Hello There.

Dear Blog,

yes... I am still alive and kicking.

Have a Nice Day, you.

Enjoy!

Aildilfitri is On The Way...

Already...?

I mean, I've just made a post for Ramadhan the other day!

I don't know what to say...

Is it because I'm an adult that I feel TIME moves so fast?

I still remember the long long long fasting month when I was a kid...

when TIME was taking its own sweet time...

when I had to figure out what to play or draw next...

to fill the long hours of the day...

when I felt I had been sleeping for quite some time...

but woke up only to find I should be sleeping again until the alarm went off.

And then, when Aildilfitri was on its way,

a parcel would arrive from my late grandparents with lots of goodies...

not forgetting, some Money Packets too (for me and the siblings)!

My Dad would take out a box (or at least two boxes) of Raya Cards for him/ family in the living room...

and we were asked to hang them on a thread across the wall as Raya decoration...

I would try on my new pair of shoes again and again...

and kept looking at my new Raya dress or baju kurung in the closet,

and plan which one to wear on the first Raya and the next day and the next next day...

also not forgetting, which hand-bag to use when the "collection" of

Duit Raya arrived!

Oh well...

It's just nice to reminisce the good old time.

I'm thankful to have such sweet memories when Aidilfitri was coming by.

Alhamdulillah...

still thankful to be given the chance to meet the Day again, insyaAllah.

And the fact that we could still celebrate Aildilfitri in our Country- PEACEFULLY,

is a GREAT BLESSING indeed.

Everything we have right now is borrowed.

He can take it away at anytime He wants.

So lets enjoy each moments that we have...

and as Aildilfitri is on the way,

I reach my hands out to everyone who knows me,

to ask for forgiveness,

if anything... anyhow...

I have done anything wrong.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

AIDILFITRI.

MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN

Helloooooooooooo!

I wish you had a great new start this year 2014.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for taking a bit of time checking out my inactive blog.

Even though I haven't updated much, I've had people contacting me through emails and FB... asking for my ART services. Thank you... Thank you.

Yes, I'm still alive and I still do take orders for caricatures/ designs/ doodles and such.
However, my time is now more occupied with my duty as a MOM to a very cheeky and active boy who's turning TWO by April this year.

A Happy Little Astronaut!

If I were to do my magical 'creations', it'll be during his sleeping time, especially during the night.
So, if you need me to do anything for you, please get in touch with me in advance and NOT with last minutes job.
Another thing is, I plan to get back to my drawing table and do more serious artworks (ie. watercolor paintings) this year, insyaAllah...
So, you might see some updates here instead of in Yartstik. (I've figured out that managing more than one blog is quite an uphill battle now...hehee).

Last 2 nights, I doodled a new HEADER for myself... but I'm not sure why I couldn't get it installed in the Blog. So, why don't I just display it here for now.

In the meanwhile... have a bright and prosperous year ahead... and enjoy!

Me, Caricature & I

Do you know what's the meaning of Caricature?
Let me go ahead and cut and paste it for you here...

car·i·ca·ture

ˈkarikəCHər,-ˌCHo͝or/

noun

1. 1.

   a picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.

   "a caricature of Jimmy Durante"

   synonyms:

   cartoon, parody, satire, lampoon, burlesque; More verb

1. 1.

   make or give a comically or grotesquely exaggerated representation of (someone or something).

   "he was caricatured on the cover of TV Guide"

   synonyms:

   parody, satirize, lampoon, make fun of, burlesque, mimic; More

   - a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect (found here)
   
   - a. A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect. b. The art of creating such representations. (here)
   
   

Well, you got it... Right?

If you use 'Google Images' for this particular word, you'll find such an overwhelming sight of Caricatures done by Artists all over the world. I feel so small... tiny, actually- in the midst of them all.

Let's see a few awesome samples from Mr.Google that I found-

The word EXAGGERATION is the KEY, my friend.

