My Adventures in Painting with Handmade Watercolor

 Hello all,

It has been a while since I have written a blog post.  I have been spending time maintaining a presence on Instagram.  But with all the algorithm problems lately, I thought I should revisit blogging and maybe branch out to other platforms as well, in an effort to connect with more lovely people.

So let us play catch up on what I have been doing over on Instagram. In February of 2021 I participated in my first art challenge with Sarah from @its_art_oclock .  For the past couple of years she has hosted a February Floral Alphabet art challenge, where you paint a flower a day according to the prompts. A is for Amaranthus, B is for Bachelors Button, C is for Columbine and so on. It was a really fun challenge to be a part of and Sarah is so welcoming to everyone of every skill level.

While painting for this art challenge I was discovered and approached by Lindsey Starr from Artisticisle.com who makes handmade watercolors.  She sent me some paint to try out and eventually asked if I would be one of her Brand Ambassadors.  After trying out her paint, and falling in love with it, I agreed.  I have painted for many years with watercolors, but I had never heard of handmade watercolors before.  The quality of this paint came as a big surprise!

Unboxing is so fun.  Lindsey sends along extra goodies.

I chose to work with Artistic Isle because these paints are made in the USA and are professional grade, comparable to Daniel Smith and Holbein.  They are lightfast (don't fade over time) and activate quickly with just a little water. They are also non-toxic, made with organic ingredients (which helps when my cat decided to eat the paint!), plus they are packaged with biodegradable plastic and paper.  It also makes me feel good to support a small business with a real person you can chat with when you have questions.  Not to mention the fun and unique colors Lindsey comes up with.  Her specialty seems to be amazing metallic colors that really shimmer!

Snow & Cocoa

I painted this one with some of the goodies I received in the Winter Unboxing video above.

Part of my Artistic Isle Collection of handmade paints

A little of this paint goes a long way.  It is very long lasting and very pigmented.  I would recommend using a ceramic palette for mixing.  The paint pools better and doesn't bead up.  If you use plastic that is fine too.  I have both.  I use a plastic palette that folds up if I am out and about painting. 

If you want to give Artistic Isle Handmade Paint a try, use my code Debra15 for 15% off a $25 or more purchase.  This code is good through the end of January 2023.

If you want to follow me on Instagram to see what I create daily go to @debramejiaillustration

Happy Painting!

My Non-toxic All Natural Summer Nighttime Routine Watercolor Journal Sketch

So it is officially summer and so hot here in Southern California.  I thought I'd share my nighttime routine for this summer and how I am transitioning to non-toxic all natural brands to keep me hydrated and refreshed.

I first searched around for some cool summer cotton pajamas and eventually found these cotton poplin pajama pants with a coordinating rib-knit sleep cami at Old Navy.  If you hop on over to their website all the pajamas and loungewear are on sale right now. 

Before I put my pajamas on I take my shower and apply Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Body Lotion all over. I received my first tube of this lotion in a Petit Vour Beauty Box.  You sign up for a monthly subscription and receive different all natural beauty items each month.  It's great fun and you discover things you may never have purchased on your own.  That's exactly what happened with the Andalou Naturals body lotion.  I might never have picked it up on my own, but once I tried it, it's really soothing and the rose scent is lovely.

Once I discovered how much I loved the rose scent, I decided to try the French Girl Organics Le Lip Tint - Claire lip balm which is infused with rose and peppermint.  I never thought about it before, but it is really important to be careful what ingredients you are applying to your lips.  You lick your lips all day, so you are ingesting the ingredients of lip balms, lip sticks and glosses.  Right now the French Girl Organics website has a free shipping code - BASTILLE25 for Bastille Day! Vive la France, Vive la Liberté!

The next item I apply is the Clove + Hallow The Everything Oil.  I have very sensitive skin so it's hard to find things that don't make my face react in redness and itching.  Happily this oil did not trigger any sensitivity issues.  There are only four ingredients in this facial oil; squalane, organic rosehip, black cumin seed and argan oils. The description says that it helps regulate oil production, moisturize skin and deliver a dose of antioxidants.  I wasn't too sure about this oil at first.  The scent was a little off- putting.  But after using it for about a month I've grown more accustomed to it and I believe it has really cleared up some stress breakouts I was having due to the whole uncertainty on the planet earth due to Corona virus thing.

