Wallpaper Wednesdays: Preview!

Wallpaper Wednesdays will continue next week, but I am so hyped up I must share a little peek of it today! Over the week long break, I enrolled on a quick class on Skillshare to learn how to create print-ready patterns out of hand drawn sketches. The class was quick and easy to follow; more on that next week, with the lovely new wallpaper, of course! Happy Wednesday!

Flowers and Whales

A long long time ago, I drew a whale floating through a field of flowers... subconsciously I repeated this theme when I was doodle-painting today. I was thinking about a Jacqueline Wilson book I'd read, The Longest Whale Song. It's about a mother who falls into a coma after giving birth to her son, and her daughter struggles to get along with her stepdad. Of course, I've no experience whatsoever in the step-parent department (neither the comatose mother's, either), but I can relate to that feeling of helplessness and sorrow when your whole life turns upside down, when the woman you thought was superwoman suddenly shows you just how human she really is.

Anyway, it's been a long while since that day, and I dedicate this wee doodle to my dear mother, and to all mothers out there! Some of us may not have them close, but we will have them always in our hearts, and hopefully a bit of them will show through us, and in our children (if any). Happy Mother's Day momma! May you live long and healthy for many more mother's days to come!

Mid-evening Daydream

There are some random moments in my life when I suddenly wish to have children, just so I can furnish their childhood with rich colours and finger painting and glitter and fun times. And even a beautiful, no-sew teepee so they can play games and read and enjoy life.

no sew teepee via the handmade home

And then I think: "hey, who needs kids? I wouldn't mind one of these for myself 8D"

Today's Special: Heal The World

It's here!!!

This is my final assignment for Illustration. We had to do an A3 marker rendering on the theme 

'Heal The World'. I chose to focus more on the result of the actions of global warming, such as melting polar ice caps and habitat destruction. The melting caps was useful to lead into my concept, which was a melting sundae. The ice cream scoops was juxtaposed with endangered animals to symbolize the creatures suffering from the destruction, and the sundae glass was built out of cramped houses and narrow streets, a nuclear plant and a train spewing black smoke. 

I was greatly inspired by Mattias Adolfsson, a fantastic fantastic artist I've been following on deviantart for many years. You know the kind of artwork that just pulls at your heartstrings and makes you want to cry? Mattias' works gets to me that way. His incredible detailed imaginative drawings are explosive. You'd wish for extra hours in the day just so you can sit and pore over his works and drink down every last detail. Do pay his site or dA page a visit, I assure you it is very much worth it :) .

I used coffee to paint the sundae glass! Started with a weak one, then added more coffee to get stronger, darker shades. The even darker shades I added with markers. Oh, the best wake up smell ever is an orgasmic cocktail of coffee and Copic ink! :D. One could get high on it, not like I did, but, yeah. Haha.

To update, I have aced the final presentation of the semester! Now there is a final group compilation project that will headache me for the next few days, and the semester will be utterly, completely completed! I can't say I didn't enjoy the semester, though I thought it dragged on for a tad too long. I'm glad I did all that I did, and I'm just as glad that it's soon to be over so I may concentrate on some personal work and self-reflection :).

TGIF everybody! And have a great great weekend! 

Wedding Dress

 Aaaand it's October!

Hello everybody :D. Just to clear things up between you and me, no, I am not getting married. Neither is this post about Taeyang (sorry Kpop fans). I can, however, include a little gif of smexy Taeyang for your benefit anyways:

asiandreamgif

I liked his song a lot. And the whole album was entertaining. But Wedding Dress was a very nice song indeed. And his dancing! Hwhoah. Wait. I've already said that this post wasn't about Taeyang. I digress.

Anyway, I happened to just be browsing the Inturnetz and stumbled upon some very pretty wedding photography sites. And I think it's a shame, how in Malaysia a lot of wedding photographers are still very generic and, well, 'old-fashioned', if I may dare say. Note I say some. I did see a few pretty amazing photographs by people like Jon Low, Edmund Tham and Anna-Rina Photography. But somehow, I get a feeling of distance, between the photographer and the client. Is it just me? In some photos from Malaysian photographers, I feel as if the bride/bridegroom is a bit too conscious of the photographer, or the fact that they are being photographed. The photos look a bit too staged and unnatural. And then there are some photographers that are creative, to the point you ask the question: 'is that even a wedding photograph?!'. I mean, seriously. Some photographs look like the bride is lounging with stacks of newspapers- very well done, but wth why would a bride pose with paper bundles on her wedding? And then another gorgeous photograph- that looks like a car ad. I focused on the Ford way before I realized the bride and groom were on the other side of the photograph. I'm not giving names, I'm just saying, some photographers need to toe the line so that the wedding photographs look and feel gorgeous, not confusing.

