A Farewell Gift

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Elisa Choi

One of our dear officemate which is also our friend is leaving the team (my previous team at work) and moving on to a new role (we’re happy for her!). I was assigned to work on the design of the scrapbook to be given to her. It was scary just thinking about committing on something which I am not very sure how it would turn out. But what better for me to do than to take the first step?

I decided to draw cherry blossoms because I know she hearts Japan. Let me share with you some detailed steps on how I completed this painting in 2 days.

Gesso-ed the front page. (I bought the white one)
Sketch the trunks + branches and the perspective on how they will align. I reviewed some photographs of cherry blossoms beforehand.
I colored the trunk with watercolor pencils but ended up painting them straight from the watercolor paint for faster work.
I use alizarin crimson diluted with water to create the cherry blossoms. Some are flower shapes while some are done by dotting it with the brush.
I sketched the girl based from 3 separate photos of my friend. This is her caricature! Don’t know if it looks like her but I had fun!
After tracing the outline with the Micro Pigma, I painted her.
The last is purely application of embellishment — I get my rigger brush and create thin branches across the trees. I colored the ground in dotted and faded permanent pink. I painted the sidewalk in green and some prussian blue + black to cover the distant view. Lastly some grass and emphasis of colors.

I hope she will like the scrapbook especially with the heart warming letters from friends and colleagues.
I am sharing this painting with the gang at Paint Party Friday. Please join me and check out what other awesome artists have done. I’ll be checking your art on Sunday.

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

A Time for Everything

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Elisa Choi

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven ~
² A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
⁵ A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
⁶ A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.

My classmate’s mother passed away today… May she rest in peace. May God give them strength as they continue their lives on earth.

Creative Exchange

The Edible Flower with a Heart

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Elisa Choi

For this week’s Tic Tocc #15, Kat shows us a photo of sparkling seeds that she had captured. She asked us what would grow if we planted them. The possibilities are endless!

For some reason, my thoughts wander on the poor people around us and how they are asking for food or money to buy food. Since these are sparkling seeds, these must be blessed by God therefore I painted this edible flower where it would multiply by itself as one eats it making sure that everyone is full. The heart in the middle is water, so that when you eat the flower with the heart on it, one is immediately quench of hunger and thirst.

As I painted this, I thought that this is also inspired by what the Bible wrote about Jesus feeding the 5000. I pray that hunger and malnutrition would end and that we will be strong enough to share what we have with our brothers and sisters.

As I am writing this entry, I am deeply saddened by the violence that has happened to the people in Norway. I pray for all the souls who have passed away and may they rest in peace. And to all those who have lost their loved ones, my sincere condolence to them. May God give them immense strength and faith and that they will be assured that God will never leave them. Let there be peace!

Thanks a lot to Kat for this inspiration. Please check her website to see her wonderful work with her daughter!

God bless you all!

PS* I love listening to K Love, it is an online radio that plays inspirational and religious music. It also gives and shares stories of strength and encouragement. It is very enlightening and inspiring! Please try listening! :)

Watercolor Pencils Fun

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Elisa Choi

I got another new set of “toys” to play with and that is none other than the watercolor pencils from Derwent! Thanks to my boyfriend who has given me this gorgeous set! I am loving my art toys so far!

I can’t wait to try them and so I grabbed my sketchbook and a chair and hop outside for some garden drawing. There is this beautiful colored plant that caught my attention and I sketched it right away. I traced it with my Micron Pigma 3.0 and then started to color them with watercolor pencils much like how you use a color pencil. Then I use a round brush 6 dipping it a bit on water and started to gently brush the color on the paper and voila! Here is my painting of the pink with prussian blue + black strikes plant!

I love how it is very easy to mix and control the paint around with watercolor pencils. The two colors don’t bleed much into one another because of the little water used.

But of course watercolor paints are great to use as well. I love the medium very much and I am going to practice more whether it’s watercolor pencil or watercolor paint.

Have you ever tried watercolor pencil? Let me know how you find it!

Please join me at Paint Part Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva for some inspiration and appreciation of art. Happy weekend everyone!

Catch It If You Can

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Elisa Choi

The wonderful memories of my birthday last July 16 still lingers in my heart. I need not enumerate each because they are already etched in another page of my life. My heart is filled with thankfulness to God for giving me life and for giving me people who remembered me in this very special moment of my life. In their own ways they have made that day extra sweet.

I am not scared of getting older. I am not afraid of another hair turning white or golden. My heart is beating and I am practicing how to breathe properly. As I grow one year older, I am more than looking forward for that moment and be in awe at how it unfolds before my eyes. I will never be afraid just as long as I have God by my side. And I will never again feel bad no matter how circumstances don’t turn into my favor or how people could sometimes hurt me. I will be more aware of my feelings and not let it burn against me.

Allow me to share with you my week loads of small stones (handful of stones) just from being more open to the beauty of this world.

07/11: I admire the strength of trees. How their numerous gnarly hands hold the foliages. How they seem to look down on me and with a gentle caress of the wind whisper a good morning.

07/12: The huge pine tree of our neighbor’s turns into one huge dark sleeping giant as its foliages slump to the right, stilled by the wind.

07/13: The heavy traffic , cars emitting thick black and gray smoke. the deafening honking, all these makes commuting in life tiring.

07/14: The golden brown crisp leaf with a hint of black creates a crunching sound every time it hits the ground as it is being carried on by the wind.

07/15: The waves of Manila Bay dances in a cascading manner, crashing its tail onto the rocks, sending sprays of water on my skin. I could stay here forever.

07/16: My heart beating fast then slow. My eyes misty then emotional. My mouth opened with a smile then laughter. Celebrating my life a year older has always been a bliss and gratefulness.

07/17: I love sun patches on my skin. The sun shining brightly upon the yellow-green-turned plants then tattooing the shadows created on my skin.

*~*

When I was a little girl I love to run and turn around just to catch the sun and the moon as it follows me wherever I go. As I grow older, I just put my hand upon the sky.

Creative Exchange with Lisa Gordon

Unplanned Masterpiece

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Elisa Choi

This week in Inspiration Avenue the theme is Picasso. Now I am a bit intimidated because Picasso is a legend and I admire his paintings very much BUT to do an art inspired by his periods is something I thought I cannot do.

I always begin my artwork by creating random doodles. It’s a nice warm up exercise and it helps relax my mind and hand into creating something without too much pressure.

The result was the above. Believe it or not, I am a bit unsure but I think I am creating something resembling to cubism which by the way is my chosen Period of Picasso.

My supposedly “mindless” doodle turned out into an image (you guess what!) and then I proceeded to create more geometric shapes and played around with the dark and light colors.

So do you think my digital painting justifies as cubism-inspired-by-Picasso? I hope so! Haha! Heck, I am having so much fun!

I learned that in art, too much planning is unhealthy and can ruin the creativity momentum. Meanwhile an unplanned art (but not too much!) takes the worries away and allows us to enjoy the bliss of creating something and often the result is always surprising!

Let’s trust ourselves as artist (yes, I am calling myself one!) and allow our heart to guide the hand into creating a masterpiece.

Please join me as well and check out what the other brilliant artists are up to at Paint Party Friday! Happy PPF folks!