Finally I apply a little spritz of S. W. Basics Lavender Water to my face right before bed time.  This company is amazing.  Each product only has a few natural ingredients in it and you can pronounce them all.  The Lavender water is great for sensitive skin and promotes relaxation.  In the morning I use the Rose Water or Orange Blossom Water.  As you can see, I'm collecting all their floral waters!

So there you have my nighttime routine.

After that, it's just bunny slippers and my little kitty Sky, who curls up with me to fall asleep 💤

For this watercolor sketch I used the 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inch Square Travelogue Artist Watercolor Journal by Speedball Art. This is such a great journal for watercolors.  It is linen bound with 60 pages of high - quality 95 LB / 200 GSM acid free paper.  It can really handle watercolor washes without buckling or tearing.  This journal/sketchbook comes in a variety of sizes.  I also used a combination of Mono Drawing Pens from Tombow and  Pigma Micron Pens and White Gelly Roll Pen from Sakura.

I also used the Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor 24 Set and the Mission Mijello Fusion Folding 20 Space Palette.  I'm really enjoying this watercolor set.  The colors are gorgeous, but I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this palette.  24 watercolor tubes of paint and only 20 spaces in this palette.  I just thought is was cool looking and I needed a travel palette quick for an out of the studio job.  Other than the fact of it only having 20 spaces, it's perfectly fine.

In addition, I bought these Paper Fashion brushes and a Silver Black Velvet Brush to try out.  Oh, and I can't forget these cute little rose gold Kikkerland Wire Clips that do a good job of holding the pages of the journal down when I apply a watercolor wash because I believe in function and beauty, or at least function and cuteness.

Sweet Dreams everyone!

Live Fashion Illustration Event - Bespoke Watercolor Portraits For Websites, Engagements, or Weddings

I'm so happy I was a part of the Sip & Shop event put on by the Livingmividaloca.com team the other night in support of small businesses.  For this Friday night event they partnered with a truly unique boutique in Old Towne Orange, Something's New OC.  

Something's New OC

The lovely and vivacious Stephanie Robledo, contributor to @livingmividaloca, was my first watercolor sketch for the night.  

To prepare for this event, I packed up my Tombow Storage Tote with it's Tombow Dual Brush Pen Desk Stand, filled with Dual Brush Pens of course!  I also brought along my PrismaColor Pencils. Then I packed my brand new Mijello Mission Gold Water Color Set in their brand new Mission Mijello Fusion Folding Palette.  I really liked these watercolors. And my two new favorite colors are red brown and rose madder.  The palette is going to get a little getting used to, though.  The other brand new item I brought with me was the 9"x12" Hot Press Fluid Watercolor Paper Block.  When I first bought this paper it felt just like Bristol Board to me.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it really surprised me.  It worked out perfectly!  I like the smooth hot press finish for the markers, but it  was also able to handle the watercolor washes.  I'm definitely getting more of this paper.  The last thing I packed was some large clear cello bags for clients to take their paintings home in and washi tape to secure the bags with.  I found the bags at my local Daiso store.

If  you want your own custom portrait or bespoke illustration whether it is for your business, engagement, wedding or a gift, visit my Etsy store and message me the details of your requirements.

The Living Mi Vida Loca Team

And here are a couple more watercolor sketches from the event.

Ciao Bellas!

Last Minute Holiday Cards and Festive Party Invitations by Paperless Post

If you are anything like me the holidays are crazy and there just doesn't seem to be enough time to accomplish everything on my to do list.  Let's face it, it's Dec. 23rd and we are down to the wire here.  But if you still need to send out Holiday Cards or last minute impromptu Party invitations Paperless Post is your solution.  This is an online greeting and custom stationery company with some really fashionable choices in designer cards by Kate Spade, Rifle Paper Co., Kelly Wearstler, Paper Source and many more.  It's so easy to email out some really cute ecards or invitations in no time at all.

