D' Wedding Portrait-Caricature & A New "Venture" & Coming of Islamic New Year

Hi! Thanks for dropping by.

(Did you find the title was too long?) hihii.

 I know I haven't updated much. 

But I'm pretty much alive and kicking- in case you're wondering. Heh.

I've been a little busy with a new venture with my 4 sisters.

If you happen to have instagram, you can find me and them @artsisstudio.

Come and FOLLOW us over there!

Our LOGO

What we do?

Well, basically the same business on ART & Stuff - as in DoodleDesign here. But you'll find a lot more variety in terms of Art Works. And we've started off selling some Kufi Art Printed on Canvas based on our family paintings and doodles. 

Please VISIT our online Gallery and LIKE our FB PAGE: Artsis Studio

Since my son entered 3 years old this year (and just quit breastfeeding- i might add), he's a little bit more understanding than before in regard of letting his mom doing her 'work'. 

But at the same time, he could be very very clingy and always wanted me to play with him. 

Whatever it is, he's always my priority now. 

Many people told me that time will pass by so fast until suddenly, your child will be doing his things... by himself... and maybe would hate if you keep asking him to play and sit with you. Sobs.

Awwh... I hope that won't be happening at all!!!

Can you tell how Cheeky this boy can be?

Boy oh boy.

Words can't say

how much I love you.

----

Have fun, everyone.

Salam Maal Hijrah, by the way.

Yes, after Maghrib TODAY (13th Oct) is the NEW YEAR for Islamic Calendar.

Let's remember to recite the Year End Doa after ASAR today and  recite the Start of the Year DOA after Maghrib.

May Allah bless each and everyone of you.

Insya'Allah.

Ayu Jamal and her NEW Header!

My sweet and lovely blogger friend, Ayu Jamal from ayujamal.com has requested for a new header for her blog. Two months ago, I created one for her e-shop.

When she wanted a new one with her original picture in it (instead of her caricature), I made something like this:

Then, she got back to me saying she needed something much simpler... without any products like her previous one. But, if I could slot in her dream pink Mini Car like the one featured in July post, she would really love it!

I looked at what she has provided me with- 2 lovely pictures of herself.. :

Hmmm... I was thinking... how to design just a simple header with white background, highlighting her name and incorporating the cute little car...?

I brainstorm with a few compositions... and lastly, I came up with this- which she absolutely approved :)

Now, if you look closely, the one sitting on the car has given me quite a challenge since I have to somehow 'create' her crossing legs because you can't see the rest of the legs in the original photo given (see pic above).

With the magic of Photoshop, I managed to make it. Heheheee... not that easy, I can you tell you that :)


Thank you Ayu.
I'm humbled by the way you appreciate my works and I've had so much fun making them for you.
May Allah bless you, your business and your family... always.

Hot Air Balloon of Love :)

My lovely client has asked me to make a painted 2nd Anniversary Card... that will feature her lovely self and hubby... with lots of love surrounding them.

So, I came up with the idea of them riding on a Hot Air Balloon... with some Love shape balloons flying and scattering in the background. Hmmm... that reminds me, isn't this week's theme at the Illustration Friday Blog  is SCATTERED?

NOTE: The wordings inside of the Card- given by Client.

Anyway, I'm so glad she loved the idea and the result! :))

Thank you Selina... for giving me the chance to create another Card for you and for reminding me how beautiful a love can be.

A Caricature Book Mark for Nana's Friend

Nana is my friend's daughter. She's sixteen years old.

She asked me to create one Birthday Book Mark Caricature for her good friend.

So here it is I'm sharing the creation with you :).

Watercolor & Ink on 300Ib Watercolor Paper.

Enjoy!

A Day to Remember...

Last Saturday, I really had a HAPPY Birthday :).

Thank you for each and everyone who took time to wish me... especially @ my FB.

My Bee and I went to the CITTA Mall , Ara Damansara, for the first time and celebrated my day with a delicious lunch at Chili's. The friendly staff at Chili's presented me with a sweet little ice cream cake (after my Bee informed one of them about my B-Day... and it's Freeeee!) and they were thoughtful enough to take our pics with their instant camera too!

Both of us feel that CITTA Mall is very nice and has that 'airy' outdoor feeling that most Malls don't have. My Bee said the Mall was made for smokers like him because he could just smoke outdoor at anytime, anywhere. Hmmm :/. It has so many F&B outlets you can choose from and the parking space is quite spacious and the entry is still FREE as of right now :). 

