Mariko brought back a few omiyage (souvenirs/gifts) from Japan for me, including this book by one of my favorite illustrators. Blue by Nakamura Yusuke is full of amazing drawings… I love it. And it is interesting because I told Mariko that I wanted a book of his, and one of Mariko’s friends (who is also a fantastic illustrator) is actually good friends with Nakamura-san! I had actually sent Mariko a link to a different book, but her friend recommended Blue instead. I’m so happy! It’s wonderful.

Another goodie that she brought back was this pack of gum, which is supposed to help with your memory. Let’s hope it works.

Lastly, is this mayonnaise, which is supposed to be fantastic. It’s not for me specifically, but I thought it was pretty cool.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today’s photos are of the gifts that Mariko bought for the boys today for Valentine’s Day. Bay received the sloth, and Koa received the Snoopy. I’m not sure the origin, but Bay’s favorite animal, or at least the one associated with him, is the sloth. But it suits him because he tends to sleep a lot. And Koa has had a few Snoopys over the years, including t-shirts and other stuffed animals. I think they both liked their gifts since after dinner, they took them up to their rooms.

This year, I bought Mariko a box of Godiva chocolates, which is pretty much what I do every year. Godiva is the one brand readily available here in the States that I know she likes. Although she said we have too much chocolate in the house (we do have a lot!), her and Bay spent some time choosing which candy from the box to eat tonight.

As for myself, well… no gifts, but that’s okay. I think I have everything I need.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I present two photos that I took around the house. The first is of a gift and card that I got for my wife for Valentines and her birthday, which are not far apart. I’m happy that she put them on display!

The second photo is just of a small sketch I made while listening to a webcast. I have a mental barrier when creating drawings, and that is that I try to be a perfectionist, and I am never 100% happy with what I draw. So, I get discouraged even before I start. Then I don’t start. But, I know I can break through! Maybe at this point in my sketching, quantity is more valuable than quality.

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 Thursday!

またね～

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