3.2.17

It's already March, but this is my first post on my blog in 2017!  I've been back in Japan for about seven months now.  In my mind, since I haven't been making portfolio pieces, I feel as if I haven't really created much art since moving back to Japan.  But as I was figuring out what to post, I realized that I've been drawing a lot more than I thought I was, and I've decided to split up my 'what has Julia been doing for the last half a year?' post into two posts.

I've been sketching... a lot.  I won't be posting every single thing I've been drawing, but I will post my favorites.  My sketchbook comes with me everywhere and I'm constantly drawing little doodles all over spare pieces of paper whenever I get a new idea. I think that drawing consistently is important, and I try to draw as much as possible.

When I first got to Japan, I was tossed around a lot.  I went from one hotel to another hotel, to a homestay, to my friend's house, then finally to my apartment.  I didn't actually get to move in until about three weeks after I got to Japan.  It's so difficult to move halfway across the world with many of your clothing and possessions and then live out of suitcases for three weeks.... I remember starting this piece while in my homestay, then finishing it at a friend's house.  I feel like drawing was my way to relax and ease my mind during the stressful move from Ameria to Japan.  Drawing tiny details is meditative to me, and I really enjoyed sketching this piece.

Thinking back on last May/June, I was so mentally drained and exhausted after working on my art for my art show that it took a little while for the ideas to start flowing again.  But whenever I go to a new place, I find it easier to find sparks of creativity.  It's refreshing and motivating to be living in a change of scenery. 

Moons and bunnies for Japan's 月見、or 'moon viewing' in autumn.  For anyone wondering...I brought... part... of my rock collection to Japan.  I miss all the pieces I left at home but it would have been completely impossible to bring them all here.  I worry they're all getting so dusty :(

I think this is one of my favorite sketches I've done since coming back.  I can't really pinpoint why.  Now that I'm looking back on them all, I really want to paint some of them too.  Especially this one.  I wan to paint it.  Really big.

More and more detailed pieces.  I really enjoyed drawing these little acorns.  It seems like forever since I drew these... It's strange how fast time can fly.  The days feel short but the months all feel so long.  I've been keeping busy, and thinking back to before I moved here again seems like a lifetime ago. 



Here's a break from all the sketchbook photos... This is a painting I did for Samhaim / Halloween.  This was the first year in two years I couldn't send out Halloween postcards.. It's something that I really enjoy doing; maybe I will take on that task again for this Halloween. We'll see what happens.

Some moons and mushrooms, photographed during a walk through Meiji Jingu Shrine by Harajuku.

My painting to celebrate Yule this year.  For the winter solstice in Japan, its tradition to bath in a hot bath with ゆず、a type of citrus fruit.  This is said to bring purity and help you not get ill in the following year.  I am a big celebrator of Yule and I was sad to not be able to be reunited with a good friend this year for wassail and delicious foods, but it was also fun to partake in Japanese winter solstice traditions on my own.

Part of this piece was drawn while taking the 新幹線、or bullet train, from Tokyo to Kyoto this January.

Eyes on succulents or eyes on acorns... which do you prefer?

More bunnies.  Whenever I want to draw something anatomical, I really miss the days when I volunteered at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  It was so wonderful to have so many references so easily accessible.  There's a natural history museum here that I surprisingly haven't been to yet! Even though I've been back for so long, I could still make lists of things I haven't seen yet that I've been wanting to see.  Tokyo is a huge city with so much to offer.  I could live here for years and years and still not see everything.

These two are my most recent sketches.  Both of them were completed very quickly, maybe a little over an hour spent on each.  The one on the left I completed while enjoying matcha at a tea bar, and the fox was a request from a friend.

And here are two bonus photos from my travels! Since moving back to Tokyo, I have traveled to Osaka, Kyoto, and Kanazawa.  The first photo is  金閣寺、Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto.  The second photo is 兼六園、Kenrokuen Garden, In Kanazawa.  It had been four years since I had been to Osaka or Kyoto so it was nice to visit again.  And this weekend I went to Kanazawa for the first time!  It's very easy to travel around Japan, and I want to take advantage of it as much as I can.  I have plans for another trip in April, and I already can't wait to see where I go after that!

I will be making another post soon with some more art-related photos since this post is already pretty long.  Please look forward to it.  I really enjoy posting my art and my experiences I go through on the internet as a way for me to stay motivated and keep track of what I do.  Thank you all always for your support.

And as always, thank you for reading! 





7.17.16

Store closing sale! I am moving to Japan soon and as a result, I need to close up my shop! All purchases of $8 or more are eligible for 15% off using the coupon code 'juliagoestojapan' !

View my Etsy page here!

6.19.16

Beautiful view, isn't it?  This was right before all the madness and fun started happening in Capron Park at the Expo for the Senses!  My art table was yesterday and I just wanted to say a few things about the experience.

First off, this was mine and my friend's first time ever being involved in some type of art fair.  There was a lot of money, time, and hard work that went into the event.  Making art isn't easy, let alone scanning it, making prints, doing crafts, buying displays, figuring out how to layout a 10x10 foot space with a friend who lives over an hour away, and putting yourself out there in front of strangers.  But overall it was a very fun experience and very worth it! I would love to do something like this again in the future.

Here's what our space ended up looking like! Sorry for the little mess under the table there, I didn't really have enough time to take proper pictures because for the most part, we almost always had someone in our booth! My work is in the right hand side, even though my name is on the left side of the sign (oops, haha).