Later in the evening, my sister treated us at Tutti Frutti, Taipan USJ. Yummy yummy yummy!!! I LOVE it!

And then Mom told me to drop by her house because 'someone' from far came to the house... and would really like to meet me. So, my Bee and I went inside... and suddenly, everybody yelled, " SURPRIIISEEE! Happy Birthdaaaaay!". 

Awwhhh... I was really a nice surprise :). Really. Thanks to all of you. Even though the cake was very small and everything was so simple... I just couldn't ask for more. 

My Bee gave me something so precious. Something that I've planned to buy for a long time and saved my money for it. A graphic pen tablet...

WoW! Now I can draw straight into my computer! Thank you so much, Bee.

All I've been doing these past few days was playing and getting familiar with this new gadget. I'm literally having so much FUN! Of course, I would still be doing original artworks on paper but this is something additional to my digital skill that I'd like to acquire... which, in some circumstances could help save paper usage and time too.

Already I've tried to make a small little character and it almost looked like I was drawing on a piece of paper... except it took me a little longer to create it because I felt awkward holding a pen but my eyes had to stare at the screen. Not as easy to coordinate like I first thought. Only time and practice will give me chance to improve. But here's the result:

And then, Ayu Jamal at ayujamal.com, at the same time, would like to have a little character like this for herself. So, I changed the outfit to her request :)...

I was glad she loved it and felt more determined now to explore more with this new toy of mine :).

In the meanwhile, at my parents' house... the engagement event is just around the corner. My younger sis is getting a little anxious but excited. Most of the gifts to the Guy's side have been prepared. My Mom and Auntie  did most of the craft work which I think looked simple, sweet and beautiful...

Well, I hope you will have a Nice weekend ahead.

Again, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank especially to my lovin' Bee, family and friends for your kind wishes and love to me.

Enjoy!

My Special October!

OCTOBER is a very special month for me because it's the month I was delivered to this world... many years ago ;).

But this year is truly MORE special because my younger sister (who is also... the owner of one HOT Vintage Blog named Kalerpalette) is getting engaged on her birthday which is a week after mine. And that's NOT the only reason. You see, in another week, I will be officially 3 months pregnant. Seems like Allah is giving me the second chance to be a Mother after losing my first son in 2009. InsyaAllah...


The last 3 to 4 weeks, I really haven't been well. I had some bleeding and needed to lie down most of the time. Thanks to Allah, the baby seems to be developing well when the Doctor last checked yesterday. Alhamdulillah...


Well, enough about me. 
Everything is in His hands... and to Him I pray for what's Best for me :)


Owh.. by the way, I have a cute little girl pencil sketch to share with you here.

And.. remember the Mandala I was talking about that day? I'd like to update the sketches...

It was quite fun playing with lines, patterns and shapes, ... colors too! You can do all sorts of things in the circles. I especially like my Sun-Flower Mandala :).

Enjoy!

P/S: The mood for my sister's engagement day is filling the air of my parents' house. The women of the family are busy making preparations... OCTOBER is really the highlight of the year in 2011!! YaY!!! Way to go, OCTOBER!

Once Upon A Mandala...

I would guess,many people are already familiar with the word "Mandala".

If you peek on Wiki, Mandala means "Circle" in Sanskrit, the classical Indian language.

Well, sometimes when I just want to get back into my drawing/ doodling mood (but have no idea what to draw or doodle)... I would draw some circles and just draw anything in it. Don't think, just let your hand draw anything at all... be loose... doodle and doodle within the circle... and see the result.

Sometimes, you'll get interesting images and patterns emerge in the circles.

Pardon my not too circle free hand mandala.. hihii

Mandalas are sometimes used for religion, spiritual or healing purpose too. Some people can see interpret what you're going through or your emotional state of being just by looking at what you draw in your Mandalas. 

A beautiful, creative visual artist named Laura Hollick in her blog, used Mandala as her Creativity Cleansing. Take a look at some of her cool Mandalas:

The bottom line is... for me, it is simply to get some creative juices flowing. And when you see them in circles, they are more focused and fun to look at.

So, for the fun of it, just take a piece of paper and draw some circles and fill them with whatever you want when you have the chance. 

I have one and still in progress... maybe I'll put some colors, later :)

Take care, everyone.

Enjoy.