Okay. Maybe it's just me. Who knows.

Arrow&Apple

These gorgeous wedding photographs are so professional, and yet they still possess and certain personal appeal, as if the photographer had managed to capture a bit of the bride's charm in each photograph. And I like how the makeup is kept to a minimum. In Malaysia it seems to be a long-lasting tradition of inch-thick makeup despite the weather being scorching. 

Another thing that caught my eye are the wedding dresses! Gone seem to be the days of long trains, miles of ivory lace and tulle. Short, flouncy numbers are doing the wedding march more often than not these days. Not that I'm complaining, haha. If I had to have a wedding, I'd love a gorjas knee-length dress with lots of poof and swish. So I can run around- in awesome HI-TOP SNEAKERS!!! 8D. Allow me to illustrate my ideal outfit. Lol.

(Note: Please remember, I am not getting married. I am just...fantasizing. Lol.)

1. diana chrome: railblazing | 2. short wedding dress:  wedding wire | 3. reebok x uslu airlines: sneakers actus

 It will be glittery, shimmery, and absolutely magical 8D.

A few other very dreamy dresses (for those of you who may just be planning a wedding and would like to beat the heat in a short summery number) :

favim

Don't you just love soft back lighting like this? It really enhances the soft fabric of the skirt.

ouma

Aha! Poofy-ness! Every fairy-princess-wedding girl's dream :D.

What kind of wedding do you dream of? The whole peacock-train, full veil and red roses kind? Or something completely wild and out of it, like a paintball party? Or how about a gold-and-white beach bikini theme? :D. Feel free to share your dreams, no matter how traditional or extraordinary.

It's time for me to take my leave. Thank you for your time. I shall leave you with another smexy Taeyang gif: 

asiandreamgif

Have a nice day everybody :D.

Longitude

Longitude

Just a random thingy I did the other week. I was bored and in the mood to draw something. It's weird, though. Back then I got all hyped up drawing and drawing without a care in the world. Whatever I wanted I just doodled down however I fancied. I didn't give a toss about things like composition and complimentary colours and linear weights and what-have-yous.

Of course, looking at it now there's good and bads to just drawing however you want. Of course you want to make it visually appealing, get the message across, evoke feelings and emotions from whoever is viewing it. For that to happen you need to follow some basic rules. 

But then I remember when I was doodling and messing about with my markers and paper and pencils, I was happy. Very happy indeed. Of course there were certain little hiccups here and there, but I felt a genuine sense of accomplishment when I'd completed some drowned-in-colour thing. It was kinda like me, my ideas, paper and music. Nothing in between, nothing that can create some sort of distraction.

Right now when I look back at my old works, I can find fault in every single one of them. Of course, every creator will do so. But at the same time, I can't seem to find that blind, mindless drive to just doodle down everything and anything. I'll start to think about all the rules, and how to break them or bend them in different ways. Not like that's a bad thing, but of course you can see for yourself just how unproductive I've been since I started uni. 

My theory is this: back when I was completely oblivious to the foundations of design and art, I was like some wild monkey with a pencil. I threw everything down without putting much thought into it. Could you say my artwork then was and is shallow? Most probably. Because there isn't a rationale or a reason for it. It exists because I wanted to create it. That's all. But now, with the metaphorical chains of knowledge, I know better than to just go gadding about. I suppose, with more hard work and effort I won't call the knowledge chains, and instead call them steps and ladders to creating more beautiful and meaningful artwork.

It's like the transition of child to adult. When the world was so innocent, and when you reach that certain age, you just look at the old things so, so differently.

Excuse me for the big big wall of text. That's enough rambles for one night I suppose.

Sanctuary

Ever since I was little (yes, it's one of those nostalgic reminiscent posts =P), I'd always dreamed of having a house with my very own library. It doesn't have to be big, with high ceilings and shelves all the way up, till you need a ladder to reach the books. I'm short and accident-prone enough, thank you very much. The last thing I need is to rip a muscle straining to grab at the book just out of my reach and/or being buried under an avalanche of hardbacks. Which brings me to the other thing. My dream reading space would probably be even less valuable than the garage. There won't be priceless, first editions of everything. Leather bound tomes, papers edged with gold. I don't think the books I read even come like that. Haha. No, I think my library would be a motley of paperbacks: bright green Penguin classics, perhaps one or two hardbacks (I can see my hardback copy of Murakami's 1Q84 sitting on the shelf already), and plenty of children's books. Pop-ups, rhymes, and an entire collection of translated Jimmy Liao books. And definitely not forgetting Jacqueline Wilson, for the times when I just want to take a break from all the metaphorical grown up books and want something light and easy to read. 