I've posted about Paperless Post before, and when I was approached again to write a holiday post, I jumped at the chance.  It's fun to look through the wide variety of cards and invitations.  And I've been using them to send out get well cards and birthday cards since my last post.  You can customize your backdrop, envelope, envelope liner and my favorite - choose a cute stamp for your envelope.

Here are some stylish choices in holiday cards and party invitations for the holiday season:

Holiday in the City

Rifle Paper Co.

Isn't this a cute Cityscape Holiday card? I especially love the taxi with the tree strapped to the roof!

Diamond Tree

Kate Spade New York

And if you want a little bling for the holidays...

Ornaments

The Indigo Bunting

And here's an option for those of you who like to include a photo.

Big Dot Merriment - Gold

Sugar Paper

I really like the simplicity of this one.  Polka dots get me every time.

Reverse Snow Globe (Square) - Lapis

Cheree Berry

How cute are the matching blue swiss dots in the envelope?

Bijou - Merlot

Kelly Wearstler

All this sparkly gold confetti is festive for sure!

You can purchase coins on the Paperless Post site in packages of: 

25 coins for $10

100 coins for $20

200 coins for $30

400 coins for $50

1000 coins for $100

In the first card shown (Holiday in the City by Rifle Paper Co), you can see that the card starts at 2 coins.  When you start to customize, each item after that will cost another coin.  You have choices of picking designs in backdrops, envelopes, envelope liners and stamps for an additional coin each.

I chose all customizable options on one card I sent out, and it ended up costing 6 coins.  All these fun choices and I'm not making a big paper mess on my desk!

So don't despair, get those cards out ASAP with Paperless Post!

Happy Holidays to you all!

This post was coordinated by bloggeroutreach.com

Trying out Art Philosophy Inc. Watercolor Confections Palette

I've decided I want to try stepping out of the studio and painting on the go a little.  I use several palettes and watercolor in tubes in the studio, so I thought I'd try a more portable option.  I found this cute little Art Philosophy Inc. Watercolor Confections Pan Set and a Pentel Water Brush Pen.  I bought The Classics set which comes with 12 colors: white, pinky, red, orange, yellow, green, icy blue, blue, purple, cocoa, grey, and black.  The paints seem to be a little more opaque than what I am used to with my mixture of tube paints: Sennelier Auarelle, Winsor & Newton and Winsor & Newton Cotman, Sakura Koi,  and Grumbacher.  But I'm having fun with them.  I'm truly not used to painting with a water brush and a pan set, so it's going to take a lot more practice before I'm really comfortable with this change.

This is a good basic color set.  I think I want to try the Pastel Dreams or Vintage Pastel set next. And I might get a couple of different sizes of the Pentel Water Brush. 

The first piece I tried to paint with these supplies was an utter failure.  I'm using it as a paint tester paper.  It's hard to judge how much you need to squeeze the pen to get just the right amount of water out.  Plus I reflexively try to dip the brush in a non existent water jar out of habit.  More practice needed!

A little Autumn doorway doodle.

Another little doodle of a black gown.

I'll keep on practicing with this pan and water brush and hopefully I'll get used to painting this way.

Holiday DIY Clean Beauty Lipstick Palette With Honeybee Gardens

I started this little project out of necessity.  I'm slowly trying to transition to all natural clean beauty products, but I don't want to jump in to expensive products if I've never tried them.  I will be so upset if I spend a lot of money on something I don't like.

While trying to ease the pain of overhauling my makeup bag, I stumbled upon an affordable green beauty company, Honeybee Gardens.  You can buy Lipstick Samples for 50 cents each or a set of all their colors for $11.  That way you can try out several colors.  I bought a few samples that I thought might look good on me.  They came in mini ziplock bags.  While trying to use them in this packaging, I decided to empty my new tin of ginger mints from Trader Joe's and use that as a lipstick palette.  Now I have a cute little palette that I can use at home or bring with me in my purse.  Along with my Sephora retractable lipstick brush, this is a great way to have several colors at your finger tips. I like a retractable brush, because when I'm on the go, I don't have to worry about fooling around or losing a lid.  And once the brush retracts, I won't get my makeup kit or purse messy.