Merdeka Boy!

Ok... so I'm very behind... but it's better late than never- they say.

31st August was Malaysia's Merdeka Celebration and I was supposed to update with a  B-day Card made for a boy born on that special day. But I postponed... aaah, so typical of me.

Isn't it great to have a public holiday on your birthday-  for as long as you live? (well, as long as you live in Malaysia, that is... )

Apart from this Card, I also created 2 bookmarks for his sisters- meant as my little belated gifts for their b-days.

They loved it. I heard :).

Have a Blessed Aidilfitri, everyone...

Up & Coming July Events!

Firstly, I just made a flyer for my returning client, Bling Lustre (Thanks, Kay! :). Their event of MOM's DAY OUT has returned this year with more fun and exciting activities. Please see the flyer and site for details if you're interested, ok?

Secondly, starting this weekend, the Flora Fest will grace the Malaysian scene again and this year, with the theme, "Roses are Forever." 

Theme: ROSES ARE FOREVER

Venue: Waterfront, Precinct 2, Putrajaya

Date: 9 – 17 July 2011

Time: 9am -10pm (Mon – Thurs) and 9am – midnight (Fri-Sun)

Addmission: FREE

Well, the reason I'm announcing it here is because... I just love going to the Bazaar at the Floria- there's so much to see, shop and eat, plus a few of my flower paintings will be exhibited at the Malaysia Watercolor Society's (MWS) Booth. You can go ahead and click my flower painting below to go to my Art Blog and read more about it:-

And owh.. another happening event which I'm not so sure if I'll be going (hehee)...SimplySiti Gala Night & Festival.

I'm just helping my little sis here who's one of the Event's Organizers- to announce that there are still a few more of the Carnival Booths opened for any Vendors or Crafts sellers maybe interested..? Please contact Anna Yusoff personally at hippototty@yahoo.com.


While I was browsing to one of my creative blogger's sites ( mimpimurni- to be exact- yes, she has a very lovely, inspirational blog- do check it out!), I saw an interesting Event which will be held in PJ:

When: 16th July 2011
Where: Padang Astaka, PJ
Time: 12pm-12am 
Website: http://www.urbanscapes.com.my/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/urbanscapes
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/urbanscapes


Not sure what to say about this event as I've never been to one before. But who knows... if I don't have any other plan... owh wait!!... my niece's Birthday Party will be on the same day. That reminds me- must make a Cute Card for her :).


Hmm... what else huh?


Owh yess.. my lovely client, Ayu Jamal has a new header which was initially done for animation but because it couldn't run, now it's just a cool still header, nonetheless. So, I'd like to update it here too :)). Thanks, Ayu!

Well, look at how the time flies... in another month, Ramadhan will be here. Now, I'm off to create and propose a few Hari Raya Aildilfitri Card designs for my other client. I'm thinking of making a few Raya Wish animations too- for myself and for individuals who are interested to send personal MMS through their mobiles- yes, with your own Caricatures. I'll show some samples when I have the chance, ok?

Wish me Luck!... And I wish all the Best to you too :).

The Egg Flower & me..

Egg Flowers a.k.a Bunga Telur... are normally given to those who attend a Malay wedding as gifts or souvenirs. Here are a couple of examples:

Why eggs?
Because they symbolized fertility and a new beginning for the newly weds. If you google the images for "Bunga Telur" online.. you'll be quite overwhelmed by how vary, creative and beautiful they can be. Most of them are elaborately handcrafted... with all kinds of materials and accessories. I really admire those who have the patience and creativity of doing this thing. Not that easy, I can tell you that.

If I can contribute on anything for this beautiful handcrafting process, it will be a TAG.

Yup. I mean, the THANK YOU tags that you hang together with the eggs onto the Flowers. And that was exactly an order I received last week. A customer needed 600pcs of Bunga Telur Thank You Tags for an upcoming wedding... and she would love to have my cartoon on it. And so I designed and printed the tags for her :). This morning she said the tags have arrived and she's really happy about it. Phew! I'm so glad to hear that.

Hmm... next year, insyaAllah one of my sisters is set for a wedding. If I try very very hard, perhaps I could learn to handcraft some Bunga Telur for her wedding. But with millions of things to take care of before the day, maybe I'll offer to design and print some Thank You tags for her too. Hehee.

Designing..

Hi... just to update my design works a bit, here. It's more for my own record, actually :).

