremely therapeutic to throw paint on paper! *winks*

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An unhealthy obsession with watercolours...

So I may have an unhealthy obsession with watercolours....*winks*

I can pinky swear that I have not bought any watercolours since my trip to Japan earlier this year .... but that's because I bought a whole lot when I was there *see picture for evidence*.

Yes, that's just the stash I got in Japan...I also have the German Schmincke, the French Sennelier, the American Daniel Smith...and a whole lot of those craft-grade stuff too. Hence, an unhealthy obsession with watercolours.

What watercolours offer is the captivating interplay of brilliantly transparent pigments in water spreading over white watercolour paper. Sometimes you lose control of them like in my eye painting when I spilled water over the iris when it was still wet...*dramatic music plays in the background*.

Purists say that it is an unforgiving medium because when you go too dark, it is hard to "lift" the pigment off the paper. And that the white should not be painted in as an afterthought, it should be the white from the paper. Yes, you have to control the amount and flow of water, the transparency of the pigments and keep parts of the paper white.

Luckily, I'm a mixed media kind of girl so I saved my painting with coloured pencils and a white acrylic marker....who has time to apply masking fluid, right? *LOL*

What about you? What is your unhealthy obsession??

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This week's quick card from the scrap pile...

Hello friends! Meet this week's quick card...a residual misted watercolour card base, Sassafras patterned paper (that I've been hoarding like forever...), the infamous Basic Grey birdie, layered Maya Road diecuts and bling. :)

This card came together quite quickly because there were so few elements involved. Layering and gluing the diecuts took the bulk of the time. The bottom layers of the diecuts are orange while the top layer is gold to create a little more depth.

3 more Basic Grey birdies to use up! *fingers crossed*

Playing along with Fusion Card Challenge. 

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So we won tickets to see Kooza....

Last month, my sister and I participated at a local mall contest and won tickets to see Cirque du Soleil Kooza! :)

Check out those excited faces before the show started...and of course, I made my sister try on the artificial floral headband that I immediately told her I could make her if she wanted it (Why pay $12 when I have flowers and a hot glue gun at home right? *winks*).

Since we watched a very colourful performance, I went a little crazy with my mix of patterns and colours as well. And yes, a die-cutting machine came into play.

I incorporated my actual ticket stub by cutting it up...perfect for location and actual day details.

Playing along with Stuck?! Sketches.

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