2018

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It’s that time of the year again. (See last year’s review here).

2017 was a great art year for me. ♥

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I met up with my group mates and friends from a previous art trade after a year. Everyone got along and we decided to name our group to January Girls because we all met in January lol. We met up a month later during Art Fair Philippines. This was also the time that we received the first batch of seamountainco paints. It was my first artist grade watercolor paints and I fell in love with it. ♥

After years of planning, me and my college block mates finally went on an adventure. It was our first time as a group to go on an overnight outing together. We camped, surfed, and laughed all through out the trip. ♥

Inggo and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary by having a staycation at Makati.  We tried out most of the restos that piqued our interest there. There’s not as much food adventures as compared to before, because there weren’t any restaurant significant enough to blog about. But we did experience something new, which was the Coffee Appreciation Workshop at SGD Coffee.

It was also during this time when the January Girls started participating in bazaars! We changed our group name from January Girls to January Makers PH to make it look a lot more formal. So. Thankful. I learned so many things that only experience can teach. If you would look at the January Makers PH tag, you would see our bazaar journey. Our last bazaar looked like this and I’ve never felt any prouder for our group. ♥ I also met a lot of new people because of this. We shared our experiences and passion for art through art tambays.

I also did my first watercolor workshop! It was a terrifying but great experience for me. After that, I did the Inktober challenge which happened the whole October. It was the first time that I completed this challenge. ♥ I also now do commissions as well!

There are still so many things that I haven’t blogged about but are still noteworthy: my restaurant interior design project at Zambales, my current residential interior design project, my mural painting commission, my online shops, and documented art tambays with friends.

Even though this year is not good for me financially, I’m thankful that I got through it all. ♥ I had tons of Art & Adventures which I wished for last year. Here’s to another great one this 2018!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdUahdAHjQV/?taken-by=suffnirain

Coffee Project revisit

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A few weeks ago, I revisited a cafe that I used to go to when I was still working near the area. I was surprised that they’ve expanded their interiors! And it’s still so pretty huhuhu. This is Coffee Project at Wil Tower.

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They are known for their garden-inspired interiors. With faux flowers everywhere, wood furniture, bicycles, and metal accents. I’ve said before that this is a good place for an art tambay, and I still agree with that statement! The weird thing is that I haven’t done that YET with my friends, why?! Just look at the photos:

Their tables. ♥

Full of garden-style decor!

Decor beside me. ♥

Hi Zinah. ♥ HAHAHA.

I had a funny story that day. While I was talking those interior shots, there were 2 ladies who kept looking at me. Thinking that maybe they thought I was a weirdo for taking pictures, I paid them no heed. After a while, the girl in blue (pictured above) approached me and asked:

“Hi ikaw ba si Paulina?”

It was my batch mate from college. HAHA. So I moved my things to her table to catch up on each other’s lives. Apparently she was one of the designers for Coffee Project!

Those are my stuff. Sorry for the mess HAHA.

And after 2 months, I finally bought my own hue&ai #NoPaintNoGain watercolor pad! My friends recommended this pad to me thinking that it would suit my painting style. I got this at Common Room Katipunan for 170php.

Pretty decor! ♥

Of course I tested mine when I got home. I always turn to sunflowers or peonies when testing paper. The reason for this is that I’m so used to painting sunflowers that it became my painting style: a mixture of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. For the peonies, I could test my very wet-on-wet painting style so I could see the bloom effects.  I’m liking it so far!

My paints of course are seamountainco. ♥

Messy peony bloom. ♥

Now the reason that I revisited this place is because I asked Hannah to meet up with me here. I met up with Dandi of Agueda Manila at Gateway because I ordered two boxes of her brigadeiros – one for me & one for a client. I got the mini box of 15pcs briggies in custom flavors (matcha, barako, and cacao) for me, while the other box contains their best sellers. I offered Hannah and Zinah to taste my personal box haha. They loved the matcha one!

Whenever there’s a Just Add Water event, we always buy from her lol. (JAW2 / JAWInk).

What’s left of my box LOL.

We went home a few hours later after talking all night. We really should plan an art tambay for this place. Anyone up for that?!

Youtube feature

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My stickers were featured on Rainbowholic‘s hobonichi video!