I have designed a couple of Logos for two companies. After some discussions, proposals, alterations and so on, I managed to make the clients happy with the result.

Thank God :).

Some people think doing graphic design works are quite easy. They fail to realize that there's a lot of thinking and energy... and sometimes, research that goes into each design works. Your design doesn't work if you don't know how to make a good composition... or if you don't really know your colors... or you don't get symbols and shapes that could be meaningful to your creation. 

The aesthetic value of graphic designs is quite often been taken lightly by many. And putting a price to an idea is another thing. Some people can appreciate it, some just don't. You can find many copycats and cut & pasters (is there such a word?- whatever... you know what I mean, right?) around, nowadays. Internet makes a lot of great graphics designs available for grabs. And because they are in digital form, it's easier for people to steal from real designers and manipulate them in some ways. 

However, internet also makes it easy for more people to actually learn graphic design and be great designers without having to take a course in any colleges. This can be learned from some blogs with free lessons and You Tubes, etc. 

Oh, I don't really know why I'm blabbering about graphic design today. I think, I learned a lot about graphic designs more through experience over the years because during college, it was more on basics. It's a skill that required practice and you'll learn a lot by asking around... and through readings too. Some people have 'the eye' for design. How lucky :). For me, there's still so much to learn and I must keep improving my skill in this department. So, I'm really happy to have access to those generous blogs and You Tubes too. Nothing wrong with that, really. It's just bad when people steal from you :(. 

Anyway, there's another thing I've designed and this time, it was for my parents :) Actually, they were attending and are going to attend so many weddings here and there. With every weddings, they will bring a gift for the newlyweds... and apart from wrapping papers of all patterns and colors, they've also been buying quite a lot of small wedding Cards to go with the gifts. So, I've decided to design one card and print a few dozens for them. Haha.

My Mom really loves it. Yay!!

Enjoy.

To My Bro & Sis with Growing Love..

Each years passing by, I watch them grow. Each and everyone of my six younger brothers and sisters..

Now, I can't talk about children for I have no experience just yet. But as an eldest, sometimes I do feel almost like a parent. I saw and played with each and everyone of them since small. I took care of them when Mom was busy in the kitchen or doing other house chores. Of course, once in a while, I fought and yelled at them too.. teeheehee.. And then, when I was 13, I was sent off to boarding school, so I couldn't really keep my eyes on them anymore. I could only do that during semester breaks and holidays. Then one day, I went overseas to continue studies until 2 years after, I came back and found that there was quite a distance between me and them. They have quite grown up. While I was busy with my own life, they've carved their own too.

Of course, as parents you would hope all your children to be the best that they can be. But you can't hope for a tree to give the same taste and shapes of fruits to you. Not all fruits will end up falling on the same ground and give you another great tree. Each of us came from the same womb, yet each has different characters and with few similarities. Growing pains to our parents, at times. Eventually, everyone will follow his/ her own destiny... even though all of us might have the same interest at heart.

Today, I realized that my family is really growing old together. Two of my younger brother and sister are already married and have their own beautiful kids. Another sister is going to be engaged this year :). Another sister has finished her Diploma and continuing her study for a Degree soon. Another brother received his SPM result earlier this year and looking forward to study in a College or University soon... and lastly, the youngest sister is preparing for her UPSR this year. Phew. We have came a long way and yet sometimes, it feels like life has just begun... What I most thankful for is that all of my family members are still living quite close to each other and always find the opportunity to meet up at our parents' house despite of everything.

Some day, things will be different. Perhaps, one of us will move away or... maybe someone is going to study very far from home... or travel the world. That will be another phase of growing up process for life keeps changing.

This month of MAY, my youngest bro and sis were born 18 and 12 years ago. I made them something special... even though my gifts might be inexpensive, I sure hope they'll treasure the love that will keep on growing for them as long as I live :).

Love always,
Kak Long.

To Bonda with Love..

For this year's Mother's Day, a very friendly & sweet fellow blogger of mine.. ToyolKiut, wanted me to doodle a gift for her lucky Mom- on a MUG! So I quickly scribbled one up and managed to post it this Friday morning. Phew.. I sure hope her mom/ Bonda  will receive it on time :)

Well, here's a 360 look at the mug:

Quite a simple one, really. And TK (ToyolKiut) was happy with it.. and it's all that matters :).

Hmm... now, what should I get for my Mom?

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!