a little place to call my own (art and fashion blog)

Hello! I'm back with another Friday Fashion Illustration post. Some time ago when I decided to get into fashion illustration art more seriously, I didn't know what I really wanted or what I needed to do. I knew what I didn't want, though- and that is for my illustrations to look like everyone's else. Most of my blog readers (even those who joined in fairly recently) have had the chance to observe my fashion illustration journey. There were some misses along the way, but over the years I have learned a thing or two. I've experimented a lot over the years and I plan to continue doing so. The way I look at it is that every  fashion illustration I do either teaches me something new or establishes something I already know. Today  I have five new fashion illustrations to share with you. Two of them are designer looks and the other three are my original designs. The medium for all of these is watercolour pencils on mixed media paper. I also added digital touches to some o...

 Thank you for all your kind messages.  January was somewhat difficult month for me, so I didn't have the time or the energy to post much. My shoulder got better but there were some other issues that needed my attention. Today I will share some reading recommendations with you. We have two more months of winter ahead of us, so I figured that it would be a good idea to share some Winter reading recommendations. Last month, I shared with you my holiday reading list.  This month I will focus on the classics as they seem a great choice for Winter months. Some people read more in the colder months, others read more in the warmer ones. I don't really notice any season shifts in my reading schedule, I read all year around.  I love the coziness of reading indoors in Autumn and Winter but I also love to read outdoors in Spring and Summer. If you are looking for something classical to read this Winter, these are my suggestions. Some of these book reviews are from my archives, ...

 Hello readers! Have you ever heard of Solaris ? That's what I shall be talking about day. I'll explain in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, I must inform you that I suffered a shoulder injury a few days ago and it's not getting better, so I will probably be a bit absent in the immediate future and slow to answer to comments. I cannot use my right hand, so  typing is difficult. The new year hasn't started too well for me. On a more positive note, I did listen to a lovely audio-book.  “How do you expect to communicate with the ocean, when you can’t even understand one another?” quoted from the novel Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Therefore, today I'll share a book review. The book in question is a philosophical science fiction classic Solaris . Written by Polish author of Jewish origin Stanislaw Lem and published in 1961, Solaris has remained popular to this day. This novel has been a subject of many adaptations in various media, from radio dramas, a play, a TV serial, several fil...

Hello! Today I'll share a watercolour sketch inspired by Chinese actress Zhou Xun's potrayal of Ruyi in a historical drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. I'm more of a book than a film or TV series girl, but sometimes I get inspired by some films and shows. I actually haven't seen this historical show, just excerpts from it. I accidently stumbled on a few excerpt from this show on YouTube and felt inspired by both the costumes and Zhou Xun's acting. I doubt I'll have the time to watch the whole series, but I might create more art inspired by it. The medium for this portrait sketch is Staetdler watercolour pencils on mixed media paper (from my new art create sketchbook). As you will see in this post, the sketch was made on a small frame paper. I might redo this sketch on a larger scale paper to capture more details and make it more realistic. That is if I find the time. I think this one isn't bad for a quick watercolour pencils sketch. Scroll down to se...