Have you guys entered the giveaway yet? ;)

I’ll tell you this: it isn’t easy to juggle a couple of things at the same time! I’ve been pretty busy for the past few weeks, what with Mr T’s parents coming over, and with a couple of other obligations in the way, our weekends didn’t really belong to us!

But good things first — Marichelle just started a blog about handmade lovelies on the Hearthandmade blog, and things are looking very swell — I love the design of her blogs, and this is no different. Go Marichelle!

I bought myself a Moleskine diary for 2008, and because it’s almost April, I got it at 50% off. Well, the year is almost one-third over, but I got it anyway because it’s going to document my journey come April/May, so to me, it’s a sort of a new beginning to me anyway. :)

The PikaPackage project on Pikaland is doing very well, with a fantastic line-up of artists so far, so I’m very grateful for the support and encouragement I’ve received.

I have a lot of emails to reply, but thank you so much to everyone who left a comment on my last post on IF. Thanks for sharing your stories! I’ve also made some new friends along the way — it’s a fantastic feeling to have kindred spirits who knows what you’re going through.

And I’ve been thinking of what I’m going to do with my home. It’s still not officially ours yet, so I’m just scouting around for inspirations. Holly’s flickr page is especially wonderful!

1. West Elm 2007—Look@that lamp!, 2. so open and interesting for dining with friends, 3. AB Chao’s Hip Lousiana Abode, 4. Urban Outfitters, 5. I like those green ceiling beams, 6. House to Home, 7. House to Home, 8. An Angel at my Table, 9. Liza Giles {designer}

And here’s Mr T with Cookie – she adores him to bits. And for those who wrote in with well wishes for her, you’ll be interested to know that she has changed a little since her ordeal — she’s much more affectionate and brave too.

Hand drawn, digitally rendered.
A bigger image here.

There’s a certain sense of fear when you leap into the unknown.

I know that, and I’ve been avoiding taking leaps whenever I can because I’m not sure what will catch me if I fall. I’ve discovered that once you’ve set out your purpose, the hows will slowly answer themselves — like a pages in a storybook that will unfold in due time.

I’ve seen many others throwing caution to the wind and suffered for their dreams, and most of them are now living the life they had once dreamed of. I realize that we can’t expect things to fall into place by themselves, and that suffering and pain is a necessary experience that will test our strength and faith. We can’t write a book with a beginning and an ending without the middle. That’s where the important stuff happens. That’s when you grow. That’s when you become whole. And without the middle, nothing makes sense.

I’m sure I’ll make new discoveries, and in the process become whole, instead of being half the best that I could be.

I can’t say for sure where I’ll end up. And I can’t even describe to you how afraid I am as I try to carve a different path for myself. I’m not sure where this is all going. I could fail miserably, or I could soar.

But all I can do now is to remember to spread my wings and let the wind catch me.

Illustration drawn in Moleskine in ink, coloured with color pencils with some digital enhancements.

Ah, I’m late again for the submission, so it’s a quick sketch.

Anyway, I’ve chosen my path. :)

EDIT
See the larger image here.

Now you all know how I’ve not done any illustrations for a while now. I bet you must be thinking — uh oh, she fell off the wagon! I did not, I assure you. :)

My time was spent on doing up a new website called Pikaland. I realised (and I think you do too), that I have been posting up a fair number of links to other wonderful illustrators right here on this blog. Of course, the fact that this blog was supposed to revolve more around craft didn’t help — I was picking up a pen and pencil to draw more than taking out the sewing machine!

It all started innocently enough — I forgot that I loved to draw and doodle, until I joined Illustration Friday. I then went through more and more illustration sites and realized how happy I was to look at other peep’s lovely works. I have a loooong list of illustration sites I want to share, but it didn’t seem right to put it here on this blog.

Coupled with me finally finding a house to call my home (another surprise — but it’s not officially mine yet for another three months!), I wanted to fill it with everything hand-drawn, and live an illustrated life as much as possible without breaking the bank! As I tried to find a site or an online gallery dedicated to all things illustrated that I could buy, I couldn’t find any… so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

And that, in a nutshell, is how Pikaland came about.

Some people must be wondering why should it be an ad-based blog? It’s a natural evolution for me, I guess. I’ve been a magazine editor for a couple of years now, and I’ve decided that it’s time I write about things that are dear to me. I hope that I’ll be able to make this my full time job in the near future (apart from being a freelance illustrator, but that’s a story for another day!)

So, please feel free to spread the word to everyone you know, and I hope you’ll join me over there as well! :)

Pssst, if you’re an illustrator/artist who sells online, you’re invited to to a spot on our Galleria free for the month of February and March. Hurrah!

Don’t you just love this ring? I know I do. It’s a Bubble Ring from Colleen Baran’s shop and I stumbled on it when I was going through Etsy. I don’t wear rings because having a band on my finger makes it go all umm… sweaty at times (no, I’m not kidding, our country here is hot all year round). So the holes on Colleen’s rings are perfect — if I ever do decide to wear one.

And on Colleen’s blog, she’s calling for Share your Love entries, and the chosen ones will be featured in her new collection of jewelry and in an artist book/zine. I’m going to try my hand at this for this year’s Valentine, seeing as my Valentine is out of town on the 14th anyway.

You know you’re in some sort of limbo when you’re looking at pretty rings and thinking of summery dresses in white to go with a garden party. It’s not like I’ve been looking, really. It’s just that all sorts of things catches my eye lately. And although it’s mostly reminders of what’s to come — not that I’m complaining — it seems like there’s a lot more to do than just sit down and look at pretty things. Like this passport cover by Revontulitikku for instance:

On another note, Illustration Friday’s next topic is called Choose, a very apt title for me right now (if you’ll see the post below, you’ll know what I mean), which I’ll be illustrating. It’s got me all excited again, so that’s a great start to the Chinese New Year.

Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference

~ Robert Frost

Penelope is having a conundrum, and so am I.

This sketch is one of my entries for Illustration Friday’s Open, and I think, aptly captures what I’m feeling right now — if I wasn’t so darned tired all the time.

I’m just starting to stretch myself a little more now, because I’ve just finished putting together another issue of the magazine. And while I don’t have that much time to saunter around to the blogs on my list, I always enjoy Kevin Cornell’s newest project, The Superest — an ongoing competition to see which drawn superhero will outwit and outpower the last. His compadre in action is Matthew Sutter, and sometimes other artists are brought in to add to the fun.

I’ll be back soon with a proper post, promise!

I simply had to let you in on Kate Beaton’s work. I was clutching my sides when I read almost ALL of her comics. (via Drawn!)

In a way, it reminds me of Amy. I love, love, love fantastically funny and happy people!

Little Things Mean Everything
Drawn on sketchbook, digitally rendered.

Big things are the sum of little parts, which is why to me they are so important. We give away little pieces of ourselves with every person we meet, and that’s what I was trying to illustrate with this piece.

A slightly bigger pic here.

Thank you for looking! :)