3I/Atlas

I drew this sketch a few weeks before the arrival of 3I/Atlas. I’ve tried to use Pulsomagic to predict its looking and here is the result. Let’s see.

Mixed notes from Ao Nang, Krabi

I like these tiny drawings with watercolor background as a visual summary of my days in Ao Nang. 

Faster and more fun than writing a long text. Adding an extra page is always an aesthetic element. If I keep adding pages I will never finish the notebook.

Koh Hong, Thailand

Koh Hong, in Krabi, is a paradise-category place. Definitely one fo the best islands I've visited. Staying there is not possible and booking a one day tour by boat is mandatory, but that is always a pleasure in Thailand. Full tropical feeling.

I will finish this page one day soon I hope. At the moment it’s good to have a paper which can stand watercolours. However I miss the texture and cream color of my previous paper.

Kim Wan-sun

Sketch from today. Kim Wan-sun is hypnotic.

Space Molly and other notes

Having fun today with mixed notes in no particular order hoping randomness somehow brings aesthetic.

Bang Kachao, Bangkok

Bang Kachao a relaxing is area.

Simple life, humble feeling. People are calm, walk slowly and do not make sudden movements. No screams but a lot of ice creams. Abundance of excellent food, green everywhere. Definitely Thais understand life.

Mega Space Molly is supervising the spread :)

New pages with Midori paper

I think I will need time to get used to it. Less texture makes lines thicker and miss that grain feeling. Also it looks so different in the picture.

But definitely it’s great for watercolor. This hat drawing has a lot of water on it, zero wavy page. No way I could do the same in the previous laid paper.

 

Mooncake season

Just avoid durian (read each label carefully to be safe from a fatal disaster). The one I ate yesterday said “8 deluxe ingredients”.

As for the watercolors, the new limited palette is ok for desaturating colors. Or just use Payne’s Grey for that. For some reason it’s a kind a tradition for me always include Yellow ochre, Burnt sienna and Turquoise.

Tiny watercolor box for this trip: Since the new Midori paper is so great standing watercolor (no wavy pages at all) I will use more water from now on. The box is very light but the plastic isn’t quite good for mixing color.

Cadmium yellow
Yellow ochre
Indigo ❤️
Burnt sienna
Turquoise
Payne’s grey 

Phra Ngang (พระงั่ง)

Some years later and I just realised my favourite amulet is not activated!

His name is Phra Ngang (พระงั่ง). But he came without instructions manual. Super cute and also super enigmatic. He obviously hides something. To be activated I need to find an “Ajarn” (?) or a monk with advanced knowledge. And more complex things I’m discovering.

Is this my new paper?

Many people ask me what paper I use. As some of you know, I love my 100g/m2 laid paper in cream color but I have huge problems with it in tropical places, probably because of humidity. I can’t recommend it.
I tried many kind of papers in the past and maybe it’s time to start fresh, with less texture therefore less prone to humidity issues, I hope.

Midori Thick looks good quality paper, around 145g/m2 as my calculations (they don’t show the weight) and it holds up very well with fountain pen ink. Even heavy drops of ink! (see the black ink). Also ok for small watercolors. Zero see through. Just small feathering with the first Rohrer & Klinger ink, in one area, which surprises me.

It’s not as creamy color as I’d like but overall maybe it unblocks my current limitations.

And it definitely spreads a Japan vibe: simplicity, quality and well done. In the end these intangible qualities are the most important if they make you love it and write/draw more, which is the goal.

Have you tried this one? How did it feel in your hands?

So… let’s use it and see! And now the question is… how could I replace the unused pages in my current notebook for this one? Binding again.

[CENSURED PAGE]

The donut is a misunderstood animal. It needs in-depth research.

Donuts are good. If you hear a so-called expert say otherwise… [CENSURED PAGE]

Looks like the god/algorithm doesn't like donuts so I can't talk about them. You will have to look at the pics to discover the text.

Page of resources. Use sparingly

I always remember the book Writing, Illuminating & Lettering by Edward Johnston (1906). This book was written more than 100 years ago and it’s very inspirational since it talks from the perspective of a time before computers and their impact in we know for typography. Nothing there has the perfection of a machine, and that’s beautiful.

There he shows a figure full of useful ideas to fill gaps in a calligraphy page.

Here I created my own version. If you suffer/enjoy from horror vacui you can use any of these items. But use them with care. If you put too many together, they might clog the result, as happened in this spread.

Japanese patterns

I’d wish I could dedicate time to Japanese patterns. 

They are great. Too many open doors already. Just a little reminder in this little page for my future self, maybe he has time to do research.

Tools give you superpower

Somehow I’ve reached the age where a screwdriver makes me happier than most things.

Creating a toolbox is one of my pending task for years. Something I can’t do when travelling. Not just a regular toolbox, one with soul. With quality tools, keeping harmony and beauty. Actually I’ve picked up some of the items because of the colors. And then, the number 1 aesthetic, the outer visible layer you can’t buy: Charisma. But it’s not there in the beginning. They are too new now. Only the pass of time will add soul to the beaten up tools and the project will be completed. They need scratches and stories behind. Not even then, because the toolbox is an evolving being, that’s its nature.

To me each tool is a tribute to human’s progress. Literal suoerpowers. And now many of them not only have reached the perfection but also they are available everywhere at affordable prices. Look at the mesmerizing beauty of a knife or a pair of pliers.

What tools should I absolutely have in my kit? They must be: simple, beautiful, quality-full and useful.

About productivity

The good mattress paradox.

Peter was a normal guy. Happy, not much not little, normal. One day he found a productivity video in internet. He realized his life somehow was not productive enough. He followed a tip: “Get a good mattress. Quality sleep is the key to peak productivity!” And so, Peter did just that.

The new mattress was so cozy and warm. He got trapped in bed for most of the day! Oh, his productivity gone. “This is unacceptable” he thought. Time for an opposite strategy.

In order to cut down his time in bed he replaced his mattress with a bed of nails. No excuses. When the alarm rang, he practically jump out of bed. Alarms means relief now. He had the whole day ahead to be productive! But, surprise, he was exhausted. The productivity hours dropped even more.

And here we find Bloody Peter, walking tired, in zombie mode…

Lesson learned: Buy a good mattress and just sleep all day. Your life will improve.

Appreciating paper texture

 

Tiny ropes

One of my anti-superpower is I draw so slow. Specially when I want to sketch out fast ideas. It’s draft mode, It should be quickly. But I got trapped in unnecessary details, etc.

This is an exercise to do a draft of this idea in just a few minutes. Let Future Me (or my trained monkey assistant) handle the polish version other day.

Layers of Thailand

Thailand is a strange lover. At first, it gives you the best welcome, with open arms. Everything feels magical, every corner a new discovery. The baht bills in your wallet, the rhythm of the BTS, the fruit vendors on every street or the aesthetic, to mention a few of the most recognizable details. Even the most ordinary things like a simple sidewalk or a battered bridge in Bang Na become endearing!

But Thailand has many layers. The deeper you go, the more you realize there’s a core you will never reach. That place is not for you. A Thai essence that belongs only to them, where you will always be a farang. What if Thailand never truly wanted me? What if it only lets me stay the outer layers?

I don’t mind at all.  I’ve never truly belonged anywhere, never fit into any place or culture (free me from that). And honestly, those outer layers of Thailand are the perfect place for me, so… excellent!