Ahhh... it's easier s.p.e.l.l.e.d than done.
And that's what I've been struggling with every time there's a face for me to draw.
I mean, if you see a face with a prominent nose or big mustache or small eyes with ears sticking out, perhaps it's going to be easy to exaggerate.
But what if... there's nothing much to be exaggerated when you see a face? Err...

A face with no story? no character?
Naaah... every faces comes with a story to tell and its own character if one look closely enough.
It's true.
But sometimes, I just can't see it! Huhu.
Yes, for me Caricaturing is still quite a challenge. It's easier to draw a real face with no exaggeration- just follow it as it is (but again, there are other challenges that come along with this... and that's another story).

Let me tell you another "challenge" about Caricaturing.
It's when the person you drew could not accept his/ her FUNNY looking self!
Now, when you ask for a caricature, do you really expect yourself looking 'perfect'-ly good?
I do get..." err..please don't make my eyes too sepet (when for me, it was her eyes that made her who she was!) " / "...make my face look thinner, please.." (when it was her chubby face that defined her character and deserved exaggeration- hihi)/ " Hey, why it doesn't look like me, eh?" (okey...if I heard that, I knew I was in trouble or maybe I exaggerated too much (??)- But this seldom happened!)

Don't get me wrong. I don't mind these requests.
In fact, because of this particular challenge, you may find my caricatures following more of a 'safe' path. I don't exaggerate that much. I would love to do it but I hate myself for being quite afraid to offend people with exaggerations, sometimes.

I guess, you cannot take yourself too seriously if you want a caricature of yourself.
And as a Caricaturist, I have to loosen up too.

Recently, I've got an order to make a Group Caricature by looking at just one picture reference. This Caricature will be a Corporate Gift for a soon-to-be-retired Board member.  Below is the first attempt :-

 

But when one of the Bosses saw this, he gave quite a few comments and asked me to redo. His staff later gave me a few more picture references of each people to be drawn.
Two days later, I came up with this... and they're all VERY happy :).

"Portrait-Caricature"

If you refer to the original meaning of Caricature, you can see no comical effect in the above picture except for the fact that they look funny with big heads and small bodies. Well, that will do...as long as they're happy with the result.

Basically, caricature is supposed to be FUN to look at.
Take it as another way to appreciate yourself with all those God's given features.

You know, I began learning and doing Caricatures since 1990s- just for fun during College years. I didn't know much about it and only looked at Lat's cartoons as my references back then.

I mean, you can't beat Lat's confident strokes and simple lines to produce those faces!

And over the years, my love to draw faces make me draw more and more real portraits and caricatures... Inevitably, I've developed my own style of drawing with rooms to improve from time to time.

Since I offered my caricature service online, I've had many happy (and repeat) customers. I never thought this was possible because I know there are many better (and cheaper-perhaps) caricaturists out there. But I treat my caricatures like I make other 'serious' paintings. My hubby once said I've wasted my time and energy to produce such artwork for a small amount of money... because for the same size of fine art painting, I could make a lot more. Well, I can't argue more about that but... as long as time permits, I'll take orders and make my clients smile when they look at themselves :).

Most importantly, I hope you enjoy my Caricatures as much as I enjoy making them.

Thank you for supporting my Art.

My Little Adventurer

I worry a lot nowadays.

Especially when he experienced the joy of walking...

...which to my eyes, it's more like jaywalking.

And then, he started climbing. 

I could see the sparkle in his eyes when he managed to climb something.

Or he would make a face like..., "See? This is nothing."

My own little Adventurer,

you may give me a heart attack or two...

but it doesn't matter,

for I'll always take care of you.

Enjoy!

So Ramadhan Has Arrived...

Thanks to Him we are still around to enjoy it for another year, InsyaAllah.

Prior to the Holy month, I have designed an exclusive Aildilfitri Card and Money Packet for a local company. So, I'd like to share it here.

And just a couple of days before, I tried to doodle something for my Ramadhan wish ...
Somehow, my Boy has decided to put his marks too on the sketch.
So, here's our 1st joint effort in producing it :)

Ergh! It's quite a mess, huh?