It could be a room, or maybe just one section of a room that I can dedicate entirely to reading. Of course, there'll have to be ample space for my constantly growing collection, with magazines and comics besides. I always imagine a nice, large window with a cushioned seat. And plenty of pillows and a cuddly blanket! And the lights will be adjustable, so I can have them bright or dim whenever I fancy. There has to be lots of indirect light as well. I would love little table lamps that give off soft, yellow light. 

Or, how about a cosy spot in the attic? Right under the slanting ceilings, where the morning sun comes through the windows just so?

simplystoked

simplystoked

I particularly liked the idea of a little storage space under the seat for current reads! That way you could always keep track of which books you're currently sinking your teeth into. Also there has to be a lovely view outside to refresh the tired eyes :).

I came across this, and really, how do you not fall in love with something like this?

mamamekko

It is actually a closet converted into a reading corner for children. I love the painted wooden planks and the cloud pillows! Can't say much about the lamp, because I've grown up with those curly rimmed shades and I have to say, there are very few things more beautiful that the delicate glass frills of that lampshade. I don't know about you, but I sure would love to have a grown up's version of this! A place where you can shut yourself away from all the bustle and noise of the world. When you just don't want to listen to anything or anyone except the sound of the pages turning and the adventures reeling in your mind's eye.

And take a look at this! How gorgeous is this? The flowered curtain, and the comfy stuffed sofa pushed right up at the windowsill. All the days of doing nothing but reading and sipping at coffee! And there's nothing quite as cosy as wooden flooring. It just seems like a warm smile or a gentle hand. 

qc girl's nook

I'm sure everyone has their own idea of a perfect chill spot. And every one needs one. Because we can't all be part of a large group forever. I think it's human nature to want to break away once in awhile, break away from the raucous voices and troublesome 'lifely' woes like clogged sinks and dirty floors. Perhaps some of us just want to break away and stay out of the conversation for longer, but that's cool too. To each his own, right? 

It's funny, how I used to think myself as part of the lively crew, going out and doing things. But when I think back I know that that is nothing but a lie =P. I'm a stay-at-home person, full stop. Most of my childhood memories are reading books, making up adventures for my stuffed animals, and then later writing those adventures down into sentences and paragraphs, until I have stories. How many hours, no, I don't think I can quite measure it by hours. If I had to, I would measure those times by the number of batteries I went through, haha. Before the iPods, children, I had a Sony discman player that ran on AA's. Later on I got a Creative Rhombus MP3 that worked on AAA's. I think I bought enough batteries in my entire child-teenhood to power my house for five months, no kidding. Hahaha. But yes, I remember long afternoons and nights, when I was just plugged into whatever music that was making me go then, either writing away at my book or journalling or drawing. Oh my goodness, good times man. Good, good times.

And one day, I'm going to be able to enjoy those times again! When I get my own house and covert a corner of it to my own little sanctuary. How will yours look like? What will your little haven have? It'd be nice to know :).

I think this blog post is a twee bit too long XD. Hope you enjoyed it anyways. Happy Toosday night everybody!

August

It's here! Magical month of August, where nothing much happens and is no difference to the months before or after it. That's what you get for living in a place like Malaysia, with no change of seasons to speak of. Just hot hot hot oh look rain! and more heat =P.

Watched Spiderwick yesterday night. Twas fairyly interesting, lol. I wished there were more mystical creatures available though. Instead of just the handful of goblins and a flying half-bird and a honeyeater. And if only there were more fairies! The flower sprites were pretty enough, but they had such little screen time D=. It'd be so nice though, to live in the middle of a forest with magical creatures all about you.

I wouldn't want to live in the forest of my story though. Haha. Think it'd be a tad too creepy for my weak heart, even if it did come out of my imagination. Again, this story was just plucked out of my head. It's as if the time was just so, and out it popped, a newborn baby. My eyes were closing, and suddenly it appeared, the story in almost its whole form. All it needed was maybe some clothes and an ornament or two. 

Anyway, enjoy it and the new month of August. Happy days, everybody =).

To-to-to-to-totoro! ^O^

Yeah, it's beginning to feel like a Ghibli movie marathon XD. What can I say? I have a buncha movies to watch during dinnertime so I might as well go through them all. But if Miyazaki's films are all so lovable, I'm going to love falling in love every single night XD.

Like tonight! Or should I say yesterday night since it's already today? =P. I watched My Neighbour Totoro! I once saw a mini keychain of the Neko bus in a store and I wondered where it came from. Now I know 8D. The movie was just adorable. And so magical!!! The movie felt so fresh and back-to-nature with all the lush scenery. I especially loved the green sanctuary where Totoro slept. So fairytale like and dreamy ^_^.

