meow created via artist ink~ michellechoongkhoo

testing nomad's compose brush, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

nomadbrush painting done via sumo paint app~ michellechoongkhoo

nomadbrush on sumo paint, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

reviewing nomadbrushes on iPad~michellechoongkhoo.

engrossed.., a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

wuuu huuuu finally a most enticing weekend !

finally found time to experiment with my nomadbrushes !

thats how it is with art...
one can't wait and kept counting the days for new tools to arrive.....
when the tools did arrive, alas the inspirations did not surface.....
then work piles up and the tools lay forgotten and neglected.....

but ah hah, when the mojo rekindles.... there's no stopping itchy fingers :)

The above engrossed was created with all three of my nomad compose brushes and a mixture of ipad apps : sumo paint, artist ink and autodesk sketch.

link to other michellesblueplanet drawings done with nomadbrushes:

1. in search of artful expressions: meow created via artist ink~ michellechoongkhoo
2.in search of artful expressions: nomadbrush painting done via sumo paint app~ michellechoongkhoo

colors and the allure of a woman~michellesblueplanet iPad

It all started out as an exercise to try capture the allure of Katie Holmes after seeing the gorgeous newly single beauty in H Stern's fabulous latest ad campaign ..

However I soon got distracted as it quickly struck me that perhaps it is more interesting to see how same bones, same pose …. how different colors will change subject model's facial expressions?

 and hence I got sidetracked as I experimented below:

yup, iPad digital art has one more plus point over conventional water coloring or pencils or oil…..for now that is.

I am at the phase to experiment with strokes, so I am grateful for iPad's instant gratification 

Anyway, as always, when there's something new to be learnt, its an enlightening process~

so I would view it as good practice, great learning curve.

some hours into experimenting with different palettes…..

In the end, I discovered I still prefer the nude makeup painting that I did at the onset !

Beauty in its rawness , great skin, good bones, captivating eyes…..

those very qualities that contrasted so well with the jewellery…..

thats what caught my eyes about the H.Stern's ads in the first place!

So of course , very likely I will get back to perfecting those chiseled cheekbones for vivacious Ms Holmes as soon as I get my next burst of mojo that is :)

quoting Picasso and enjoying a Beckham eye candied weekend!

Pablo Picasso quoted "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls"

Talking of washing,  the washing machine at home broke down.

our 20th floor sky garden roofing almost flew off with the kind of wind one can imagine blew Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz into the kingdom of the 2 witches of East and West!

All golf games were rudely interrupted …..

Day in and out, households in flood prone areas pray they wouldn't   have to seek refuge in storm shelters! 

Oh The skies have been pounding us with thunders and merciless onslaughts of pelting rain non stop! 
Oh my besotted rain watching brain cursed at the skies and went muttering, pleading to Mother Nature to hold off her washing for awhile! 

.....until that is I came across a most captivating photo of David Beckham online and all thoughts of the weather flew off to cuckoo's nest and David mania took over michelles' ipad ~ LOL

Isnt he just such a hunky dory eye candy  for the weekend ? :

                               

so yes Picasso was so very right when he said  "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls"

brilliant aye aye. 

link to michelle's Beckham attempt process at Picasa

whimsical series~ just letting the creative juices flow, michellechoongkhoo

KL's a very wet city these days!

when it rains it doesn't just pour, it floods big time :(

which means one would be more sane to stay cooped in the house than to run around town ...

which in turn means there's plenty of time for fingers to get finnicky and restless~ LOL

my artful inspirations whilst listening to Faye Wong's Final Fantasy song "Eyes on Me" 

nice song. great mood. 

my fingers obeyed its calling and viola , here's my November Fantasies

                       process of creating michellesblueplanet November Fantasy 2

link to process of creating michellesblueplanet November Fantasy 1

Illustrations of Pav , the Pembrook Welsh Corgi via Autodesk Sketchbook Express on michellesblueplanet ipad

Pav , the Pembrook Welsh Corgi, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

now I know why my reading has taken a back seat of late!

this finger drawing habit is getting toooooo wicked addictive , hahahaha!

But oh oh what good Fun it is and definitely most satisfying to know the quest for new knowledge, while never ending is easily satiated these days on the internet!

