Afternoon Sketches

Still learning to draw these days. I’ve heard that art students practise by copying paintings of great artists. So I think maybe copying sketches would help me improve. What do you think?

Oh hello deer | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Fresh from the Oven

So here’s what I’ve been up to craft-wise.

My recent creative pursuits | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

As you can see, I’m still working on my drawing/doodling skills. But mainly, I’ve really been making great headway in my crochet projects.

I’ve learnt to crochet alphabets! Oh the things I could do with them!

For starters, I decided to stitch the initials of two of my good friends onto my hand-stitched notebooks for their birthdays! So far, I’ve sent one of them off, and I’m mailing the second one out today. I’m so excited for them to receive it! Of course, they don’t know it’s coming their way – it’s a surprise!

Looking forward to the multitude of other projects I could do with the crochet alphabets!

The other project I’m mighty pleased with is a set of heart-shaped coasters. They turned out so pretty I could hardly bear to use them. I’m sure everyone will love them too!

Love these coasters | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

And so, I’m very excited to announce that I have put this product up in my Etsy Shop cos I really want to spread the love around! You can click the link for more pictures!

P.S The notebooks with crocheted initials will be coming up soon! (:

Dreaming of an African Adventure

I was a very distracted kid. I remember numerous occasions when I sat staring at my homework for hours and at the end of it, it was still not done. In fact, scratch ‘numerous occasions’, it was more like almost every single time. I would sit and immediately get lost in the dreamland of my mind.

I think it was my mum who told me that when I get distracted by thoughts I can’t shake off, to write the thoughts down on a piece of paper and put it away. It did help. Writing it down seemed to have cleared it from my mind, allowing me to focus better on the task at hand. Gradually, though, I forgot this piece of advice. Despite this, I retained the habit of having to write down lists of to-do tasks when it felt like they were building up in my mind. I immediately felt more at ease and in control after writing them down.

I only got reminded of this piece of advice yesterday when I found my mind refusing to concentrate. I incidentally decided to draw what was on my mind, and immediately after I got it on paper, I could focus much better.

Here’s what I drew, dreaming of an African adventure:

Credit: Juxxtapose

(My camels look like dinosaurs!)

This is definitely an easy trick you can try when you find yourself distracted by your thoughts, and also, it is living proof that there are practical benefits to journaling or doodling.

Why I Keep a Travel Journal

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I’ve never been the one to write long paragraphs of narratives or prose. So when I decided that I wanted to start journaling, I made sure that I did not have pre-set expectations of what I would eventually produce. If I had told myself, ‘you’re gonna write a page-long entry each day’, I would most probably have given up within a week.

I have 2 journals right now: a gratitude journal where I jot down (point-form is allowed) the things I am grateful for, and a bible verse journal where I write short reflections on verses that speak out to me whenever I read my Bible.

I don’t force myself to write daily, or even weekly. I just write when I feel like I have something worth writing, or something I would like to remember in the years to come.

Now, I have an additional journal: my India travel journal. I plan to use it to capture everyday anecdotes and thoughts relating to my experience living here. Additionally, as I grab on to the opportunity to explore the Indian sub-continent, I want to sketch the sights that I see as well.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I do admit that I’m not very good at drawing. But one thing I’ve learnt about learning to draw well is that to draw, you must first observe.

I’ve been too guilty of rushing from point A to point B without truly seeing what’s around me. It’s even a joke that my colleagues make, that I don’t ever look up from my phone even when I’m walking. I’ve looked at things but haven’t actually seen them. So in a bid to live a life in which I am truly present and mindful of my surroundings, I want to draw the things around me so that I am forced to truly see what I’m looking at.

(I shared about my trip to Calcutta here. And there’s more information about the travel journal that I’m using here.)

Drawing Flowers Part II

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I copied this lily drawing from a photo that one of my friends took.

How do you think I did?

Flowers for a Saturday

Happy Saturday everyone!

Credit: Juxxtapose

Drawing Flowers

So I’ve been practising. I know it’s not much but I am determined to improve my drawing skills everyday.

Credit: Juxxtapose

Today was all about flowers. I googled flowers, I copied flowers. I made mistakes and I tried drawing them again.

It is difficult to learn something new, simply because it takes so much time and effort, and yet there is a great chance of failure. As the saying goes, ‘Do one thing everyday that scares you’. Do something that you’ve always wanted to do, but have always been held back by fear or other excuses.

London Markets to Visit – First Art Journal Entry

I recently stumbled upon this idea of art journaling. It’s like journaling, except instead of jotting down notes about things, you draw or paint or stick stuff on the pages. Afterall, ‘art’ is just a broad term.

I was also looking up markets in London that I would like to visit, so I decided to give this art journaling a spin.

Credits: Juxxtapose

I’m liking this idea of art journaling because I’ve never been much of a writer. This opens journaling up to a world of possibilities, and I’m looking forward to experimenting and exploring with it.

Focus on the Negative

Photo Credit: Juxxtapose

I drew this after a month-long drawing-hiatus so I’m not too pleased with it. I just feel that I could do so much better.

In this exercise, I was instructed to draw a chair by first drawing the negative spaces, which are the spaces in between the chair itself. The thin wooden strips of the chair’s back were too long and thin for my trembling hands I suppose. Need to learn to steady my hands more.

Boring my Left Brain out of its Mind

Photo Credit: Juxxtapose

With the help of a picture plane and careful instructions from ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ by Betty Edwards, I have successfully produced my first ‘real’ drawing! This practice is called the Modified Contour Drawing, and it focuses on every line and wrinkle on your hand. This process bores your left brain and allows your right brain to take over.

I am rather pleased with it because it actually looks kinda 3D. And I do have to emphasise how hopeless I actually am at drawing. Seriously. So, although this drawing was completed with the help of contours and a picture plane, I am very very excited about the potential of my progress.