Dangit, now all I can think about is getting a big cuddly Totoro plushie. Preferably an official Ghibli plush, lol. But those things cost a bomb. Maybe if they were priced in acorns it wouldn't be so bad XD.

Tomorrow I shall watch Spirited Away! Whee! ^O^

Moving Castle Dreams

I guess many fans have already watched Howl's Moving Castle by Studio Ghibli, but how many of you have actually read the book? It's an awesome awesome book by Diana Wynne Jones, whom, I just realized, died this day last year of lung cancer. How odd does the world turn?

Rest in peace, oh wondrous authoress! You gave the world many a good dream.

I remember watching Howl's Moving Castle when it just came out, which was a long, looong time ago. Long enough for me to not remember much of it. I remember buying the book after watching it, though (and it's sequel: Castle In The Air). Both books are absolutely amazing, really. I don't know, but it's just one of those books where scenes and images come to mind very vividly, with plenty of details. Some books tend to have hazy pictures, but not this one. 

And so, I watched Howl's Moving Castle again today. Well, technically I got back to it, because I watched a bit of it yesterday when I was testing the video out, but okay you didn't really need to know all of that, lol. All I'm saying is, it's amazing! Don't expect it to be a 100% like the book; it is an adaptation after all. Though sometimes the character's expressions tend to be a bit unnatural, they are all endearing in their own way. And maybe it's because I have a soft spot for small old women, but yeah. I giggled watching old Sophie and the ancient Witch of The Waste just because they looked so cute. 

And OHMAIGAWD the attention to detail! From the clumsy castle to the decorative mess of Howl's bedroom, each scene is just gorgeously packed with details. It made me feel like pausing at each new scene just to take in all the little details: the cluttered kitchen table, the bustling towns, everything. It just creates such a magical mood and sucks you right into the movie. If only it stayed truer to the book! But enjoyable nonetheless, haha. 

The only other Studio Ghibli movie I've watched is Spirited Away, but now I can barely remember anything. I shall re-watch it, and the other movies too! Which one is the one with the catbus? It looks so adorable, haha.

I guess it's all the little attention to detail that makes things magical. I guess I'm on the right track then :D. And one day I'm going to have a room just like Howl's! ^O^

Beat the Monday blues everybody~! It's Toosday in another 2 hours or so.

Going Green

 

Badly taken shot+photobomb Elmo = dafaq?

Introducing the new addition to my cuddle-farm: Cauliflower! Yes, yes, I know he doesn't look like a cauliflower, and honestly if you really thought he was a cauliflower you need to spend more time doing groceries and eating your vegetables =P. Cauliflower is his name, broccoli be his species =3. Anyway, little Cauliflower hails from the faraway farm of IKEA. And I was joking about the little part. He's of a pretty decent size to be cuddled. But due to his odd shape and being top heavy, you'll most probably end up with your arms around his tufty brains while the rest of his stalk body dangles at the bottom. He's awfully cuddly though. He and Blooworm be very good friends now, and keep each other company when I'm not sleeping 8D.

Oh, and one very cute thing about baby Cauliflower: he wears a sarong! I don't care what it's meant to be: a blue checkered waistcoat, a dishcloth, a picnic blanket. It's still a sarong to me. And he looks fweaking adorable in it >w<.

There's also a dancing strawberry and a bright orange carrot in this Torva series that should be collected. Must be collected. Will be collected. The broccoli should have friends! That way when I'm not around there will be a lively vegan party on the bed, lol. Kids, if you wonder whether your toys come alive when you're not in the room: it's true. It's true it's true it's blue glue true.

I shall leave now. Farewell. 

Daydream

Sometimes when the weather gets unbearably hot, I find myself imagining a fantasy world where I can lounge on cool patterned tiles and listen to the refreshing trickle of a fountain. I imagine a jug of cool rose drink with lemon slices and delicate glasses beside it, and maybe a bumpy glass bowl of jelly to go with it. There would be large, soft cushions and a colourful silk throw. The breeze would be cool and constant, playing with the glass windchimes that tinkle overhead somewhere. And scents: the breeze would bring in the delicious aroma of pandan leaves and rosewater with just a hint of lemon zest: the very embodiment of green and pink and sunshine dancing in the cool air.
A cool, quiet and serene retreat from the heat and troubles that weigh down upon me. Just one of the many world I like to lose myself in sometimes.

What kind of worlds reside in your mind?

Alla Turca

Hello hello~

Heidi's songs are starting to grow on me. Haha. Still loving d'espa's album though.

