Fall has arrived and a touch of colour

It is official. Summer has ended and Fall has arrived! This means...a new header!

EDIT: The people who already read this post, were staring at the Summer Party header. Well it has been changed to a header with a touch of Fall & a touch of Halloween. It is a Witches Playground, where young witches practice their magic skills. Hope you like it!

Also, my apologies for the lack of posting! Lately, I've been staying away from my laptop quite often and picked up reading and (unfortunately) cleaning around the house and my room.That's why I didn't post sooner.

The thing is that I'm just kinda annoyed by sitting so long behind the laptop every day. So I need a break and I used most of my time to create a bunch of illustrations and I experimented with several things.

One of them is adding an extra touch of colour on the drawings. I experimented with skin tones! Here you see a few of them, but I got a lot more ideas for future illustrations! Yes. my brain is working non stop these days...I kid you not. Even when I go to sleep I see little characters dancing in front of me...

You know, there's no reason behind the fact that the characters are always with out skin colour. They just turned out that way and I used other elements, like eye shape, hair colour, hair type & clothing, to give a specific feeling to a character. 

I do think that adding a skin tone can change the entire vibe of an illustration. It's a nice change and good to know that I didn't find it difficult to do so haha. You won't know how things will turn out, unless you try it! I won't be adding skin tone on every character now though, but it's good to know that I can do it if I want to.

Do you prefer the characters with or without skin tone? Or doesn't it really matter to you? Feel free to give tips/feedback. It's always lovely to hear from you all!

Have a great weekend ahead everyone!
Ciao!

Lost in the World of Communication...

Hello Hello!!!

Finally a blog again! It took me a while though, I wanted to post this yesterday, but I had to make a few pictures, but the lightning sucked in the evening, so I'm doing it today *yeeey*
Okay yesterday was a typical 'what was I doing again?' day. Every time I started something my mind drifted away and I realized that I was doing something totally different. The ones who read my profile a bit more careful, know that I'm working on my thesis *tries to hold back the fear to run away...* You see! There it almost happened again!

But yeah, I wanted to organize my folders, because while I search for information I always save other articles, publications for future use. So when I was working on the key elements of my thesis, I saved a lot of other stuff while I was searching through databases, the web...really you had to see all the files...and yes I cleaned it all up. I'm quite proud at myself, because when I clean things up from my PC I always have this vague voice at the back of my mind in a high pitched singy voice *Perhaps you can use it...who knows...*. I also have this when I try to clean my room and I have lots of school papers. I know that I have everything on CD as backup, but still too throw all that paper away...I find that very hard to do -_-'

Decisions, decisions...

But yeah, there I was cleaning up my files, ignoring that tiny voice and only kept the information I needed. That should have taken me less than an hour to do so....it took me more than 3 hours o_O. I mean like, I'm not kidding here...it took me three hours to clean up my files. You want to know what I did? Well actually, I don't really want to say it....okay please don't laugh or anything...*looks around if nobody else is listening*...okay ehm...I was on Facebook, Twitter and MSN...all at the same time *ashamed*...

I didn't even had a Twitter account...but I was too curious and too bored, so I made one. And you don't have to do a thing! People are following you out of nowhere. Really the strangest thing haha. yeah...seriously you can sleep and people will follow...

So yeah Twitter....for me it really feels like a big chatroom. Everyone is yelling, whispering, screaming something and if you reply...chances are very high you won't get something back. I thought it was a way to communicate with each other and not a place where you just spill your thoughts or URL's and not really caring if someone says something back. Perhaps its more a tool to follow 'celebrities' and stay up to date. But I missed the interaction with others on that site. This doesn't go for the ones who did say something back though! Very nice to have had a few conversations via Twitter. (You don't know, if they read this hehe). But this is just my perspective ^_^. How about you? You have a twitter account? Or even considered making one?

