From seemingly insignificant doodles to realised designs-reflecting on creative growth

I have been spending some time on my website, working on improving the SEO, so I have found myself delving deep into my OLD blog posts. It’s a bit embarrassing to look back, but ultimately, it has given me perspective and shown me how far I have come in my creative pursuits. It has also been enjoyable to see the origins of some of my current work.

For instance, in 2014 (wow, 10 years ago!), I was drawing highlighters with highlighters and that lead me to paint a sweet gouache painting of a bunch of highlighters in a grid layout.

My original sketch of highlighters drawn with highlighters.

My gouache painting of highlighters. I left off the type saying highlighter and added VERY IMPORTANT-TAKE A LOOK.

This then led me to recreate the idea digitally in Procreate. I kept the type that reads “VERY IMPORTANT-TAKE A LOOK,” but decided to bring back the streaky effect that actually occurs when you draw with a highlighter marker. I did just make this design available in my Spoonflower shop, so check it out if you are interested. :)

My digital illustration created in Procreate.

While I was tempted to delete the Highlighter Blog Post from 2014 because there is absolutely nothing remarkable about that post at all, I decided to keep it as it is a reminder to me that creativity is a process, a journey, and one random little doodle can often lead to bigger and better designs and ideas. It reminds me that I must continue to make those little doodles that mean nothing at the time because you never know where they will lead you.

I have more examples that I can think of, and once I gather up the images, I will be sure to share because I think it is VERY IMPORTANT to TAKE A LOOK and reflect on where you are and where you started.

Update 2023

Hello there! it has been A WHILE! Things have been busy around these parts. My family and I moved continents earlier this year. We traded in the warm tropical weather of Singapore for the windy maritime weather of The Netherlands. We are all adjusting, although summers here are proving to be amazing! I hadn’t realized how much I had missed seasons while living in Singapore. It’s always summer in Singapore. Oftentimes, people describe Singapore weather as hot, hotter, and hottest. Anyways, enough about the weather!

Settling into a new country takes some time. So much to learn all at once learning a new language, grocery shopping in a foreign country, and bicycle riding rules and etiquette. The Dutch language is proving to be challenging to learn, but I am enjoying the process and reminding myself that it will take time. I am learning to just go for it, to speak out loud, and learn from my many many mistakes. One thing I have learned from living overseas these last 5 years is how much it challenges me and helps me to grow and learn. Here’s to personal growth!

While we have been settling in, I have been continuing my creative practice. Inspired by a new environment, new climate, and new customs, has led me to rediscover my sketchbook. For the last few years, I have been creating mostly with Procreate (which I love!), but since the move, I have reconnected with real pens and pencils on real paper and I find the whole process extremely satisfying. I have also adjusted my mindset while sketching. I no longer berate myself for terrible drawings, instead, I laugh at myself and wonder how I could do better, and then I try and do better! I also no longer let myself be afraid to draw something. If it scares me (I’m talking to you people and faces), I must draw it. I desperately want to get better at my craft and I can’t improve if I am avoiding what scares me. I am just enjoying the process and feeling happy to be making.

Thanks for reading this far! Below are some photos from my first couple of sketchbooks while living in The Netherlands. At first, I chose a small sketchbook as it felt less intimidating and precious, but as I drew more and more I took the plunge and got a larger one.

Take a look. Hope you enjoy.

STENCIL PRINTING

Um, I just had the most fun today in the studio! I stumbled into the print making process of stencil printing! One of the things that I struggle with as a painter is creating images that resemble my digital work in Adobe Illustrator. I miss the ease of copy and paste when I step away from the computer and get my hands dirty with paint. I think this stencil printing process allows me to do just that- copy and paste! I am so excited about the endless possibilities of this process. I feel certain that I will be exploring this in days to come. There is still much to figure out and discover about the process and technique - like which brushes are best, what material is best for making the stencils, what thickness of paint is ideal. But I LOVE this first attempt. I am so happy with how the big bold red flowers printed. I loved too that I can’t get bogged down in details when I am cutting shapes. This pushes me to find creative solutions to simplify the stem and leaves. Oh! and the overprinting that happens when I layer once color over another. I LOVE the new color that is created.

PAINTED ABSTRACTIONS

Below is an update from last week in the studio. I have continued to explore large floral forms. This week, I have made the florals larger and more abstract. I am also really loving this warm red that has taken over these florals. It’s fun to keep painting and discovering new ways to recreate such a simple subject matter as flowers.

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