First week of May

Since starting this whole blog thing (which is currently just two posts, lol), I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a smaller mirrorless or compact camera to carry around more easily. Right now, I’m using the Fuji X-T4 with the 16–80mm lens, and while it’s great, it’s just so heavy for casual outings. I don't know, finding the perfect camera is so hard. If only I could get the same photo quality on my phone!

Yesterday, I went to a local art supply store that was having a clearance sale and grabbed a bunch of Molotow markers and replacement tips, as well as some more craft paper I use as a backdrop for photos.

Marker haul! 25% off clearance sale :')

In terms of my art, I’ve been working on a new book idea for my next Kickstarter, and the working title is Solo Travel in Japan. It’ll be 90 pages total (covers included), with 60 pages of comic-style drawings that capture my travel experiences across Japan. Each location will get about five pages, covering 12 spots from spring through summer, fall, and winter. I’m also considering expanding it to 80 pages of drawings and 110 pages total, but that might make printing too expensive, and I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to finish that many pages. This book is meant to be a kind of behind-the-scenes or comic version of my vlogs, capturing the little moments and beautiful scenes I couldn’t fit into my Paintings of Japan books.

I’m also planning to finish two more art books this year: the summer and winter editions of Paintings of Japan. So for 2025, I’ll need to complete around 150 drawings to finish all three books. That probably sounds worse than last year’s total of 120 drawings for Italy and Portugal, but since I work smaller for the Japan books, each page takes a lot less time. I’ve only managed to get around 40 done so far ( and it's already May lol), though 5 of them didn’t make the cut and were scrapped. To be fair, I was away from home for two months. I’m still on track to finish everything by the end of October... I hope.

What I’ve been working on for the past 2 months. 👀

It might look like a comic page, but it’s just illustrations arranged in comic-style panels xD. Still, this feels like a big step for me. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my lifelong dreams is to make comics, so this felt like a real breakthrough, tackling my fear of adding characters into my otherwise empty background paintings. I don’t know what it is about adding characters... maybe it’s how hard it is to draw precise lines with these markers, but it’s a challenge. So, in reality, it's just a small step, but I hope I can keep exploring this direction. Eventually, I’d love to have enough experience (I really need to sketch people more! cafe sketching & life drawing) to tell an actual story. For now, it still feels a lot like my vlogs—just quiet moments and pretty scenes, with little to no narrative.

Cats are doing well. After two and a half years of living together, they’re still just roommates who co-exist and sometimes hate each other. I love hanging out with them after finishing a drawing; it’s the most calming thing. Suki loves going out onto the patio. She was probably once a semi-outdoor cat before we adopted her. Benny is a bit of a sheltered baby with a weak stomach, so I don't let him out much. He enjoys watching Suki and chases her when she comes back in.