Just A Little Note.

Come Rain or Shine... HE will always be in my heart.

P/S: My ArtBlog is updated. You're most welcome to drop by, read and leave any comments :) Thanks.

IF: Bicycle

Hehee.. something I heard a long time ago and stuck in my head since.

Enjoy.

Royal Love is in the Air..

Just a quick sketch one night.. while watching one after another.. documentaries about the Kings and Queens, about the Royal Couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton on ASTRO. Wow, they really make a big deal of this wedding, huh? Kate invited me for her wedding.. but I said.., "Aah.. too far, my dear. Enjoy the Wedding, ok? Send my warmest regards to William." (hmm... yeah..ok..perhaps that was just my imagination.. heh.


Sadly, all these only bring back memories of  the late Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. When I was a kid, I always asked my dad to cut my hair like her. So, every time I cut my hair.. until now.. I'll think of her.

Gotta love her hair...

Anyway.. all of us.. all over the world.. are going to witness another historical fairytale wedding on the 29th April 2011. Let's wish that this lovely Royal Couple will live happily ever after. 

But let's be realistic. Is there such a thing as fairytale ending..? Well.. we can only but hope for the best.. :), right?

Cathy the Caterpillar Card.

A couple of days ago, I made a special Birthday Card for my friend's 3 years old daughter. I thought.. maybe I should share the steps to make it because it's simple and quite an interesting project to make when you're in crafting mood :)..

I call it Cathy the Caterpillar because it IS a caterpillar card! Small.. long.. and cute!

First, find a strip of paper. I had a strip of a watercolor paper left-over which was just great for this little project.

The lenght is up to you. We want to make an accordion out of it... so, if one square of accordion is 6cm x 6cm.. and the wordings you want on its body has 9 letters plus 1 for the head- then the calculation should be 6cm x 10= 60cm (as in my case, here).

Next, fold the strip in accordion folds..

Then, draw an almost half circle shape (or a straight line- the point is, not to make the caterpillar looks too squarish!) at each corner of the square and cut through the layers using a craft knife...

Now, you can write the wordings you've decided on the caterpillar's body.. and if you want to use watercolor, you can use Art Masking Fluid to write the letters ..

..and then mix some cheerful colors on the body!

When the colors are dried, you can peel off the mask to reveal the protected paper underneath.

Afterwards, you can decorate the face and the body! I just made some simple 'dots' because I didn't have so much time that day.

On the other side of the paper, you can write some wishes and what nots :)

TADAAA..!! Now Cathy is ready to meet her new keeper... with a gift!

The fun thing is.. this is not just a card. I mean, if the girl has her own room, she can stick Cathy up on her bedroom's door! Cool huh?


Well, instead of writing a 'name' on its body, you can also just paint some stripes and patterns.. these will look nice too! Just have some fun with Cathy with your own creative ways.

Enjoy!

Doodled a Header for AyuJamal

I never thought I could offer a service for designing a Blog Headers or Badges and stuff before.. hihi.
But I guess, I can now.

If you've browsed much of my creations.. most of them are hand-drawn and painted. Yes, I am also a freelance Graphic Designer.. and have designed quite a lot of company logos.. corporate identities.. flyers.. brochures..etc.. over the years. However, I still treasure the pain of 'traditional' methods of pencil and paper. Ol'school as I may be.. I know many still appreciate it too :).

Ayu Jamal from AyuJamal.com has become my very first client to adorn my art&design works for her blog. She liked what I did for my header and so she contacted me for a more 'personal' outlook for her header.. of course, with her own caricature in it! After going back and forth with my design proposals.. she finally approved and already put 'em up at her site. Yay!

If you want a great looking body like AyuJamal here.. pewwiiittt!.. please go to her site and buy Premium Beautiful from her. (U.. I can get commission or not for this..?haha).

Enjoyyy.. the weekend is near.

P/S: The fonts for AYUJAMAL was hand-drawn too..

A Mug Spilled with Luv..

A sweet client of mine, all the way from Perak...ordered a thoughtful b-day gift for her special one :)

First, I doodled the mug with black ink.. She wanted some coffee beans spilling out from a bag with little-little hearts and a piece of photo. In the photo, she wanted me to draw a cute girl.. huuuu..