I’ve been a fan of Kaila ever since the Kawaii PH days. (How long ago was that?!). She inspires me to be positive & do things that I’m passionate about. Check out more of her blog here.  She also does hobonichi videos on her YouTube channel. The most entertaining part of her videos for me is when she’s cutting her printouts HAHA. That’s why I gave her some of my hard mode sticker sets. (Good luck Kaila!)The other flower stickers she used are all CUTE! I want to improve my art so they would look like those too lol.

Thank you to Jean for giving her my letter! ♥ She went to Japan last month to participate at Design Festa.

SGD Coffee Appreciation Workshop

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Last Sunday, Inggo and I went to SGD Coffee again. They offered a free coffee appreciation workshop because it was their first anniversary. ♥ It was on a first come, first serve basis. We were lucky that we got a slot for their 4-5pm class.

♥

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The coffee lab.

What I picked. Sadly this wasn’t chosen as one of the three coffee that we tasted that day.

Coffee bean grinding!

Smells good already. ♥

Cafe Lipa. Bacofo. Verve.

To appreciate coffee, we first smelled the freshly ground beans & described our first thoughts about it. It was funny because I had similar views with an older classmate while Inggo had similarities with the millennials.

After that, we smelled & tasted the coffee with hot water at different intervals. It was interesting! Some first impressions during the smell test were intensified with hot water, while some disappeared completely. But it still depends on the person.

French press. ♥

After that, we tried the french press method for all types. We also got to smell & taste a fourth coffee – which is their SGD coffee blend. ♥ Our group is not biased in any way, but we all loved the SGD Coffee HAHA. We also got to try their lemon bar and buttercream bar to pair with their coffee. I liked that it enhanced or complements their coffee instead of overpowering it.

Overall, we learned a lot during the workshop. We also got to experience grinding, weighing, and using the french press for our selected coffee. I also realized during the workshop that I like dark, bitter, chocolate-y tastes compared to light, sour, acidic/”sinigang mix” types. But I also like sagada coffee because of its woody, balanced, familiar taste HAHA.

Congratulations to SGD Coffee on their first anniversary! Here’s to many more to come. ♥

SGD Coffee + Commission

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A few weeks ago, my friend commissioned me to make her a watercolor family portrait painting as a gift to her husband. I gladly accepted since she was a close friend way back in elementary. I wanted to paint outside of the house, so I asked Inggo to accompany me to Maginhawa.

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We had lunch at Friuli Trattoria because we were thinking of having coffee at Negative Space Coffee after. Unfortunately, the cafe has closed operation. I was distraught because this was my favorite coffee shop in Maginhawa! I didn’t even had a chance to blog about it properly huhu.

So we decided to look for another cafe around Maginhawa. Then I remembered Tricia Gosingtian’s blog post about her adventure around this area where she recommended a coffee shop called SGD Coffee. Thanks to the internet and google maps, we easily found our way there HAHA.

Coffee round 1!

We ordered the SGD Black (120 php) and SGD Cold (175 php) for our drinks. Inggo also wanted a snack so I ordered a Lemon Bar (65php) for him. The place was packed full but we found a corner space on the second floor.

We were amused with the plating for the lemon bar. (ehem, /r/WeWantPlates). We’re not coffee connoisseurs, but sagada beans is our favorite Philippine variety because this one has a smooth, non-metallic, and not burnt taste. But it will still depend on the coffee shop. The drinks here were good! It has the same taste with other shops with sagada beans, but this one is much smoother.

Progress.

My table setup: watercolor pouch, power bank, and my seamountainco set. ♥

I also liked the interiors of the store. It was an old house converted into a coffee shop and learning center. I loved that it had large windows bringing in natural light inside. Perfect for me since I needed it for painting.

Another view of my table setup: Seamountainco set, portable mixing palette, and my w&n cotman set.

I also decided to paint another portrait of my friend because of our conversation. She mentioned that I made her a portrait when we were in Grade 6. Sadly, she lost the portrait due to constant moving. So I made a new one for her. ♥

We shared this plate. ♥

While doing the second painting, Inggo ordered food and drinks. He ordered the Longganisa (220php), Cappuccino (145php) for him, and Flat White (145php) for me. The food was really good and filling! I liked the runny egg yolks mixed with the etag and black rice. The veggies were also delicious. I think these are all Sagada products.

Coffee round 2!

His cappuccino had cinnamon powder on top instead of the usual chocolate powder. He said his drink was good. I don’t usually drink flat white, but this was also good. You could still taste the smooth sagada brew in it. The only pet peeve I think is that they serve hot drinks on glass cups. But that’s just my preference.