I must say, since I created this little palette, I'm having a lot of fun combining these samples and creating my own unique lipstick colors.  Just like mixing paints!

Honeybee Garden Lipstick Samples - Valentine , Sweet Pea, Bombshell, San Francisco, Bermuda, Goddess, and Risque

I bought this retractable lip brush at Sephora, but I couldn't find it on the website anymore so here are some alternatives that are similar:

Professional Lip Brush in a variety of colors from Amazon for $7.99

e.l.f. Retractable Lip Brush for $4.00

Chloe Perfume Watercolor Print and Home Decor

Just packing up some orders on a Saturday afternoon.  Here is my Chloe Perfume Print taken from my original watercolor.  It's heading off to a happy home.  I've got my assembly line going.  A brand new cutting board, new cute heart washi tape, and a new batch of Moo business cards to help the pack up day go smoothly.  Stationery items make me so happy!

Stylish Party Planning, Birthday Cards, Bridal Showers And Just Because Greetings With Paperless Post

Full disclosure, I was approached to try out Paperless Post, an online greeting and custom stationery company.  I hadn't heard of them before, but when I did a little cursory research, I ended up spending more time than I intended perusing some really cute and stylish choices in greeting cards, invitations and stationery.

I am an artist, so I do hand make a lot of my own cards and invitations to send out, but sometimes there is not enough time in the day to do that.  With my Vida Loca, there are times when sending out these e-cards or especially a big batch of e- invitations would save me.  And with designer cards by Kate Spade New York, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, Rifle Paper Co. among many others, I won't be skimping on style!  Hey, I have a reputation to live up to where stationery is concerned. 

In addition to stylish cards or invitations, you can customize your backdrop, envelope, envelope liner and even choose from the cutest stamps.

Here's a little sneak peek at some cute Paperless Post choices:

What Do You Do

Kate Spade New York

I have to admit, this describes me to a t.  I want to throw a party just so I can send out these invitations and have "Good Looking Crab Cakes"!

Sunshine

Mr. Boddington's Studio

I love this fashionable birthday card.  The message and bright yellow background are so cheery.

Saigon Blooms Caribbean

Rifle Paper Co.

There is a whole Wedding and Bridal section to explore.  This square card is lovely with it's teal background and bright hot pink blooms.

Hello Dahling

There are even cards you can get for free.  This retro card was in the "Just Because" free section.

You can purchase coins on the Paperless Post site in packages of :

25 coins for $10

100 coins for $20

200 coins for $30

400 coins for $50

1000 coins for $100

In the first card I depicted here (The Kate Spade Invitation), you can see that the card starts at 2 coins.  When you start to customize, each item after that will cost another coin.  You have choices of picking designs in backdrops, envelopes, envelope liners and stamps for an additional coin each.

I chose all customizable options on one card I sent out, and it ended up costing 6 coins.  I feel like I am playing with monopoly money.  I had fun trying out Paperless Post and will definitely be sending more greetings and invitations through them in the future.

Ciao Bellas!

New Year's Eve Cocktail Dress And A Watercolor Test Sketch

The upcoming new year has me in organizing mode.  Out with the old and in with the new.  I've been going through my art supplies and discovered some tubes of paint that are in bad shape.  Lids have cracked, tubes have split open, and paint has dried up.  Hmmm.... , I think it is time for an art supply shopping trip!! I'm in the mood to try something new.  Back in October I visited Art Supply Warehouse for one of their great tote bag full of freebies sales and this little Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Dot Try It Card was included.  If you want to try one, you can order it from their website for $5.99.  I finally got around to trying mine out today while I have a little piece and quiet on a Sunday.  Although I couldn't achieve a really deep color wash with these little dots, they did give me some idea of the colors and how they will lay down on the paper.  I really like the jadeite and amethyst colors.  I also had fun with the red fuchsite and sugilite because they've got some sparkle to them.  I always love a little sparkle! ✨

So here's my little watercolor test sheet and sketch of the perfect little cocktail dress for the New Year's Eve party you might be invited to.  The Maggy London Illusion Yoke Crepe Sheath is available at Nordstrom. 

For Custom Fashion Illustrations Contact me here:

Etsy

Instagram

Have a Happy New Year!

