Old Collages

Did I ever show you these collages? They are done in a mini square sketchbook, about 10cm x 10cm. I made them a long time ago, as a quick, spontaneous warm-up practice. It didn't last long and I made only about 5. These are the best ones. I'm thinking about doing these again with lots of scraps of pretty paper I collected. After all, the sketchbook isn't filled yet!

Sorry for the lack of updates.. I'm doing okay though.
How are you feeling these days? How about the illustrated book? ;)

Paper clay

Hi Jinnie, I've made and painted some little objects using paper clay and watercolor. I've yet to get them varnished but here they are anyway! :) I was thinking they could be made into magnets or brooches. Wouldn't it be fun if we could sit at a table with tea and cookies together on a sunny afternoon just getting our hands dirty!

Grace

Hi Jinnie,

How are you my friend? Before I forget, I'd like to share about how someone showed me Grace last Friday. I don't know that person, but I wish I did... so I could thank her once more.

You see, I was taking the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) train that morning to town for an appointment. The train wasn't particularly full but as soon as the doors flung open at my station, everyone rushed to snap up whatever seats they could find, leaving some people standing. I was of course, one of the standing few since I wasn't fast enough to wobble up a seat with my 7 month old pregnant tummy. I had also, in my haste to not be late, not managed to secure myself a proper breakfast to which I was sure, standing the full journey would make me faint.

Now, on board the MRT cabins, there are designated "Priority" seats - these are to be relinquished by any person/s who didn't fit the category of pregnant, elderly or disabled. The folks in the Priority seats were in neither of these categories and most were young and able bodied. Conveniently, the rest of the passengers and said youngsters started dozing off in their seats, reading their phone messages, whatever they could find to do to prevent having to give up their seat.

Now came Grace... even though she wasn't in the priority seat and could have qualified for it, since both her feet twisted inwards at an almost 90 degree angle and although she could probably have lived with it since childhood, was definitely not as comfortable walking like a normal person. She gave up her seat to me. I don't know who between us, qualified for it more, but I was definitely grateful! I thanked her twice and started feeling disdain for the rest of the passengers who had their butts glued to the seats.

May this serve as a reminder for myself that there is a silver lining in very cloud, and may I be that silver lining to whoever I meet everyday. :)

The sad trio

Just finished painting the trio's emotional close up. They're supposed to be happy creatures in the story, but it seems I've started with the sad side of them first. I kind of enjoyed painting the little "fur" effects.

Sketch: Flowers

Dear Amanda,

I recently visited the Legion of Honor to see the "Cartier and America" exhibit. It was awesome! I will have to go back on a less busier day to avoid the crazy crowd but it was worth it to see all the beautifully designed jewelry. I couldn't imagine anyone actually wearing them though! Oh, and there was a separate room that had sketches done by Cartier artists, and in one of them, I found a hand written note by Elizabeth Taylor requesting some changes. Must be nice! :D

Outside the museum, I found a little hidden trail led to a great vista point of the Bay. You could see the Golden Gate Bridge from there. I took my time testing my new camera and found some plants (above) that inspired me to sketch. I instantly thought, "They would make a cool ring design!"


I'll probably use this sketch for a Gocco print or a collage, instead of a jewelry piece, though. ;)

Wish we can go to museums together, Amanda!

Love,
Jinnie

Page 17

Alas... page 17 of the book. Pardon my scanner... it's one of those 3-in-ones and since it's not very big as well, scan quality and clarity isn't the best. HY's mentioned how the chameleon is now too blended in with the leaves. I'm also thinking of inking in more details to the leaves etc. But at least it's painted for now! :) Now to get my butt moving for the rest of the pages!

Sketch: A New Camera

Dear Amanda,

Sorry for not updating earlier!
This is a sketch I did this morning. I still feel awkward sketching with a pen but I'm getting used to it the more I play with it. Pens really make you more decisive, don't they?

I just used some old Micron pens. I might have to get some new ones. These are the remnants from my college days. Yikes! The tips on the #005 ones must be too delicate; I have several of them and the tips on all of them got pushed in too far. Do I put too much pressure on them? *shrug* What are your favorite pens to sketch with?

Oh, and meet my new camera! It is a surprise gift from M. He wanted to rekindle my love for taking pictures. ♥ ♥ It's true I've been shooting much lately, not even Polaroids. Heck, my other film camera still has a slide roll that I started early last year. Eep! But with the handsome new camera, I'm starting to look at things differently again, so M's plan is working! ^_^ I really love the way the new camera looks, with the silver + black. It is much smaller and lighter than my other camera. Awesome. I can't wait to get the roll developed.

