Another 2 New Painted Cards!

Well, I think you can see what are the Cards were all about! They were sized A5 made on Art Card... and I simply had fun doing them. I know in my heart that the receivers were smiling ear to ear (if not laughing!) when they see the Cards :)... and knowing that, made me feel vewy vewy good inside.

Enjoy, you gals!

Lil' Jay is turning ONE!

Owh, Jasmeen..

why the long face..?

your birthday is coming up p-r-e-t-t-y soon!

Yup! That's more like it, dear..

you gonna get a lot of gifts..

with balloons and a lot of cheer..

your auntie (ME) will come with a kiss..

and a Birthday Card painted by her!

Yay! Again!

I found a very cute dragon fly sticker in a bookstore the other day.. and I know it'll look so cool on my hand- painted card. Owh.. it's just so lovely :). Hope she'll love it too.. well, maybe she could appreciate it even more when she has grown up. 

So there.. another 1 year old hand-painted birthday Card I make in January..and the client was.. ME&hubby!

Oh, another thing- I'm done being a 'bag lady' about a week.. haha! I mean, my 45pcs ecobags for the "Mom's Day Out" Event are DONE and so ready to be sent to my client! So.. another Yay! for me.

Enjoy!

Farewell Boss!

A friend of mine and her colleagues are going to throw a farewell party to their beloved Boss who is going to transfer to a different office next month. Instead of some 'usual' gifts for a man such as.. an expensive tie..or a set of perfume.. or clothing.. or a plaque of the company's logo..etc., the team ordered a Caricature- not just the Boss but the whole team too!

Now, that's something a Boss will never forget. Don't you think? hihi..

Enjoy!

Event News: "Mom's Day Out"!

Every moms deserves a "day out".. by herself or with her friends! What more when the day out involves something that will enrich her in many ways.. well, shopping may do that too but this is quite different!

I had the opportunity to design a fun flyer and eco-bags for this event organized by BlingLustre owned by a very enterprising lady-Kay :)! I love working with her especially when she gave me the freedom to come up with a design and she really appreciates Art and Handmade stuffs! To know more about the event, please check out her site and contact her soon. I heard the seats are still available.

As of right now.. I'm still doing the event's eco-bags as their goodie-bags :)... 45 pieces altogether. Phew! They may look quite simple but they took me.. many.. many days to finish because the details are all hand-drawn & painted! Yup. Good luck to me... ngee..ngee..^_^

Enjoy!

A Hand Painted B-day Card 4 A Boy!

Above was a commissioned birthday card for a 1 year old boy! I would love to craft something on the card but I think, I'm a much better painter than a crafter..teeheehee. I finished it up with spots of silver glitters around the card and the blue glitters on the clouds. My client gave me freedom to make the card but gave me a clue that she will give an 'engineer' theme of soft working tools as a gift to the lucky nephew.

Well, I hope all of them will like the card :).

Hop in and Join the Ride!

One day, Tee wanted to go to the little shop in the village.

Din offered her a 'ride'.

NOTE: 

It's amazing how useful the coconut tree is. From top to bottom. If you're not from Malaysia, you might not be familiar with this game. You could actually ride the coconut's leaves. All you have to do is sit on one end, and the 'driver' will pull the leaves forward and take you wherever you want to go. Err.. you might hurt your butt if the ground is rough with lots of little stones. Ouch! It's better to play on the grass :).

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

A Fellow Doodler's Caricature!

She's talented.. she's cool.. she's mysterious..

She is...? Click here to know and see more of her :D.

I know you'll Enjoy it!

Our little world of Love.

He likes her.. yet he annoys her.
He loves her.. yet she hates him.. (maybe.. sometimes..)

Aahh.. we are just too young to fall in love.
Why can't we just be friends..?

This little village is our playground.. of a bond that may never ends..
That's just how our love should be.. for now.. and for ever.

NOTE:
Urmm.. since I've been doodling these little characters, some ideas were flowing in.. well, I don't know where this is heading just yet... but I just might as well 'follow the flow' and keep records in the blog. Just for my own muse :).

A Chicken Run!

I used to grow up rearing some chicken in the backyard. They are among some fun creatures to watch and good to eat. Ha!
Actually, the theme @ Illustration Friday has inspired this doodle. It just brought me back to my chicken run. I think it's quite silly.. so here goes..to Whimsical Wednesday!

Just felt like coloring the chicken with pencil colors. So, I did. 

Enjoy!