But I shall continue my story. Where was I? Oh yeah! I also reacted on status updates on Facebook, something I never do. I mean I like Facebook, but till a certain level. I have a lot of friends abroad, so it's easy to stay in touch. I got to know that a fellow student was also familiar with doing non-school related things and was stalking Facebook, just like me ^_^ (he also had to work on his thesis). And the worst part was after a large conversation by exchanging comments (One reaction on a status update, can lead to many other reactions...), I wanted to work further and he asked me a serious question! I mean I was like: Wow! A serious question! How can I not answer that, serious questions can't be ignored, so I wrote him an email ^_^. Oh yeah and I stalked people on MSN, something I usually do actually hehe, nothing new there. But today it seemed worse than ever...*sighs*


So slowly I found my way out again, but man! it was quite strange and the day flew by. I did managed to work on a few pieces of my thesis though, so I didn't waste my time entirely...

Oh yeah yesterday, my cousin and niece stopped by and later a neighbour came by and we were all drawing. Well, I was more like the teacher and helped them if they needed help. But it was quite difficult to give them all attention, especially if they all asked a question...at the same time.

Aah who to help first??

Who to help first?! I was running around..trying to help them as good as I can...and I have a problem explaining how to draw something, since I just draw and don't really think about it haha. Somewhere in between my mom decided to tell a story about *thinks* Omg I can't even remember what...*the shame*....please don't tell my mom about that okay...

But it was a lot of fun *getting a creative vibe again*. My cousin even decided to make a blog ^_^. (blogging is contagious!!). His name is Shaquille and also likes to draw. So if you would pay him a visit and perhaps leave a comment, I (and he also ofcourse ^_^) would be very happy.

But yeah I was lost in the world of communication...too much communication means tends to mess up my brains I guess...who is familiar with this? Please tell me I'm not the only one....pretty please...

Hmm perhaps the ones who read my blog, noticed that my style leans towards anime....I will tell in my next blog more about this ^_^! For now, I think I will make a few more sketches again haha.

Till next time!!

Note: Please bear with me...the sketches above were made very very quickly...but I wanted to capture a few moments, so hope you still like them ^_^.

PC fights, flying papers & lost pencils

So yeah, the last few weeks...

Where did I put it?!

Yes this sentence seemed to be the slogan of the last few weeks. I had major problems with my laptop and besides that....I also had some trouble with my drawing material...more specific, my pencils. I seemed to misplace each and everyone of them! I think I ran around the house dozens of times, because once again, I misplaced stuff. You might start to wonder, why I didn't grab another one...well the thing is that I have a few favorite pencils and I have a pencil case where I keep them, so if I lose the pencil case...I lose them all =_=''...

There are a few pencils that simply work great every time you use them or at least in my mind my drawings come out more fluently (oh the limits I place upon myself....). I have several made of Chinese newspaper, no specific brand and these work simply perfect. I think everyone has their own favorite brand/type off pencils. But I misplaced mine...aah the horror! I turned everything upside down. I ran up and down the stairs, I even searched in the garden, even though I knew for sure that I didn't went there, but I just had too look and to stripe 'the garden' from my mental 'where to look' list. It was a typical ‘tear the place apart’ scene, flying papers, feathers, pillows, you know the works. And then finally, I find it in a place that simply placed question marks above my head. I mean, how can it end up between the couch? I mean I work in my room at my desk or at the diner table...not the couch! Honestly, how does it come that when you lose something you find it in the strangest of places?! You have no memory of it whatsoever…it really feels like I have a blank spot in my mind…if this is the case then my mind is full of gapes…because I tend to misplace quite a lot these days ^_^’.

But back to my favorite brand. That is Sakura. I have the Pigma Sensei set for drawing Manga.

you see...my enemy...my laptop...

I love these!!! They are really great! Slide easily over the paper and doesn’t stop when you use it over pencil lines and more importantly it doesn’t fade when you erase the pencil lines (do you guys hear a commercial tune?). I also have two Pigma Micron fine liners, size 02 & 08. Also very good and great for details. These are the pens/fine liners I use at the moment. What are the brands you guys use?