We were lucky to have such beautiful weather but it was a somewhat windy day, so I actually tried to keep only one copy of each print on the table at a time and taped down all my displays so that things wouldn't blow away.

My healing bottles got a lot of attention, a lot of people were intrigued by the idea.  

And this was taken after my magnet section got a little depleted.  There was another chakra set there at one point! I would have taken nicer pictures right in the beginning but it got busy before the event technically even started! We finished setting up a little after 11:30 and people were already walking around even though the event didn't start until noon.

And as for all the art that's left... I will be putting it on Etsy, I promise! I need a day or two of rest to catch up on some other things, and then I will start photographing the extra pieces I have and put them online, so look out for that!

So... now what?! Probably just some relaxing with my sketchbook, to be honest.  And maybe doing a few more acrylic paintings on wood since I've gotten some requests for more moon paintings!

Thanks for reading! 

6.14.16

Another post already!! I've been a busy bee the whole month of May.  I want to share some of my craft projects with you!  Everything photographed will be sold at my show this weekend.

I've been making really cute magnets out of slices of tree branches!  All magnets are painted using acrylics.  Being someone who normally paints using watercolors, the texture of acrylic is always weird getting used to again.

The magnet board that I will be using to display them has been cut to a perfect size to fit them all comfortably!  It was tough to photograph because it's so metallic.

I tried to keep the colors somewhat cohesive to each other since they are going to be displayed all on the same board.  I always get a lot of requests to paint moons, so I decided to paint moons on a lot of them! As well as some cute messages.

I also made chakra magnets! These will be sold as sets.  I also had the board cut for these to match them perfectly.  These ones were really fun to paint and I think they would be a lovely set to have. Even just seeing the symbols reminds me to try my hardest to balance my life.  Having them on a refrigerator could remind someone to get a full balance of colors in their meals, getting the most nutrition out of their day.  Having them laid out on a bedside table or an altar can help a person feel more balanced.  We all could use some balance in our lives.

And now for the next project!

I decided to make some healing crystal and herb bottles as well.  I made two kinds: one to help promote sleep, and the other for love.  In the sleep bottles, I used a combination of lepidolite, jasmine, and lavender.  In the love bottles, I used rose quartz, rose petals, and rosemary.  I also attached a little moon charm to the sleep bottles and a heart charm to the love ones! Having gifts from the Earth in one's environment can really improve all different aspects of life.

I think they also came out really adorable and brighten up any space.  I've had them cleansing on my windowsill for a few nights now in the moonlight, and it really makes my room feel like a better place.  

I will also be including an information card with each little bottle purchased.  I am limited in the amount I have, but they really were fun to make.  I would love to continue a project like this in the future.

And that's it for now!  I hope you enjoyed reading! The content of this post is so different from anything I've ever posted.  I love painting in watercolors and drawing in my sketchbook, but it's always fun to try new things.

6.10.16

Hello world! I have some updates to share!

Recently I took on a really big project.  I will be selling my art at a craft fair next weekend! I was so excited to enter.  I will be sharing a table with one of my best friends and we're both really looking forward to it.  It's been a lot of hard work getting everything together in time.  It's not easy to prepare prints, do some crafting, and paint new work while also working 40 hours a week and driving an hour to work each way.  But... somehow I've been able to manage.  I also decided in late April that I would take up a new project which I'm about to share with you now.

I've always been fascinated with nature.  Recently I decided to put that fascination to work and I created a series of eight different flower illustrations.

Baby blue eyes, Anemone

Rose, Peony

Poppy, Dahlia

Pansy, Sunflower

To be honest, creating these pieces was really difficult for me, mostly because of my time constrictions.  I had to create an entire series from start to finish, scan them, order prints, receive the prints, and package them all in just a month and a half.  It was crazy! But worth it.  The flowers were all really enjoyable to paint.  

 

I sketched them out in sets of two or three, and built up two or three paintings at one time.  These were my first three sketches for peony, poppy, and anemone.  I chose my flowers based off of how they would all look as a whole, as well as how they would look using the technique I was painting with.  I wanted to have a wide variety of colors, but also needed to make sure one didn't stand out too much compared to others.

All the sketches were done to size of the final piece.  I sketched them all out on tracing paper (just because I like the way it looks), and then transferred them to watercolor paper using a light table.  I never sketch anything directly on the final paper.  Planning should always be done on separate paper to avoid lots of eraser and pencil markings on the final piece! I always use blue painter's tape to make borders.

After I transfer the sketch, I paint the background first.  I always think of my paintings in layers.  The part of the image that appears to be the furthest back should be painted before anything else, and in this case (and most cases),  the background is painted first.  Here's an example of my final sketch vs. the final painting in progress.

Following along with my layering method, the next painted layer are the stems and the leaves.  Since the petals of the flower appear to be the most forward, they are the last part that I will paint.

And then I take off the painter's tape and photograph them (usually with some sort of crystal) for you all to see! I love taking time to make nice photographs of my pieces since sometimes that's the only way some people can view my work.  Being in art school was nice because you always had an audience for every piece you created for class.  Since I am no longer a student (and haven't been for a while now!) I always try to take nice photos so I am able to show everyone.  This is a completely unedited photo before I would post it to social media, featuring one of my lovely selenite crystals.

And here's some bonus photos!

I tried to pull as many references from life as I possibly could! Here are my two favorite reference photos that I took.

And I think that will be all for now! I want to try my hardest to post again before my show.  I love making blog posts to have a detailed documentation of what I do for my records, as well as to share with others.

I hope you enjoyed reading! Have a great day!