Another Happy B-Day Do.

Look Mom! I'm a Mermaid!

This super cute Princess Ariel wannabe is going to have her birthday this coming weekend and this caricature will surely be a wonderful surprise from her Mom! teeheehee.. Have a Gweat One, deary!!

Free Toonie from ET

Ermm.. in case you dunno what "Toonie" is... it's just my little cartoons that occasionally appear out of my doodles.

I'm still developing my little characters.. just for my own muse :). If you have seen my ATCs, you'll see I did a series of "Din & Tee", 2 little kids from a little village in Malaysia. Today, I thought I just want to make them more friendly by interacting with my blog viewers whenever they come to pay me a visit.

Both of them are going to welcome you by staying standing in my sidebar.. with a HAPPY sign-board. If you like them, you may go ahead and take them with you too~!

Enjoy!

It's Granny's Birthday!!

Not my granny though. My granny doesn't exactly remember when her birthday was.. because her parents registered her birth quite late. At that time, everyone was afraid to go out from the village because of the Japanese roaming around...

Anyway, my good ol' friend Shila wanted a full caricature of her Mother and Dad plus their 7 grandchildren! So, now you know whose granny this is :). Her birthday was yesterday (12th Jan).. and Shila has turned the caricature into a huge B-Day Card with signatures and wishes at the back. Cool! She must be very happy to see that.. Shila told me, her mom is quite a creative lady herself :).

So.. Happy Birthday to Shila's mom!

For this Caricature, I used Derwent Pastel Pencils for the faces. I think, they make the skin look a lot smoother than using color pencils...quite nice too.

Enjoy!

Free Blog Ad @ PortalNiaga

Hi..
we have a Malaysian portal called Portal Niaga Anda that promotes other blogs with advertisements.. there are FREE ones (if you're lucky, yours will be chosen.. after you have registered them) and there are paid spaces too!
So, I found in my mail today that mine is chosen for the free one. Yay! Thanks to Portal Niaga.. I saw soooo many interesting blogs there- for shoppings and for musings. Maybe I'll check out some when I've the chance.
Thanks to Portal Niaga. Here's what they have about DoodleDesign Ad: 


DoodleDesign

A brief description of your business blog : I'm offering my service & talent in Fine Art & Design!
Your link address :www.doodledsgn.blogspot.com
Your blog category : Others
Write Your category (If your blog's category more than one OR for others Category ) : Art & Design
Your Name : ET
Email : doodledsgn@gmail.com
Phone No :
How do you know about this Portal? : Friend's Blog
Already be our fans and followers? : Yes - Thanks from PNA
Give some brief about this Portal ( appreciated if you can give some suggestion to us ) : I love to draw and paint a variety of things. I sometimes do some graphic design works too. Many customers love my Caricature works and I take order at anytime of the day.


That's all, folks!

I'm the Wizard of Whimsy!

Yup. You heard me right- the Wizard of Whimsy this week is me- after I entered my "Pony Ride" cartoon! I can't believe my eyes too. haha.

Now, go hop to Whimsical Wednesday and join 'em for some Artsy fun.. and meet many more talented people who love art for art sake!

Enjoy!

Здравствуйте! Russian Cuisine, anyone?

Здравствуйте (Zdravstvujte) is "Hello". 
To know how to pronounce it, just click on the word.

I've never been to Russia, let alone tasted the food. I've never even bother to learn the language, let alone read about what they are eating over there.Until... one day, in the middle of no where.. (well, one day bee & I went to Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam).. there stood in front of where we parked the car, a restaurant named "CAMAR".. which took over our curiosity... or more like, over our grumbling tummies ('brunch' time!!!).


The restaurant has just opened its doors this year! So, it's pretty new and almost oblivious to even the KotaKemuningans. Now, bee & I are suckers for checking out new places to enjoy our occasional F&B rendezvous. Sometimes, we even felt the need to impersonate the masterchefs while eating our food.

Anyway, we talked to the lovely owner Leslie who married a Malaysian guy and they have decided to open this restaurant named CAMAR which also means HAPPY in Russian. As you approach the entrance, you'll see the signboard and menu designs with a consistent nautical feeling. My bee, with a bit of Russian cuisine experience back then, showed off by ordering a couple of familiar things (to him) and I ordered by looking at which picture in the menu that looked suspiciously good :)!

My bee ordered Rice Pillaf.. almost like the Malay fried rice or akin to Briyani.. and yes, it was really tasty.

