I share lots of different things on my blog and often wonder what you enjoy reading about the most.
I can sort of gauge from your “likes” and comments but it won’t hurt to just ask, right? If I knew exactly what you like, I could deliver more of that thing. Sounds good, yes?
Here are 10 general categories I have for my blog posts. Would you tell me how much you like (or not like) them via this quick survey?
Behind the scenes creative process
Drawings from my sketchbook
New art and products for sale
Self-care tips
Tips for creative motivation
Small creative business tips
Illustrated healthy recipes
Sabbatical reports – what I did/made during my time-off
Information about my classes, workshops, and tutorials
Tools and apps I love and recommend
Thank you so much in advance for your time!! In case you missed the link to the survey, here it is!
p.s. If it’s easier, you can also tell me your preferred topics and any other comments/feedback you have in the comments below! I love reading all of your comments 🙂
I just got back from my Japan trip on Friday, and it was awesome ❤
I doodled while I waited for my flight to Japan 😀
In this visit, I didn’t actually go home. Instead, I visited my parents in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, where they spent the summer this year.
my parents by the Lake Mashu. It was the most beautiful and peaceful lake I’d ever seen!
Hokkaido is so big and spacious!
They have a huge commercial agriculture and farming industry up there. I felt like I was in Montana or somewhere in the midwest half the time 😀
This was a typical view while we drove around.
The nature was absolutely breathtaking. My parents took me to see some of their favorite spots.
Lake Mashu, Ashoro, HokkaidoBeautiful cosmos at Takushin-Kan Photo Gallery, Biei, HokkaidoDaisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido
Pretty magical, isn’t it??
And another highlight of my Japan trip was, of course, the food! Hokkaido is known for many foods, like potatoes, corns, beef, pork, and seafood to name a few.
I ended up drawing what I ate every day during my stay. Here are some of my favorites!
(I had plenty of meat-y dishes, and they were all good. But I want to highlight more seafood dishes here because I think turned out prettier :D)
My parents and I had dinner at New Chitose Airport the first night I arrived. I had to try their seafood donburi. It was delish!!What I enjoyed the most was a simple meal with rice, grilled fish (here I had Hokke) pickled veggies, and miso soup. I appreciated they offer a wider variety of fish in Japan!We stayed at an onsen (hot springs) inn in Ashoro. Onsen inns typically serve you dinner and breakfast that consist of seasonal local foods in tiny dishes. I love these tiny dishes ❤Here is what we had for breakfast at the onsen. So simple and delicious ❤ I wish we could’ve stayed there longer!My mom and I went shopping in Asahikawa and ate at the same restaurant I had the simple grilled fish earlier. They’d started serving Sanma, which is a very common fish you get in Japan but not in the states. Sanma had just come in season, and it was GOOD!We had sushi at the airport before I left. Yes it was at the airport and it was the conveyor belt sushi (the conveyor belt sushi is actually pretty good in Japan) – BUT we thought it was the best sushi we ever had. WE ATE SO MUCH. I was high from all the glorious sushi for hours afterwards.
I can’t believe how quickly 10 days went by. It’s always so hard to say good bye at the end of my visit. My mom and I usually can’t get too many words out of our mouth because we’re crying… 😦
Mom!
I also noticed we’ve gotten closer as we got older.
Maybe I’ve become more mature? and am more compassionate towards them… I think my daily meditation practice also helped me stay calm every time they pushed my button 😀 Oh parents.
I hope we all stay healthy and get to enjoy many more visits together! Thank you for the lovely vacation, mom and dad! ❤
It was fun to share the process with my followers and thought you might enjoy a little peek, too!
I usually work with pen and ink on paper. Here is the lettering for the title. I’m using a Pigma Micron pen (black, size 01) and Canson Mixed Media sketchbook here.I have a rough layout in mind when I draw my recipes. Recipes that don’t involve a ton of ingredients and steps are easier to create. And those are recipes I love to cook anyway!I hand write all the texts. I try to make it legible and easy to follow.
Coloring the drawing with my favorite markers: Sakura Koi Brush Pens!
Coloring done! I like to use only a handful of colors to keep it simple. For this illustration, red and orange tomatoes look great against the green tones.
Then I scan the image in to edit/manipulate it in Photoshop. This is why I don’t stress too much about layout and mistakes when I draw my recipe on paper. Thank you Photoshop 😀
And it’s ready to post! Hooray!
Hope you enjoyed my behind the scenes creative process today 🙂
p.s. I’m leaving for Japan tomorrow to visit my parents for two weeks 🙂 I’ll be taking a break from my blog next week but will give you my travel report when I get back!
Honeyberry Diary 