Intensive Watercolor Workshop by Valerie Chua

The first time I saw Valerie Chua's work was in an episode in ETC's show, Etcetera: Capsules for the Stylish Youth. Instantly, I was smitten by her works (I mean, who wouldn't be?) and my interest in dabbling watercolor as a medium grew after that. I got lucky that I was able to snag a cozy spot in one of her workshops this July and yes, the price is worth it! Really!

I got the early morning schedule for the workshop which took place in Valle Verde, Pasig. The Intensive Watercolor Workshop is a 4-hour crash course on watercolor. There are other workshops available with longer sessions so if you have the extra time, I suggest you take it.

The tables were already set up and each chair had one of these plastic envelopes with the materials that were used for the class. These are included in the package as well as the snacks.

The inner fan girl in me squealed with delight when I examined and saw the contents inside the envelope. It contained two postcards from Valerie's work!

 *internally jumps for joy*

It also contained the artist's Watercolor Starter Manual which is just as pretty.

The rest of the materials in the envelope were two round brushes, one wash brush, and Prang's semi moist watercolor.

I wouldn't go into detail about everything that took place in the workshop but to give you an idea, it consisted of Valerie teaching the different basic techniques of watercolor and where it is usually applied.

She also had us practice applying watercolor where the light was hitting different areas.

The last task we did before the workshop wrapped up was to paint a still life image. She provided the reference as well as the paper with the trace of the image. What we had to do was to apply what she taught us in the session, and give it a go.

After correcting and altering the colors for the 214th time. Ta-da!

Valerie made sure to assist each and every one of us throughout the session as she made the rounds in the room. You can really tell that this amazing artist is doing what she loves, and loves sharing what she knows. She even took time to sign our postcards while answering our queries! I  would definitely book myself in another session in a heartbeat!

 You can follow her at her facebook page to see her artworks and workshops.

My Guilty Pleasure: Notebooks!!!

Usually, many girls' guilty pleasures include makeup, bags, shoes, or clothes. I am not saying i don't find any interest in any of those mentioned above (because i do), but i have always had a soft spot for beautiful books and notebooks ever since i was a kid.

Lo and behold my collection!

Blame it on anime, or just the love of cartoons and art. I have been doodling and sketching ever since goodness-knows-when. It's a healthy but frustrating habit, since i am a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to my drawings.

My favorite one of the lot has to be the Moleskine my boyfriend gave me for my birthday this year. He knows i've been eyeing every Moleskine stand i get to see in bookstores so he decided to buy me one himself. Yup, he's very sweet.:)

For those who are in a budget or want to give your artist friend a gift this Christmas, i promise you won't regret buying Yeah Notebooks. My previous doodles have always been done on this notebook because they always have those non-ruled ones on eggshell colored paper, like the ones used in Moleskine. It works great with Uni Pin drawing pens too!

Ok that's about it for the random post. Have a happy weekend etranger!

How To Be Sweet Without Spending Much

Okay. Let me start off by giving credits to wit&whistle for the doodling idea. This is really simple to do and it's also fun. You'll just need paper, a cute envelope, and some pencil and pens. I'm using the Uni Pin Fine Line pens in 0.3 and 0.1 for this doodle.

All you need to do is doodle "i love you more than i love *insert something you love here that the whole world probably knows*" like the one above. It doesn't hurt to start with a pencil until you get that almost-perfect handwriting before you fill it with ink.

After the ink-filling, cut the paper to the desired size and put it in an envelope (this one's from Tokyo) and voila! You're officially a sappy, mushy, semi-artistic person like me.:)

Enjoy!♥

Better overdue than never

Bonjour etranger! it has been.. way too long since my last post and i wish i could say some reason other than the classic writer's block, but it was just so. i have actually been trying to write a story for a while now but when i reached the sixth page of the notebook, it wasn't there anymore: the inspiration, the drive, the story itself. You know what it's like when you're trying to memorize something and refuse to have anything else go to your mind other than the thing you memorized? well it was like that. i didn't want to write anything else for the fear of losing the flow of the story completely. i still don't have it back by the way. but i do hope i will one of these days.

And this here is my latest doodle. It's kind of like the frustration of my ideas all bundled up in a big piece of clothing.

It is pretty and cool to look at though.:)

Here We Go - Mat Kearney & Counting The Stars - Augustana Doodles

as promised on this post!

[Here We Go - Mat Kearney] A lot of things go through my mind when i hear this song. Mostly things in motion: the rows of streetlights going by, an old film reeling on a white backdrop, ferris wheels, bicycle wheels, you name it. I think it's because the song talks about the cycles of circumstance; how moments in life get repeated in a different year, or a different face. it's bittersweet: the hope that comes with second chances, or the fear of repeating past mistakes. it can go either way.

[Counting Stars - Augustana]

i can't get the colors right on the camera for the first drawing, and i'm too lazy to use the DSLR. so there. lol.

Have a Happy Tuesday everybody!:)

bonjour etranger! it's Monday again and it means another week of work and more work for lots of people. and since i'm still not giving up on keeping this blog alive, i'll just post some of my doodles i've drawn for the past few weeks.

this doodle is actually a Neil Gaiman inspired drawing. i kind of remember his unkempt hair and how it still looks heavenly on him. good thing it looked good on this drawing too. the lettering here is more or less how Delirium's (from the Sandman series) conversation font is portrayed in the graphic novel, minus the crazy rainbow colors that is.

i use technical fineline pens for most of my doodles. i discovered them early in college during my graphing class when my brother suggested them to me. they're affordable unlike those bigtime sketching pens and they don't smear (which is like, an artist's worst nightmare). the best part is that they come in 6 different line widths, ranging from 0.05mm to 0.8mm. i use the 0.1mm and 0.3mm pens, i've yet to buy the 0.05mm mostly cause it's elusive. these pens are usually available at any National Bookstore branch.

i'll probably make a bigger version of the last one if i have the time.:) who knows, it might sell!

have a happy week ahead people!:)

YES! found a moleskine-like notebook that i can doodle on! it's also a LOT cheaper than the moleskine. bry, lets see who can fill up the pages first!:D

matt said i have too many dreams. which, he said is a good thing, rather than having none at all. i am seriously considering his suggestion about a travel blog. i feel it from the bottom of my heart that it's one of the things i'm definitely sure i want to do. i want to travel. i want to write and i want to draw and i want to make sense of the wonders of life in words, or in pictures.

as promised.