My frend, Tõnis (@vanishing.shanghai), calls our mini “group” the “Five o’clock Club” because we used to get up early to go out sketching. In a previous post, I posted about our early morning sketches, which is how we enjoyed these crazy morning hours. However, we can’t do it as often now because of our busy schedules. I have to feed the cats and kids before I leave for work, and Tõnis is busy organizing his exhibits. But we still try to grab any pockets of time we can to go out and sketch, and we call them “mini adventures.” Adventure 1: Anren Street One morning, we had an impromptu sketching…
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In the previous post I shared my urban sketching adventures around Shanghai. I thought there was too much to share on that post so I decided to do a part 2 but this time focusing on the other type of creative stuff that I was able to get done. Starting off with a big highlight from our holiday is the exhibit called “Beyond the Streets” which we were fortunate to see before it ended. I thought it was a really cool exhibit about graffiti, how it became an art form and all the different artists who started off as graffiti artists before they became well-known. And the best part? My…
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The 2024 ARTIST ALMANAC: ONE (1) part calendar + ONE (1) part inspiration = a whole LOT of collage material. 18 talented artists bring you 365 days of collageable artsy bits of paper.
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BIG NEWS! If you have missed the Early Bird Special and the Wanderlust LIVE! special sale, don’t worry. Wanderlust 2024 is on offer THIS WEEKEND – 27 October to 31 Oct at sale price of $109* USD instead of $175*! For a year full of video lesson in mixed-media. Don’t miss out on this bargain! If you are still wondering what Wanderlust 2024 is all about, let me fill you in! It’s a year-long course in mixed-media art journaling, offering a whole year of learning and inspiration. What you get: And guess what? Exciting bonuses are already waiting in the classroom! *local tax calculated at checkout So excited and am…
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Let's take a moment to pause and truly notice what surrounds us this November. What are we grateful for in this very moment? Together with Lea, let's embark on a journey of journaling.
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Experience Shanghai through my eyes with early morning urban sketching during the "Golden Week."
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08:45 am | Saturday My sketching adventure last Saturday was at the Zhenru Temple (真如寺) in Putuo District. When my friend, Lily, suggested this place to visit instead of the venue designated by Drawing Shanghai / Shanghai Urban Sketchers, my curiosity was perked. So good that we went to the historic Zhenru Temple, I don’t know why I did not know about this temple before. Originally built in the Song Dynasty (960-1276), the temple has undergone several changes throughout history between the Taiping Revolution to the Cultural Revolution where a lot of relics were destroyed. There is one temple within that is the original structure but most are rebuilt due…
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So great to be back into painting with watercolours are spending lots of time with other medium in my art journal. I joined Ohn Mar Win (@ohn_mar_win) and Clare Therese (@claretheresegray) on Instagram with their #7DaysofAutumnFlowers. I used a Fabriano Leporello Accordion Journal because of the size and I wanted to try this format of journal again. My watercolours are a mixed of Daniel Smith, Schmincke and Holbein. Finally, I decided to purchase a couple of local brands of watercolour brushes to see how they are against the international brands. Honestly, I am loving them! In the photo below (in the foreground) you will see 2 types of mop brushes…
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Time… where did it all go? Last year’s Messy May, we were house-bound due to COVID lockdown in Shanghai. We were on our second month then and creating my pages in a mini outdated diary was the one of the things that was keeping my mind busy. This year’s Messy May crept up on me and fortunately I had an empty mini bound journal I made for Wanderlust. I found it was a fantastic size to work on. If you are following me on Instagram, you would have seen these. I’m sharing some of my favourite pages from this challenge. And you can check out the flip-thru of the entire…
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07:45 am | Sunday My friend, Tõnis, and I decided on another early morning meet up to sketch around the Xiaonanmen (小南门) area. Tõnis dropped a pin to where we are meeting up, and I walked to Xitangjia Alley (西塘家弄) from my home. Along the way, the streets feel so empty… deserted… feels like a ghost town with pretty much the houses in this neighbourhood has been boarded up. Most of the locals have moved out while there are a very rare few who are still holding out for as long as they can. Seeing this sight as I walk through the narrow streets, I cannot help wonder – is…
