I was tempted to try oil pastels for a long time, and I finally I did it. I’m still in love with watercolour, but it’s nice to try and learn something new.
Working with oil pastels feel like to reconnectiong with my inner child – I have to explore, experiment, and figure out how to use them.
It’s not easy; my fingers get dirty, I smudge the colours, and I leave unwanted marks on the paper.
I feel like a clumsy child trying something new. It’s frustrated, but I’ve learnt a lot during the process. At the very least, I’ve opened myself up to new experiences and embraced learning something new.
I hope it brings you some warmth on these cold days. I realise my skills have improved this year because I dedicated a whole year to practicing my painting. Of course, there are some days when I don’t want to paint at all, but I always go back to my painting afterward.
I used to act based on my feelings, but I know my feelings can sometimes be unrealiable, so I trained myself to be more disciplined.
I enjoy gardening, but painting is another way for me to capture what I see. Painting helps me through difficult times, and it also makes me feel proud of what I create. When I paint, I get lost in the world of this beautiful flower. I feel calm, and my thoughts vanish.
The more I paint, the more colours and details I notice. I love vibrant, realistic paintings because I don’t have to think much about what I paint.
How to get good at painting? My answer is to keep praticing.
I never thought I could paint something like this. It’s such a precious skill.
When I start painting, I divided large shapes into smaller ones, so I’m not overwhelmed by the whole big subject. I paint each sunflower petal as a separate piece; later on, they’ll come together as a whole. But sometimes, I move away from the painting to see it as a whole.
I gradually build up layers until I feel the tones are right.When you paint a lot, it becomes easier to adjust and see the tonal ranges.
Because the center is darker than the petals, I paint it last to avoid the colour bleeding into the petals.
When the centre is darker, I adjust the tonal of the leaves and petals.
Mistakes are unavoidable, but I try to correct them when possible. Use a damp brush to remove unwanted paint. Wait for it to dry, then repaint it.
I use white gouache to create the hairy texture of the sunflower’s leaves.
You can also lift the colour if it’s too dark, but it’s not always possible to lift it.
When mixing colour, the more water you add, the lighter the colour; the thicker the paint, the darker it gets.
Yellow is easy to get muddy, so be careful when working on the darkest tone of yellow.
Enjoy the process of painting; the painting will be finished when you can’t fix anything more or when you’re ready to move on.
Regular breaks will refresh your eyes and brain. Take a break, go outside, make some tea, and return to it when you can.
As Jim Rohn once said “ Don’t break too long, or the grass might take over your garden.”
Be patient! Hope you find something you enjoy doing.
This beautiful soft purple flowers with white centers has become one of my favourite houseplants.
This plant is easy to grow and care for. Just give it plenty of light and keep the soil moist.
It produces abundant flowers for me to enjoy. The only downside is that its flowers drop frequently, leaving me with some tidying up to do. However, for the joy it brings me, I don’t mind.
I actually don’t spend much time caring for this plant. It’s robust and easy to grow. The thick leaves sometimes gather dirt, so I wash them in the sink to kem them clean.
Deadheading helps to promote more blooms. Since I have limited space in my house, so I don’t propagte this plant. Maybe I’ll propagate it and grow it in hanging basket for the summer. This plant is beautiful. I’m glad I bought it!
Every end is a new beginning! Yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to start something new. It’s hard to stare at a blank page and write my first blog post. If I don’t do it today, I’ll keep delaying it.
I created this blog to document my journey of learning, growing and trying to become the person I want to be. I hope to meet that version of myself someday in the future. I want to live my life fully and work harder on myself to become a better version of who I am. Through this journey, I’ll share what I learn, things I try, mistakes that I make, experiences – small slices of my life. This will become a place where I can return anytime to reconnect with my soul, understand my actions, and figure out who I want to be and what I want to do.
I want to write a little bit everyday to reconnect with my thoughts. I liked writing when I was young, but I didn’t have a secret place to hide my notes. Writing became a way to talk to myself, but I felt I had to hide it from the world. I had many journals and I discarded many of them. Now, I don’t think that’s necessary anymore.
I no longer want to hide from my shadow.
I don’t want to keep running anymore.
I want to show up for myself.
Be myself!
Understand myself better.
I will try new things and learn various skills.
I will prove to myself that “If I make up my mind, I can do anything I set my mind to”.
I commit myself to become more disciplined, to keep learning and working harder on myself to become a better version of me. I hope you will find your path and keep moving forward to your brighter future. Keep going & showing up!
