Art Journal Page

I had fun doing this Art Journal page today. Took pictures of every step of the process. Will post a YouTube video if anyone is interested.. Let me know in the comments below!

Quick Tips for No-Mess Painting

Do you wish you could paint more but dread the thought of cleaning up afterwards? Well here are some quick tips on all you'll ever need to have a great painting experience without creating ANY mess. 

Read on..

Tip #1: Invest in a Water Brush Pen

My #1 tip for anyone who would like a no-mess painting situation, is to invest in a water brush pen. This is a neat little device that costs between $5 to $10 and has a tiny squeezable barrel feeding the brush and can hold up about 50 ml of water. I use Pentel's Aquash brush. It's refillable and capped, so there are no leaks or spills. The good thing about this water brush pen is that the brush is made of synthetic fibres which, unlike a regular brush, never wears out! I have had mine for over 2 years and it's still gong strong. 

Tip #2: Invest in Water Soluble Crayons

My absolute favourite is the Neo Pastel II by Caran d'Ache. These can be a little pricey but boy, do they last! Remember, for water color painting, you need Neo Pastel II (not I). I accidentally purchased the wax crayons first (which are not bad but not my favourite for my kind of painting.) Neo Pastel II have a creamy, smooth application and you only need to pick up a little with your water brush pen. After you are done with one color, just wipe off the brush on a dry or wet tissue.

Tip #3: Invest in Water Soluble Color Pencils

The reason why you would need Water Soluble Color Pencils in addition to the Water Soluble Crayons is because it helps to color is small spaces plus sometime you just want to go for the pencil effect. If budget is an issue, skip this purchase entirely for now (and maybe treat yourself to it one day).

I really can't decide between the Mitsubishi UNI selection or the Dervent Inktense ones. I love them both equally! They produce vivid colors and are easy to apply. If you can afford it go for 24 colors.

This is what the inside of my Mitsubishi UNI water color pencil set looks like. I have used this set for over 6 months and as you can see, it looks almost unused. But the reality is far from it. These pigments are so intense that you only need to pick up a little color on your water brush.

My handy-dandy painting pouch typically contains only the following six items:
1. My 4 x 7 inch moleskin water color journal
2. A pencil
3. An eraser
4. My 10 color Neo Pastel II set
5. My Water Brush Pen
6. A sharpie

And the best thing is that there is no clean-up required!

See how compact it all is..

Hope you found these tip useful. If you liked my tips please leave a comment. And don't forget to subscribe for more tips for the artsy-craftsy person in you here! 

#art #craft #painting #watercolor #pentel #carandache #Uniball #craft #moms #craftymom

Art Journal Page: Step by Step Video

Hey guys!

Today I am sharing a video of an Art Journal page I had created for my last blog post. If you are an aspiring artist who wants to try your hand at collaging and mixed media, this video is for you! You can watch every step along the way as this dreamy girl's page comes alive with colors. Enjoy!

Visit to #DesignFesta

May 18th, 2014, the day I had been waiting for! A colleague of mine who had visited the International Art Festival #DesignFesta last year told me about it (knowing about my artsy inclinations) so this year I just had to go. 

My day started off taking the early train to Big Sight, one of Tokyo's largest exhibition halls. You can tell from the crowds in the picture above that this is certainly a popular spot for young people.

At 11:00, just before the opening, I could see the crowds building up. I had heard that it takes 2 hours to stand in the queue to just buy the tickets so I bought mine ahead of time at Family Mart! Hee hee.

There was so much to see and so many creative people to interact with. I cannot possibly contain all my encounters into one blog post so I will show case just a few that I absolutely loved. The first one that stands out in my mind is this creative LED lamp made with resin mushrooms. How cute are they! The shop was called Great Mushrooming and by the time I reached almost all their items had a SOLD stamp on them. And believe me, they were certainly not cheap! This is their website. 

Another growing trend that I saw in several stalls was the creative use of 3D printed items. Look at these #kawaii #3D printed houses that are propped up as wall decorations. 

And then there were the miniature jewelry stalls. These pieces are hand woven and then made into jewelry.  They are so tiny you can hardly see them. Only a true Japanese (or someone who has lived here long enough) can appreciate all things miniature! Since I wanted to capture the ambience of the shop I did not get a good close up to show you but I am linking this lovely lady's stall here.

And this next stall was run by a very lovely lady who "weaves" all kinds of useful items like tiny coin purses and paper files/catchers that can go inside your handbag and nicely contain A4 size papers folded twice. The material she uses is kraft paper! I have tried weaving with craft paper myself and believe me, my fingers remembered the painfor days. She must be pretty good at it because she said she could complete her largest piece in about 2 hours! Unfortunately I don't have a link to share.  

Now this next shop, I found interesting primarily because of her use of whimsical creatures that I have only seen in American/Western Whimsical art like this.

Last but not the least was the miniature Doll houses - a craze in Japan. All this art is made by an gentleman by the name of Ichiyoh Haga. None of his art work had a price tag on it (or at least I could not see it!) so I assumed that it would be beyond the buying capacity of a common girl like me. And of course I did not have the courage ask ;) See this miniature shop. Doesn't it look life size? Don't be fooled. Scroll down to the next picture to compare the actual sizes of his work compared with a smart phone. 

See? How tiny and detailed is that!

You can visit Ichiyoh Haga's website here.

My husband thinks I should put up my own jewelry stall at Design Festa next year! Who knows, maybe I will. Take a look at my online store if you are interested and tell me what you think.

Ok, I've done my good deed (blog post) for the week. See you all soon. Send me your comments! And, don't forget to Subscribe to this blog!

Ciao