Adopting a zest for life and a credo that all new knowledge is worth pursuing (at least once or twice)  before we form an opinion or discard has never been proven more right than this time….for me that is!

I had been quite frustrated when I first came across Autodesk Sketchbook Express (ASK)  ….its comprehensive offerings initially proved to be too complicated and challenging .
So I left it aside and went on to tackle the easier apps ….
I came back to it once or twice and it even crossed my mind maybe I should just delete the app since I had no good use for it …..

Well, ASK has now become my favourite drawing app , wuuuuu huuuuuu.

If there are those so inclined to experiment with ASK too , maybe this link will help shorten your learning curve on how to do it...…
Drawing Corgi on michellesblueplanet picasa




Wasnt that gooooood clean fun? Now you see why it is so irresistable?

Art via Autodesk Sketchbook Express @ michellesblueplanet ipad

The link to show how this was done Elmo via Autodesk Sketchbook Express

and I think this is one of the best youtube link I've seen on ASK

super duper FUN w Esssssssss ~ michellechoongkhoo

super duper FUN w Esssssssss ~, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

was supposed to get some paperwork off my desk but got side tracked by an inspiration for my alphabet 'S' :)

A "P" inspired by Pavarotti , our Corgi rescue ~ michellechoongkhoo

Pavarotti , Corgi love, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

been a hectic week of new routines at home…..
due to the unplanned , unexpected , spontaneous arrival of Pavarotti , the Corgi~

The new friendship has taken everyone by surprise and filled our hearts with joy .

All are coping well .
How blessed.

And so my P is definitely an inspiration drawn from watching the interactions of adorable newcomer Pavarotti, the Corgi with beloved darling Elmo, the Beagle ~

Life can be so sweet.
Out there are some souls waiting for us to find and love them~
And so it is, that's how  Pavarotti found us ❀ ❃ ❉

links to the rest of the alphabets project

A to Zeeeee inspirations on ipad~ michellesblueplanet

this "oh oh " piece was inspired rather absentmindedly while doodling and fretting over how Elmo , our beagle would react to new voiceless friend ...

Corkie…pitiful baby, 

the debarked and abandoned 8 years old Corgi ,

whom our vet insisted we should take home and give the poor chap a chance for some happiness...

Legally , vet is now at liberty to give Pavarotti ( our newly chosen name ) away after owner has refused to answer all calls or made any payments for its medical bills for a full one calendar year!!!

Just want to state clearly here that it was not this vet who devoiced poor Pavarotti in the first place…..
his owner brought him in for hostel bedding on reasons that they were traveling and then never bothered to come back for him on the sick logic , they have decided to migrate overseas!!!

Hubby and I are both ill prepared to accept another dog after Maxine's recent demise and truth be told we are quite fearful of small toy dogs for their fragility and high maintenance! 

I have always adored GSDs for their boisterous personality, strength and robust physical frames, much suitable for our preferred outdoorsy rough tumble adventure lifestyle……and our Dexter, Max, Roxy, Maxine brought us many many years of unquantifiable joys ~

I have always stayed away from tiny breeds that are like babies in my mind.

Elmo was our first small breed dog adoption (take over) from sons and true enough, he prove  our original fears to be true.

Since his 2nd year birthday diagnosed as epileptic; his care became a journey of frustrations over medications and finding out what triggers the stress levels that brings on the seizures , what food to abstain (in the end it was everything except his Country Farm dog food) , from cutting back uncontrolled excitement and most recently to restricting exercises only on treadmills etc etc. 

Finally we thought we can see some light at the end of the tunnel for Elmo's battle against his epilepsy 

episodes.....It has been 3 months since Elmo's last seizure.

Are we ready to now take on another old dog, prone to urinary infection, weak hind legs with a history of diarrhoea on top of being voiceless? 

In the end, after some discussions with sons, Cita the primary care taker of the household dogs and honestly how can one walk away from eyes that were luminous, following our every step wordlessly and appealingly? 

would break everyone's hearts if the new friendship between Elmo and Pavarotti didnt take off …… and we have to return him to the vet….

After one night together… after a short while of pouting , sulking and a show of abit of jealousy, Elmo turns out to have a big big heart after all :)

We have faith and a strong feeling , outcome will be positive w happiness, tranquility restored.

only setback from this episode is a high anticipation that I will get slightly distracted for the coming weeks ahead ….the already much delayed "A to Zee Alphabet on ipad Project"….. is guaranteed to be further postponed ;)

Oh well, I've  gotten to " O" ...... and hahaha it's not as if I have any deadlines to meet? 