Alhamdulillah, Zain has started to walk at 14++months.

You know what that means right?
It means I need a lot more energy to keep up with his pace and cheekiness!
I guess this is an added challenge I have this Ramadhan.
Plus I still breastfeed him...
I must remember to drink lots of water at night!

Love him to bits.

Sometimes, I still can't believe Allah lends this Boy to me.

I love Ramadhan and all it brings.
Hope you'll enjoy it too.

Lazy Monday...

Well, it's OK to be lazy when you're a baby spider.

Did I tell you about the cake I made for Zain on his 1st Birthday? 

Truth be told, I was super proud of it... 

and the fact that it was the first cake I've ever done in my life...

made it extra special even though ermmm.. I didn't really 'bake' it ;P.

Wanna see how the cake looked like?

Now, the first tier consisted of fresh fruits and the second tier was a steamed banana raisin cake!

I got the recipe from here after surveying quite a number of steamed cake recipes on the net.

It tasted really good and Zain finished it in one go!

Making the cake was an exciting experience for me.

I'm looking forward for many more memorable experiences with Zain in my life :).

Have a sweet Monday...even if you feel a bit lazy, ok?

Homemade Flash Cards (No.1-10)

With 2 black pens, a set of pencil colors, a few A4 papers and a lamination machine... (plus a few good quiet nights), I managed to finish the Flash Cards I've been meaning to create for baby Zain since he entered 10 months old.
Now he only has 9 days to go before turning 1 year old! Hmmm...

By now, I think he recognized quite a few things already but he could not articulate anything much just yet.
I'm still waiting for the magical moment when he could call me "Ummi". Owhh.. 
At the moment, I just have to be settled with a loud "Aaaa!", when he's calling for me. Otherwise, just a loud "Waaaaaargh!" (crying his heart out).

When I (excitedly) showed these Flash Cards to Zain, he was quite interested to see all the colors and fun cartoons on them. So, I take it that the Flash Cards did catch his attention. Good Boy! hehe..

But a few seconds after that, he wanted to come down from the bed. 

So, I put him and the Flash Cards down on the floor then.

Hmmm...

With one Card ended up under his butt... and him trying to fold another a while later, I'm not sure if this boy will be able to learn his numbers that soon.

It's OK son, take your time...

You can be a genius at other things in life, perhaps? Heh.

Apple Rain_ April Calendar freebie

Here's the free calendar for your personal usage this month.

Click and Download to your Desktop

APRIL is EXTRA special to me and bee as our baby boy turned 1 year old on the 25th!
How time flies.

Zain, you're really the Apple of my eye...

I love you sooo... much!

Last week, I tried my hands at baking -- baby homemade shortbread! You can find the fabulous recipe HERE. I go to this blog so many times already since Zain could eat solid foods! Thanks, Maghfarah.

And it really helps for a lousy cook like me to join HSFFYB (FB Homemade Solid Food For Your Baby) gang! You'll find yourself at awe with great-healthy recipes and food infos for your kids that mothers are sharing over there.

Almost overcooked them since I'm just using (testing the 1st attempt with...) my ol' tiny oven toaster. But most importantly, baby Zain loves the Kurma Bread Man and Apple Cinnamon Sticks (that's what I call them)! Hehee...sounds good, huh?

Yum Yum Yummy...
(well, i don't have much choice, anyway)

Man, I feel like I've achieved so much within this one year of Zain's life... especially in discovering more about cooking and choosing food for babies. I'm also learning so much about taking care of someone else who's totally depending on me in so many ways.

I almost get my Degree in Breastfeeding and really hope I could reach my PhD target next year! Really glad I was introduced to KIM (FB Kumpulan Ibu-Ibu Menyusukan Anak) because I learned so much about breastfeeding from them!

