daily slice-of-life photo blog of a Gen-X dad
I’ve recently started getting into drawing maps. After watching a few videos by JP Coovert and picking up a couple of his PDFs, I’ve been learning how to draw the kind of maps you see at the beginning of fantasy novels. Today’s photo shows a continent I drew. I still need to fill in all the terrain and landmarks, but I think it’s a pretty nice start for my first world map. It’s been lots of fun! 🎨📜
I’ve been doing small sketches for fun recently. Seeing so many cool illustrations on my social media feeds makes me want to improve my skills, which aren’t great. But even if they’re mostly just doodles, every drawing is fun to do! 🖊️📖
I stopped by Kinokuniya today to look at stationery and manga. I expected a few 2027 Hobonichi items, but they had way more than I thought. The single item I wanted from the 2027 line-up was actually in stock, but I managed to resist. Instead, I picked up a small sketchbook and a dot-grid notebook for drawing. Browsing stationery stores is easily one of my favorite activities these days! ✏️📖
I’ve added some clouds and stars to the painting I am working on for my wife. It’s almost done! Only 2 months behind schedule. 🙄
I finally painted a purple sky that I like. It’s probably the fourth try! 😫 But I also found a blue-green that I like for the mountains. Next up is the foreground and then some clouds, and I also need to think about the stars. Fun fun fun.
I have so much fun bicycling, especially on my Brompton folding bicycle. Unlike my road bicycle, the Brompton seems at home going at a relaxed pace, with many stops to smell the roses and take photos.
The Brompton is so easy to dismount too. It’s actually really fun to ride it like a scooter, standing with the left foot on the pedal, but having your whole body on the left side of the bike, then hopping off directly into a walk. I’m still practicing the opposite: Pushing off like you are riding a scooter or skateboard, then getting on the seat and pedaling away.
I spent some time practicing this at the local stadium parking lot this afternoon, and then had to take a picture of Piplup. 😀
I hope you had a great day!
Mariko asked if I could make a painting for her for her upcoming birthday, so I went to the Jerry’s Artarama to buy some supplies. I’m kind of excited to paint!