---------------------------------------------------------------

Everything happens for a reason, even if it’s not obvious at the time.

Since Karma brought Pavarotti to us…..thus we shall accept the challenge of his coming into our life and God willing, we shall be able to adjust accordingly ~

Do not struggle.

Go with the flow of things,
And you will find yourself at one with
The mysterious unity of the Universe. ♥

---------------------------------------------------------------

   

to keep myself abreast and ontrack, I decided to upload my works so far onto picasa just in case my mac crashes again…..HD is looking critically compromised with less than 12GB free space available, ooooops…

1.  michellesblueplanet alphabets project on picasa

2. the work in progress of my ebook "when there's a dream" 

decisions decisions DECISIONS made easier with ipad technology~michellechoongkhoo

Drawing on my ipad gives a different kind of satisfaction from watercoloring with paints on real art paper……
It is certainly not less, in many ways not more…..since both ways give me inner joy and stimulus .

Aaaah, who wouldnt wish for the luxury of time to not do anything else except explore art in any form and medium from the moment I awake till I go to bed…..

alas, since thats not always possible, these days therefore I find much energy is spent on my ipad….

• because it is less messy and it is available for instant gratifications when itchy fingers get art attacks :)
• Not forgetting that we must save la every part of our works of fancy please  …..then later we can manipulate them around to help us decide on composition and final output.
• for eg I couldnt make up my mind how to present latest work Michelleblueplanet News , smile……..
• luckily because I had saved almost every file whenever I made changes in strokes or color, I found it was so easy to try different scenarios without impacting my stage of work so far. I kept thinking, wow….this would have NOT been possible in the traditional mediums yea? 
• Well,  I thought maybe someone else who is often faced with such a conundrum would find some insight if I show the steps below how my ipad helped me decide on my final piece? 
• Art is about sharing, about making us think, stuff that touches our soul…..yea, but it doesnt hurt if sometimes, we find some tips on how to short cut our learning process, right?  so here goes…...

new , newer, newest……the modern consumer's conundrum~michellechoongkhoo

be they .... smartphones, cameras, computers, ......
our toys get obsolete right after we have just bought them with better ones seemingly launched daily!
we ask ourselves and friends, which brand(s) should we buy, now or later?
therein the conundrum of today's consumers?
likewise the multitude of choices for the digital art "explorer" , we have so many to learn and experiment with :D

                               michellesblueplanet News ~ 

                               was happily added with a finishing touch of fonts created via ipad app 

                              "Autodesk Sketchbook Express"

link to the thought process to final creation of this piece 

flickr link to more of michellesblueplanet ipad digital art creations

marble wednesday~ halfway thru my Alphabets , michellechoongkhoo

marble wednesday, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

having my Marvelous Moment ~

snacking Massimo wholemeal toasted slices on Marmalade served with Massive dollops of super chunky peanut butter.....


N so with this... I have reached the 13th alphabet and halfway mark towards my ABCs project on ipad……still loving the experiment, still learning something new everyday !

muah mwahs, what a mmm mmmm Marble wednesday ?

my marble is a glittery piece of art, the wonderful color of the rainbow with a major major tinge of pink ~

♥ ♥ ♥

lovely Tuesday

lovely Tuesday, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

is it too early to design our own xmas n New Year greeting cards, hahahhaa what do u think?
this ipad app I found first got me abit stumped!
it kept hanging the system n disappearing before I could save my work!
then when I thought I would be smart abt it by saving every other 3 steps of rendering different pen or brush strokes, what I ended up saving were blank white screens?
I almost wanted to bang my ipad in frustrations !

so I decided to slow my experiments down n then it all started to gel together , smile!
Turned out I was working too feverish fast for the system to process...
anyway, at last I think I've finally ironed out the kinks of how to process most of the features available from this new ipad app....

