I was inspired to create this mixed media drawing by a Japanese stencil design book I recently purchased. I love incorporating a mixture of forms with traditional Japanese patterns and graphics. If you're interested in seeing how I created this piece, you can watch the video down below :)

YAY! Summer is finally here! I'm excited to develop a series of paintings this summer. I have a sketchbook that I want to fill up with drawings and ideas. I want to create two series- the first on watercolor paper that incorporates mixed media and collage. These will be more like studies of character faces and experimentation with different mediums. The second series will be more time consuming, with acrylic on wood panels. Today I wanted to play around with acrylic inks and charcoal, so I created this "dusky" painting of a young woman. I just wanted to draw for drawing's sake. I ended up with a painting that I really like. Check out my video below on how I created this mixed media piece! :)

I went to the public library this week and picked up two books to read. I feel like I haven't written or read much these past few years, which in turn has created a sense of anxiety within me!  There's a great feeling of satisfaction when I comb through the shelves and spot a book with an eye catching binding. I quickly glance through the summary to see if it is interesting enough to borrow, and make my decision. Has anyone ever put off reading just for pleasure because of work and life obligations? I fondly remember staying up late at night devouring a book during my adolescent and college years. Now I can't seem to stay still long enough to sit down for hours on end to read a book. Sometimes I feel like my writing skills have begun to slip because I don't write often anymore. For skills sake, I am definitely going to try to read and write more on a daily basis. I need new vocabulary in my life! I think this blog is going to be the perfect outlet for me.

What are your plans this summer? My aunt from California is coming to stay with us for two weeks! I haven't seen my aunt in person in many years, so I'm excited to hang out with her. My husband's best friend is getting married this summer, so we are going to another state to attend his wedding. It's going to be one busy summer for me. I hope everyone has a fantastic summer full of fun adventures and relaxation!

Hey everyone! I am back with another drawing video! This time it is a color pencil drawing of a dress from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2018. I loved this collection so much! It was a mixture of feminine pieces with an alternative edge. My favorite things to draw are heroines wearing beautiful clothes and creating a story around the dress. I have the original and prints of this drawing for sale in my shop.  If you want to see how I drew this picture, watch my time lapse below!

PRINTS OF MY ART ↓ http://aliceleart.com/shop

SUPPLIES ↓

⊛Prismacolor pencils - https://goo.gl/esEUAS

⊛Bee Paper Black Bristol Paper - https://goo.gl/zmxhpx

⊛Prismacolor Premier Colorless Blender Pencils - https://goo.gl/U23ZUS

⊛Ph. Martin Bleed Proof White - https://goo.gl/2YZDZK

Hi everyone, 

Today I am going to show you how to paint Snowdrop flowers with Japanese watercolors. This spring flower lends itself perfectly to Chinese brush strokes, with its lovely linear leaves and simple flower, both of which are easy to paint!

Hi everyone, 

I'm so happy to be back to blogging! After August last year, I've been so wrapped up in my new job that my poor blog became terribly neglected. It's 2018 now and I'm ready to start the new year off strong with some new art work and more regular updates! I'm starting to dabble in YouTube and making videos about my art. I hope to continue growing my channel and connecting with the creative community there. It's definitely a motivator for me to continue making art and inspiring others. 

Today I am going to show you how to paint some Camellia flowers with Japanese watercolors. The materials I will be starting with are the Yatsumoto Sumi-E Watercolor Set and two Winsor & Newton Calligraphy brushes in a small and medium size. I have all of my supplies linked down below in case you wanted to get some for yourself. 

Supplies:

Tombow Xtreme Adhesive Runner - https://goo.gl/2cA3wv

Bristol Paper - https://goo.gl/XkAW9r

Yatsumoto Sumi-E Watercolor Set - https://goo.gl/pfbeXz

Calligraphy brushes - https://goo.gl/HGdWLs

Ph. Martin Bleed Proof White - https://goo.gl/2YZDZK

I can't believe it's August already! Time... that's something we can never get back!

My summer has been packed with job interviews and working on my alternative teaching certification. I have been blessed with a new job teaching high school Art I and AP Photography! The school sent me to AP Training in July and during that week I created some pieces of art that I have to say I am quite pleased with. 

I think as an artist, you should be open to experimenation and using different types of materials, not just ones that you are comfortable with. At first, I felt a little hesitant when the instructor told us that we had to make four pieces of work using materials that weren't my favorites. One piece had to use charcoal sticks that portrayed two random words (mine were "tree" and "blueberry") and another was a blind line drawing consisting of scribbles that I had to turn into something else. I had not used charcoal to make art since undergraduate art school! My imagination flourished when I just let go of my inhibitions and immersed myself in the process of making. I really enjoyed the journey! 

"Repose" - Charcoal, watercolor inks, and decorative paper collage on drawing paper

"Delirium" - Pen and ink, watercolor inks, color pencil, and gesso on drawing paper

Happy Friday everyone! This week has been quite hectic. Here is another drawing inspired by Alexander McQueen's Ready to Wear Spring 2017 collection. I love the delicate flower motifs in the dresses. I can't wait for summer! 

Say hello to Kiyoko! I'm going to start naming all of the girls that I draw with a special name :) I wanted to give this picture a fun and cute vibe. Her outfit is inspired by Alexander McQueen's Ready to Wear Spring 2017 collection. I can't get enough of this collection! I actually messed up on her eyes so I decided to just give her sunglasses to cover up my mistake, haha! My mistake turned out for the better in the end!

Here is another color pencil illustration from Alexander McQueen's Ready to Wear Spring 2017 collection. My sister says the lady reminds her of CL from the korean girl group 2NE1. Now I'm sad because 2NE1 disbanded recently. They were my favorite Korean girl group! I will listen to their songs with a heavy heart of nostalgia now...

I've always loved fashion, ever since I was a little girl. I think it started with my mother dressing me in big fluffy colorful princess gowns when I was a toddler. In fourth grade I decided that I wanted to be a fashion designer when I grew up. I kept a binder full of white copy paper to draw clothing designs in. I love to illustrate clothing. Fashion is one of my favorite things to draw, so it continuously manifests in my art work as well. 

To challenge myself creatively, I have decided to start a drawing project called The Fashion Book. I'm starting a sketchbook of drawings inspired by my favorite designer collections. It will chronicle my love for fashion and growth in using color pencil. I'm excited to get back into daily drawings again. 

This drawing is inspired by Alexander Mcqueen's Spring 2017 Ready to Wear collection. I love these dresses so much! They conjure up an image of a rocker mermaid stepping out from sea foam for me.