For me, the most important thing about breastfeeding is... You must be mentally prepared for it and ready for everything that comes with it. It will be more challenging for working Mothers (9am-5pm)... and I really respect those who are able to do this while busy handling office works, driving on the road everyday and taking care more than one kids at the same time (without maids/ helpers at home)!

I'm just thankful that I've the chance to watch Zain grows while working from home for now.

And by the way, DIET can take a backseat for a while when you're breastfeeding but if you're genetically lucky, you won't get FAT!

Me?
Well, I'm almosssst lucky.
Some fats are here to stay. Huhuu...

Enjoy and Take Care.

My Little Hero

" A hero is a man who is afraid to run away" 

- English proverb

Sometimes, I just wonder... What he's thinking?

10 months old, baby Zain is turning.

That means, his 1st birthday is fast approaching.

My full time job now is taking care of him, and I'm not complaining.

I'll do my things when he's sleeping.

He'll be in his walker when I'm cooking.

We'll go to the park in the evening.

We'll watch the pigeons feeding in the morning.

Everywhere I go, he is following.

In the middle of the night he's still crying...

and he's still breast-feeding.

Even though I'm helpless at cooking...

he makes me feel good when he's eating.

My eyes have dark circles for not enough sleeping.

I wish to get some massages when my body is aching.

He makes me happy when he's laughing.

He makes me worry when he's sick and weeping.

There's a long way to go and I'm learning...

... my baby will keep on growing.

If I'm gone I hope I'll be leaving...

a son who'll be a good muslimin.

Hanging Around...

...while waiting for the NEW year.

Happy 2013, for each and everyone of you who drops by :).

May the NEW year brings more of everything that's good for you 

and your family.

Enjoy!

P/S: Do check out my NEW post at Yartstik, ok?

A Short Visit to Ganu

It's rainy season in the East Coast of Malaysia right now.

There was no escape from it when we went there last weekend.
However, when the rain stopped once in a while... Mr.Bee quickly drove Baby Zain and I to a few of Kuala Terengganu 'Hot Spots' (for us, at least).

Early in the morning, we couldn't see the sun rise because it was so cloudy... but we still wanted to bring Baby Zain to see the beach at Pantai Batu Burok.

Here's the result:

Yup. He slept all the way... tsk tsk tsk.

So, we made our way to a breakfast stall which was in Jalan Panji Alam.
I would say, they have one of the best nasi lemaks and nasi dagangs in Ganu. Yummy2x...

Not even 8am yet customers were already in queue. Yikes!

This used to be my playground...
when I was in the Primary school back in 1980s :)

While we had our breakfast, it rained again... and thanks to Allah by the time we finished, the sky was quite clear and beautiful.

We hopped on the car and decided to go to Marang because I wanted to take some boat pictures for my future painting reference!

When we reached the Marang Jetty, baby Zain fall asleep yet again. Hihii...

 But I had a good time snapping my boats away...

We also stopped by a stall that sold a local delicacy called Akok. 

It was still made the traditional way... and tasted sooooo good!

After that we had a rest at home while outside it rained cats and goats.

I craved for ICT.

You can't go back to Kuala Terengganu without ICT in one of your hi-tea menus!

So, Mr.Bee drove us to Teluk Ketapang for it.

What ICT am I talking about?

It's 'Ikan Celup Tepung'. 

Not only the fishes were dipped in a special recipe flour and fried but you will find a whole lot of other seafoods ie. prawns and squids too!
Of course, keropok lekor was there if you want. 

Burp!

Sorry. 

I was too busy eating until I forgot to take picture of the food.

Plus, baby Zain was sound asleep on my lap while I was eating 'em.

And when you thought there was nothing much in Kuala Terengganu at night, you'll be surprise to see that the real ICT existed there too!

Here at Kampung Cina... or Dataran Shahbandar as they named it now.

As you can see, baby Zain was wide awake by now.
*Sigh... so much of outdoor loving, son.

But baby Zain was such a sport during our short trip. He didn't make much fuss for the long car ride. 

I know you're tired, baby. 
So much for you to learn and see...
each and everyday of your life.