Next, came the beef dumplings or Pelmeni.. owhh.. yummy.. we ate them with yogurt. If you don't want heavy meal, I think this is enough to fill your tummy.

This was what I ordered.. French Meat.. but she used chicken.. and it was cooked perfectly to my liking.. topped with cheese. Arghhh.. this is difficult. Difficult to resist. Heh.

Unfortunately, my hot lemon tea was served with lime instead- she was out of lemon. It's ok.. no biggie. But my bee was happy to get his BIG mug of coffee to complete his brunch. I think the restaurant has a nice ambient with comfortable setting.. fully air-conditioned.

Leslie (the lady in striped T-shirt) pointed our that the big aqua-related pictures on the walls, not only represented camar- meaning, the sea gulls in Malay.. but they reminded her of where she used to live in Russia (near the sea). There's a TV and a dvd player at one corner and as we were having our brunch, a Russian movie was on. Well, I guess she wanted to feel more at home here.

So, if you guys would like to check it out .. please take the highways lead to Kota Kemuning, take 3 o'clock at the first roundabout, go to almost at end of the shoplots, take right- where you'll see MamaKandar on your right, go to the little roundabout, make a U-turn (you'll see Jotun/ DIY shop on the left- so, turn left..) and the restaurant is right behind the shop which sell beddings stuff and in the same row with a mechanic shop at the end lot.

Next time, I would like to try Camar's stews and ice creams. 

The pictures looked good too! :)

Hmm.. somehow that doesn't sound quite right..

...and here's the prove that we were both hungry & the food was worth recommending :D.

Enjoy!

Alor Setar's HOT New Art Center!!

Yup, this HOT new Art Center is located in Alor Setar, KEDAH.. established by a good ol' friend of mine.. who was also my house mate in the good ol' U. Her name is Haniza..but we call her, Ninja! ermm.. don't ask me why.

So.. Ninja commissioned me to do a LOGO for her new Art Center named ART-VENTURE KIDS' STUDIO. Yes, do click on the name if you would like to check it out.. especially if you're living in the area!

Here's the LOGO that Ninja has picked from a few choices I've created for her.

Thank God, she's so happy and excited to have her own logo now. YAY!

All the BEST, Ninja! I'm so excited for you :)

Here's a Memory Trip back in the UNL Year 2005  1995 (there!). A tribute to my ol' housemates back then (4 of us) ;). One of them is actually still living in a town in Nebraska. She must be enjoying the Huskers still.. and the thick harsh snow.. and the corn fields... hehee.. 

Ninja & I dressed as "Grad Ghosts" for the International Students' Halloween Nite.. haha! Something we made up by ourselves about 2 friends on the way to the graduation party but got killed in a freak accident. We used eye-shadows and lipsticks to make-up our faces. Guess who won the Best Dressed Ghost of the nite? If I'm not mistaken, it was the chinese ghost in the middle.. or was it the spider lady..? Sheesh.. it sure has been a while... Do you remember, Ninja?

Enjoy!

Fantasy Revisited..

So far, there are 2 online challenges that I've signed up for in 2011.. in addition to the MondayArtday challenge that I participated from time to time since last year. 

I think, Whimsical Wednesday is a great way to be practice drawings, be witty and train our mind to be more creative and have fun along the way.. while Creative Every Day is simply as it says.. being creative in everyday of our life (not necessarily in all 24hrs but a few minutes a day would do..) plus we get to share it with the world rather than let it pickled away..! I am quite new at online challenges participation.. but I'd like to do that whenever I've the chance, in order to keep myself away from creative deprivation. But most importantly, my mission is to get into my deeper self and find back the kid in me.. that kid who used to just draw and draw whatever came into her mind.. who dreamed of fantasies and the world beyond her home and scribbled silly cartoons that make no sense at all, but enjoyed life as it was without any worries. What she really wanted was.. to simply draw things that make her happy and gleeful inside :).

An artist or a creative person does stuck in rut, sometimes. He/ She needs inspirations to get out from it.. or just something/ an idea/ a cool little inspiration/ a discussion with oneself or another.. to give him/her a boost or a spark for a new venture... you know, like a car needing a jump-start after a while running on the long and winding road. So, things like participating in these online challenges may help in some ways. There are so many online challenges out there if you search the web. I was almost overwhelmed by them and looking at the pools of talents existed on this planet... Phew!! 

Last night before I went to sleep, I made a little artwork combining my drawing with digital coloring. This is what the "Cosmo" theme from Creative Every Day has inspired me to create..

