14 Saturday Jan 2017
Posted in Illustration, watercolor
Happy New Year, everyone! And thank you for staying with me all this time.
I have said it before and I will say it again – this blog, your friendship and encouragement have saved me in every way a girl can be saved.
I update my artwork on Instagram more than here nowadays. It’s just easier to snap and post over there.
May 2017 be the bomb for all you lovely people.
02 Sunday Oct 2016
Posted in Art, Asia, Illustration
Life is better on the island (the island being Singapore).
17 Saturday Sep 2016
Posted in Art, Illustration, Singapore
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, #sketches #sketchbook #illustrations #expatliving, fashionfail, feeling, OOTD, outfitgoals, singaporeartist, watercolor, zigkuretake
When you think you are looking fly and your outfit is rocking but it isn’t.
If anything, your outfit is very grandma.
23 Saturday Jul 2016
Posted in Art, Illustration, Singapore
Tags
#art, #illustration, #singapore, flowers, flowershop, watercolor
Before we moved to Singapore, we always had fresh seasonal flowers at home. Something about them really elevates my mood after a long day at work.
After we moved here, for the first few months I tried to keep this up. But fresh flowers in Singapore are hella expensive! They’re mostly hothouse type flowers, which aren’t particularly fragrant. Also, having been in a fridge for days before they actually hit the shops, they die rather quickly after you bring them home.
So, that’s something I miss, apart from having four seasons, winter clothes, and parties by the bonfire.
05 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Art, Illustration
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, art, singaporeartist, sketchbook, springsummer, tropicalpalms, watercolor
“I stepped from plank to plank
so slow and cautiously;
the stars about my head I felt,
about my feet the sea.”
— Emily Dickinson
03 Friday Jun 2016
Posted in Illustration
30 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in Illustration
If you’re blue, just drape a warm and fuzzy animal on your person. One of two things will happen: said animal will ignore you, then scratch you real hard if they don’t want to be used as a scarf.Or, said animal will lick your face and give you affection if they don’t mind being used as a scarf.
Either way, you will be distracted from your blueness and feel much better.
16 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in Asia, Illustration
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, fashionillustration, mensfashion, mensscarves, orchardroad, singaporeartist, singaporestreetstle, streetfashion, streetstyle, watercolor
Singapore men’s street fashion usually comprises shorts and a tshirt, though not many shy away from color. Or, sports wear.
On the other end of the spectrum are men like these two dapper gentlemen seen on Orchard Road, the fashion mecca of our little island. A bit weather inappropriate, but I am sure they were indoors where the air conditioning was super strong. And that amount of gel in hair conveys a serious dedication to looking good.
They did look good, like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine, or were hipsters who had very rich parents.. Like they were super into themselves.
20 Saturday Feb 2016
Posted in Art, Illustration, watercolor
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, floralpattern, howtobesingle, leaves, pattern, spring, watercolor, watercolour
The weather’s been unexpectedly good in Singapore the last couple of days. It’s wet weather but breezy and cooler than the usual soul sucking heat and humidity that we usually have all year round. Hence this little spring-inspired pattern, using some cool new watercolor techniques I have learnt via my awesome teacher, the Internet. I’m also trying out ink as a sole medium, but more on that later. And because I am in love with this cheery little pattern, I’ll make home decor products in this print and share the link soon.
On a side note, I went to watch How to be Single because I love Rebel Wilson. She had a tiny unidimensional role in it, the movie was a string of regressive cliches and just sucked in a way I did not expect it to.
04 Thursday Feb 2016
Posted in Art, Illustration
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, Asia, bestweather, leaves, perspectivedrawing, singaporeartist, sky, springtime, treecanopy, watercolor
If you lie on your back, or lean back all the way on the sofa – this is what you see. A fistful of sky and a green canopy.
This one took a bit of time. But the feeling of finishing is indescribable. The best part about this blog is that I can share my excitement at learning new things.
If you are an illustrator, perhaps you could try the Zig Kuretake brush pens. I think they’re awesome.