But about drawing I have made several sketches again as you can see. I’m really in a sketching phase right now, because I need to divide my time between lots of things now, so I don’t have a lot of time to work it all out. But I do need to get all these images out of my head haha and I will work them out eventually though, don’t worry! So my drawings will consist mostly of pencils or fine liners, perhaps a touch of color here and there as reference.
You know what's fun to draw? Chibi Geisha's. Have a look at a few sketches below, they are so cute ^_^!

I'm thinking of giving her an umbrella...

I love cherry blossoms. The soft pink/white colors of the petals are beautiful!

I like the first one ^_^

I think, I will turn these geisha's into cards. They would look great for invitations if you have a themed (birthday) party!

Well that's it for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Talk to you guys later!

Part 1: A little bit about me: Drawing

Let me tell you a little bit about…drawing! I love to draw!

I will only tell a few things, because I can go on and on and on… Not too long ago, I just drew what I wanted, made cards for friends for birthdays and so on. Lots of people love handmade cards and my friends were really happy when they got one, but I have to say that when I see the cards back (I make a picture of each one, just to remember what I drew, don’t want send out double cards hehe), I got annoyed by the technical mistakes. (Really, I was like looking around to see if my friends weren't in the room, so that I can snatch the card and throw it out of the window....okay, I've never done that before, but I would do it, if I could, but I can't -_-'. But I guess, it's like that for most people who draw and see old drawings and are like "Did I really drew that and gave it away :|" The horror....

So the last months, I’m reading up drawing books and learning about techniques and so on. I try to make a few sketches each day, just to stay in the drawing mood and practice is the best way to learn drawing. The first time I seriously drew something, was Bambi ^_^, I was like 7 or 8 years old. I remember sitting in front of the TV and stopping the videotape and a pretty image ofcourse, I had a lot of paper and a pencil and I started to draw (and got annoyed every time the image unfroze). I eventually become pretty good and I could draw Bambi from the mind and it became my first real drawing. My friends always asked “Hey Tahira, can you draw Bambi for me?”. So during lunch break I was usually drawing. The strangest thing is, even though I’ve drawn Bambi so many times, I can’t find a single drawing from that time! It would be cool to see how I drew Bambi and if it really looked like the Disney Bambi (because everyone said so...).
Ah well, the years that followed I developed an interest in anime/manga drawing. I have an uncle who draws soo cool and effortlessly! I will post a few drawings of him soon!

But okay, the last few years I’ve started to drawn more and more and I love to create small stories with cute images and make cards for friends and family. My main goal is to get very good at this, so that I can draw up many images effortlessly and that when I have ideas that I can put them ‘normal’ on a piece of paper and not with vague lines haha. And also that I can edit the drawings on the PC and that I can use them for future cards. But what I really love to do most, is making pencil sketches, rough sketches. But okay, enough talking, let’s go to the pictures! I think, you guys do want to see what I’m talking about instead of reading words all the time...I think...I hope…. Well, hope you like it! If you do (or don’t also possible ofcourse), please leave a comment with feedback/tips.





















Perhaps you guys recognize the images...perhaps not...even so...I love Kei Acedera! She is part of the Imaginism Studios (The link you can find somewhere on the left) and she is so good! I often use her drawings as a reference. Her drawings are very cute and with so much detail! Another person I also like is Bobby Chiu, also from Imaginism. they are one of my favorite illustrators/designers. A few of my own card designs are here below. I usually use watercolors, to add a touch colors, but it's a another goal of mine to get better haha.

This is a card for a good friend of mine, I transformed my friends and myself in chibis ^_^.

This was for another friend. A birthday card. Okay I will leave it at this, I have a lot of pictures of drawings, but I think that my blog will get toooo long. Ow yeah I also have a DeviantArt, with a few old sketches (link is on the left somewhere too), so if you are interested you can have a look at them. I'm in the process of updating everything, so I will add new stuff very soon!

Hope you enjoyed reading this! Till next time!

Cyaa Xoxo