Finished! ♥

Overall, we had a good time here in SGD Coffee. It’s the perfect place for art tambays with the natural light. The food and drinks were good, although a bit expensive for the student crowd. They also teach everything about coffee, so do check out their Facebook page and website for more details.

Is this my new favorite coffee shop in Maginhawa? I’m still not sure.

Further reading:

SGD Coffee wants to make Sagada coffee among the best in the world.

Coffee from Sagada is challenging the way we think about local beans.

Inktober 2017

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted artworks that are self-indulgent. Last month after our first watercolor workshop, I decided that I would do this year’s Inktober. So what is inktober? From its creator’s website:

Every October, artists all over the world take on the Inktober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month.

To be honest, I’ve already heard about inktober years ago. Every year I tried to do the prompt, but I never did complete a whole month. So I challenged myself this year to complete the prompt even if I’m already busy with interior & painting works. There’s only one problem: I didn’t like the official prompt HAHA. (Pictured below)

But! There are a bunch of new prompts created every year by different artists so you could also choose from those. I chose relseiy‘s prompt, named #reltober. Here is her prompt:

I thought it suited my style so I chose this. My goals for this year’s inktober were:

  • Finish the whole month. (Even if I can’t draw everyday!)
  • Draw more different flowers asides from sunflowers.
  • Practice my inking/lineart skills again.
  • Practice drawing hands.
  • Self indulge in my anime style & other styles.

Did I achieve my goals? Find out below! You can click each image and it will direct you to its original instagram post.

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Maple Leaf.

Little flowers.

Seashell.

Wind.

Strawberry.

Tea / Coffee.

Planet.

Water.

Sunflower.

Apple.

Snowflake.

Feathers.

Bubbles.

Butterfly.

Succulents.

Mushroom.

Flower crown.

Starfish.

Spark.

Constellation.

Waves.

Dandelions.

Melody.

Moth.

Roots.

Jellyfish.

Plum blossom.

Gem stone.

Vines.

Wisteria.

Lanterns.

Although a bit late, I still managed to finish this year’s Inktober! Since drawing everyday was impossible (during that time I was travelling for interior design work), I decided that whenever I had the time I would draw a bunch of drawings. Props to those who managed to draw everyday! ♥

Did I complete my goals? Well, I think so! I finished the whole month, practiced my inking/lineart skills by drawing different subjects (flowers, hands, nature), and let myself indulge in trying different art styles. I was so tempted to color some of my artworks using my markers, but I managed to stop myself from doing that because I want it to be monochromatic in my IG feed.

My personal favorites would be: Wind, Sunflowers, Spark, Constellation, and Gem Stone. ♥ What about your’s?

Will I do it again next year? Hopefully!

Tim Hortons

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It’s planner season once again in the Philippines. I’ve already started my CBTL stamp collecting, but I’ve been craving the coffee of a new player in Metro Manila: Tim Hortons! The Canada-based fast food restaurant is finally here! The first time I tried it was at Eastwood with Inggo.

Interiors. They’re beside Ippudo at Eastwood.

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We ordered the Large Hot Mocha (130php) & French Vanilla (125php). The hot mocha is what you would expect it to taste. But the French Vanilla… oh my! It was heaven at first sip. ♥ Too bad that it was Inggo’s drink huhu. Price is competitive also, they’re wayyy cheaper than their competition. The only thing for a coffee connoisseur is that their coffee is not that strong. It’s too creamy for the experienced. But we don’t mind. ♥

He also ordered a Croissant with Cream Cheese. (75php).

I ordered an Apple Fritter. (Forgot the price, sorry! But it was also not bad for the price.)

And for every receipt, there’s a promo code where you have to answer their survey form. Once filled up, they’ll give you a code for a free donut when you buy a drink. ♥ I’ve already used 3-4 receipts HAHA.

Another thing is their iced drinks are different from their hot drinks. I always order the iced coffee (95php) with an add-on of vanilla shot (20php). For a large drink of 115php, I’m already happy with my creamy drink. Ughh! I’m craving for it now.

Once the planner season ends, and once they expand to the northern side of Metro Manila. I think I’ll become a regular at this place HAHA. ♥

Katipunan Art Festival

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The Katipunan Art Festival held two weeks ago was the most fun we’ve had as a group! I finally got another charger for my digicam woohooo! High quality and picture heavy post ahead:

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The  January Makers PH team was complete that weekend. Monique was part of the organizer team, so she wasn’t available 100% of the time at our booth. We were seated beside Abbey Sy‘s table where Jean (owner of seamountainco) was also a part of. It was a good thing that our booths were beside each other! ♥ Manning the JanMakers table was Hannah and I.