02 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in Illustration
Tags
#illustration, #singapore, amrapali, art, design, earrings, india, jewellery, jewelry, navratna, pearls, rubies, singaporeartist, sketchbook, watercolor
I have been a huge fan of Amrapali jewelry since 2006, when I first saw a silver lotus ring, with pink tourmaline buds growing out of a vine, at the gift shop of a hotel in Udaipur. It was love at first sight ( I have a huge thing for jewelry. Especially traditional Indian jewelry) and I have been in love with their art ever since.
While browsing their online shop ( I do this often), I found the most exquisite gold navaratna earrings with a pearl drop. Navaratna means “nine gems”. In India, these nine jewels represent the solar system. A ruby for the sun, pearl for the moon, red coral for Mars, emerald for the planet Mercury, yellow sapphire for Jupiter, a diamond for Venus, blue sapphire for Saturn, hessonite for the ascending moon and a cat’s eye for the descending moon. The ruby is at the center with the others surrounding it in a particular order. This is supposed to bring luck to the wearer. Traditionally, I suppose only royalty could afford it and maybe they needed a lot of luck, what with all the wars and stuff.
I need luck too, obvi. But also I need it because it’s so so pretty! The only trouble is, it’s frightfully expensive. So I figured having a drawing of it, tracing its curves and lines, will be kind of like having it 🙂
22 Thursday Oct 2015
Posted in Durga, Illustration
Tags
#durgapuja, #illustration, #singapore, bengalibabu, bengalicouple, bengalis, durgapuja2015, goddessshakti, hindufestival, shubhobijoya, sketchbook
In October, Bengalis celebrate Durga, the goddess of Shakti, in a five day long festival. We worship her as our mother and as our daughter. She is our daughter, married, with four children, living in marital bliss with her husband, Shiva. Once a year, she leaves her marital home to come stay with her parents, that is us. This homecoming is what millions of Bengalis look forward to all year. We light up the streets and clean our homes, buy new clothes and prepare to welcome her.
On the fifth day, which is today this year, we say goodbye to her with tears in our eyes. We offer her all her favorite foods and give her new clothes and jewelry. We ask her to come again next year, because without her our home feels empty and joyless. After she leaves, we hug each other, give gifts to the little ones and touch the feet of our elders and ask for their blessing to commemorate Durga’s stay with us.
We wish everyone a “shubho bijoya”, so that the year ahead is full of light and all that is good. It is said that the Gods made Durga, the destroyer of all evil, after harnessing the strength and love of all the mothers in the world. On this day, we wish everyone the strength to have a kind heart in a cruel world, to stand up against all evil and always remember what’s important – family.
Shubho Bijoya and a very happy Dussehra to everyone!
PS: The illustration is of a Bengali couple in our traditional style of saree and dhoti-kurta.
20 Thursday Aug 2015
Posted in Blog Giveaway, Illustration
Tags
Visualtroop is giving away a select few framed prints to a lucky winner!
All you have to do is head on here and just like the piece you want. My ‘Light of our Lives” illustration is up there for grabs. Perfect for a baby’s room or a little family!
03 Monday Aug 2015
Posted in Illustration
Sometimes, a small regret comes flying into my mind and very soon I am sitting in a pile of regrets, sorting out the big and small. Piecing together the tiny things that led to the big regret. Trying to shift the pieces around and see if it could spell something else, like “choice” or “destiny” but it doesn’t.
Has this ever happened to you?
12 Sunday Jul 2015
Posted in Art, Mixedmedia
Tags
#art, #feminism, #illustration, #labels, #singapore, #Stamping, abstract, Branding, Lovelabels, mixedmedia, singaporeillustrator, women
If you wear western clothes, you are a slut.
If you speak too much, too abrasively, too feminist-ly, you are a cantankerous shrew.
If you smoke, you are a bad, fallen woman.
If you smoke AND drink, you are a shame to your family.
If you do all this publicly, you deserve to be raped.
Please feel free to add to the list. Because, we may not label our merchandise but we label our women with enthusiasm and ease.
Mixed media 2: Sharpies, brushpen, watercolor and digital.
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