I can't help wishing if only they have add text feature tho !
but oooops aiiii free stuff...
one shouldn't and can't b"'""" too much I reckon ?

so here's my version of "lovely Tuesday" via My Brushes Ink with text added via fotolr ~
cool apps, both of them @@

just because...its spontaneous and RAndom hilarious FUN doing art the michellesblueplanet way, smile

just because...its FUN, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

1. Draw free for the basic sketch
2. small world to convert background photo into spiral
3. nostalgio to collage 2 background photos for balance n composition
4. fotolr for text placement

with such great stuff , I cant get bored experimenting with my ipad :D

if anyone is still doubtful whether technology has a place in art, it must be because they didnt try it the michellesblueplanet way?
hahahah, go on have a bit of FUn ....
after all TGIF.

Cheers friends and all, lets enjoy our day

Image via Bamboo Paper on michellesblueplanet ipad

Image, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

Art is a little like looking at the mirror!

we dont necessarily need to be limited by what is reflected back to us!
Why ....sometimes we may NOT even see the same image that others see!
mmmmmm other times, we may need to even use a magnifying glass just to see whats so near and up-close !

so for those times when we need to, a little imagination wont hurt too, we can be purple , blue or black n white but lets not stay Dull ?

Do have a nice day ahead , friends and all :-)

michellesblueplanet ipad sketches~ for art attack moments on the go

ipad sketches, a set on Flickr.

thats the nicest thing about living in this era.
Technology available at our disposal.

Nothing is impossible if we set our minds to it...
Gotta salute all the talented developers out there who make it all possible so far.....
am loving:
Paper by 53
Bamboo Paper by Wacom
Glow Draw
Draw Free
Nostalgio
Fotolr

too many links here but if you so desire to experiment too, they are easily found once you go to itunes store and search and hahaha the magic is they are all FREE of charge.

Should anyone need tips on how to navigate them, I am more than willing to share too, just drop me a liner~

the embedded widget of my first ebook~ just in case anyone is a curious cat, smiles

my first book "when there's a dream"  the link to preview my art journal at Blurb

 the sypnosis of whats inside:

This is michelle's compilation of the happy moments spent in search of artful inspirations that often made her lose track of time.... 
It matters little to her that the sketches or drawings are so random, ah maybe even come across as self indulgent..... 
but it matters much to her that the pleasures experienced during the creative process was akin to the joys of first love, of simple satisfactions, maybe even a tad akin to feelings of illicit sinful unpermitted unions.

Life is like coffee~ 
There's so many flavors to choose from..... 
enjoy. have fun. be happy like a child.

michelle and her first art journal.... "when there's a dream" is like peeking into her private love affair! 
Filled with experiments, filled with variety and always done with love.

and the digital preview , hee hee just in case you are curious~

when there's a dream~ by michelle choong khoo | 

when there's a dream~ by michelle choong khoo 

this is just for FUn ~ my first Blurb Book

book cover, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

my first ebook "when there's a dream"  the link to preview my art journal at Blurb

the sypnosis of whats inside:


This is michelle's compilation of the happy moments spent in search of artful inspirations that often made her lose track of time....
It matters little to her that the sketches or drawings are so random, ah maybe even come across as self indulgent.....
but it matters much to her that the pleasures experienced during the creative process was akin to the joys of first love, of simple satisfactions, maybe even a tad akin to feelings of illicit sinful unpermitted unions.
Life is like coffee~
There's so many flavors to choose from.....
enjoy. have fun. be happy like a child.
michelle and her first art journal.... "when there's a dream" is like peeking into her private love affair!
Filled with experiments, filled with variety and always done with love.



hahahaha, a work in progress because Im still finding where else Blurb can pull long forgotten images of works I've stashed online all over cyberland...…

saves me alot of work thats for sure.

very interesting weekend indeed!

G= gee golf goody GREAT ? via Bamboo Paper ~ michellechoongkhoo

gee golf goody GREAT ?, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

finally I found the app that marries the best of all that I normally used !
-now i can attach photo reference on the same page to work on the sketch.
-The tools incl stroke size slim medium broad with fill in colors also slim medium broad!
-the colors of 8 is good enough for most uses!
- I can collage a mix of photos w drawing
or doodles!

oooops did I add more apps?
Do I know that my list of time wasters keeps on growing and growing and growing…..Seriously?
Awwww, But they are so irresistable and so much FUN~

What can a girl do?

mmmmmmm as a sucker who's forever looking on the positive side of things ….heh heh  Im just gonna say there's more than one good thing about the situation  ~
For starters, All these time wasters are totally free!!!!!!
For seconds, they keep the brain cells working because one has to figure out how to work the new stuff :)
and thirdly, it makes great cool art stuff!