So, after my black & white doodle was approved, I colored with Pelikan Plaka-Lack. This color was supposedly suitable for any kind of surfaces. But just to make sure the colors won't smudge, I lacquered the whole painting on the mug!

I'm hoping my client will receive it safe & sound... and with a big smile!

Pictures in Painted Frames..

Aaahh.. another Monday of our lives is here yet again. What a blessing... :).

What I would like to share with you today is two Caricatures plus two Painted Frames.. which I made.

The first one I made for a dear friend for her belated birthday... A lovely girl she is.. Awww...
I decorated the frame with leaves and flower motifs to show her sweet and soft nature.. so.. keibuan. hihii..

Now, the second one I made for one cool customer.. whom I guess, is so in love with her special one ;). Her BF definitely won't forget her for this special birthday gift. teeeheehee..

Enjoy..

Let's come together and create the largest FB invite card so we can be acknowledged as the FB capital of the world! #DiGiFBforall

Let's come together and create the largest FB invite card so we can be acknowledged as the FB capital of the world! #DiGiFBforall

"Name The Bird" Contest Winner!!

Sorry if I keep everyone waiting..

A lil' bit busy during the weekend.. but anyway, here's my lil' birdie.. ready to announce her 'chosen' name:

OMG! She's already sporting Lady Gaga's Orbit Hat!!!

So, the Grand Prize is going to Kalerpalette!! Thank you for the Fun and Creative name for my lil' silly birdie. Please contact me to claim your Prize. hihii.. I think Birdy Gaga and I are going to have some fun with the given name (as shown in hat above).

To other contestants, I can't say thank you enough for your participation.. for taking the time to think about the name :). For each of you who has a blog/ blogs... I'd like to give an exclusive BUTTON made just for you ! So, I'll be sending a good soft-copy button ready for use via email. If you didn't give your email address, please get in touch with me, ok? If I can find you email, I'll send it personally to you. If you don't have a blog, just keep it as a sweet token from and you can use it anywhere you like!

Last but not least, again we would to thank you for your kind participation.

Always on the lookout because DoodleDesign will have more contest or GIVE-Art-WAY later this year.

Enjoy!

A Sweet Bee..

Chot is one charming bee.. :)

Something sweet for Diana's Sweet Saturday's.

Since I started my blog about 2 years ago, I got to know Diana's blog by chance and she visited my blog when nobody even knew DoodleDesign existed! I love visiting her blog to look at her unique style of illustration and her sweet adorable son, Cole. Thanks Diana for the inspiration.

If you have something sweet to share from your blog, just go and join Diana's Sweet Saturday linky party.

Have fun!

The End of My April Contest!

Yes, the April Contest has already ended.. BUT God Willing, I'll have another GIVE-Art-WAY later this year.. :). Sometimes, I just make contest or giveaways for no apparent reason.. hhihii. So, bear with me.

I can't stop smiling as I'm looking at the creative and fun names submitted! My birdie is singing happily too!

This is just my quick update for weekend. I'm not announcing the Winner just yet.. My birdie is having a hard time choosing her own name because they are all so good! Ermm.. maybe tomorrow she'll make up her mind.

Stay tuned dear contestants.. in the meanwhile, have a great weekend, ya!

1) codex : JUMPY

2) Anak Cik Mendan: WINKY

3) Reena: Azim- HONEY GUIDE 
               Azlan- TWEETER
4) Toyolkiut: BRID-BRID
5) Chilly~: CIP-CIP
6) Kalerpalette: BIRDY GAGA @ gaga
7) Liza A.: JUJI
8) ArtVentureKids: KUNTA KINTE
9) Aly: CICI
10) Cre8tiveQueen: MANGO 
11) Kakaloika: CHIKEBOO @ chick2
12) Chici: FLIPPY
13) SomethingSweet: ROMEO / JULIET/ APRIL

Contest Ends Tomorrow @ 12 midnite!

Updating as it almost over..

My little birdie would like to say something:

Wow! Really?
But NOT only the winner will get a limited edition of DoodleDesign's EcoBag... there's more!

