Psychedelic Sightings: SM North Skywalk Murals

It's the last day of October! 2 months to go and it's 2000-fureakin-14 already!

On my way to work this morning, I was contemplating on the little triumphs and failures of the past year. I think the little victories outweigh the setbacks, so I'm really really thankful. There are a lot of things that I still need to work on, but the pursuit for growth is still pretty much on track. Travel, work, cupcake business and creativity take the biggest portion of the achievement pie this year, while running and the band's album/EP has taken a back seat. Ah, so much to do and so much to learn still! I can't wait to reach new milestones this coming year.

Anyway, before you guys go out and proceed with your trick or treating, let me share a bunch of photos from an impromptu trip earlier this week to the North--as in SM North. Haha. I was walking along the skywalk when I chanced upon this awesome set of murals.

I was trying to figure out who the artist is, because I've seen the same style in one of the walls in Bonifacio High Street. Sadly, my world class stalking and google searching skills didn't serve me well this time, so I'll leave it up to you to check it out for yourself and admire the work.

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Watercolor Weekend: Mother Gypsy and the Wrinkled Folks

Finally, another painting! It's been a while since I had a proper sit down but things have been looking up with work and life in general, so I have more time for watercolor practice. I spent the entire afternoon yesterday at Cafe Mary Grace to get some sketching done. Whenever I feel like I need serious uninterrupted time for drawing/crafting, I go to a coffee shop and just spend the hours in solitude.

I've always wanted to draw this gypsy lady ever since I came across her in Paris. I've read stories of really aggressive beggars who take advantage of tourists in Paris, but I didn't get that vibe from her. The kindness in her face was just so beautiful, I wanted to draw a portrait of her.

I was walking outside the Notre Dame when I came across her. She was looking at me as I walked past and I just had the urge to drop a coin in her cup. She clasped her hands together as if to give thanks to an answered prayer. I didn't understand what she said but her eyes showed so much gratitude, and were welling up with tears. As I took out my camera, she gave me the warmest smile I've seen from a stranger that day. I took a photo of her and I headed off. That brief moment with her was remarkable.

I tried my best to copy her face and her features, but I always end up straying away from my original subject and just skew some things here and there. Usually when I do the pencil sketch, I  try to be as exact as possible, but when I start coloring, I refrain from looking at the photo reference so that I can make my own changes to the drawing. It's like getting lost in translation, only on paper.

Mother Gypsy
Watercolor on Paper

The most challenging part of this drawing is coloring her jacket. I've learned that mixing black with another dark hue is a good way of putting some dimension to the color. My own technique with watercolor is just really self taught, but I always just start with the skin and the lighter colors the follow with the darker shades. There's still so much to learn and I loved the challenge of doing this painting because of the creases of the subject's face and the draping of her shawl as well as the stitching of her jacket. I've never really mentioned it before, but I love to draw aging people. Their faces are more interesting to paint because their features help me to look into the details and allow me to practice seeing better. 

Here's a collection of past drawings of the beautiful, wrinkled folks:

Hope you had a great weekend!

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Ink Drawing: Heart In Chaos

Today has been really productive in the creativity front. The morning was spent frosting cupcakes for a client then drawing and inking all afternoon plus working on a design project with a photography studio's website. I finally re-made this doodle, digitalized it and properly edited it in Photoshop. I've been neglecting ink as a medium for my drawings, so I just thought I'd take a break from the watercolors and go back to basics. Oh if only all my Saturdays are as productive and as awesome as today!

Heart In Chaos
Ink on paper, digital

There's a lot going on in our lives and countless things keep us worried--deadlines and meetings, things to do's and chores, bills and responsibilities, traffic and oil price hikes, floods and earthquakes, zits and weight gain...the list goes on. I personally have a surplus of worries and it's easy to get lost in the chaos (the weight gain problem alone is really disconcerting) but I've learned that it's just a matter of putting things into perspective.

Last Sunday, Jim and I were walking home from a nearby diner when a kid came over and asked us to buy sampaguita from him. We initially dismissed him but he was persistent, so we decided to buy him food instead of giving him money. Right after ordering a burger for him, he asked if we could just have the food to go because he wanted to share it with his siblings. While waiting for the food to arrive, we asked the kid a few questions and got to know him a little. 

His name is Aries. He's 11 years old and the seventh among nine children. He doesn't know how to read, and he never went to school. He's been selling sampaguita since 3PM that day and would only go home at 12 midnight or until all the flowers were sold. His elder brothers are parking boys and his mom stays at home, taking care of his younger siblings. His dad had passed away already. He held coins in his hand because he didn't have any pockets. He had a shy way about him that was endearing, but the whole time that we were talking to him, I just saw sadness in his eyes. I asked how many flowers he's sold. "Isa pa lang ate.", he replied. It was already 10 pm and I ended up buying the whole bunch just so he can go home. The kid just broke my heart.  I'm hoping to chance upon him again and help him in some way, maybe give him books or buy another bunch of sampaguita from him again. 

That encounter with Aries was a wake up call that there are far more people who have bigger problems than I do. That boy is a reminder that we are very fortunate and that we should remain thankful for all our blessings instead of focusing on what's missing in our lives. Life isn't and will never be perfect but as long as our hearts are in the right place, I think we'll do just fine. 