Wheeeeee..... definitely G is for GREAT, love it , wide wide smiles…..
here's signing off quickly so that I can go back to working the apps on my beloved ipad :D

having fun with my ABCs~ michellesblueplanet way

 




having fun with my ABCs, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

relearning the alphabets my way :)

A = Attitude
B = Be Bold
C = Confidence
D = Dreams
E = Exhilaration
F = Freedom

more to come....... thanks for looking in!
hope you share your alphabets with me too :)

f is for free!

f is for free!, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

don't u think technology is so swell?
base sketch done on paperby53,
tried some coloring by spray paint,
got bored by white n tried reverse image by fotolr
n last but not least collages done via QQ image HD~
awesome day indeed, feeling good,
but alas ooops....
now I hv to go do what brings in the bacon ;;)


at the snails pace I am going , wwwwwooooooo its gonna take a longish while to get to the end of all the alphabets?
oh well, I guess thats good too because then I have many things to occupy me and helps me find the creative buzz ?
after which theres the numerics, the sign language, braile alphabets .......

ahem practice makes perfect , right?

wheeeeeeee ~ I can do anything by michellechoongkhoo

wheeeeeeee, a photo by michelle's blue planet on Flickr.

there are days when art liberates you......

even when u dont feel like in the mood for sports because you are aching all over....

even when you dont feel at your physical best because you feel a flu or fever coming...

even when you know the weather makes it near impossible to try some things...


Today was such a day .
But I still wanna feel like I could do anything in the world; smile ...
in my mind and at the stroke of my fingers over my ipad using paperby53 app at least! big big smile :D

Tomorrow when I am more up to it, mebbe I will tackle some of the other things thats swirling around in my mind.

The present is a gift.

some mediums take time to warm up to~ michellechoongkhoo

i found a box of my oil paints in the carryon easel box in the store room today!

 oh noooooo, the oil paints have been neglected for so long , the covers of some tubes were twisted off due to dried up paint :(

 i also found a whole box of stretched canvases ...…

 Therefore confronted with those,  I tried to summon mojo to get some art out to good use !

 Its quite nice to mix the palette and then prepare the outlines of what I had set out in my mind a detailed oil painting of Tiger……

But after getting this first undercoat done …..I am reminded of how tedious and taxing on one's nerves it can be ..... waiting ...... waiting for the layers to dry !
Morever as I clean my palette and brushes with turpentine…..sigh, I realized why it was that made me put all those oil tubes and blank canvases in the store room for so long~

I guess some mediums need time to warm up to ……
We'll see how next weekend goes :P

the fire rekindles, the journey continues~michellechoongkhoo

it sure feels really good to spend the holy Wesak Day, getting re~acquainted with my brushes and the palette~

Though one may conquer a thousand times
a thousand men in battle,
yet he indeed is the noblest victor
who conquers himself.

- The Buddha

I am so happy to be inspired and its definitely reassuring to know too that watercoloring is akin to bicycling, once skills are learnt….heh2 one never truly forget the lessons!

On a Lucky day, if needed one can quickly bring the techniques up to speed to try capture the essence of the day's inspiration!

Happy Wesak to all arty friends and may you be always well and happy!

link to the story inspired by diyana

inspired by Diyana ~ michellechoongkhoo

Woke up this morning inspired to dig out all my brushes and watercolor gears, thanks to a sweet girl Diyana who wrote me a nice follow up email to inform me she read my blog and decided to sign up for art classes!
I sure hope she finds her art journey as enjoyable and gain self discovery akin to love affair with water coloring like I did <3

I am just imagining a pure sweet young graphic student as I painted this today …..and I shall name her Diyana, for if not for her email…..truly I must say I may have neglected my brushes for far too long~
Watercoloring is always painstakingly slow but it is pleasurably fluid as one waits for the paint to dry before proceeding to the next.
I almost forgot how much joy it can be…..something that cant be replicated with the doodlings done on ipad, I must admit!

What a lovely Vesak Day it is …..

300gsm cold pressed acid paper, 

Not quite done but I think it is definitely coming along well~

hope you like this Diyana