Our table!

Pictured above is our finally complete table setup lol. We finally got to use Monique’s mesh wire where we could hang stuff. Thanks to our first workshop, we finally had the funds to buy our own table for bazaars. It was also by fate that on the day we went shopping, the table was at 30% off! Lucky! ♥

Monique’s side of the table.

Her cute 90s candies & chichirya stickers!

Harry potter-inspired food stickers, 90s candies & chichirya stickers in their cute packaging. ♥

The mesh wire display. ♥

Hannah’s cute animal cut-it-yourself sticker packs. ♥

Other side of the wire mesh: my flower sticker packs, seamountainco individual pans, and our logo. ♥

The center of the table: my individual stickers, home decor (lol), and cute birds.

My postcards. ♥

Jean also made postcards of her artworks. She also made her own sticker pack. ♥

An original watercolor painting for sale. ♥

My original watercolor painting – Magnolia. ♥

Which was sold to this gentleman. ♥ THANK YOU so much!!! (That’s me in my “presko/pochahontas/buwan ng wika” outfit. HAHA.

It was a good thing that the weather cooperated the whole weekend, albeit a bit rainy in the morning but sunny (and windy) the whole day. It was the perfect weather that provided a big crowd for the booths.

Hello to our neighbor The Republika Shop!

Abbey’s table.

Oh, and I love the fact that some of the sellers were also participants from 10a Alabama years ago. I think some from the organizer team were also a part of it? So this event was a mixture of veterans and newcomers.

Graffiti wall!

I’m also thankful for our friends who visited us during the fair. Thank you for the effort! ♥

Ruth & Joy visited our table! ♥

Thanks for visiting Gerard! ♥

Thanks Ma’am Cara! ♥ (Check out her blog!)

Thank you also to Aira and Shine huhu sorry we didn’t get to take photos.

Until the next event! ♥

Our First Workshop

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Finally had time to sit down and blog! We joined The Craft Central’s 1st Birthday Celebration at Greenbelt 5 last September 26 to October 1 as January Makers PH. We held our first watercolor workshop there!

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I was honestly terrified teaching a workshop. First, I’m not sure with the basics of watercolor since it wasn’t taught formally back in college. Second, it was my first time to teach students who paid (lol, I had tons of guinea pigs though). Third, I was scared that my students won’t learn a thing from me. Finally, I’m an introvert so I had NO IDEA if I could pull it off.

Me, explaining the color wheel.

Thankfully, my stage muthers/a.k.a. the rest of the January Makers PH team: Jean, Monique, and Hannah were there to help me out the whole time. They helped with the paper cups filled with water, took photos while I was teaching, and also helped with the cleanup after the workshop. They were my support throughout the day. ♥

Karen, starting with the color wheel.

After the quick introduction, we started with the color wheel. Learning the color wheel is one of the fundamentals. It would help in color choices and also for paint mixing.

Shayne, starting with her sunflower!

Learning how to draw a sunflower is easy. They also joked about my methods. Step 1 is “draw a circle”. Step 2 is “draw a tear drop shape”. Step 3 is “surround circle with a lot of tears”. HAHA.

Busy, busy.

I also let them try my seamountainco palette so they could see the difference with student grade paints to artist grade paints. They also had their own seamountainco dot cards that were included in the workshop. Thanks again, Jean! ♥

The rest of the workshop I went around to check & guide them one-on-one. Most of the participants were beginners, so I had to check & comment with their progress. Even though I taught them my style of painting, their own style showed through! ♥

Jade’s painting. | Karen’s painting.

Shayne’s painting. | Celso’s painting.

Katya’s painting. | Paola’s painting.

Gillian’s painting. | Sam’s painting.

My own painting plus Katya’s watercolor paper given to me. Thank you so much! ♥

The final homework for the students. Beautiful lettering & pouch from Jade.

Overall, it was a great learning experience! I think I still need to improve on conveying my thoughts to people. I hoped my students learned something watercolor-related from me. I heard they learned life lessons from my workshop?!

Thank you to The Craft Central for the workshop opportunity and venue. To my January Maker sisters. To my students. And to my guinea pigs lol I learned something from teaching you guys hahaha. ♥

Hopefully I could improve some more & organize another workshop. ♥