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Art Stalking: Sara Blake of ZSO

These past couple of months have been quite unproductive for my creative sparks. I've been busy with work, so I needed to put on my I.T. hat and get lost in the world of logic and algorithms and business requirements and such. When I'm not working, I check out the usual blogs, then from one click to another, I chance upon really inspiring finds. I was checking out the Skillshare directory this past week, and I've been strategizing what courses to take first when I came across Sara Blake's class "Create Full Color Digital Illustration from A Handmade Drawing"

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To Tinfinity and Beyond - An Invitation Project

My sister Tetet has always been one of the people who believed in my artistic skills and creativity. I've done a lot of collaborations with her during her party planning stints that I'm the first person she goes to when it comes to making custom invitations. I was looking at my previous projects with her and saw these invitation designs that I made for her and her husband Noel's 10th Anniversary earlier this year.

*Insert awwwww here*

As per the list of traditional wedding anniversary gifts, tin or aluminum is the traditional gift to be exchanged between husband and wife who were celebrating their 10th anniversary. My sister then asked me to create an invitation for the intimate gathering. I started making hand painted elements such as a wreath with yellow, blue and purple flowers, then incorporated watercolored tin cans in the layout. I chose a sans serif font Pompiere--discovered via thefozzybook's Oh Hello Friday Font Series (thank you Fozzy!) for the text. This font has a rustic and handwritten feel to it that I think was perfect for the mood and the occasion. I gave Ate Tetet two options: one which had more tin cans and another which had more flowers, and this is the final invitation that she went with.

The invitation that didn't make the cut:

The event was an intimate gathering at the Hillsborough Aquapark with friends and family to celebrate the couple's milestone. Sadly, I was not there to join them at the time because I had to fly to the U.S. for work. I would have wanted to be involved in doing the flower arrangements, but I was happy to see in the photos that she was inspired to use yellow, purple and white flowers at the event to go with the water colored wreath on the invites.

I had tons of fun with this project and I'm especially proud of the fact that the decorative elements are hand painted. I'm currently working on another exciting design project (this time not with my sister) and I can't wait to share it to all of you once I finish. I'm not formally trained in graphic design and I still have a lot to learn, but I'm glad that there are people who trust me to work on these projects with them. :)

Congratulations again Ate Tetet and Kuya Weng for your 10 years of marriage! 

Good job on the awesome kids too! 

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Style File: Tomboy Chic

Many people who know me can attest that I'm not a girly girl. I grew up enjoying the outdoors, playing habulan (tag) or taguan (hide and seek) with other kids, riding my bike or even shooting some hoops. In college, I used to wear trainers and sneakers a lot and have only come to terms with heels when I started working in the office, with my first job being strict on business casual dress code.

I think the general style of most Filipinas is low maintenance and practical because of the weather that we have in the Philippines. We don't have the privilege of being able to do a lot of layering, so the most sensible thing to wear is a top and a pair of trousers. Personally, I'd still take comfort over fashion anytime. On most days, I commute around the metro, so it's really imperative for me to stay comfortable, else I risk killing my legs and holding a funeral for my toes.

My footwear essentials: a pair of black flats, sandals and my favorite canvas sneakers which I wear with almost anything.

My uniform usually includes a pair of jeans, a button down or a t-shirt and my converse chuck taylors. Sometimes, I'd wear a neck tie, vest or a beanie just to make things a bit interesting. Even if I work in a corporate environment, I always take advantage of being able to slip into more comfortable clothes on casual days. Of course, I still have a mood for dresses on special occasions, but my body isn't dress-friendly because of my muscular legs, so I prefer donning trousers. I've been looking for style inspiration and here are my picks for channeling tomboy chic.

Grey tee and white chucks

Stripes and vest 

White blazer and graphic tee

Easy button downs and black jeans

I'm always thrilled to see such simple yet put together outfits that don't come in designer brands or scream Fashion Week. There's a certain air of effortlessness to men's wear that I really love and I particularly love this last photo because of the all black ensemble and the high cut Chucks. Now if I had that awesome out of bed hair and cool nonchalance, I'm golden. 

Photo credit: Sincerely, Jules || Winterfashion || Quality Rivets || Polienne || Pinterest || Totokaelo

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Neon Love

Hello October!

Notice anything? I got bored with my layout all of a sudden, so I decided to change it into something more cheerful. I wanted something bright and happy, but still leaned towards the minimalist side. Because of the splash of neons, I switched to a sans serif font so as not to make things too overwhelming.

I think the layout overhaul was inspired by a recent project with my sister. My niece Sofia is turning 8 this month and I was asked to make an invite for a Spa Party. Imagine a bunch of 8-year-old girls in a salon having their nails done! Sounds like a lot of fun (and kind of a big deal) for a kid, right?

For the invites, I came up with 4 draft versions for her but revised eventually based on her specifications. I'm absolutely loving this border font set by Kimberly Geswein! Here are the ones that didn't make the cut.

My sister wanted a daintier feel to the invite and asked for more pinks than fuchsias. She also requested if I can do a chevron background. Hence the final design:

It's been a while since I last played with Photoshop, but everytime I make these personal projects with my sister, I really have tons of fun!

Also I'm on Bloglovin!

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