Watercolor Feature: Happy Days Studios

Kristine of Happy Days Studios contacted me a few months back about creating a header for her newly launched Photography Website: www.happydays.ph. She sent me her pegs--nature inspired with use of calligraphic font. She gave me her original logo for reference.

Happy Days Studios' logo: Bright, yellow and, well, happy!

I reused the original font from the logo called Janda Stylish, and for the tag line, I used a Sans serif font to balance out the swirls of the header title. Then I simply added yellow and orange flowers for a hint of nature. The original elements were hand drawn and painted using watercolor, then I scanned it and re-edited using photoshop.

I came up with initial designs--very simple and no fuss, then based on her feedback, I came up with a revision which she ended up using on her website! She requested for a white background and a lighter color scheme. I created a new set of flowers and added a tinge of pink to balance out the yellows and oranges. 

So thrilled to have my work on someone else's virtual store front! Good luck and more power to you, Kristine! :)

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Watercolor Weekend: Sugar Lily Cupcakes

Hello everyone, here's a quick post for my Watercolor weekend series! I made a Christmas Ad for Sugar Lily Cupcakes and Pastries since the holiday season is just around the corner. I made these cupcakes individually on canson paper then stitched them together with Photoshop. I used two of my favorite fonts, Pompiere and Hero Light, discovered via thefozzybook's Oh Hello Friday Font Series.

This year, I've been practicing with watercolor and I feel more comfortable with the medium already. I still have a lot to learn, but next year's plan is to get digital and learn more advanced Photoshop skills and really get a good grip of illustrator. I also spent Sunday afternoon with my niece Sofia and my cousins Bea, Venisse and Via for some artsy fartsy bonding time. More on that in a different post!

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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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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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