Painting Tutorial For A DIY Christmas Holly Card

The holidays are the time for doing some fun crafts and handmade gifts.  This year I got the crazy notion to hand make my Christmas cards.  I must admit that I narrowed my list of recipients as I am short on time. If you don't have the time, you can just make these cards for a few special people.  That said, I did keep in mind that I would be making several of these so I kept it simple.

The first step is to clear a space and gather your supplies.  I already had a pack of blank cards and envelopes from Michael's Craft Store .  I'm not sure how long I've had my set, as I always try to keep some blank cards and envelopes and tags on hand for emergency gift giving!  I used an off-white set that has some speckles in the fiber of the paper, but you can use any kind you wish.

List of supplies I used:

• set of blank cards and envelopes
• pencil
• paint brushes size 5 and 0 ( I used Simply Simmons round brushes)
• acrylic paint: Apple Barrel White and Honeysuckle Pink
                        Delta Light Foliage Green
                        Craft Smart Holiday Red and Sea Mist Pearl
                        Folk Art Inca Gold
                        Martha Stewart Glitter Craft Paint in Cotton Candy
• Tombow Dual Brush Pens in #249, #242, #757

These are just the supplies I had on hand. You can use the colors you have.

I used my pencil to draw a simple holly shape on the front of my card.

I used my holiday red and light foliage green acrylic paint, leaving some of the paper untouched as the highlights.

I used a little of the Honeysuckle Pink on the bottom left side of the berries.  This is an optional step. It adds a little depth but won't make or break your painting if you leave it out.  Then I went in with a second coat of the green for the leaves. 

It's hard to see here but I added some strokes of the Sea Mist Pearl following the directions veins of a leaf would take on the holly leaves.  In person it adds a pretty and subtle shimmer.

I then added a little Cotton Candy Glitter right over the Honeysuckle Pink on the berries, below and to the left of the white highlight on the berries. This will add some sparkle for the holidays.

Now add a bit of white to the highlights on the berries and a few strokes on the leaves.  A little white goes a long way.

After all the paint is completely dry, I outlined my leaves with the Tombow dual brush pen in #249 using the larger brush side.  Keep the strokes light and playful.

I used the Tombow pen in #757 (a wine color) to outline the berries.

Using my smaller brush I painted some Inca Gold acrylic dots and stars scattered around the holly.

I then used the Tombow pen #242 to write my message on the inside of my card and followed up with some more gold dots and stars.

I hope this was helpful.

Happy Holly Days!✨

Wrapping Up Christmas Gift of A Coach Poppy Perfume Watercolor Print

Coach Poppy Perfume Art Print

I can't believe it is already December, but when the Christmas orders start rolling in, I guess I have to believe.  Then of course I felt compelled to take down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up our Christmas decorations and lights.  I always have a Christmas movie playing while we decorate.  And I try to bake something too, so the house will really smell like the holidays.  It was Chocolate chip cookies this time!  Yum!  Now here I am packing up a Christmas order for a costumer.  This is a print from my original watercolor painting of a Coach Poppy Perfume Bottle.  If you've got a fashionista on your shopping list there's lots to find in my Etsy Shop.  Happy Shopping everyone, I hope you have a stress free holiday.

Mini Easter Basket or Party Favor Craft

Hello Everyone!  I've posted this DIY craft before on my blog, but I thought it was a great time to repost since today is the First Day of Spring.  What a great time to think about making something cute for Easter.

So here is how to make a Mini Easter Basket:

I was going through my old magazines (I'm sort of a hoarder when it comes to magazines) and found instructions on how to make this adorable Paper Easter Basket in a Martha Stewart Living issue.  You can fill it with jelly beans and chocolate bunnies and station one at each place-setting on your Easter table. 

These remind me of the candy basket party favors I would get when I went to birthday parties as a little girl.  So I think they can be filled with little trinkets and candies and be used as cute party favors for any occasion.

What you'll need:

White Wilton Nut & Party Cups (2 inch diameter)
White crepe paper
Green crepe paper
floral wire
floral tape
felt or paper craft flower
white glue (Elmer's glue)
craft paint brush

I used a white Wilton Nut & Party Cup (sold in packs of 24 at a 2-inch diameter), but any white paper cup can be used if you cut it down to about 1 5/8 inch.

