Category: Slice of Life

Daily Drawings

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こんばんは。 How’s it going?

During our Thanksgiving dinner, the subject of Inktober came up and I began to wonder if I would be able to handle a project like that. These days, I can only devote 15 minutes or so each day to work on an ink drawing. For the line-drawing-to-digital-versions I have enjoyed creating, the process takes a few days (off and on), so these types of artwork are not feasible, but for the simple doodles, I spend just a few minutes on them and these are the pieces that I think are realistic to create daily. And then I thought, why wait until next October to start? So I’ve decided (not wholeheartedly, mind you) to being a daily drawing exercise.

And if I have time, I would love to add some extra details using watercolor so I can build up my skills with that medium (plus it’s fun!). The piece below took about an hour to complete, so I don’t think it is possible to do each day, but perhaps on the weekend when I have more time late at night.

"Cold Weather Watercolor" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO800
 “Cold Weather Watercolor” Cedar Park, 2018

So, I think I’ll to commit to a daily drawing habit in addition to my daily blog and photo activities. But can I carve out time? Let’s try!

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

"Cold Weather Watercolor" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO800
 “Cold Weather Watercolor” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice weekend.

またね～

Saturday Ride

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"Kiki and Sky" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/2900 sec, ISO100
 “Kiki and Sky” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

We were fortunate again today to have some amazing weather, so I took advantage of it by taking Kiki (my motorbike) out for a ride. I was able to wear my summer jacket and gloves which is really comfy and makes riding a lot nicer. Riding a motorbike is really fun because you can just cruise around and be part of the environment. Not only can you see more, but you get the sensations of gusty wind, temperature changes, and different scents (good and bad) that are missing when you are traveling by car.

My motorcycle is relatively slow, but it still provides a thrilling sensation of speed. I’d say riding a motorcycle is like sitting on top of a rocket, skimming just above the ground, whereas driving a car is like being strapped into an easy chair, playing a video game. I’ve said it before, but if you have the opportunity to get a motorbike, I recommend it!! 👍

One other cool thing about riding is that when you are traveling on 30-mph neighborhood streets, people walking along the sidewalks will generally wave at you. It may seem like a small gesture, but I love it. 👋

"Spacesuit" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 2.671mm, f/2.2, 1/140 sec, ISO100
 “Spacesuit” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Running Weather

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"Sunlight" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1150 sec, ISO100
 “Sunlight” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。

Today I braced myself to go running in the cold weather, but as it turned out, the afternoon was a warm and pleasant 74° F! 🌞 I don’t know how long this warm spell will last, but I definitely wanted to take advantage of it.

I hope you had a nice Friday!

またね～

"Small Pond" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/900 sec, ISO100
 “Small Pond” Cedar Park, 2018
"Pool Weather in November" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1000 sec, ISO100
 “Pool Weather in November” Cedar Park, 2018

Thanksgiving Dinner

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"Thanksgiving Plate" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 16mm, f/3.7, 1/160 sec, ISO6400
 “Thanksgiving Plate” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight we had three guests over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was actually the smallest gathering we’ve had for Thanksgiving in a long time, and it was a nice change of pace! Because there were only seven of us, I prepared a 15-pound turkey, which I brined in salt water, with sugar, mango juice, rosemary, and peppercorns. Not only is roasting a smaller bird easy, but the prep is nicer too, with shorter defrosting times, easier brining, less space needed in the fridge, and cleanup is a snap.

I also think the smaller bird also cooks more evenly, and in less time, it’s easy to get in and out of the oven and, carving is much more fun. Although I enjoy having a lot of people over, I’ll take advantage of this year’s more relaxing Thanksgiving. 😄

"Two Stuffings" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 18mm, f/3.9, 1/160 sec, ISO6400
 “Two Stuffings” Cedar Park, 2018

This year, I prepared two batches of dressing: one regular, and one with oysters. The oyster dressing has been a tradition in our family since I was a kid, and I still love it – it’s my favorite dish of the feast! But I also made a smaller portion without the oysters because Bay is not fond of them, and I wasn’t sure if our guests liked them either. Next year, I think I’ll just stick with oyster dressing because Bay was able to tolerate it without too much fussing, I like to introduce a new type of dressing to those who haven’t tried it yet. And I believe that eventually, Bay will learn to love it too! 🤤

"Group Photo" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18.8mm, f/2.8, 1/15 sec, ISO400
 “Group Photo” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

またね～

2018.11.20 Sketch

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"November 20th Sketch" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “November 20th Sketch” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight I worked on a sketch for a little bit. I like how it turned out so far. I think Qipao (旗袍) are so cool and beautiful, so I wanted to draw one. We’ll see if tomorrow I feel the same way. However, I think it’s good enough to create the Illustrator artwork and do the editing and design on the Qipao there. I think the long hair might not go well with the outfit, so that might change too. I can’t wait to get to work on it! 😊

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Stationery Shopping at Kinokuniya Austin

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'Kokuyo A5 Binder" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/50 sec, ISO3200
 ‘Kokuyo A5 Binder” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This evening Bay and I went to the art store to buy some supplies, and on the way back, we stopped by Kinokuniya. It’s probably my favorite store here in Austin for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I can fantasize that I am in Japan – the country I enjoy the most, and secondly, it has such a great selection of high-quality stationery such as notebooks, paper, pens, etc. They have a good selection of fountain pens and ink, including brands like Pilot, Sailor, Kaweco, LAMY, and Iroshizuku. They even sell Traveler’s Co. supplies!

I’ve been searching for a good-sized binder to use instead of my spiral notebooks and found one that I really like. It’s an A5-sized 20-ring binder from Maruman that comes with 5-subject dividers and a few sheets of lined filler paper. I also bought 100 sheets of graph paper, and I love it! I think it looks so nice and sharp, and A5 fits nicely in my Patagonia MiniMass messenger bag.

'Kokuyo A5 Binder" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 ‘Kokuyo A5 Binder” Cedar Park, 2018

I also stumbled across these awesome Kurutoga pencils with Studio Ghibli artwork on them. They are so cool! But at $12 per pencil (and the fact that I have no need for another mechanical pencil) it wasn’t difficult to resist buying one. Perhaps if my current Kurutoga breaks, though… 😈

'Studio Ghibli x Kurutoga" Austin, 2018
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/20 sec, ISO1028
 ‘Studio Ghibli x Kurutoga” Austin, 2018

I hope you had a nice Monday!

またね～