Anyway, that's pretty much what's new in my neck of the woods.
How is your children's book illustration going? *poke poke*

Love,
Jinnie

Ceramics

Sometime late last year, I took a ceramics class. I've always wanted to and did enjoy myself very much. We were into hand building and not onto the potter's wheel yet. These were the little objects I made. And since I was spring cleaning my computer's desktop, I decided to upload these before they're all given away and I'd forgotten how they looked like. :) Perhaps I'll continue taking classes again later... hm... much much later now I suppose.

I've since given this plate away to my dad for his birthday present. Not a good idea to eat from it but I hope it'll make an interesting display piece.


I'm thinking of giving this cat to my mum for her birthday this coming April. I wonder if she's going to like it...


As for this... I'm keeping it for myself. I've used it for oil burning and it works pretty well and is deep enough to contain enough water without burning out too quickly.

Test test

I've pondered... and pondered over how I should go about doing this. (The illustration) Should I clean up my pencil lines, paint in Photoshop, or should I trace and ink it the traditional way with a crow quill and paint it with water color? The latter seemed too painstaking and of course that created a mental block for me and I got into procrastination mode - pondering and pondering over an easier yet visually appealing way out. Eventually, I was inspired by your lemon in the previous post and of course went back to reminding myself of how much I love Lisbeth Zwerger, Helen Ward and Petra Brown's work - all watercolor washed.

So, this is my little trial that I finally kicked myself to do before the week ended. Done in ink and watercolor. The results weren't as disastrous as I thought it'd be and I think I'd rather enjoyed the process. :) Next week, I shall will myself to intense concentration of starting the actual illustration itself. Kick me if I don't! *keeps fingers and toes tightly crossed*

Hail

Dear Amanda,

Does it ever hail in Singpore?
It did here, a few days ago. A LOT. The whole backyard got covered in white. It sounded pretty painful, if you know what I mean. Thankfully, I was inside. ^^ But later, I stepped outside and was delighted by the sound the little white pellets made under my shoes. So fun.

Hm?? What's that you say? My new sketches??

Oh.

Love,
Jinnie

Spring Onion!

I enjoy cooking and quite often use spring onions when stir frying dishes. For the ones I don't manage to use, I'd place them in a vase, hoping they might stay fresh. This particular spring onion, (which I recently had to discard) was growing so well, actually bloomed at the ends into the above photo. I'd whipped out my slr camera, used my tripod, whatever lenses I could find for a macro enough shot. I'm no expert at photography, but I really wanted to remember that spring onion. :)

Drawing again

Dear Jinnie, here's a page from a children's book I'm supposed to illustrate since eons ago. It's taken me a long time due to full time work, my being expectant with lower energy levels, procrastination, etc... :p However, I'm resolving to ensure I finish this book before my baby arrives in July or at least by the end of this year - regardless of whether any publisher will take it!

I've got many pages more to flesh out and paint (my chosen medium being watercolor) but it's a start. This is page 17 at 10"x10" and was drawn just yesterday, revised from my dummy page. I'm going to transfer it to the watercolor paper today, ink it and try and get it finished within the next few days. Wish me luck and determination!

p.s. I really hope that updating my progress will keep me on track and motivated! :) Over to you!

My First Post! Of a Lemon!

My first post! It is a scan of a lemon. I think it's a girl, too! ;)

Dear Amanda,

M has been coughing a lot from a cold, so I've been making him honey + lemon tea everyday. There's a lemon tree in the backyard, so it's quite convenient at times like this.

It's been years since I picked up a watercolor brush (I kid you not), so I was very nervous when I sat down to make a small sketch of this lemon. I've forgotten so much, I feel like I'm starting all over. My hands feel so awkward.. But I love watercolor and want to relearn it, so I'm going to practice and not be afraid to make mistakes along the way.

So! You might see some ugly stuff here, my friend. But bear with me. :) And you too, the interweb!

Love,
Jinnie

1st post with the Beginning of Life

Hello Jinnie and whosoever might be reading our blog... :) It's exciting to be sharing this with a good friend so faraway! Looking forward to posting more often with thoughts, pictures and random doodlings. Meanwhile, here are some scans of my baby over a few months (we just confirmed it to be a girl yesterday at the detailed scan).


Baby's spine is looking good on 4th March. We're finally able to see it's a "she".


Baby is progressively getting bigger on 26 Jan.


My very 1st scan of baby, being able to listen to its heartbeat. Seeing the cute little thing on screen at about 12 weeks made my morning sickness all worthwhile!

As for names... I've shortlisted Faith and Elizabeth. I'll leave the chinese naming part to my dad!