I wrapped the cup in white crepe paper, brushing the outside of the cup with glue.  I used an old craft paint brush.  I made sure the piece I used was 1 inch higher than the cup so I could tuck it inside.  Punch two small holes in the side of the cup directly across from each other.  Cut a piece of 20-gauge floral wire to desired length for the handle.  Fold back ends of wire, and loop through holes from the inside out.  Wrap the wire in floral tape.  (I've made these little baskets a couple of times since I took this photo, and I used green pipe cleaners instead of wrapping a florist wire for the handle.  It was easier and you can use a variety of colors.)

I then cut green crepe paper the same length as the white crepe paper and 1 inch taller than the cup.  Accordion-fold the green paper and using scissors, cut top of the paper to create "grass".  Unfold and wrap around cup, glueing it on.  The "grass" had a tendency to fold inward once I had wrapped it around the cup, but I just pulled it outward softly and it behaved itself after that.

There were instructions on how to make a crepe paper flower for the handle, but it just wasn't working for me.  I was running out of time so I just used a little felt flower from the pack of craft felt flowers that I found in the dollar bin at Target.  Good thing I bought those. You never know when you are going to need a felt flower!  And I am all about taking shortcuts.

Now you are ready to fill your little basket with goodies!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Queen Victoria Watercolor Sketch

I was so excited to watch the second season debut of the Masterpiece series Victoria on PBS this past Sunday.  It really brings history to life!  I'm intrigued by historical shows and books.  I always wonder how people conducted their daily lives in the past.  Of course one of my favorite things to see is the fashion from this Victorian era.  What a lot of research the costume designer, Rosalind Ebbut, must have done to come up with such exquisite designs.  

And to think that a monarch who reigned over an empire was so tiny. It is said Queen Victoria was only four feet eleven.  In this production of Victoria, the queen is portrayed beautifully by the petite Jenna Coleman, who I loved from the Doctor Who series.

Here is a watercolor sketch I did of Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria.  I added a little acrylic paint on top of the watercolor for some details.  Do you like my really expensive blue paper plate palette that I used for the acrylic paint?  I must admit that trying to clean up dried up acrylic paint off a palette drives me a little bonkers, so to avoid that frustration I just use something disposable.  

I am so looking forward to Sunday for the second episode in this lavish series!  I hear that some of Yorkshire's most famous stately homes such as Castle Howard and Bramham Park stand in for the royal residences of Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle.  I'll have to pay special attention to that next time.

Golden Globes 2018 Sketches

There were so many beautiful dresses at the Golden Globes.  All the ladies (and Gents) looked amazing, and it was wonderful to see such solidarity.  I couldn't narrow it down to one dress to sketch.  Here is a little peek at my quick sketches from the other night.

Penelope Cruz in an off-the-shoulder gown with lace details and a solid train by Ralph and Russo.  Oprah wore a custom-made Atelier Versace off the shoulder, fitted long sleeved black velvet gown with Swarovski crystal incrusted accents along the neckline.  I really liked the draped off the shoulder Christian Siriano gown with the added sassiness of capris pants that Christina Hendricks wore.  This look reminds me of classic Hollywood.  Have I seen Bette Davis or maybe Kim Novak wearing something similar?  And finally Gal Gadot in a very sleek Tom Ford evening dress with a tuxedo jacket.  Although, I don't think it would matter what Ms. Gadot wears, she would be equally gorgeous in a burlap sack!

Bravo ladies!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Anyone?

Just a little prismacolor pencil sketch to celebrate Autumn and all things Pumpkin Spice!  Our weather in Southern California has been so hot.  Now that it has finally cooled off a bit, I'm starting to look at my winter sweaters.  It hasn't cooled off enough to actually put them on, but I can dream can't I?  So I am dreaming of a little Pumpkin Spice Latte on a crisp Autumn morning.  Happy Friday everyone!!

This Fashion Illustration Print is available in two sizes; 5x7 inches and 8x10 inches in my Etsy Shop.