Here's a closer look at the items plus a B&W free caricature (not in picture below) :D

Here's what we have so far... :)

1) codex : JUMPY

2) Anak Cik Mendan: WINKY

3) Reena: Azim- HONEY GUIDE 
               Azlan- TWEETER
4) Toyolkiut: BRID-BRID
5) Chilly~: CIP-CIP
6) Kalerpalette: BIRDY GAGA @ gaga
7) Liza A.: JUJI
8) ArtVentureKids: KUNTA KINTE
9) Aly: CICI
10) Cre8tiveQueen: MANGO 
11) Kakaloika: CHIKEBOO @ chick2
12) Chici: FLIPPY
13) SomethingSweet: ROMEO / JULIET/ APRIL

Hehehe... I really enjoy looking at these names.. but at the end, it'll be up to my lil' birdie to choose her own name! teeheehee..

Well, there's still chance  for anyone interested.. to ENTER this Fun Contest. You may comment under this updated post if you want to.

Another 1 more day to go...!!

Come & Join NOW :)

An Elf and A Coffee Stain..

Last night, I made a cup of black coffee (brand: kopi Che' Nah) for my bee- the coffee addict.. and who has turned me into one too! Huhuu...

I was looking at the coffee leftovers and thought, " Hey, why not try and see how good coffee can be on my artwork ...?" (I remember my good old friend from ArtVentureKids' suggested it too!) I've tried the tea-stain technique last month, and it turned out quite gorgeous.

So, let me show you how coffee stain looks on the watercolor paper...

I liked the sepia colored effect it gave to the illustration.

When I saw how the color turned out.. I hesitated to go further and added other colors because I was afraid I might spoil the stain effect. Oh well, maybe I'll do that sometime later.. when I have the gut.

See the expression of the flying elf? It was as if she has bottled up her feelings about something... 

Perhaps a fear... perhaps a disappointment.. perhaps a sadness deep inside.. Something you'll never know...

"Bottled" is the theme challenge for this week's Illustration Friday. So here's one for it.

Enjoy.

P/S: My CONTEST has 2 days left. See the Prizes up for grab and JOIN NOW! :)

The Fish that Walks

Something bizarre or weird that has to do with nature always fascinates me because it makes me THINK.

Yes, it makes me think and wonder about the vastness of God's creations.. and how little do I know about the world I'm living in. No matter how much knowledge you could gather while you are living.. there'll always be something else you still don't know.

Have you ever seen a walking fish that has four legs? I saw it in the newspaper once.

Cute, huh?

I wonder..

.. if this fish might be the mermaid's version of a pet? hmm..

" Owhh... you're so adorable.. eeeee...."
"Mmmeooooowwww. "

The Tortoise & The Hare

Just a whimsical idea I had one morning about one of Aesop's Fables, The Tortoise and The Hare. So I'm submitting this one to Whimsical Wednesday Challenge. Vote for me! he hehee..

-Yes, the tortoise did win yesterday. But unfortunately, he has lacunar amnesia.

I sketched and drew the characters in my sketchbook and digital colored in Photoshop. I'm not quite satisfied with the result though. 

I've set my eyes on bamboo wacom (for quite some time now) and would love to purchase one so that I can practice more on digital coloring and stuff.. I'm sure many designers out there are using pen tablet like wacom products. I haven't done much survey just yet.. but this thing must be quite expensive so I'm saving some money for it too. Hope I could get some advice and tips before buying this gadget.

When the Duck & the Chicken Sing..

.. together..????

Awful.
They make so much noise, really. I don't think they can even understand each other.

Malay has this saying, "..bercakap macam ayam bercakap dengan itik", simply put it means when two people who completely have different languages/ dialects tried to converse with one another.

That reminds me of my auntie's story ( I call her' Mak Long'), during my parents' wedding back in the 70's... My dad's family was in Penang and my Mom's came from Besut, Terengganu. My Mak Long said she couldn't understand at all what my Mom's relatives were saying.. because the dialects and the way they talked (very soft spoken compared to her side- Penangites- who most of the time, very outspoken and loud! Ha.). So she kept nodding and smiling all the time. If they laughed, she followed suit. Hehehe..