Anyway, had to do research on a country of my choice for Creative Studies, and surprise surprise I chose to research on Turkey. Yeah, you probably thought I'd do Japan or something. But, nah. I already know quite a bit about the land of the rising sun, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to learn something new. And man, am I glad I did. Cause if I hadn't decided to look up on a place I know little to nothing about, I wouldn't have found out about the amazing Turkish Miniature paintings. It's a traditional fine art style developed during the Ottoman's rule over Turkey. Technically it can be classified as historical paintings, as they are mainly depictions of historical events such as victories, festivals, state affairs, etc.

Original miniatures by Matrakçi Nasuh

And then I had the great fortune of stumbling upon Turkish miniature artist, Nusret Çolpan. Really, it was love at first sight when I saw his painting! I feel so overwhelmed when I viewed his fabulous artwork. Then I came to the unfortunate realization that he has been dead for 2 years already. But not before leaving about 300 miniatures to be enjoyed the world over. I especially love the delicate swirls and the flow of the lines in his paintings. It really evokes a gorgeous, maical storybook feeling, especially when coupled with his unconventional themes.

Artwork by Nusret Çolpan

So...yes. Moral of the story? Don't be contented with what you already have. If I'd just wanted the easy way out, I could've easily grabbed a couple of obvious points about Japan/China/any random country I already know of and use that. But if you're willing to o the extra mile, more often than not you'd be pleasantly surprised with the results you get. I'm actually feeling really fed up right now over the whole 'contentment' thing, but I'll try to forget about it and mmob, lol. Right-o, off I go for now. Gosh, I'm feeling sleepy. Goodnight!

Eden

In Eden, we can be together~

100TH POST BABEH!!!

Yay! Let us all celebrate my finally reaching the 100th entry after...uh, close to 3 years of inconsistent-but-starting-to-get-fairly-consistent blogging. Whee! *blows trumpet and flings glitter all round*

I just completed that spiffeh thingey you see up there *points up*. It shall be in honour of my reaching the 100th entry. It took quite a long while...nearly a month? Had to stop for a while to work on art project. Continued straight after, then scanned it in. It's larger than the usual A4 sized drawings I do (it's around A3 size) so I had to scan it in two parts. Then I used some really awesome tutorial on piecing the two parts together then did some touch-ups in Photoshop. Good lordy, my tablet-ing/Photoshopping $k!lLz are getting better! Yay! Soon enough you'll see me whacking out full digital drawings, though I must say I still worhip traditional media. I should, seeing as I've spent quite a fortune on markers XD.

So, yes. Super busy week is still in progress, and what with me being stupidly tired for no apparent reason, I forgot to blog about this yesterday. Well, yesterday was one of the not-so-many historical days in Joanne's life because I finally FINALLY ate food from the school canteen!!! Yes, ever since I first stepped foot/feet into the school when I was in form 1, never did I once eat out of the school canteen. I mean, sure, I do buy bread and drinks and stuff, but not solid meals, like noodles or rice or whatever else. But recently I've been seeing my friends eat all these really yummy-looking food from the canteen and so yesterday I made up my mind to try it out for myself. Uhm...I had: rice, cabbage, and sweet/sour chicken. It was surprisingly good! The cabbage was really nice and soft, not the crunchy sort that I don't like. Haha. Damn, starting to get hungry. Haha.

Right-o, I'll try to suppress my hunger pangs long enough to go about blogging about:

DIM

It's parental advisory even 8D

Lol. Anyway, yes, Gazette's latest album, DIM! It's filled with absolutely signature Gazette rock music, so for all fans of Gazette, hardcore or not, this album should well satisfy your Gazette-y needs. The album has quite a lot of tracks, actually. 17 altogether, but there are a few inserts in between. Most of the songs are hard happy rock with a bit of screaming and some turntables thrown in a-la Gazette, but there is still a certain sense of difference if compared to their previous album, STACKED RUBBISH. I think the latter is slightly more upbeat. I'm still loving DISTRESS AND COMA, as well as Headache Man for the wonderful electric guitars. Yes. And I just realised that Reita is just totally <3 br="br" xd.="xd." xd="xd">
Oh LOL. I just thought of it. I could make a band outta my favourite J-rockerS/v-k-ers XD. If Gackt were to be vocalist, Tora (Alice Nine) and Shin (Kagrra) as guitarists, Reita as bassist, and Tsukasa (d'espairsray) as drummer...ahahahahahha. Oh, the joys of imagination.

If it did happen I think I could die happy regardless of all that I've had thrown at me 8D 8D 8D.

Okay, done for now. Whee~