See that dragon..? Back in 2009, I've posted my dragon drawing on a t-shirt. It was the creature that followed me home after an enchanting trip to Beijing, China (2008). When the time comes, (there's time for everything, right?.. ehem ehem ).. I'll tell you more about it in my coming post.

Till then..

enjoy!

For my Lovely Little Sister..

I bought her a new Drawing Block.. but I ended drawing something in it. It was something for her to color :)

I haven't drawn any fairies for so long.. and it's almost forgotten until I saw a few of my talented blogger friends drew and shared some. Well, anyone who grew up reading Enid Blytons would surely has delightful wonders about fairy that flies, gnome that stalks, doll that talks, etc.. world of fantasy creatures. 

Yes... sometimes you just want to be there again.. the time and place when you have no other worries.. and more often than not, trying to catch a glimpse in the backyard garden of.. perhaps, there were such thing as fairies flying around and maybe you could see them.. if you focused your eyes hard enough. But no.. I never did see such thing. But when my mind saw it, I drew.. I doodled.. in my drawing blocks.

So, here's one for my 12 yrs old sis, Sue.. I just want her to practice her coloring skill when she feels like it. No pressure... but I WANT you to make it beautiful, ok Sue?.. teeheehee.. it's just empowering to be the firstborn, in case you don't know, my friends.

She's all smile now..

Sue is my biggest fan when it comes to the fun, cute Artsy creations/ drawings I made. I'm glad she has learned the art of Appreciation. The other day, she found an old frame that I painted a few years back lying somewhere in the house.. she asked me if she could have it for herself. Then, she put a favorite picture of herself in it and display it on the shelf. 

 It's just lovely..

.. as lovely as a little sister could be :).

A Pony Ride..

The Pony Riding session from my nephew's birthday party gave me an idea for another whimsical entry. 

Just a doodle. Enjoy!

Aqeel loves Ultraman!

Aqeel is one of my little nephews. He just turned 3 on 31st December and lucky him, parents threw one cool party for the cool cheeky boy on the first day of the New Year!

Because my 'orders' have arrived a couple of days before his birthday, I was excited to create him one-of-a-kind Birthday Card. Haa? What my 'orders' were? A bunch of brilliant Pelikan Plaka-Lack Colors!

Yes, they have found a new place on my used-to-be-messy desk top! Wohoo!


Anyway, this nephew of mine is in love with Ultraman. He has all the gadgets (that his parents bought) that are enough to make himself one miniature Ultraman, I'd say. Too bad he can't fly though. But his interest definitely has given me an inspiration for the Card- of course.

Front View

(closed)

Still.. the Front View

(when the Ultraman's head is flipped up.. as shown below.. )

Inside View

( yup, the Ultraman'n head was attached there..)

So there you go the 1st B-day Card of the Year.. made for a dear nephew. There'll more to go through the year. 

If you have an idea for a handmade birthday card and would like it CUSTOM MADE, just let me know.. I'll try my best to create one for you! I love how Plaka-lack colors give some kind of glossy effect when you applied it to any surface. Simply brilliant! 

Enjoy!

Early Days of the Year..

Cheez.. already 4th day of January... and I'm still moving like a sleepy snail. I should've been pumped up for these early days of January as many others I've seen blogging about the New Year's high spirit.. but I'm not quite there just yet.

Perhaps I've recalled too much of the moments in the past 2 years when I was heavily pregnant with my first son.. he was a stillborn child.. only 2 days away before the cesarean date.. and on February 20, 2009.. Umar Arief was borne and died.

When the memory peeks through..

I truly feel that I miss you.

                                - yourmom 2011-

Oh well, I just had to type this as my opening note of the Year. It was not easy to forget the loss.. but everyone has his/ her own way of dealing with loss and grief. Interestingly enough, this morning I've stumbled into a blog that uses Art to deal with the loss of her baby by starting a traveling Art Journal called still life 365.

This blog has united many others who have shared the same experience.. so, you may find many links that lead to bloggers who have poured their grieving souls out in order to heal their spirits. 

As a human being, it's only natural to grief. How long?... is the question.

As a Muslim.... as someone with faith in God.. we just know that things happen for a reason. You grief, and then you have to move on with your life. It's not an easy thing to do.. a struggle for many too.. but as long as you believe... insyaAllah, good things will come to you in many other ways. 

Why should I be sad, anyway..? At least someone is waiting for me on the other side of the world... :).