Here's one for Illustration Friday's- DUET:

The other thing I'd like to share here is a Gift Tag I made for a family friend's wedding last weekend. Just a simple 'Congratulations' card. Hope this 'duet' will lasts forever... :) God willing.

A Doctor in The House

Autobiography. I love reading it and I'm still reading this one.. quite engrossed, actually. Can't help but drew this caricature because the cover picture of Dr.M was so beautifully taken. His face looks so happy & friendly that you feel like you know him personally :). Credit goes to photographer Tara Sosrowardoyo who happens to be Dr.M's son-in-law.

CE: Small

" Whoa! I can't believe how small you are!!"

"Syyyyyyyyyyyyyhhh.."

The theme for CreativeEveryday- "small"... yet again brought me to the time when I fantasized about the world of fairies and the invisible magical world. The illustration above showed exactly how I would've reacted if I saw one of them. Any bigger than that (or uglier).. I would've fainted, I think.

Back in 1980s.. when I was in a primary school in Kuala Terengganu, there was a little rumors (which later turned to be one of the biggest 'news' throughout Malaysia) that went around the neighboring school- some kids saw 'little people'/ orang kenit who had their own little village under the big trees at the end of my school field. Yes, the kids aged between 7 to 10 years really saw these little people who seemed 'invisible' to the grown-ups' eyes. Some of them saw the little people entering the classroom and playing around while the teacher was teaching. Imagine how the teacher freaked out when the student told her, " Teacher, he's on your desk!." A few of the kids actually met the  little village's Leader and found that the latter had his own aeroplane too! Cool, huh? That year, so many reporters came by the school and interviewed these kids for the newspapers, magazines and TV. Until one day, one of the kids said, the little people finally decided to leave the place because humans came and disturbed their place. So, just like that.. the story ended. Where on earth did they go?

I did wish to check out if it was true but my parents already warned me, "Don't even think about it!"- well, sort of. I wonder why those little people didn't come to my school, sometimes. Such a mystery. Many people think these kids made up the stories to gain attention or they were just their imagination. Hmm.. I don't know why would the kids do that. Sometimes, the only people you can trust are kids. They don't lie. They tell you what they see.. and that's that!

There's so much we don't know about this world.. no matter how far and how many countries you have been. God's creations are so vast & variety. There's no denying in that. When you know so much, there's still so much you don't know. 

Ilmu Allah sangat luas.. 

Nothing is impossible :)

Oh, by the way, if you're interested.. come & join my Contest-Giveaway til 15th April! Just for the FUN of it..

Click HERE!

April Fun- My 2nd GIVE-Art-WAY!!

This is NOT April Fool! It's April Fun! Woo hooooo!

First, have a look at this video:

Tee hee hee.. Do you think this is quite a silly contest? Well, I really thought this would be fun- to have a name for the birdie and for me to see how creative people can be with name giving :).
Are you interested to join the fun?? Nothing to lose, really :)..
Plus I'm in the mood to give something artful away as a token of appreciation to my readers. Yay!!!

Well, my bee went outstation and brought me home this cute birdie last week. I really love it! At a clap or any loud sound, it will sing its heart out! My nephews and nieces would love this. They have yet seen this cool bird! I hope they won't wish to see it flies, though.

So, my friends... what I need you to do is-

1) suggest a cool NAME for my Birdie :)

2) tell me why you suggest that name :), I'd love to hear what you have to say.

3) you may use the contest badge below to announce at your blog or FB.. but if you don't have either of them, just join in the fun. No problem!

4) Don't forget to leave your name & blog (if you have)/ email , OK?

Everyone can participate this contest- locally or abroad. If you win, my Gifts will find their way to your doorsteps soon!

(smaller png version)

Contest starts from today until 15th April 2011. 

Yup. Only 2 weeks!

My Gifts?

Well, let me just say.. there'll be a bunch of MYSTERIOUS Artful stuff! Hua ha haaaa!
Ok ok ok.. I'll post about my Gifts sometime later, alrite?


Good Luck, everyone!